Page 29 of Hawke

In the beginning, I hadn’t derived nearly the same amount of pleasure from taking a life. As I now did. In fact, the first time had actually been an accident. I had only planned to scare her, but when the disgusting female climbed into my car, quickly removing the miniscule amount of clothing she wore, bile had risen in my throat. She’d then slipped her hand between her naked thighs.

“What are you doing?”I had asked her.

“I’m making this pussy wet for you,”she’d replied.

I had known then and there that she needed to be stopped. And she wasn’t the only one. The city was overrun by prostitutes and others who I deemed sexually immoral. There were clubs and parties, and overall just filthy debauchery that had to be stopped. Clarity had filled me in that moment as my calling in life had become clear. I was put here to dispose of these demons. The corner of my lip had risen in a smirk, and thus my mission had begun.

While she had rambled on about pleasing me, her nasty fingers reached for my cock in the enclosed space of the vehicle. When she’d first touched me, it had had the same effect as acid on my skin. I’d pulled over as my rage had finally gotten the best of me. She wanted me to touch her, so I did. Everyone always remembered their first in life, whether it was a first kiss... first love... first job... first car... first home... or even their first murder.

I certainly did. Even now, I could remember her fearful eyes locked to mine while I had watched the life drain from them as I strangled her with the strap from her own purse. It’d been unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. In the battle of good and evil, I had emerged the victor, feeling nothing but pride in having just vanquished a sinner from this earth.

Tonight reminded me a lot of that first time. The same type of sinner, this one on her knees salivating for a taste of my cock when she’d likely not even washed the taste of the last john out of her mouth. I produced the wire, and before she even known what hit her, I had it wrapped around her throat. She struggled. They always did which was the only thing to make my dick hard. Despite her attempts, she was no match for me and my strength.

Slowly stepping away from her now lifeless form, my steps were careful on the solid ice below. There had been a winter storm a few nights ago that gave way to a day or two of slight warming. It all changed this morning as a bitter cold set in, causing the nearly melted snow and slush to refreeze. There’d been very little sun out for days, but I knew tomorrow would be different. As a reward for my vigilance, the bright orb would reappear once more.

Before I could leave to celebrate my kill, there was still one more thing I needed to do. I looked down at the whore, then knelt beside her corpse. Using the tip of the knife, I raised her shirt up enough for me to finish the job.

As an executioner, there was one final act to bestow upon her before she could be thrust into the fiery depths of hell for all eternity. I used the same tip of my blade, then punctured a soft spot on her lower back. My hand seemed to move of its own accord as I took the time to painstakingly mark her with the universal sign of evil. After I had completed the carving of a small pentagram, I snapped a few photographs of my accomplishment, then left the woman to rot as I walked casually back to my car.

These pictures would join my collection, and they would serve as a reminder of the immoral sinners walking these streets. Although I would now have one less on my to-do list, there were still so many remaining people to execute. Their time was coming. I would make sure of it.

21 – HAWKE

Ever since Valentine’s night, I had been plagued with visions of Charlotte Maxwell, and ones so vivid that I had gotten off to the very memory of them. I was spiraling out of control, the voices getting louder in my head. It wasn’t just a voice or two, either. There were multiple, each one drawing me closer to a past I would prefer to keep buried. It was becoming a lot easier said than done.

“We’re learning today that the latest victim, also a female, has been identified as Tina Brown.” The news anchor rattled on as I stood up from my chair. “And just two months before her violent death, she’d been arrested on prostitution charges. It was her fourth such arrest in the last year. It’s a grisly end for a woman whose family claims was just starting to turn her life around.”

I watched the story out the corner of my eye as I stretched to full height. Pain shot down my back, and I realized I had been much too tense lately. I had an inkling as to why, yet I had done nothing to try to fix it. That would have to change soon.

“Denver authorities are warning the public to stay vigilant, and to report anything suspicious by calling nine-one-one.”

Fox 31 went from that breaking news to the weather. It looked like more snow was in the forecast, and that soured my mood even more. Besides the bitterness of the cold temperatures, it also evoked memories inside of me that I would rather not think about.

It seemed as if everything did lately, and I hated it. I barely ventured out in it for anything more than work, and that might even be half of my problems. Back in Washington, D.C., I was very active. Between long hours in my home gym, and use of the one down the block from The Box, I had more than enough ways to burn off excess energy, and to keep myself in shape. At the moment, I had use of the small gym at my hotel, or Syn. I really hadn’t utilized either much since arriving.

A commercial for a local car dealership interrupted my thoughts, and I looked around for the remote. Once I found it, I turned off the television.

It’s not like I’m getting much done tonight, anyway.

And I wasn’t. I had been sitting here for hours, and instead of working, I spent all that time feeling sorry for myself. I didn’t like pity from anyone, and that included myself. Since I wasn’t getting anything done in my hotel suite, I figured I might as well go to Syn. Now that the club was operational, I would have to relocate from this hotel. I needed to find a more permanent place to live, so that was something else I’d add to my growing list of things to do.

After throwing on my jacket, I grabbed my wallet and keys, then left for my club. It wasn’t too far from my hotel, and it looked like the snow had finally stopped for the night, so I decided to walk instead of drive. The cold air would hopefully clear my head, and if it didn’t, I had one other option available. I stepped outside of the hotel, then exhaled sharply.

Greeted immediately by the arctic blast, I stuck my hands in my pockets, put my head down, and walked the few blocks to my club. Syn was one of the few bright spots in my life right now. Everything else seemed to be off-kilter. It was the perfect thing to focus on right now. And who knows? Maybe I would even be able to put Charlotte out of my mind for longer than five minutes.

When I arrived at Syn, the newest doorman I had hired was manning the front. “It’s a full house tonight, boss,” he told me.

“That’s great,” I replied. It was amazing how good business had been already in just a few short weeks. The masquerade party had been a hit, and the membership applications continued to roll in at record pace. Tonight, I’d lose myself in that administrative hell, and hopefully it would tire me out enough so I could finally rest.

For days, I had been running on pure adrenaline. Every time I tried to go to sleep, I would be so restless that even the smallest of noises would awaken me. It’d gotten so bad that I had even turned the heat off at night for fear of the unit clicking on and off.

I stepped past Gage and walked inside. I checked out the main area first, peeking in to see the entire club in full swing. For a few minutes, I stood in the doorway with my arms crossed, watching throngs of people dancing close. Beyond that section of the club, I could see a few of the exhibits set up, and could already hear the various types of cries coming from the submissives. That was my cue to step away, which I did, almost knocking Ryder over in the process.

“Sorry, man. I didn’t see you,” I mumbled to my friend.

“It’s fine,” he responded. I could see the narrowing of Ryder’s eyes, and I knew my friend was concerned, although it was unnecessary. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” I didn’t want to say more than that because I honestly just needed to get the hell out of here. A piercing wail came from behind me, and I shifted impatiently on my feet. “I’ve got a lot of work to do so I will be in my office.”

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