Page 109 of A Thousand Cuts

Unknown:Who said I was offering my services?

Liam:Why else would we be talking?

Unknown:Maybe I just wanted to tell you you’re stupid

Liam:So the plan?

Unknown:Fuck, fine. Guy thinks he’s so smart, here’s what we’re gonna do to get his ass

He had no idea what he was expecting when he set it up, if he was being honest. Years of consuming over-the-top content had made his imagination wild. He pictured adrenaline making him jump over buildings and a showdown with a villain who’d deliver this well-rehearsed, creepy speech before good prevailed and whatever forces worked in Liam’s favor won.

Instead, he got debilitating silence as he stood in the middle of the ground floor of an abandoned mall.

All he could hear was his heart thundering in his chest. Fear made him want to run and hide. Regret at having done this without any real backup gnawed at his insides.

He glanced at one of the cameras he had hidden and sent a pleading look into it.

Please find me. Please be on time.

Something rustled behind him. He spun on his heel and tried to see what it was, but it was too dark.

“Hello?” he called out, flinching when his voice echoed around the empty space.

“Media lies.” A raspy, slow voice sounded from somewhere to his right and he snapped his head that way.

A figure emerged from the darkness, dressed in all black, hood over their head and gloves over their hands. It was the same exact figure from that night, the one that had chased him through his dreams. He began to shake, but he locked his knees in place.

“You look approachable. Accessible. You look tangible in your streams.”

“I act in my streams,” Liam said, glancing around himself to make sure he was in the right position. “It’s a performance.”

“To everyone else, maybe,” the shadow said, voice full of reverence. “Not to me. You’re you for me.”

“Yeah?” Liam asked, trying to stop his voice from trembling. He was terrified. Cold all over from it.

“I’ve been there from the start,” the guy said. He walked into one of the shafts of light and Liam could finally see him properly.

He wasn’t wearing a mask and Liam’s heart raced in victory, his adrenaline spiking.

Got you.

Tall, with dark hair and eyes, and clean-shaven, he could have been considered handsome if not for the completely insane look in his eyes and the twitch in his neck he kept repeating.His shoulders were drawn up to his ears and he walked like a predator. Slow. Calculated.

Liam stepped back instinctually before reminding himself there were cameras. He just had to remember that.

“You showed up like an angel, wide-eyed and innocent and clumsy,” the man said, his face stretching into a horrible facsimile of a smile. “I’ve been there to see you change. But I still see the real you beneath the acts you put on. Lovely as they are.”

“You followed me,” Liam accused. “You’ve been following me.”

“I’ve always been with you,” he said, eyes fever bright. “I’ve dedicated my life to you.”

“I didn’t ask for that,” Liam whispered, feeling disgust crawling over his skin.

“You didn’t ask for any of the things I’ve given you. I gave them freely. Can’t you see how much I love you?” he implored, holding his hand out to Liam.

Liam wanted to vomit.

Love?