15. Him
HIM
KING OF THE WORLD
Her hips sway as she walks up the stairs to her apartment building; the rhythm… hypnotizing. I can’t look away. She’s calling to me. The way her hand trails up the banister… Her palms, so soft.
Fuck me. I check my rearview mirror, then adjust myself through my slacks.
The itch inside… it’s begging to be scratched; my skin feels too tight.
It’s almost time.
If only I could find the perfect one who scratches the itch for longer than a few weeks at a time, I wouldn’t have to keep doing this.
Driving.
Hunting.
Waiting.
Planning.
But the monster inside beats against my ribcage, unhappy with no one to please him. I thought the last one was perfect. Just like this one. They all were.
Oh, but that last one…
She was fucking phenomenal. The way she smelled after her shower. How she trembled when she washed her body in front of me, knowing she would be devoured as soon as she stepped out of the water.
Goddamn, I feel myself throbbing just thinking about her. Mmm, the smell of her skin as I trailed my nose along her neck one last time. Her jaw. The decadent feel of her lips on mine.
When I laid her in that coffin, full of my essence, I felt powerful.
Invincible.
Still, I would have kept her.
But the monster wants someone new.
Always someone new.
I’m thrown from my reverie when a notification on my phone breaks the silence. I move my hand from my zipper—so close—and snatch the forsaken device from the cup holder. This better fucking be important.
The email app flashes with an alert from my assistant. I scan the subject line—Rochester PD Press Release—and frown, knitting my brows in confusion. Why the fuck does Rochester PD need to make a press release?
I read the email, my blood turning cold with each word.
FBI PRESS RELEASE
MINNEAPOLIS FIELD OFFICE
ROCHESTER RESIDENT AGENCY OFFIC E
EMBARGOED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 16, 2024, 0830
ROCHESTER, MN — Federal and local law enforcement agencies in Rochester, MN have joined together to create a criminal task force to investigate the death of a woman found buried in Rollins Orchard and a second woman who was found buried alive in Silver Lake Park.
The second victim is stable and remains in good condition.
The members of the FBI and Rochester PD Task Force will work the case jointly and share investigative, intelligence, technical, and forensic resources. An active search for the perpetrator is being conducted by both agencies.
Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no other information will be released at this time.
God fucking damn it!
She wasn’t supposed to live.
None of them are supposed to live. Not once the monster is sated by their bodies.
But she is alive.
This is a fucking problem.
I can’t have loose ends.
Everything needs to be done right. Everything needs to remain in order.
And her survival? It’s chaos in my neatly organized plans .
It’s unacceptable.
Though I can’t deny… there’s a part of me that’s thrilled with this turn of events.
I can feel her again.
Fill her again.
Before I take care of her for good.
I slip my phone back into the cup holder, then glance out the windshield toward her apartment window.
She’ll have to wait a little bit longer.
I’ll have her soon.
After I take care of my little problem.