Page 25 of Burn For Me

My lip curled up. “Jim had a very unfortunate accident, but he was nice enough to donate his phone to my cause.”

“Oh shit, oh shit.” Dave swallowed, the gears kicking in and turning the lightbulb on in his dim brain. “No, man, please…I’m begging you. Don’t kill me.”

“That’s funny. That’s the exact same thing Jim said right before his house blew up.” I reached into the duffel and pulled out a roll of thick tape, and ripped off a large piece as Dave began to scream for help. “Well now, Dave, screaming like you’re crazy will never do.” It took a bit to get the tape on Dave’s mouth as he thrashed his head back and forth, screaming like he was Tarzan, but I won out.

“Let me ask you something, Dave. Do you really think there is anything you can say to change my mind?” Dave nodded furiously. “Nope, I’m not removing the tape. Just think about it. Let’s pretend roles were reversed, and you were forced to watch as I held down, say…your mother or sister as I did this….” I mimicked wrapping my hand around someone’s neck, and slammed my hips forward. “Like this, as I raped them.”

I looked around the apartment.

“I doubt with this shithole left the way you have it that you have a girlfriend, but if you did, how would you react?”

Dave’s eyes shifted from terrified to anger and then back to horrified. Point made, I stood straight and finished off the juice before tossing the plastic bottle in the sink. Smacking my lips, I savored the sweet taste that reminded me of Adalyn.

“See what I mean, Dave? You’d want me dead. Now pretend you really are me, the me that everyone is terrified of, the me that wishes I could stick around here to watch your skin melt off your body as you scream.”

Dave’s muffled scream made me chuckle. I watched as he rocked back and forth helplessly, trying to free himself from the tight bindings. Dave’s fight or flight was kicking into gear, and I could almost smell the adrenaline permeating the air. I was enjoying his struggle and wished I could savor this moment a little longer, but each second here was a second more that I could be discovered. Sighing with disappointment, I pried my eyes off Dave. It was time to get this show on the road.

I did a quick walk-through of his meager apartment and took anything else I could sell. I conveniently found Dave’s phone, and he didn’t have a password.

“Thanks, Dave,” I said and waved the phone in his direction. He also had a tablet lying on the coffee table, and I picked it up and turned it on.

Perfect.

With my search complete, I stuffed all the found items in my duffel and grabbed the large bolt cutters. I’d hoped that this building had a gas hookup, but I had other options if not. My new motto was to be prepared for any situation before going after my prey.

Reaching behind the oven, I severed the gas hose with one squeeze. I sniffed and smiled as a steady hiss of sweet fumes began to pour into the room. I put my tools away and picked up my homemade little gem.

“Do you know what this is, Dave?” Tears ran down his cheeks in long streams over the wide tape. “No?” I waved my hand. “Of course, you don’t. This is…oh, never mind, you’re going to be dead, so it’s not like you’ll appreciate the genius.”

Kneeling down, I flicked on the timer and set the device right in front of the hissing hose.

“That should do it. Dave, I’d say it has been a pleasure, but I’d be lying. You have nine minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. I’d take the time to pray for someone to care enough to forgive your soul.”

The muffled screams got louder as I grabbed my bag to leave. Dave thrashed around so hard that the light kitchen chair fell over.

“Why do you people keep doing that? It’s not going to help.”

Shrugging, I made sure my hat and hood were in place as I opened his door and headed toward the stairs at the opposite side of the building. Keeping a close eye on the time on my wristwatch, I slipped out the side door into the night and kept a casual pace. As far as anyone else would be concerned, I was enjoying the evening as I walked across the road toward the alley. The narrow lane was the perfect spot simply to disappear. It was well away from any cameras, and it popped out into an alley where only rodents of all sizes lived.

I wasn’t going to stay, but the urge to watch, to see the fire I created, was too much to resist. Taking a deep breath, I turned around and hid among the deep shadows until I melted in with them and waited. I was Dave’s reaper and he’d signed the papers the night he touched Adalyn.

Boom.

The apartment that would’ve been Dave’s exploded, but so did the one on either side of his. Glass rained down on the few people on the street as they screamed and scattered. It didn’t take long for more explosions to follow suit, and soon, people were running from the building, but I smiled as others banged on windows trying to free themselves of my creation.

My cock was rock hard by the time I pried myself away from the scene as the sound of sirens blared down the street. There was nothing sweeter than this. A dark warmth of desire rose from deep within and wrapped me up in its golden light. I was complete. The flames would dance in my mind all night, but that wasn’t good enough. I needed to find a way to be able to watch this over and over again. It was too good to only experience once.

Tossing the duffel into the backseat of Dora’s little sedan, I drove away feeling like the cat that had caught the canary. My work was just beginning, and that thought warmed my blood. My body shuddered as a shiver traveled down my spine, with the image of the burning apartment replaying in my mind like a porno. Fuck I wanted that next kill—Jason was next on my list. I wanted to save the good doctor for last. I was really going to enjoy watching him burn.

Bang, bang, bang.

Plucking a nail from the few I had gripped between my lips, I placed it in the needed spot on the post and gave it a few taps before banging the nail in harder. I wiped the sweat away with the back of my arm and looked around the paddock that I’d been working on all day. It still needed a bit of fixing, but it would be able to hold a few animals soon. Based on the planting books and time schedule Mr. Giltbert kept in the house, it was too late for most crops to be planted this season, but there was a couple I could try cultivating in a small area.

The crunching of rocks under the tires of a vehicle announced the white sedan pulling into the driveway. Leaning against the fence, I waved to Dora as she got out of the car.

“I have some food for you,” she called out.

Slipping through the fence boards, I hooked the hammer on the leather belt and made my way toward the older woman.