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‘Precisely.’

My easy agreement seemed to throw him a little, but he tried again. ‘It was easy, you know. Taking her from you. I could see the way you looked at each other, and I just knew, you know? She was the one. I got to hurt you and keep her for myself, and then I got to watch you pine for her like the fucking lovesick idiot you are. It was so much fun, flaunting it in front of you. I actually missed her after she was gone. I couldn’t play anymore.’

Nope. Don’t react, Chance. Don’t give him what he wants.

‘Ugh, why are you so boring? I should have fucking guessed you’d be no fun,’ he whined, and then brought the knife down into my stomach in a single swing. I didn’t feel the pain at first,but then the blood gurgled from my lips, and I struggled to breathe, and then it hurt. It started off slow, like a pinprick on my skin, but then it spread, the sting of rendered flesh mixing with the throbbing ache of a deep wound, and I wanted to cry. Not because I’d been stabbed, but because it wasn’t a killing blow.

He was going to drag this out, wasn’t he?

‘The last girl was much more fun,’ he kept talking, his tone conversational like he hadn’t just started gutting me. And I quickly realised that was exactly what he was doing. The knife carved the hole even wider, opening up my body for him to do with as he pleased. His eyes lit up with excitement when he examined my insides, like my organs were a toy for him to play with.

‘She screamed and she fought. It was much more exciting than this. I wonder if I can make you scream as loud as her.’

His hand replaced the knife, wriggled around inside my abdomen, and squeezed on something that I could only guess were my intestines.

I released a weak whimper, more than ready for this to end, and all it did was make him scowl and pout even harder. He removed his hand, examined the bloody mess, then licked a line through it. I heard a gagging sound from the cop I’d forgotten was there, and felt sorry for her. She had to watch before she had to endure this torture herself. It must have been torture in and of itself.

But I couldn’t let myself care about her. There was nothing I could do. No one was coming to save us, and I didn’t want to be saved.

‘Just… do… it,’ I wheezed.

He huffed like I was annoying him, and I supposed it was. But when he brought the knife to my throat and slid it through my neck, I smiled. I didn’t feel the pain. It was like my mind wasguarding me from it in my last moments, and I was happy with this result.

Not my brother murdering me, that part sucked, but the release of the burdens this life had held. I had suffered for far too long, and I was finally going to see the woman I loved again.

I’m coming, Kali. I’ll see you soon.

To be continued...