“Who are you?” He slurs, the words barely coherent with all the swelling around his mouth. I’m also incredibly satisfied to see he’s missing a tooth.
“I’m the man that wants to kill you,” I tell him, “The man that was going to if she hadn’t stopped me.”
His eyes widen, showing off the bloodshot whites, and then he opens his mouth to scream. I slap my palm over it, pressing down hard on the painful bruising. He thrashes in the bed, clawing at me but I press harder, “You’re going to listen to me very carefully, Patrick,” I tell him. “Are you listening?”
He just continues to thrash, moving in the bed and causing blood to seep through the dressings he has on his face and body.
“I don’t think you understand me,” I snatch my other hand over one of his eyes, pressing my thumb in, “You will listen, or you will die.”
He groans and cries out, “Tick tock, Patrick. Make your decision. I’ll count to five.”
He fights me as best he can, which isn’t much, “One.” I count. “Two.” I press my thumb into his eye harder, feeling it movebeneath it, “Three. Do you really want to find out what happens when I get to five?”
He mumbles something and stops moving, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. What was that?”
I lift my hand to allow some noise to come out, “What do you want!?” He cries.
“Well, I want you to pay for what you did,” I tell him, “But killing you will bring up all sorts of questions. She’ll get dragged into it but if I must, I will, do you understand?”
“P-please,” He begs, spittle spewing from his lips.
“Look at you begging,” I tut, “Tell me why I should listen when you didn’t listen, even after she begged you to stop.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Are you sure about that, Patrick?”
“You stopped it!”
“But you would’ve done it if I hadn’t been there, right?”
He goes quiet.
I nod. “I know you would. It didn’t matter that she said no. It didn’t matter that she begged you to stop, you wanted her, so you took what doesn’t belong to you.”
“I’m sorry!”
I scoff, disgusted in him, “The only reason you’re here and not in the ground somewhere is because she stopped me. The only reason I am not finishing the job is because it’ll harm her more. Do you understand me?”
He nods frantically, blood seeping out of his gauzes and down his face.
“But I’ll know if you ever go near her again.” I warn him. “I’ll know if you’re even in the same vicinity. You’re going to stay away from her.”
“We have classes together!” He argues.
“Then leave.” I walk toward the windows and turn back to him, his eyes never leaving my body. He’s the prey here and I’m a very dangerous predator. “Leave town. I don’t give a fuck where you go, but it better be far away from here.”
He swallows with a wince.
“And never contact her. Ever. Do not even think her name.”
When silence stretches between us, I cross back over to him, “Are you understanding me, Patrick?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” I grin like I’m not completely prepared to end him, “I’ll allow a few days to wrap all this up, but even if you have to transfer hospitals, I want you gone by the end of the week.”
“Who even are you?” He whimpers.
