Does she have it in her to be like me?
I think so.
It will scare her at first, but then again, it always does.
Taking someone’s life is not an easy thing to do at first.
Your own body rejects the act; you puke, you shake, and you see their face haunting your dreams. But once you overcome that initial hurdle, a whole new world opens.
I wasn’t lying when I said that one more trauma could break her.
There are too many monsters roaming about this earth, and she has met her fair share of them. But she will never have to fear monsters when I’m around, not because I am a knight in shining armour or a guardian angel, but because I am the thing lurking in the dark abyss. I am the thing that goes bump in the night. I am the boogeyman, the shadow that creeps along the walls. I am the embodiment of her fears, and yet, paradoxically, I am also her protector. In the darkness, I will become her shield, her strength, and her source of courage.
“Stephen,” I croon. “Time for your bath, buddy.” I tap on the boot of my car before popping open the trunk. He’s a sobbing mess. Poor little paedophile.
I couldn’t let it go. When Maria slid her phone across the table and I saw what he had done, my mind was made up. Not even my bug, in all her splendour, could distract me.
He wriggles, thrashing about in the trunk, his muffled cries growing louder. I tighten the restraints, ensuring he can’t escape.
“Baptism by fire, boo boo,” I say with a wistful grin as I remove the pitiful husk from the trunk. “Look at that,” I point to the markings on the concrete. “X marks the spot.” I drop him hard onto the ground, relishing in the sound of his body hitting the concrete. I’m nearly sure I just heard something snap.
Glorious.
He tries to say something, but I can’t make it out over the tape covering his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I pull the tape from his lips, leaning in close to hear his feeble attempts at speech. “What was that? Can’t quite hear you.”
“Please—”
“Nope.” I interrupt him with a chuckle, cutting off his plea. “No need for pleasantries now.” Walking to the tank beside us, I grab the lever. “Pull the lever, Kronk.” The tank releases a rush of boiling tar that cascades over his body, face first, melting away his skin and leaving behind only agonised screams. “Wrong lever!”
I wish I could just take a photo of this moment, capturing the pure horror and despair etched on his face before the tar consumes it. Trophies are the downfall of people in my profession; they become obsessed with collecting evidence of their conquests, forgetting the true purpose of their work. They get fucking sloppy.
Stephen is still screaming in excruciating pain as the tar continues to eat away at his flesh. I was originally going to burn the bastard alive, but my bug’s brilliant idea of making him a speed bump was too good to pass up.
She has a rather brilliant and twisted mind when it comes to punishment.
I’d love to have her here right now to witness this. She is not ready to appreciate the beauty of my work yet, but she will. She will see that the safest place on earth is in the arms of a killer.
Unlike most people who claim they would kill for their loved ones, I will actually follow through with it. My bug will know this about me when the time is right. She will trust me completely because there is nothing that I wouldn’t do to protect her. She won’t run like my ex-wife, and she won’t ever fear me. Katie will carve out her heart and hand it to me on a silver platter, knowing that I will guard it with my life.
Stephen’s cries turn into muffled whimpers; his mouth was wide open when I pulled that lever. The tar has stripped away his ability to scream, leaving him helpless. He’s still alive; I can see the tiniest movement of his chest as he struggles to breathe.
Hmm.
That won’t do.
I could just leave him here to die slowly, but where is the fun in that?
I could hit him with my car, but then I’d have to burn it out.
What would my bug suggest?
Too bad I didn’t think to get a road roller; I could have squashed him flat. His bones would be crushed to powder, and his organs would burst from his body like grapefruitexploding.
Dammit, I should have lowered him into the tanker and watched him drown in the darkness.
“Bug,” I sigh as I look down at the man writhing in pain. “You’re making me lazy, baby. I could have had more fun killing this prick if I wasn’t desperate to get back to you.”
