I allowed him to place the teeth of the saw against my ankle before I stopped him.
“At least give me a smoke,” I said. He cocked his head up at me, his hand trembling with excitement. The serrated edge bounced on my ankle, and I felt the tiny sting from the slight penetration. “This is going to be a long night for both of us. Give me a smoke, and then you can have your fun.”
Gerald growled, twisting his head around to the other side. It was as if he were having an internal argument with a crowd of voices that agreed with me and disagreed with what he wanted to do. His face scrunched, and he blurted out, “Fine!”
He stomped over to the tray, threw the saw down, and snatched my jacket off the table. He reached into the pocket, retrieving my pack of cigarettes and a book of matches. Gerald flicked the bottom of my pack, and two filters sprouted from the box. He retrieved one using his teeth and placed the other in front of my mouth.
I leaned forward, plucking the cigarette with my lips. He yanked the box away and threw it on the table. He removed a single match and struck the flame against the rough surface of the box. The psychotic doctor lit his cigarette first and held the dwindling flame to the end of mine. Once my end was properly lit, he whipped the stick onto the floor and puffed wildly on his cigarette. It was like he tried to smoke the entire thing in a couple of puffs.
“Slow down,” I advised. “Take time to enjoy it.”
His face twitched as he glared at me. I held his stare for a moment, watching something shift in his eyes. It was as if something washed over him or a veil of some sort was lifted. His eyes sparkled as he took a long drag from his cigarette.
“How are you so calm?” he asked as smoke poured from his mouth.
“I don’t tend to fight the inevitable,” I answered. “I’m tied down in a place I don’t know, and I assume nobody knows where it is either, so there’s not much I can do.”
He snorted. “You are in more control of yourself than Sam thinks,” he said. “She cares for you, which is why she’s so worried. I hate that.”
“How long have you cared for her?” I asked.
“I’ve loved her for years,” he answered, taking another drag from his cigarette. “I met her when I was assigned to the precinct. I didn’t want to work with cops, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet other victims. There’s so much trash that comes through that place, so many wounded souls and desperate criminals. It was like fishing with dynamite. But that wasn’t what kept me coming back. It was Sam. She is a rare beauty and stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. I made up my mind a long time ago that I would make her mine. My dream is to one day strip her down and observe every curve of her body…” He paused, and his face twitched, contorting back to what it looked like when I awoke. “We want to open her up,” he continued in a strange voice and puffed wildly once again on the cigarette.
Gerald was a special breed of crazy. I had heard of mortals like this, but it was something most only read about. I chuckled at the notion that he made me seem normal. What I see and hear is justified based on what I am, and I know what I see is real.
“I’m done waiting!” he exclaimed. The cigarette fell from his lips onto the floor as he rushed over to grab the saw. “I want to see what happens to you when I remove pieces of you. Then I will do my best to see what’s inside, what makes you work.”
I don’t enjoy killing, and I was able to avoid that for a long time until I met the detective. My feelings for her forced me to react to the situation at the precinct, but slaughtering those men was for a purpose. I puffed on my cigarette as I watched Gerald move on my leg. I contemplated allowing him to do what he wanted. The truth was, I was kind of curious myself as to what would happen. Mortal weapons don’t affect me; however, that was before my vulnerability with Samantha.
He wanted to torture me because that was his most prized desire. The other part of him, the one I spoke to before, seemed to want to know more about me and even more about Love. I found it odd that Love didn’t show himself during this exchange. After all, he was in the same predicament as I was, but for some reason, he lay dormant within me. I could feel him inside, remaining still, as if he attempted to hide from me. It was moments like these that I missed Jealousy and Hatred. They would have helped me get out of this situation, and at the very least, they would have been better company.
There was no way I could allow this man to continue to live, not this close to the detective. As long as he drew breath, Samantha was in danger, and it would only be a matter of time before Gerald succumbed to his desire to hurt her. In addition to the love I felt for her, I felt an overwhelming sense to protect her, like it was my duty to keep her safe. I didn’t understand it, but I hadn’t fought it since knowing her, and I wouldn’t stop now.
I waited for Gerald to put the teeth of the saw against my flesh and turn his wicked gaze to the task of removing my foot before I tore my hand from the binding. I pulled the sharp tool sticking out of my shoulder and jammed it into Gerald’s neck.
He stopped his attempt to remove my appendage and erected his frame. He calmly reached up to feel the object in his neck, and he brought his blood-soaked fingers in front of his face. Gerald dropped the saw, turning to look at me as blood squirted from his neck and began to pour from his mouth.
I ripped my other hand free and yanked my feet from their bindings as I blew smoke in his direction. The doctor was in shock, and his face was stark white. He couldn’t speak. His eyes were wide open as he moved toward me for help. His legs gave out on him. Gerald crumbled to the floor. He looked like a fish out of water, gasping for air with his eyes open. I waited for him to die before I grabbed my jacket. My stare was interrupted by the sounds of clapping. Love emerged from the shadows, grinning in admiration.
- Love Short Lived - January 20, 2023
- Love Lost - December 31, 2022
- Drowning Dinlas - December 12, 2022