Two to Twelve | Book 2

Killer

The flickering streetlight cast an eerie glow over the result of my labour. Intermittent bright flashes offered me momentary glimpses of my victim, before darkness swallowed her again.

I couldn’t have chosen a more befitting place than this deserted area of the city park. The failing light was a lucky coincidence which made the scene even more exhilarating.

Sadly, my leather gloves that kept my fingers from freezing also prevented me from feeling the delectable warmth of my victim’s skin. Warmth which would soon fade away. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t risk taking my gloves off, for fear of leaving behind evidence.

I let go of her neck and stood up, admiring my work. Her eyes were closed, almost as if she slept. Strange. Strangulation usually left their eyes open, bulging and bloodshot. Watching the lights disappear from them was a thing of beauty. The gurgling sound when they tried to gasp for air, but couldn’t, because I squeezed their windpipe shut, was music to my ears. I never tired of it.

This one grabbed at my hands to loosen my grip, but she could only scratch my gloves. She didn’t stand a chance.

The girl had done her best to fight me off. She had kicked and screamed, clawed and thrashed. It had all been for naught. I always won. It had only taken minutes. Maybe I should have shown some restraint and dragged it out longer. I would try that next time.

Oh, yes, there would definitely be a next time.

Today hadn’t been that satisfying. A knife convinced the girl to do my bidding. I led her to a secluded area, ordered her to take off her pants and underwear before getting on the ground. And then she just lay there, motionless, while I had my way with her. I preferred they struggled, at least a little bit. She had only done so when it dawned on her that I wasn’t going to let her go.

Stepping away for a moment, I studied my surroundings for the perfect spot to put her to rest. If I wanted her found before the rot had set in, I couldn’t bury her. But I also needed to get away before she was discovered.

A small slope led to a ditch near the bicycle path, where a bed of dry leaves would shield her from the cold damp dirt. I decided this was the perfect spot.

That’s when I heard rustling behind my back.

I spun around and realized I had made a terrible mistake. Her stillness lulled me into a false sense of security. She wasn’t dead yet.

In two strides, I towered over her again.

She shakily crawled away from me, coughing and wheezing. “Help,” she mouthed, hardly any sound coming out. “Please, help!”

Of course there was no one around to hear her faint plea. Her desperation excited me. We were extending our fun after all.

While she struggled to move away, I stalked her like a hunter did his prey. Holding all the cards, I would be the end of her whenever I pleased.

Her desperate attempt to stay alive made my heart beat faster. I inched closer, sneaking one foot in front of the other. My shadow loomed over her in the cold white light of the moon. The streetlight blinked out, abandoning her. The girl looked over her shoulder, whimpering when she saw me. She gave up her futile flight.

“Please,” she cried. “I won’t tell anyone. Just please let me live.” Her raspy voice caused me to hesitate. Her begging messed with my head. She had put up a good fight. Did her words deserve some consideration?

I pushed the thought down quickly. Nobody gave me consideration. I was a bottom-dweller, feeding on the scraps of society. In my frustration I crossed a threshold, and became a monster. There was no going back. No. The best I could offer was a merciful death, if you could call strangulation that.

I grabbed a fistful of her long hair. She sobbed as I dragged her away from the open area she crawled towards.

No, sweetheart, this is a private party.

I threw her on her back and got on top of her again. My lips curled into a smirk.

Here we go.

I wrapped my hands around her tiny throat once more. Fear flashed in her eyes before they started bulging, banning the possibility of any other lingering emotions. She no longer tugged at my hands and her limbs went limp. I held on for a minute or two longer to be on the safe side.

It would be a disaster if I left and she survived. My face was covered up, but she would surely recall some descriptive details about me. I couldn’t risk it.

To make sure, I brought my face close to hers, searching for signs of life. A breath on my skin. The sound of her heart pulsating. Anything.

There were no signs of life. She was finished.

Now there were three of them. A nice set, all attractive, with luscious blonde locks.

This one wasn’t originally intended to complete the current lineup. I followed another. A younger, more attractive girl but couldn’t catch her alone. So I settled for this young lady. She happened to pass by me a couple of times while I familiarised myself with the area. Once she caught my attention, I couldn’t let go anymore, which sealed her fate.

I dragged her to the ditch I had inspected earlier. I positioned her just right, with her arms next to her body and her legs straight. I readjusted her pants, which had sagged down a bit when she attempted to crawl away from me. Her hair, messy by now, I tugged behind her ear and draped over her shoulders.

I left her lifeless eyes open— an obvious clue that she was deceased for whoever found her.

So far I had resisted the urge to come back to observe what would happen when somebody called it in after finding my victims. I figured it would be fun to watch the whole circus when the police got involved. But it was unwise to lurk at the crime scene. Just like striking at the same place twice, in case cameras surveyed the area. I took great care in finding the perfect isolated spots.

Before this, I struck at a walking path down by the river. And the first, not really a challenge, I took into an alley, but I imagined no one forgot their first murder. I never stuck around despite the desire to take care of my victims until they were given back to their families. To make sure they were treated well. A strange contradiction, I knew. Hypocritical even. But until their loved ones reclaimed them, they were mine.

After I readjusted the leaves around her to cover my tracks, I left through the brush to the outer fence. With some effort, I hoisted myself up and climbed over, careful the spikes didn’t touch one particularly precious body part.

On the other side, I scanned my surroundings. Not a soul in sight. I stood far out of reach of any cameras on the buildings opposite the park directed at the streets.

It had been another successful evening. I was getting good at this.

The media was catching on but the police had no clue so far. The information they shared in their vague statements was laughable. I was safe, which made me crave for more. Killing was such a thrill. I had no intention of stopping until somebody made me.