Page 33 of Dreadful

He suddenly catches my gaze, and his voice cuts off sharply.

“See? What’d I tell you? Now you’ve lost your voice, and Shakespeare’s ghost is going to kill us all one by one. Thanks a lot, Percy.”

But Percy isn’t paying attention to them anymore. His pale skin has turned a sickly green, and he slowly pivots on his toes to head offstage.

“Hey!” Deon shouts. “Where are you go—bah, who cares? He’ll reap what he sows, mark my words.”

I block out the rest of the chatter around us and follow Percy as he pushes through the crowd toward the dark hallways backstage.

To theexit.

“Oh, no, you don’t,maiale.”

My cane allows me to lengthen my stride and quickly carve through the crowd. Overcompensating for my ankle injury helped me form the long, purposeful steps, but I’ve perfected them to look like a formidable swagger rather than a limp. After straining myself earlier this week, I rested, iced, and practiced my exercises, so I’m feeling good today. I’ll all but run on my ankle if I have to in order to capture my target, tomorrow’s pain be damned.

I weave through the crowd and make it to the back door just as it’s swinging closed. The air pressure slows it, and I slip through before it seals shut with asnick.

Percy is already running at full speed, clanging down the flight of metal stairs. I’m quiet, letting him think the door closed without me following him. The lights shine brightly on the steps, but the cement ramp for dollies on the other side of the landing is concealed in shadow. I use it, silently following the path to get to the damp, icy ground.

The poorly lit parking lot behind the theater glistens with moonlight and is already freezing over for the night. It’s dark, but I’ve trained myself to see faults before I step. Anyone could be hiding behind the dumpsters or down the back alleys, though, and I curse myself for letting Talia leave without seeing her off. Gio picked her up, so she should be fine, but I’ll have to check on her tonight to see if she’s okay.

My gait is slow but methodical while the hurried footsteps in front of me slap against the ground. I can practically predict it before it happens, the sickening slip of a foot against wet pavement, followed by a thud and a sharp yelp. The closer I get, the better I can see my prey rolling around the ground and groaning. A dark alley is less than ten feet away, partially blocked by a large dumpster.

Perfetto.

When I get within a few feet of him, I lift my cane and twirl it in my hand until it’s upside down. Percy’s head lifts, and his eyes widen.

“P-please! I-I thought you said you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“You must have a shitty memory, after all. I promised no such thing.” I laugh and hook my cane around his neck, choking off any plea he may have tried. He scratches in vain at the polished wood, trying to get free, but I focus on my steps as I drag him into the dead end.

Once we’re fully inside the dim alcove, I stop to sling him against the wall and off the hook of my cane. When he lands on his ass, he grabs his throat with one hand and gasps. His other arm reaches out as he begs.

“Please, man. Just let me leave. Don’t hit me again.”

“You’re in no position to make demands.” I tap the shaft of the cane against my palm. “Most people underestimate me with this. It’s nice to hear you show it the respect it deserves. Too bad you don’t do the same for women.”

“I know. I know. I-It was a mistake. I didn’t know she had a boyfriend.”

“It doesn’t matter if she has aboyfriend. She’s a person all on her own and deserves to not be harassed by afiglio di puttanalike you.”

“Shit, yeah. Th-that’s what I meant. I won’t ever talk to her again. I-I’ll ask for a different designer—”

“Why? So you can harass them, too? This is for Tallie. What you did to her is enough for the punishment you’re about to receive. But I doubt she was the first, which is why I have no regrets about what I’m about to do.” I shove my cane underneath his neck and slam his head against the wall. “And I can’t let you go before we settle something. There was a question I asked you. Do you remember it?”

“H-how many times h-have I t-touched Talia?”

“So you have aselectivememory after all. Let’s see how good it is after this.”

“After what—”

I whip my cane into the side of the head, knocking him out cold.

Scene 10

THE HEAD OF PERCY

Talia