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“Pieces of shit like you can’t hide from me. You’re my only source of entertainment in a long life full of annoyance.” Minus Celine, of course, who I now have at my side ... sort of. “I know everything. Now be a good boy for once.” Sidling up to his ear I whisper the last part, “Run.”

Frank doesn’t need to be told twice, so perhaps he’s not as dumb as he looks. He turns and attempts to run, but he’s not paying attention and trips and falls. With a look of terror that fills me with glee he looks back and makes sure I’m staying put before getting up and stumbling out of the room. There’s absolutely no way he’ll escape me or win our game but why tell him that? It would take all the fun out of it and hope is the one thing that can keep a person going.

Heavy breathing and clumsy footfalls fill my ears, and I pull out my phone to play Sudoku while I give him a few minutes todo whatever he thinks he’s going to do. The fire has started to die out without its creator here to tend to it and I decide I'll give him until the flames have extinguished before the chase ensues.

Fuck, I thought there was a nine in that row.

The digital sudoku board flashes red when I attempt to place the wrong number in the wrong spot. Just then, a rat skitters across the ground to grab a piece of moldy food scrap not far from where I stand. Disgusting, just like filthy humans like Frank.

In record time I solve my puzzle and skip over to the dying fire as the app plays a celebration song for me. I “accidentally” blow out a huge breath to put out the rest of the fire because I’m getting impatient.

“Oops.” Shrugging my broad shoulders, I feel my muscles shift to a predatory stance and close my eyes.

Frank has made it farther than I thought he would, I’ll give him that, but his heart races like a frightened bird no more than a few blocks away. He’s stationed himself in the dumpster of a fast-food restaurant behind the place probably in the hopes it’ll muffle his breathing, and I won’t smell his horrid body odor. A valiant effort but still a failure.

Wind streamlines my sleek body as I launch myself toward the miserable excuse for a being and adrenaline races through me.

I’m not sure when I decided to start hunting these pieces of scum but at the end of the day, I’m helping the human population by getting rid of them, aren't I? It also gives me something to do. Some people might say murder is murder and it’s wrong but you can’t please them all.

I rest on my haunches on the roof of the building across the street from where Frank hides.

Unfortunately, he didn’t provide as much entertainment as I would’ve hoped but I plan to make him suffer for every dirty deed he’s committed and for what he did to all those women.

“Time’s up,” I call even though he can’t hear me.

I launch myself from the top of the building when he pokes his head out of the dumpster. Before he can retreat, he spots me. The smell of urine quickly soaks his pants.

I smile at him and then I get to work.

CHAPTER 22

ZAVIER

Rain pelts my body and slides down my face. I’m beyond soaked at this point but it’s a welcome shower from nature with the amount of blood that coats me. At this rate, there won’t be a trace on me by the time I make it home.

Frank sung like a canary, like I knew he would, and freely admitted to his wrongdoings by the time I was done with him. Dragging him back to the abandoned building he’d been hiding in was the appetizer to his main course of torture.

Skin shredded and bleeding profusely from the scrapes, he wimped out early on, but I made sure to catch his confession on tape.

I wasn’t necessarily in the bad guy killing game for the police but there were certain situations like Frank where he flew under their radar, so I lent a helping hand. I could only handle their idiocy for so long. The case of the missing and abused girls would be wrapped up in a pretty bow with the confession from Frank. Hopefully those girls’ families could finally rest easy knowing the killer is gone.

I hope the cops won’t take too long and still find my masterpiece while it’s fresh. I left a blood drawn heart this timeinstead of a smiley face. Just for Celine. Even when I’m killing, I’m only thinking of her.

Rain continues to pour as I head back to the apartment. One quick glance at the cameras via my phone show Celine sound asleep right where I left her. She’s shifted in her sleep and hugs my pillow like she’s sought me out in her unconscious state.

I whistle as I skip down the street having made it back to the building. Water flies as I splash in a particularly large puddle, dispersing the last of the blood remaining on my shoes.

Sudden movement out of the corner of my eye distracts me from my warpath to the front door of the apartment building. A hulking form emerges from the shadows and moves toward the door, but I can sense something is off.

It stops and erratically sniffs the air before turning abruptly in my direction. I have less than a second to process exactly what I’m looking at before it launches at me with lethal intent.

A fucking feral vampire.

I can tell by the pungent smell. Essentially a mindless zombie, this beast must’ve been turned hours ago by someone.

Whether it was purposeful or not, he hasn’t fed enough to complete the transition and is mad with bloodlust. Left to simmer in it too long he’ll never be able to come back since the grace period isn’t very long.

Ugh. This is going to get messy, and Ijustgot clean.