Page 19

Billy

“ S ounds good. Thanks, JoJo,” I say into the phone, listening to the rest of the information she intends to share about the farmer’s market and the emails she plans to send.

“Can you also shoot them to Lucy? She’s gonna be the one at the market until I feel like it’s something I can do.”

I don’t want my face beside the product. The thought of it unsettles me.

“Of course. I’ll send them out this afternoon. It luckily falls on her next day off. Make sure you have enough of Lou’s organic soap—which is adorable, by the way.”

“Thanks. I owe her the world. She opened my eyes when I came back into her life.”

I spin my car keys on my finger while heading out of the house. After disposing of the remains of the previous ladies, I retrieved the drill bit and started preparing for tonight’s victims .

“I know, but you changed her, too… Okay, everything looks great. Just make sure you have enough product to cover your table and business cards if you have them.”

Fuck. I definitely don’t have them. I’ll have Lucy print me some flyers.

“Sounds wonderful. Thanks for helping me out with this, JoJo.” I hit the end button and get into my car.

I drive out of town and travel a few cities over to get to a mailbox. The parents are going to freak out over these necklaces. I stitched them together with pieces of leather and the belly buttons of each girl.

After I drop off the packages, I cruise around the downtown core, looking for a couple who might require a ride home. I parallel park and lean against the headrest.

As a yawn escapes me, I sit up straighter and flip on the music, tapping my fingers against the steering wheel as I wait. I have plenty of leather products for the market, but I must make soap batches.

“Hey. Are you our Uber?”

A man with dark brown curls stands at the passenger door. I check behind him and see a plump woman wearing an ill-fitting sweater dress and cowboy boots.

She’s never spent an hour in a barn. Her long, curly, reddish hair is greasy, which adds to the unimpressed expression on her face .

“Sure,” I tell him, and unlock the back door. He rattles off their address. He continues to talk about nothing, and when I look into the rearview mirror, she is asleep.

“I’m Ryder. This is my girlfriend Heidi.”

“Nice to meet ya. I’m Miles. You guys lived here long?”

“Few years. I moved from the States.”

Weird move, but free health care can drive people to do crazy things, until they realize that it’s shitty.

“Cool. Far trip for your folks, though,” I say.

When I arrive in our town, I notice he glances around.

“Don’t got any. My father left when I was young, and my mother passed a few years ago. Heidi didn’t have any family till she found me, right, baby?” He moves his conversation to her and grasps her hand. She lifts her head, yawning.

We pull into the driveway, the gravel crunching under the tires. I head straight to the barn before stepping out and popping the trunk for the crowbar.

I do a double-take when Heidi comes out first. She stalks towards me, yelling and jabbing her finger into my chest.

“This isn’t where we live. You’re a fucking sicko, aren’t you? Want a turn with me? ”

I swing the bar across her shins, and she screams bloody murder before falling to the ground.

“I wouldn’t fuck you with a ten-foot pole. Maybe his dick, though.”

I arch an eyebrow and wait for him to climb his sorry ass out of my car. “You’re far too stuck-up for me. Bet you think your shit doesn’t stink, right?”

She glares at me, and when Ryder gets out and sees her, he stoops to grip her hands.

“Right on time, bucko,” I say with an evil grin.

With a single, forceful stride, I swing across his lower back, causing him to crash down onto her.

After putting away the crowbar, I crack my neck to relieve the tension before grasping her broken shins and pulling her toward the barn.

Once she is bound to the table and her mouth is sealed with a gag, I proceed to the car. It’s then that I spot him, struggling to stand up.

“Where’s Heidi?” He certainly doesn’t realize that she isn’t very concerned about him.

“In here. Let’s go check on her.”

He nods and follows me into the outbuilding. Fucking lunatic.

As soon as we reach the main hallway, I give him a sharp jab in the ribs, causing him to stumble towards the open stall door. I kick him onto the blood- and urine-soaked dirt and lock the door, then select a CD and turn up the music. I continue down to the supply room and grab everything I need.

With my silver mask on, I enter the killing room. Tears leak out of the corners of her eyes, and a smile turns my lips up at the sight. I set down my tools and grab the scissors, cutting off this god-awful orangey-red dress.

Her softness is appreciated. I’m thankful I gagged her, because she’s already screaming.

A loud banging sound fills the air. I turn around to see him pounding his fists against the stall door.

“Looks like I’ll have to subdue him.”

I glide the cutting tool over her stomach before removing her bra and panties. Arching an eyebrow, I grab the sharpened sounding rod from before, slipping it into my back pocket. I walk out to the hall and cross to the stall.

“Heya buddy.”

“Where’s Heidi? What’re you doing to her?” His eyes are frantic as I advance on him. Pinning his body against the wall, I wiggle down the chain and latch his wrists. “What’re you doing?”

I cut off his jeans and boxers. His shrivelled-up dick might be the reason for the stick up her ass.

I grab him by the base and pull the bloody sounding rod covered in dried blood, then insert it into his piss hole. The shrill screams that emit from him hurt my ears .

“I’m not attracted to masks, but if it means we can go, then I guess I’ll do that,” he whimpers.

I’ve heard of golden retriever energy, but this guy is just a bitch.

“Not for me, tough guy, but keep those thoughts up.”

After sliding the lock across the door, I leave him with his dreams and move back to her. She glares at me when I enter.

Holding the drill, I move to the head of the table. “Ready? It’s showtime!”

Moving her hair out of the way, I hold her face as I start the power tool. The metal drives through the temple of her skull.

Small fragments of bone scatter near her ear as crimson drops of blood trickle down onto the metallic surface, and yet her unwavering stare remains fixed on me.

At the squishing noise, I turn off the drill. Leaning towards the hole, I shine a flashlight on it. Fucking fascinating—she’s alive with a gaping spot in her skull. I must have pushed too hard. The torn membrane reveals a tightly coiled organ.

I can’t resist and insert my finger into the opening, needing to know if the brain is slimy, but it isn’t. Hmm, interesting.

I cover the hole with her hair. Don’t want to startle our young buck yet.

Walking out of the room and grabbing a rope, I tie it around his neck. He whimpers and cries, and I’m sure he’s not used to a rod being jammed in his dick.

I lead him toward her, the sound of our footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

“Ready for the fun?” I ask him.

He stares at her naked body before glancing back at me. “You want to watch us make love?”

“Sorta.”

“Then you’ll let us go?” he asks, reaching out and stroking her face.

“I’ll set you free then,” I tell him.

“Okay.” He sounds unsure, but walks toward the table to reach her body. I jerk on the rope.

“Her head,” I say, and he looks at me in horror.

I grin under the mask, flipping her long locks back and nodding at it. His face loses colour rapidly. He shuffles next to her skull.

A giant exhale leaves his lips before he lines up with the hole and slips inside effortlessly. His pencil dick fits great, but some dudes might have some trouble. I’ll tell Lou about that.

My attention shifts back to the idiot standing in front of me. He clutches her face, his hands trembling with desperation. His fingers are white as he pulls her hair .

“Does it feel good?” I ask. Her eyes are closed. She’ll be fucked up after this, if not outright brain-dead.

“Different. Doable. Kinda like fucking soft serve ice cream.”

He goes to town, lowering his hand to clutch her tit. “Fucking bitch. I love you so much, and all you ever do is humiliate me. Make me your damn slave and yet you can never pull your own head out of your ass.”

Didn’t see this coming, but apparently my dude’s got some pent-up rage. He rips chunks of her hair out and slows his thrusting. Ryder continues to fondle her, his low groans filling the air.

This is much more intense than before, and my interest is waning. I’m not into watching other people fuck. The rope slips from my hand, landing on the floor. I lean casually against the stall door.

“You never let me see my mom after we got together. You always made me choose you over everyone. Time I’ll never get back, and now we’re stuck here and you’re the reason we’ll never leave.”

He spits on her face and smacks her tits before he grips her cheeks again. Ryder’s nails dig in, tearing through the delicate flesh as his thrusts become erratic. I recognize the signs of impending orgasm.

“Bitch, you weren’t worth the years, not worth my fucking life, and as if I finally get to fuck you after all this time, it has to be your warm brain.” He groans out the last few words, and his ass clenches as he fills the hole with his come. It leaks out through the gap as he pulls out.

“Feel better?”

He looks horrified. His attention drops to her and back to me. “What have I done? I’ve killed her. Oh, my beautiful lover,” he sobs.

Gross. Fucking weirdo.

I get closer. He’s still latched onto her, snot running down his face and smearing on her flesh. I sigh and grab my scalpel to peel off the pieces of her skin.

“Wait, you’re that guy,” he whispers. Fuck. Apparently I’m gaining a following.

Without speaking, I slice her body until I have enough for the tubs. When I return, he’s gone.

Fucking hell.

I look down at her, eyes unfocused and glazed over, like the come soaked her eyeballs. I laugh at the thought and then catch up with Ryder, my new friend.

“Buddy?” I whisper. He turns to run past me, but I grab the rope and he doesn’t run far before I haul his ass back to the barn. “Let’s get started, eh?”

“You made me hurt her.”

“Technically, I told you to fuck her head. You, sir, let out a lot of pent-up anger and that’s priceless, don’t you think? ”

His face shifts to a shade of grey, and he gags. I tug on the rope, and he obediently follows me to his stall. He’s back to being the docile little bitch he was before.

“This was interesting. Was it warm?”

“Warmer than her cunt ever has been. Some lube would’ve been great, but I figured beggars can’t be choosers.”

I grin beneath the mask and nod before heading back to Heidi.

The next few hours are spent on the gruesome task of peeling off her skin, scooping the fat from her body, and proceeding to cut her up.

Once she’s fully in the wheelbarrow, I park it in the hallway and open his door.

“What the fuck did you do to her? Jesus Christ, that’s my fiancée!”

“Ah, yeah, this is a beautiful time,” I whisper.

Ryder doesn’t come willingly. His expression turns from horror to pitiful sadness in a blink of an eye and I slit his throat with my knife.

His blood flows down the front of him, mixing with the snot on his shirt, and he shuffles backward until he falls into the stall.

“Could’ve had a fun time, but you had to ruin it.”

I reach down and carve around his torso, the sound of metal scraping against flesh filling the air as the smell of rust and blood lingers in my nostrils .

Busying myself with getting the fires started, I add the stump remover before dumping her lifeless body into the barrel.

Overwhelmed by rage, I unleash on him, severing his arms and legs and forcefully cramming him into the second drum. It takes longer for him to burn when not in small pieces.

I’ve decided I’ll head in for a shower when I’m done and make Lucy an excellent breakfast before she sleeps for the day.

Slipping off my mask, I put it away in the supply closet and grab the cleaner to wash the blood off the table.

Heading back to the fires, I find his torso hanging off the side of the barrel, his hair burned off. His face is stuck in a horrific expression, his mouth wide open as the flames lick his chin.

It almost looks like he’s liquefying as he slumps further out of the barrel. Fuck.

My hand tightens around the stick as I jam him back into the roaring fire. Pieces of flesh cling to the end of the wooden spear, and no matter how hard I try to wipe it off on his face, it only smears and spreads further.

The moment I bring it close to the flames, the aroma of an old-fashioned barbeque engulfs the surroundings. I tip in more stump remover.

Back in the barn, I gather the ingredients—lye, fat, and coconut oil. I combine them in stainless steel pots. With a quick stir, I now have enough to sell at the farmer’s market next week.

Sweeping the stable, I continue to clean while I wait for the fire to burn down. Tonight takes longer because of my fuckup. I’ll never leave them in big chunks like that again.

To conceal and absorb any excess fluids, I add sand to the bottom of the stall. Afterward, I cover it with straw and check on the fires.

Making sure the barrels are secure with their lids, I strip off my clothes and feel the cool air against my skin.

Once I’m in the house, I head upstairs for a shower, cleaning the blood and skull bits out of my hair before heading to the bedroom for grey sweatpants and a black tee.

Rushing down the hall, I enter the teal kitchen and whip up eggs to make French toast.

“Billy, what’re you doing up?” Lucy asks as she comes into the house.

When she appears at the kitchen entrance in her dark blue work pants, my gaze falls to her curves, causing my dick to throb and strain against the fabric of my sweats. How does she make everything look so damn sexy?

She looks exhausted, and as she yawns, I know she must feel like I do.

“Was up late with a few projects. Thought I’d stay awake to make you breakfast before we go to bed,” I tell her.

“I’ll shower and be down?”

I nod, leaning against the counter to peer up at her glorious ass until she’s out of view. Flipping the French toast, I grab two plates and bring them to the table.

The house shudders as she turns off the water, and I drum my fingers against the wooden top, waiting for her to join me.

As I wait, I think about last night. What he did was completely unexpected, and I didn’t enjoy watching it.

Lucy’s footsteps break my concentration as she descends the stairs. “This is amazing. I don’t think anyone’s ever made me breakfast.”

A sudden, intense pain in my chest sends alarm bells ringing, resembling a heart attack. However, when I take steady breaths, I come to understand that my soul is only hurting for the cards life has handed her.

“Well, I’ll cook you every breakfast.”

“Artie says his favourite is eggs Benedict. He has it on Father’s Day.” She smiles before cutting into the French toast and taking a bite.

“I could do that. I’ll do whatever you want me to.”

“You’re silly, but I love you.” She grins before dipping her head to eat .

“I love you more. How was your night?” I finish my last piece and fold my hands under my chin to listen.

“Eventful. Sometimes it’s quiet and the twelve hours drag, but tonight we had some calls. Drunken bar fight. Someone’s grandma got turned around.” Placing the fork beside her plate, she doesn’t look at me.

“What’s going on, Lou?”

“We pulled a kid out of a filthy house last night. It felt like being back home. Why the fuck do people do that? The poor child was terrified. He was covered in bruises and scars.” Her voice breaks, and she wraps her arms around herself.

Sometimes I think I’m killing the wrong individuals. I should change in the mask for a cape and spree my way through the fucked-up parents who neglect to take the opportunity to parent as an honour instead of an obligation that they have to do.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why people have kids if they won’t care for them properly. Trauma rolls through generations until someone’s strong enough to end it.”

Lucy says nothing as she picks up our plates and brings them to the sink. As she turns around, I stand and embrace her.

With her long nails in my hair, the darkness clears, and my heart returns to the right speed .

“I don’t know if I’ll ever want to have children, and so it’ll end with me.”

It pains me, but what the fuck would I do with a couple of kids running around? A sadistic sicko like me, with the trauma I carry around like a cloak of darkness?

“Whatever makes the most sense for you. Know you didn’t deserve anything that happened. You deserved to be a child, to explore and grow in an environment that was safe.” I brush her hair behind her ear, cupping her jaw as I relish the warmth of her hand.

“Did you have that?” Her mossy green eyes stare into mine and I swear she can see the scars that line my soul.

“Nah, some of us aren’t lucky. Doesn’t mean we didn’t deserve it though,” I whisper and press a kiss on her forehead.

“What happened to you?”

I freeze in her touch. We’ve never talked about this. The memories are so overwhelming that I don’t want to scare her away.

I kiss the top of her head and pull away from her.

“Get into bed, Lou. I’ll be up in a minute.”

I walk out to the porch and light a cigarette, letting the nicotine sink into my lungs and release the tension from my shoulders.

Lou is hot on my heels, her touch a comforting blanket that I’ve missed all my life .

“I’m not going to run,” she whispers. Curling up beside me, I wrap my arm around her upper body and stare out into the yard.

“My mother didn’t like me unless I could provide for her. Love was conditional. If I brought in the right amount of money, then she’d do the doting-mom act. If I didn’t, she’d leave me for days, and on the regular expressed how much she hated me.”

The nights in the closet, darkness surrounding me as a young child, made me grow into the biggest monster. The boogeyman didn’t exist in the sense of hurting me. Instead, he molded me into the man I am today.

“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

I hold her closer and take a drag with the other hand.

“How did you have to make money?”

I’m going to have to bare my soul to her. She’s done nothing but comfort me with everything I do. It might be time to come clean.

“She’d sell me to men, and they’d take their turns with me. She was a cunt. I’m glad she’s dead.”

Bricks of protection fall away from my heart. I never wanted to utter those words out loud. I realize she owns every inch of my tattered heart and her love is only meant to care.

“You should’ve been loved forever no matter what, without conditions. Only love.” She nestles beside me, and I crush out the cigarette .

Gripping her tightly, I hoist both of us off the swing and lock the door as we enter the house.

“Billy!” she squeals.

“Enough of the darkness from the past. Let’s get some sleep.”

With each step, her warmth radiates against my chest as I carry her upstairs. Her grip on my shirt is so tight, like she thinks I might accidentally drop her.

After placing her on the bed, I strip off my sweatpants and snuggle up behind her.

“Sex is fucking phenomenal with you, but I want to hold you for now while we sleep,” I tell her, and she melts into my arms.

Lou has always been the one for me. I’m in so deep I don’t know what I’ll do if she runs away. She’d never get far.

I’d flip the earth looking for her again. There are no second chances, only one forever.