Can’t forget to bring a bonesaw. I made that mistake once; bones are tough to cut through without one. 0/10 do not recommend.
The lightning illuminates the room again, and John is still sleeping, none the wiser, the devil has come to collect his soul. I pull out the rope in my backpack and make a noose. I slip it gently over John’s face, and take the rest of the rope, and loop it around the bedpost to give me leverage.
On the next burst of light, I pull the rope tight, the crack of lightning covering John’s cry for help. The noose firmly grips his neck as he flops around trying to free himself. I grab one of my hunting knives, a long one, from the roll case, then seize one of his hands and ram it through, pinning it to the bedpost. John tries to scream, but it comes out as a strangled gargle.
“Hello, John,” I say calmly, when he stops struggling. “The Murphys send their regards this evening.” The old man lunges forward, but the rope snags, pulling him back down against the headboard. I tie off the rope, securing it in place, and I walk to the foot of the bed. John’s eyes track me as he struggles to breathe. “You’re an evil man, John. You’re a perverted old man who likes to hurt little girls, your own flesh and blood, too. You are the scum of this earth, and it’s time for you to leave it. There will be no mercy for you, only pain.”
I watch as a tear falls from his eye, and a sob rips from him. John starts thrashing around, crying out as he struggles to free himself. I grab my mini machete from my leather case, grab his toes, and slice clean through the top of his foot. John wails, but another convenient crack of lightning covers it.
Blood soaks the bottom of the bed, and my vision blurs as I stare at the growing puddle. My vision shifts, and it’s my mother I see lying on the kitchen floor of our home. I see the monster that took her from me, standing over her.
But whenI look down again at my mother, it’s Luna on the floor, it’s her blood everywhere. I want the monster that took her from me to look at me. The man turns, but I stand frozen in fear when I come face-to-face with myself. I look down at my bloodied hands, and there her body lies at my feet.
I snap back to reality when John’s screams no longer fill the room, and the silence is deafening. I look down, and I’m standing over him on his bed, knife in hand, his chest ripped open, his ribs are exposed, and the entire front of me is soaked in blood.
I stumble off the bed, catching my breath, stunned at what I just did. “Fuck,” I say through heavy pants, covering my mouth.
What the fuck was that? I saw Luna and I—No. I push the vision of Luna dead at my feet to the back of my mind and focus on the task at hand. I need to get a hold of myself. It wasn’t real. It’s from my lack of sleep, and that’s all.
“Time to get you cleaned up, John.”
It’s almost five in the morning by the time I’m done cleaning up the crime scene and staging the body as instructed. I was to leave the body in the bed to look like he’s sleeping, his maid will find him next week when she comes to clean his house. I left no trace of myself and activated the security system as I departed.
Clean in and out.
I pull into the Park & Ride and switch back to my motorcycle. I upload the footage from my glasses to my phone's drive and email it to my client. A few seconds later, a notification pops up on my screen:$35k has been deposited into your account.
The alert for the motion detectors in Luna’s apartment goes off on my phone, and I pull up the live feed. Luna is awake, and she’s standing by her window. “Good morning to you, too, handsome. Let’s start our day early, shall we?”
My breath stills as I wonder if she knows I’m watching her, but my fears subside seeing her cat come into view. “Always the cat.”
Luna would be on her way to the gym soon. If I leave now, I’ll be able to meet her there.
I slip my phone into my hoodie pocket and get on the highway. The crisp, foggy mornings of early October have returned to Boston, and soon I’ll have to put my bike up for the winter, but for now I’ll enjoy the bitter wind as I zip down the highway. The chill simmersthe darkness inside me, bringing me back down from the evening's high.
I pull into the gym parking lot, slowing to see if Luna is here yet, but I don’t see her car. I hop off my bike, and the realization hits me that I haven’t changed my clothes. “Fuck.” I leave my helmet on and walk into the gym. Thankfully, no one was in the front, and I slipped undetected into the locker rooms. I have a locker in the changing room with a spare set of clothes, but this was a rookie mistake. I knew better than this.
I feel like my head has been in a bind ever since I saw that—vision, or mind trick, what the fuck ever it was, I haven’t felt the same since, and now I’m making stupid rookie mistakes.
I’m glad I left my fucking weapons in the trunk, jesus fucking christ.
I pull up the sweatpants I had left in my locker, and stuff my bloodied jeans and t-shirt in. I hear the bell from the front door, signaling to the staff that someone has entered the gym.
Luna.
I don’t have to look to know it’s her. I shut my locker and slowly walk out through the changing room, trying to slow my heartbeat down on the way out. She was there, on the treadmill, as she always starts, and god, she looked so good. Her light blue leggings and white sports bra hugged her every curve. I nearly bite my bottom lip clean off as I watch her pull up on the sides of her leggings; her perfectly round ass bounces as she does, and it takes everything in me not to get on my knees right there and beg her to choke me out with those thick thighs.
My feet move before my brain catches up, and I walk up behind her. Luna catches sight of me, and she fumbles with her phone. “Good morning, Luna. You’re here early this morning.” I lean against the treadmill, and I don’t miss how Luna’s eyes flick to my neck. I swallow, shamelessly flexing the muscles there.
Luna meets my eyes again, shrugging, “I had a crappy night’s sleep. Figured I would run it off. What are you doing here so early?”
“I’m always here early on Sundays andSaturdays. I don’t like the crowds on the weekends.” I lie, sort of. Indeed, I don’t like the crowd, but I’m only here for you. Luna nods understandingly, and I quickly run out of excuses to keep her attention. “Don’t let me keep you from running. I just wanted to say hi. Oh–Did you find out if you’re a best-selling author yet?”
Luna bites her bottom lip, and I forget how to breathe. “Not yet. Probably later today, whenever the article comes out.”
I nod. “I’ll keep an eye out for the article. Before you leave, come find me?” She agrees, and I head to the weight section of the gym, slipping out of her sight, waiting in the shadows. I haven’t showered yet, and I’m afraid that if I start sweating, I’d have blood-sweat mix all over my face.
So I wait. I’m good at waiting.
