Page 108 of A Thousand Cuts

It had been his home once upon a time too.

He got out of the car and hefted his bag out, slipping through the fence and searching for a familiar entrance.

The loading dock was completely open, and Liam stepped over all the debris and trash, testing the door and finding it unlocked, even all these years later. He saw no one as he entered the dark hallway, but there were signs of life everywhere—used food containers, alcohol bottles, abandoned sleeping bags. The walls were full of graffiti and the smell of urine was strong enough to make him gag.

He pulled his shirt over his nose and carried on searching the familiar halls for a good spot to set up and wait; somewhere that would also offer avenues for escape if needed. This was home turf for him, which he intended to use to his advantage.

He couldn’t fight back the memories as he entered the huge, darkened atrium on the bottom floor, seeing the specter ofhimself as a teenager in every distorted, dirty reflection around him. The skylight above had holes and cracks in glass that was covered in a layer of grime and dirt, blocking the natural light that was trying to enter. Shafts broke through the holes, highlighting patches while the rest of the space was left in murky dankness.

All the stores were abandoned, the shutters long since taken off their hinges or forced upward. Naked shelves and empty boxes were the only signs that businesses had been operating there at all.

Liam walked in his old footsteps, retracing pathways he’d tried to pretend didn’t exist. This was another person’s life. Someone he’d killed and buried long ago.

He shook away the images and steeled himself.

He’d bury this right next to it, one way or the other.

In the center of the atrium he began to unload his bag, taking out his camera and the mini cameras he’d bought the store out of. He hadn’t even thought about the cost—that would be something he could deal with after.

He glanced around for the best place to set up and capture this asshole without them being able to avoid it.

Their identity remaining hidden was clearly paramount, so if Liam could leverage that and use it to his advantage he might have a shot at ending this. Or even just getting an image of their face and running away. At the very least, live streaming might help protect him if things went south.

Was this guy bold enough to murder him on camera in front of hundreds of people?

Pulling up his profile on his phone again, he posted another caption.

Come find me where the sky meets the star

Guess I’ll find out.

His phone buzzed and he jumped out of his skin, already walking on the knife’s edge of his nerves. He looked down and saw a message from an unknown number and his heart dropped.

Unknown:This is a stupid idea btw

Unknown:You shouldn't run TOWARD the stalker

Unknown:Wth did I bother helping you before if you were just going to get yourself on the side of a milk carton anyway?

The messages came through in quick succession, the assumption that this was the stalker quickly banished by the contents.

Help me?

Realization followed swiftly on its heels. The message on the TV that night had been sent by this person.

Liam:Who are you? Why did you help me?

Unknown:I have my reasons

Liam:If you can do all that, can’t you find this asshole and turn him in?

It took a while for a response to arrive, and when it came, it read petulant and annoyed.

Unknown:Guy is motherfucking slippery

Unknown:Which means he’s good at tech. He’s also good at avoiding the camera as your boyfriend alreadyfound out. So your plan to put him on blast without him knowing isn’t going to be easy

Liam:So what do you suggest?