Chapter One: Match Made in Hell
Chapter One: Match Made in Hell
The television flickered.
Static buzzed, then a solemn-faced news anchor appeared, her lipstick a shade too bright against the gray-toned screen.
“Authorities are urging residents to remain indoors tonight following a second brutal murder in less than twenty-four hours. Both victims, found mutilated in eerily similar fashions, were last seen with dates arranged through local hookup apps.”
She tilted her head slightly, pausing for effect.
“Investigators believe the killers may be using dating platforms to lure their victims. we suspect that there are two seperate kilers . Both are described as charming, attractive, and extremely dangerous. Lock your doors. Trust no one.”
A low chuckle echoed in the dim room.
Blood clung to the woman’s hands like second skin. It soaked through the white sleeves of her blouse and splattered across her cheeks, like freckles painted in sin.
She didn’t bother cleaning it. Not yet.
Instead, she sat cross-legged on the cold floor of the motel bathroom, phone in hand, swiping slowly through the Spank Daddy app.
“Too needy.”
“Too old.”
“Too vanilla.”
Swipe. Swipe. Swipe.
Then him.
Benjamin. 32. Vegan. Nature lover. Kind eyes. Killer smile.
His profile was painfully sweet: “Just a simple guy looking for something real.”
She smirked.
Real, huh?
Her thumb hovered over the heart icon for a beat too long before she tapped it. Almost instantly, a match.
Her phone buzzed.
Ben: “Hey there, stranger. You look dangerous.”
She licked a drop of blood off her lip.
Her: “Only if you’re into that.”
Ben: “Guess I’m into a little danger.”
She could almost hear the sheepish grin in his words.
Then came the invite.
Benjamin: “I know it’s a bit forward, but… I have a cabin. Secluded. Quiet. Great wine. Great view. You feel like disappearing for the weekend?”
Her heart thumped not from nerves. From anticipation. From opportunity.
She rose slowly, dragging her foot through a puddle of blood as she walked into the other room, past the cooling corpse slumped in the corner.
The man’s eyes were still open. She blew him a kiss.
Her phone buzzed again.
Benjamin’s calling.
She answered, voice sweet as syrup. “Hello?”
He sounded exactly how she’d imagined: soft, warm, just a little unsure of himself. A saint.
“Hey, I just wanted to make sure the invite didn’t seem too weird. I know it’s sudden—”
“Oh no,” she purred, wiping a streak of blood from her cheek with her wrist. “I love weird.”
A pause. He chuckled. “You’re funny.”
“I’m something,” she said.
Another body bag in the making.
“What’s the address?” she asked, already pulling her keys from her purse.
“1430 Dead Pine Trail,” he said, like the name didn’t scream murder location.
“Sounds romantic,” she whispered.
He hesitated. “It’s really quiet. Like….. no signal, no neighbours, just trees. I thought that might be nice.”
“That’s perfect,” she said.
Outside, thunder cracked.
She stared at herself in the mirror one last time mascara smudged, blouse soaked in crimson, her grin stretching wider than her reflection allowed.
“I’ll see you soon, Benjamin,” she whispered, hanging up.
Her voice echoed in the room like a curse.
