Page 10

Story: Masked Only His

Chapter ten

The Masked

THE AFTERNOON SUN WAS HIGH in the sky, and I was ready to spend my day following Trey, but Lyric kept popping up in my mind. The way her skin felt so soft against mine. She overcrowded my head all night, even after I'd pleasured myself in the shower with memories of her succulent lips. Sleep still eluded me with her beautiful amber eyes. Every part of her was perfect; she was mine, and anyone touching her would end up six feet under.

I had to push away the thoughts as I packed a bag for the day and rushed outside to my red charger in the parking lot of my apartment complex. I lived in Richmond Hill, a half-hour from Savannah, where Lyric attended college. There were many nights I spent in my car parked near the campus.

The sun was bright around me as I drove towards Savannah, playing Shinedown. The sound filled my car, helping me prepare for tonight.

At last, I arrived in Savannah. The cobblestone streets were adorned with looming oak trees, their branches draped with Spanish moss. The streetlights were still hung with Halloween decorations. The afternoon air was fresh and held a hint of autumnal zest. The wind rustled the leaves, and a pleasant feeling passed through my chest as autumn aroma entered my open window.

I pulled across the street from the coffee shop where Lyric usually got her morning latte. Through the window, I could see Trey seated at his computer, seemingly oblivious to the danger of being alone. He was stupid.

My phone buzzed in my cup holder, bringing my attention away from scowling at Trey.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Get here now. We have a problem," Elias declared and hung up without further details.

I pushed my phone into the hoodie pocket, quickly started the engine, and drove toward our meeting spot.

My car navigated through the crumbling buildings, past the dilapidated warehouses and deserted factories. The place where Carl and Devin met their fate was coming up soon, but I kept driving until I reached a few hills. A few more miles away, there was an abandoned watchtower.

It was weird to be here during the day when I only came out at night. Elias spent his days here doing research. He was the computer whiz, and I was the muscle.

Initially, he was irritated when I requested his assistance, but we were brothers. Isn't that what family does? Even if it required taking lives as part of my quest for vengeance. Elias was never into trouble like I was. I lived for it. He avoided it.

I held my first gun at eight, teaching myself to use it. After that, I became fond of using knives instead. They were far more thrilling, stealthy, and intimate. There was a certain satisfaction in watching the life drain from my opponent's eyes up close.

Elias was always a silent kid, and he loved the nerdy shit. Now that we are in our late twenties, he had a family, and I was just a loner. Let's say I never found the right one.

I'd never hear the end of it if Elias were thrown in prison or killed. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big guy, but that woman would put fear in the Hulk. Plus, I'd get the worst uncle award from my niece and nephew.

After parking, I got out and climbed the ladder to the top of the watchtower. The door had a passcode that could only be opened with our fingerprints. When the beep sounded, the door clicked, and I pushed it open.

When I came in, Elias's gaze instantly flew up to meet mine. "Well, there's the famous Savannah killer," he laughed as he typed away at his keyboard.

"What's the problem?" I replied, ignoring his stupid joke.

"We have a mission."

"And?"

"Well, the problem is that you need to take a trip." Elias raised.

"I'm a little busy at the moment," I replied.

Elias sighed. "Your unhealthy obsession can wait. This is serious."

"Eli, it's not unhealthy. She's the one." I confessed, and my brother glared as I strolled up to his desk, took a seat, and placed my boots on it.

My brother gave me a sharp look as he knocked my feet out of the way. "She doesn't even like you. Why can't you find a girlfriend like a regular person?" He asked, shaking his head in disapproval.

I shrugged. "What can I say? I've never done things like a regular person."

"That's for sure." He sighed.

His intense stare was like a stern admonishment, emanating disapproval from his eyes. Whenever he looked at me, it felt like a mirror image of myself was confronting me, reprimanding me for my actions.

Having a twin was both a blessing and a curse.

"Just get me the code for Trey's dorm." I got up from my seat and approached the door, returning to Elias before I opened it. "I'm not leaving until I have her," I declared and left.

I snuck in that night when the university dorm halls were quiet and empty. Trey's room was on the same floor as Lyric's, and I considered heading down to her dorm to watch her sleep. I had done it a few times, but only when her roommate wasn't there.

Holding on to my need to see her, I went to Trey's dorm instead. I used my heat sensor to assess the room, and there was only one person inside - a bit unexpected for my visit. I thought surely Trey would have better protection than this. Taking out my phone, I entered the code Elias had given me earlier and opened the door slightly.

I stepped into Trey's room. His furniture was sparse—a bed, a desk, and a few chairs surrounded it all. A fridge on one corner of the wall hummed loudly as it cooled its contents. The walls were covered in posters of NFL teams and half-naked women.

I thought naked posters of women were a teenage thing, but I guess, with this generation, they never really grow out of being stuck on mama's tits.

Bitch boy.

As I entered the room, I had to navigate garbage, game controllers, football equipment, week-old pizza, and some green moldy thing that looked like an old cup of noodles. It was even growing hair. I've encountered some pretty horrifying sights in my life, but this place was nauseating, worse than blood and guts.

After finally getting past the battlefield of disgustingness, I was at Trey's bedside, tilting my head as he snored loudly, like a pig.

I prodded him lightly several times until his eyes eventually opened, only to be met with a red-masked figure standing over him.

I reached forward, grabbing him by the neck before he could make a sound. "Why do you fucks always think you can get away?" I asked menacingly. "You will pay for your sins tonight." With that, I gave him a sharp right hook to the side of the face.

He let out a loud yelp, so I quickly grabbed a grimy sock from the ground and stuffed it into his mouth. "Shh, we don't want to disturb anyone."

I fished my iPhone from my hoodie and touched the live button on my phone's display. Immediately, the views on the video skyrocketed, as if they guessed this evening would be the night Trey would meet his end.

It was astonishing how many people enjoyed this. There were undoubtedly plenty of troubled souls like me in the world.

The conversation moved quickly, and the comments were plentiful, but one name caught my eye. "Stan! It's great to see you again," I said with a chuckle.

Placing my phone on the windowsill, I aimed my phone at Trey, who was lying on his bed. I quickly pulled out a set of ropes from my pocket to restrain him.

After tying him to each of his metal frame posts, I glanced back at the viewers and burst into laughter. "Would you look at that, Trey? Viewer, Ceci1987, said, 'Matar a ese puto.' Yes, Ceci, I most definitely will." Trey looked at me, and I asked him, "?Hablas espa?ol?" He shook his head. "Oh, how fun would killing you speaking only Spanish be? Let's get creative," I suggested with a chuckle. "I speak many languages, so we could kill each one of you fuck faces in commentary of other languages."

Trey wiggled against his ropes with muffled cries as he tried to spit out the gross sock.

I sent another jab to his face to get him to shut the fuck up. "Calm down, Trey; I'm only kidding. I want you to understand what I will do to you." I growled as I grabbed my trusty butterfly knife and twirled it around in the palm of my hand. "First, we need to take care of these pesky fingers that like to touch things that don't belong to them." I declared and moved towards his left hand. I brought the blade down, slicing away his thumb like the skin of a ripe apple.

The putrid sock muffled Trey's screams, a fitting punishment for his filthy living.

I went through his fingers rapidly, detaching them one by one. After completing the task, I took a break and reviewed more comments. One that stood out made me scroll back to it. The username was Lsimmons21, with no profile picture, but I knew exactly who posted it.

Mi Reina.

She was observing me via the livestream, but I thought she would be sleeping. Her statement tugged at my nerves, though. I expected her to be pleased that I was taking vengeance on her behalf, but her words implied differently.

LSIMMONS21: WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE A MONSTER OVER A GIRL YOU DON’T KNOW?

My eyes shifted up to the camera lens. "Reina, don't play like you don't enjoy my games. I bet you're wet right now watching me cut his fingers off. Fingers that didn't belong on your skin," I spoke in a seductive voice and then moved away, clenching Trey's other hand, chopping each of his fingers off one at a time.

When all five of his fingers were removed from his right hand, I glanced through the comments again, and, of course, my Reina answered back.

LSIMMONS21: YOU’RE DISGUSTING!

I grinned to myself, hiding my pleasure behind my mask. Her rebellious spirit had me feeling inspired. I wanted her to understand that I was in charge and that she belonged to me, whether she liked it or not.

"To be continued," I said to the viewers and ended the livestream.

I crouched down to Trey's level. "Stay put!" I laughed as I turned away from him, left the room, and started walking down the hallway.

I followed the winding path, taking three left turns before arriving at her dorm. The door stood tall and intimidating with ornate, gothic decorations—it must have been Carmen's work.

I knocked on the door.

Rustling inside could be heard as a shadow under the door approached.

"Who is it?" Lyric's harmonic voice called through the door.

I remained silent.

"Carmen, this isn't funny. You need to stop forgetting your key." She sighed, opened the door, and froze when my red mask illuminated the dark hall.

"Hello, amor."

She quickly tried to close the door, but I placed my foot in the way, carefully pushing my way inside.

She slowly backed herself into her room. "What do you want?" she asked shakily as her back hit the wall, and she looked around frantically.

Without a word, I stalked toward her and pressed my body against hers, pinning her between myself and the wall. My bloody glove gripped her jaw. "Reina, you need to know your place. If you want to defy me, that's fine; it means more fun for me." I expressed.

"How did you know it was me?" She grumbled.

"I know everything about you. Your whole life is like a book I've read a thousand times," I professed.

I felt her swallow beneath my palm as she stared into my inky gaze. "How poetic," she choked smartly.

The fact that I held all the power over her sent a rush of arousal between my legs. "Are you scared, mi Reina?"

"Are you going to kill me?" She croaked in return.

With the tilt of my head, I ran my finger along her jawline as I eyed her beautiful features. "No, amor," I answered softly as our eyes met again. "But I want to play," I added, pulling out my knife. "Talking back will only bring you pain," I warned.

"You are killing my abusers for raping me, but you want to do the same. Shouldn't you kill yourself too?" She pressed closer to my hand as if to show that she wasn't intimidated by me. It was as if she had some innate knowledge that I wouldn't harm her. But I was known for being unpredictable and volatile.

I leaned in, pressing my masked face to her ear. "I never said I was seeking revenge for your rape." I pulled back, tightening my grip around her throat, and slammed her against the wall, then pressed the blade into her throat just above my hand. "I'm killing those fuckers for touching and tormenting what's mine." A rumbling sound erupted from me as I yanked the blade away and then slung her over my shoulder, her body jerking violently against me.

"Where are you taking me?" Lyric slapped my back as we trudged down the hall, turning the last corner before coming to Trey's room.

"To have some fun." I pushed the door open, let her down, and forced her inside. Trey's eyes went wide when he saw I had returned. Lyric stopped at the door, but I pushed her further in. "Don't be shy, amor." I guided her toward Trey and sat her on a metal chair nearby. The cold metal rattled against the wall. "Trey, you've got two choices: you can admit what you've done in front of her, or we can continue your torture on screen." I gave him an ultimatum as I held up the phone and pointed at it with my free hand. "Our viewers will be very upset, but this was all for her, so it's well worth losing some people." I chuckled. "Pun intended." I grabbed my knife from my hoodie and placed it at his throat. My soulless eyes pierced into him. "You scream, I slice."

He nodded in understanding. I glanced up at Lyric and gestured for her to remove the gag with a nod of my head. She swallowed hard as she hesitated, but like a good girl, she did as she was told.

"Good girl." I praised her, tore my eyes from her, and took them back to Trey. "Are you going to say it? Or do you have to bleed for her to say it?" I pointed the tip of my blade under his chin.

Trey gritted his teeth and muttered, "You two are insane," trying to keep his mouth shut so as not to cut himself with my knife.

The knife dug into his skin as I put pressure against it. "That wasn't very nice. When will you dipshits realize I don't like it when you hurt my feelings." I sliced a small cut under his chin.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He winced.

"Aw, it's okay." I perked up. "Now, since we are past that," My voice dropped again. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"It wasn't like she didn't want it." Trey disputed.

That was stupid.

A red-hot fury surged through me, and without a second thought, I threw my fist forward. It connected with his jawbone; a sickening crack echoed in the room, and his head snapped to the side, blood droplets erupting from his mouth and leaving their mark on the wall beside him.

Lyric sat by the window, trying to ignore us as she bit her nails. Looking out the window, her tanned legs curled against her chest in the metal fold-up chair you would find at a barbecue in the park. She was still in her night clothes, which consisted of a black breaking Benjamin t-shirt cut into a crop top, pink boy shorts, and white fluffy slippers. She was beyond adorable, and I wanted so badly to devour her.

Fighting against the temptation of her cuteness, I grabbed the chair leg and pulled her towards me. Pointing at her, my gaze shifted to Trey, and I said through gritted teeth, "Repeat it, but this time to her." My knife pressed into his skin a little deeper.

I was eager to witness the strength I knew she possessed.

I craved it.

"You were wasted. You never said no while Carl dragged you upstairs," Trey argued his reasoning like it was nothing like she hadn't screamed in the video for them to stop.

Fucking scumbag.

I restrained myself, anxious for her to defend herself. Then suddenly, Lyric raised her head and shot a fierce glare at Trey before delivering a sharp slap across his face. "I said NO," she snapped angrily.

“That's it, corazón.” I praised her.

Her eyes flicked from Trey to me, then back again. "I had a few drinks," she said, her voice shaking slightly, either from trauma or anger. I couldn't determine which, "but I know you and your friends spiked my drink. Of course, I didn't say anything when you took me upstairs because I was passed out. When I came to, Devin..." Her sentence trailed off, and she fell silent.

I placed my hand on her forearm. "It's okay, Reina, you don't need to explain to see these fuckers die," I said gently. I took the knife away from his neck and offered it to her. She glanced at me when I presented it. "Get your revenge, mi Reina." I encouraged her.

Lyric hesitated for a moment before taking the knife from me. She looked at it for a while, studying its sharp edges and dull shine, before turning towards Trey. She leaned down and placed the blade close to his throat, with tears streaming down her cheeks as she spoke in a low hiss. "You took away my sense of security, threw me into an abyss of darkness, and stole something you had no right to take. It's time for me to take something from you." She paused briefly, then continued. "Your life."

Lyric's grip tightened around the knife handle, the cold metal biting into her skin. She took a deep breath, her knuckles turning white as she struggled to control her shaking hand. Finally, with a soft exhale, she released the knife and let her hand fall. Her head hung low, and a barely audible whisper escaped her lips: "I can't..."

I stood from kneeling and stepped behind her, and she tensed at our closeness. When I put my arms around her shoulders, she visibly relaxed. "He stole from you," I whispered in her ear. Taking her hand, I guided the knife back to his throat. "Replace those scars with a new story," I encouraged her.

A quiet gasp escaped her full lips as she dragged the blade across his throat. Blood cascaded in streams, surrounding Trey's body and saturating the bed beneath him as he futilely gurgled for air.

She bit her lip in awe of the life evaporating from his body and found it impossible to look away. She stared at the blood-soaked sheets in a trance-like state, and what she did next had me over the edge with a hard-on.

Clutching the knife handle, she raised her arm and plunged the blade with all her might into Trey's chest multiple times. His blood splattered onto her face, freckling it with red droplets.

I stepped in and seized her, holding the knife after I felt like it was enough. She was breathless from exertion, and when I saw her amber eyes brimming with the thrill of bloodlust, I could no longer resist her.

Grabbing the knife, I moved fast and had her back to the window before she knew what was happening. My body pushed against hers as my hand tightened around her neck. "You're a naughty girl," I whispered.

Her copper-colored eyes followed my every move as I took the blade of my knife and trailed it along her neckline, leaving a slight cut in its aftermath. I gently pushed her head to the side so she couldn't see me, then lifted off my mask. Leaning in, I licked along the scarlet line that had started to form. Her breath shuddered against my tongue with a soft moan.

My mask was back in place before I'd even finished retreating. It wasn't time for her to know who I was.

Soon, Reina, soon.

I tugged off one of my gloves and used the tip of my knife to make a shallow cut on my finger, letting drops of blood slide down. Pointing my finger toward her face, I said in a firm voice, "Open," She seemed hesitant at first but opened her lips slowly. "Taste me. Taste what flows in my veins only for you," I said, locking eyes with her as her lips wrapped around my fingertip. Her tongue swirled around my finger, hitting the back of her throat as she licked every red droplet. When her lips retracted, they were now colored crimson.

I had to restrain myself from tearing her clothes off and fucking her in a way that would obliterate all memory of time.

I leaned toward her and clamped my hand around her neck again, resting my arm above her head. "I will bleed for you, they will bleed for you, but..." I thrust my blade next to her head, fractions of an inch away from contacting the side of her face. "But you will bleed for me," I spoke in a commanding tone and stepped back from her, drawing my knife out of the wall with me.

I didn't give her a chance to speak. I approached the door, casting one final glance back at her. "You're my muse. Every kill is for you, and by the time I am done, I will have created a masterpiece." With that, I departed.