Crazy

Harls

Blood runs down the drain as I scrub vigorously at the sharp blade. My hands and arms are cut up. I’m probably going to need stitches, but I can’t risk going to the hospital and getting caught. Archy fought so hard for his goddamn pathetic life.

He deserved every one of those seventy-seven stab wounds I gave him. Seven is my lucky number, and seeing as I finally got rid of him, it seemed fitting. I gave him enough pills to kill him, but I wanted him to see my face and my vengeance before he took his last breath.

“You don’t have to do this, babe.” He said as his arms stopped going up.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to raise your hand to me all those times before, either, but you did.” I popped my gum and took in the pathetic excuse of a man withering before me. His dark eyes somehow turned darker.

“The last straw was when you stuck your fucking dick into someone else’s pussy. I can take a lot of things, Archy, but I can’t fucking take that. You did this to you. Not me.” Archy gargled and gasped for his last breath as I stared down at him in disgust. The thought of him dickin’ down Robin had me driving the final stab of the knife through his dick.

I stare at my face in the mirror to find it speckled with blood. Placing the knife on the counter, I splash water on my face and stare at the crazed look in my blue eyes. It’s not startling. That look is always there because I am crazed. Like a fucking wild animal.

Most of the blood comes off except for the smear across my lips, giving me a smile that resembles a clown’s mouth.

“Fuck it,” I mumble under my breath; smacking my gum, I snatch my knife back up and head out. Can’t be caught at the scene of the crime.

Not even one singular ounce of me is going to miss this shit-hole shack of a house. It’s run down. We only had a mattress on the floor, a worn-down orange couch, and one TV that didn’t even have streaming apps because Archy was a pathetic crack dealer and dipped into his own stash, meaning we couldn’t afford Wi-Fi.

I don’t have a car, and taking Archy’s isn’t smart. My heels clack against the road. I cross my arms over my chest, trying to bring myself some warmth. There’s only a week until Halloween. Mayhem’s falls are almost as cold as its winters.

In the distance, headlights slice through the darkness. The thought of throwing my thumb out briefly crosses my mind but then so does the image of my face in the bathroom mirror. Then I glance down at my bleeding fingers and arms. My hand still holds the murder weapon.

A heavy breath comes out of me in a puff of smoke as I continue to stomp across the road. I have to find a way to gain some distance. I throw my thumb out. With Halloween being close, I can just say I was at a Halloween party, and my ride stiffed me.

The car slows down, and I hold my breath, just knowing this person is going to see my appearance and drive past me. I’m wearing jean shorts that could be underwear and one of Archy’s black wife-beaters that I cut into a crop top.

“Awfully dangerous to be out here by yourself.” A man with messy blond hair says through the crack in his window.

A wild laugh escapes me. “You don’t know who you’re talking to, mister.” I blow a bubble with my gum. His eyes rake over me as he bites on his bottom lip.

“Maybe I’d like to know.” He grins, and his blue eyes sparkle. He’s handsome if you’re into the clean-cut type. I’m not, but I know how to get what I want.

“Well, alright then.” I walk around the car and plop down into the passenger seat.

“Halloween party?” The stranger asks as he starts driving again.

“Mhmm.” I keep my answers short. I’m not nervous.

The less talking I do, the better. I’m not sure what he’ll want from me or if I have the energy to give it to him.

“Where to?” He asks.

“I don’t know. Where are you going?” I twirl my blonde pigtail around my finger.

“Well, I’m currently leaving on a business trip to Chaos.”

Little does he know how perfect that is for me. Chaos is almost a four-hour drive from Mayhem. “I’ve been wanting to get out of here, anyway. Any hotel in Chaos works for me.” I tell him, hoping that whatever room I end up getting isn’t more than sixty bucks because Archy only had a hundred dollars on him.

I took it from his pocket, and it, too, is bloody. It will be a miracle if I don’t get caught. “That’s out of the way for a girl that doesn’t have anything with her but a costume and a bloody knife.” He glances at me and then back to the road.

A grin creeps across my face. I let out another laugh, this one is dark. For a moment, I think about reaching over and slitting his throat. But I don’t. Instead, I sink into my seat without replying.

At the two-hour mark, I roll down the window and toss the knife in the direction of the wooded area along the side of the road. The stranger looks at me with an arched brow but doesn’t say anything.

His fingers tap against the steering wheel, and sweat beads along his hairline. It’s easy to see that he feels the not rightness in me. I’ve always had this effect on people. That’s never bothered me, though.

People know when they’re in danger, whether it’s a gut feeling or a whisper in the back of their mind. Their bodies try to signal that they are in the presence of a predator. It just depends on whether they listen to their instincts or not.

This isn’t my first time killing. Archy had me robbing people to earn my keep. It usually went smoothly, but sometimes it didn’t. I would do what I had to—to ensure I didn’t get caught. What makes Archy’s death different is that I don’t have him here to hide the evidence for me.

“Here, good?” He asks, interrupting my thoughts. The left blinker echoes in the car as he turns into the parking lot. I stare at the orange flickering sign that reads motel. “Thanks.” I smile at him. His eyes dart around the parking lot, anxious for me to get out.

The stranger doesn’t say anything as I exit the car. I spit my nasty, flavorless gum onto the blacktop and head to the office. The sound of squealing tires has me looking over my shoulder.

I really made him uncomfortable.

I giggle, pulling open the door. A bell dings above my head. There’s no one to greet me. I stand awkwardly and stare at the brown grime on the walls. The dim light makes the office appear gray. For a minute, I worry I’m going to stand here all night. All I want to do is lay down.