66. Noah #2
He stops, skidding and bracing his hand against the wall before doubling back and turning down another path. Left, right, left, left.
“Oops…Looks like you’ve hit a dead end, Rayes.”
I come up behind him as he stares at the photo on the wall illuminated by a small bulb. It’s a photo from the crime scene of his wife’s murder. Her body was lying lifeless at a crooked angle. Bruises cover her body as her dull dead eyes stare into the distance.
“I didn’t mean to,” he cries.
“What?”
“I…I didn’t mean to kill her.”
“What did you think would happen? You strangled her,” I say as he pulls the photo down and runs his fingers over his wife’s image.
“I didn’t mean to. She just made me so mad. She just wouldn’t stop fighting me on everything.”
His voice is low as he seems to be remembering that horrible day. Normally, it takes a few more photos and a lot more blood to get them to feel remorse for their sins, but not Rayes. He cracked from the first photo.
“It was something stupid that started it that morning. I think it was something about Angela. She always said I spoiled her too much, and maybe I did. She was my princess after all. But then she wouldn’t stop.
She just kept yelling and nagging me on and on and on.
She just wouldn’t shut up. I hadn’t slept.
I’d been up for over thirty-seven hours. I just…wanted her to stop.”
“What about all the other times you beat her? Did you just want her to stop then, too?” I ask as I take another step closer.
“Yes,” he says, his voice almost a whisper.
“Men like you are why I do this. You think you can hurt other people and get away with it, but you can’t. Not while I’m still breathing.”
I want to chase. I want to hunt. I don’t want to just kill him here. This isn’t as satisfying as I wanted it to be.
“You swear you won’t hurt my daughter?” he finally asks as he turns back to me.
“I won’t go near her ever again,” I promise him.
“There isn’t a way to escape, is there? At least not one that I can find. It’s probably hidden so that only you can find it. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Figures. Welp, you better get to it then.”
I cock my head to the side. Is he really accepting his death already?
“Run, Rayes.”
“No.”
“No?” I ask.
“No. I’m done running. Just kill me here.”
“No. You don’t deserve a quick death,” I snap, pointing my knife at his throat.
“Fine,” he huffs as he lowers his head.
My knife is still pointed at him. There’s barely enough room for him to move around me in the narrow path without my knife nearly biting his flesh. He stops with his back to me before taking a deep breath.
“Run.”
“I’m sorry,” he says quietly.
“What?”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats before turning and lunging at me.
I don’t get a second to react, still stunned by the way this man just gave up so easily. I can’t move my knife away fast enough. Can’t pull it back before it pierces his flesh, deep into his throat. I can’t stop staring at his eyes and that fucking smile on his face.
“No,” I gasp.
“Thank you,’ he gurgles.
The words are barely heard. He gasps, sputtering and choking, as blood starts to spill from his lips.
“NO!” I scream as he pulls away from me letting the blood spray all over my mask and chest before he falls to the floor.
I drop to my knees and can already feel the pooling blood soaking through my jeans.
“No. You’re not allowed to die this quickly. You abused her for years. Why should you get the easy way out? No!”
He doesn’t speak again. His eyes glaze over as his head lolls to the side, his gaze finding that photo on the ground by the dead end.
This isn’t fair. He deserved so much more pain. I should have tortured him more last night, but I couldn’t. I…
“Fuck!” I scream as I stab the knife into him over and over again.
Each time I rip it free, more blood sprays coating the white skeletal face red.
“No! No! No!”
A raspy laugh breaks my mental spiral as it echoes through the tunnels.
It wraps around me, like a noose tightening around my throat.
This is all his fault. If he hadn’t rattled me last night, I would’ve been able to torture Rayes more.
I would have been able to make him bleed and suffer for what he did. But now…Fuck!
“What’s wrong, Killer? Was his blood not good enough this time? I’ve never heard you scream like that after a kill,” Parker shouts loud enough for me to hear before he starts breaking out into a coughing fit.
I stand slowly while wiping the blade clean on my jeans before turning away from the body. I need more. More pain. More blood. More screams.
“Come on, Killer. Where are you?” he sings, causing my lip to curl and my spine to tingle.
It’s like claws of ice dragging along my back as I take another step closer, then stop. I can’t. If I go near him right now, I’ll kill him.
“Hey, Killer. I actually hope you do find Willow. That way, she can see the monster you’ve become. No longer the sweet boy she used to run to for protection. No…You won’t be her protector anymore. You will be the monster that haunts her nightmares…Not me. No, not me.”
His laugh carries through the darkness as I shut off the remaining lights and close the door locking him inside.
I’ll dispose of Rayes’ body tomorrow. I can’t be down here anymore.
If he keeps talking, I’ll slit his fucking throat.
I’ll slice every fucking limb off his body before burning him alive.
He's the monster in her nightmares. Not me.
I’ve only ever wanted to save her.
Protect her.
Love her.
I’ll find her and show her what I’ve done for her, how long I’ve searched for her.
How much I love her.
She will understand, because she’s mine.