The Devil Walks Among Us; Book l - Completed 4/21/22

Crossing the Boundary

Arriving at the requested residence by Officer Hawkins, Mia was astonished at the immense amount of patrol vehicles and terrified neighbors. "What's going on?" She asked, clutching her jacket to her shoulders.

"He's escaped," Hawkins replied. "And we need your help in finding him."

"What does that have to do with being here?" She asked referring to the home in front of her.

"He massacred someone - a babysitter." The Sheriff answered.

"How do you know it was hi-"

"Because it was, Mia. You should know his style." A voice answered. Looking over, she curled her lip in annoyance and disgust at Dr. Sartain's presence. "It's quite surprising that you don't know how he truly is."

"Then why am I here? I can just go right back home and go on about my night and let you men do it." She scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I may not have agreed to your practice, but I do know that he has made an attachment towards you. Perhaps if he saw you, he'd be stable enough for us to catch him." He explained.

"So... You're wanting me to lure him?"

"If that's how you want to look at it." Dr. Sartain shrugged.

She scoffed, shrugging her shoulders, "Well, I can definitely say I'm not agreeing to what charade you're trying to pull because luring him is just going to break his trust with me and get me on his murder list."

"I can assure you, he is a killer with no remorse in his mind. He will kill you if you're in his way." Hawkins added.

"I'm not going."

"Perhaps you help us find him? We'll keep you in the car and we'll do the rest?" Hawkins proposed. "He's dangerous. He needs to be taken back into custody."

"Please?"

She sighed, "If I go, I'm staying in the back of that car and not coming out for anything. Understand? I can help you find him, but I'm not throwing myself into the mix of it."

"Deal. Let's go."

Mia frowned the entire drive throughout the neighborhoods, blue lights reflecting off of the road as the patrol car proceeded down the idle streets. "You know what has intrigued me throughout my studies, Officer Hawkins? How does a crime like Michael's affect him? Hmm? What's that feeling? Is he on a random path, or is he emotionally driven? Triggered by something? Perhaps some unheard marching order imprinted on his very being. I want to know what he's feeling. I want to know what pleasure he gets out of killing."

"Where is this killer? We gotta find him. I'm not gonna stand in the way of justice this time."

"Remember, he's property of the state. He mustn't be harmed."

"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that."

"Mia? Keep your eyes open. He's out there somewhere." Dr. Sartain said, hiding the sly smirk on his face, hoping his plan would work out.

"Suspect reported on 11th, near Saint Park." The radio sounded.

"Copy that, Dispatch." Hawkins replied, accelerating his vehicle.

"There he is!" Dr. Sartain pointed. "Stop and shine your light on him!" He said, rolling down his window, his bones chilling as he watched The Shape stop in his tracks, tilting his head slightly. "Michael! Michael! We have something for you!" He said, ignoring Mia's words as he had gone against her wishes. "We have Mia - Ms. Harris for you!"

"What are you doing?" She yelled.

"Come and get her!"

Michael tilted his head at Dr. Sartain's words, cautiously taking another step towards the patrol car, ignoring the fact that there was a law officer with Dr. Sartain. He had been lured effortlessly and predictable - like a moth to the flame.

"I'm not doing this." Hawkins grumbled, accelerating his vehicle, his aim directly at The Shape, hitting him at twenty miles per hour, knocking him out completely, perhaps even dead.

"Don't shoot him!" Dr. Sartain pleaded as he and Officer Hawkins got out of the vehicle.

"Doctor, get back in the car."

"No!" He yelled, kneeling down to touch Michael's masked face. "You killed him. He's dead."

"Stand back."

"No."

"I'm still gonna blow this motherfucker's brains out!"

"Get away, leave my patient alone!"

"Get away from the body. Stand back. I'm not gonna say it again, step away from the suspect." Hawkins repeated, unaware that Dr. Sartain had prepared his prized and secret weapon, a knife inside of his pen.

Lunging, Sartain stabbed Hawkins in the tender flesh at the base of his neck, Hawkins' adrenaline making blood burst from his body as he dropped to the ground. Dr. Sartain laughed hysterically, almost like a maniac, as Mia watched in horror. He looked back at her briefly, smirking as she was unaware of his plan of executing her.

"So, this is what it feels like?" He asked an unconscious Michael, who lay stiff on the concrete, his chest heaved as if he were inhaling a breath. He knelt against Michael's body, placing his hand on his chest to brace himself, feeling how hard his sternum was, realizing that Michael wasn't just a human, but once of exceptional force. He dared to touch the weathered latex hiding Michael's face, his head limp against Sartain's touch as he seemed to admire him. "Let's see if we can make some progress." He said to him, hoping to finally get a reaction, maybe a word, out of his patient.

Grunting, Sartain drug Michael's body towards the car, aware that Michael had felt like he was made of lead. Opening the rear door of the car, he knelt down to heave Michael's unconscious body into the backseat, only to be pushed by Mia, who had been trying to escape, knowing Michael would easily take care of the situation that he could overpower. "I don't think so, Missy!" He growled, letting go of Michael's ankle to grab her, unaware that Michael's eyes had opened to observe the scenario in front of him.

Oh, he would be dead soon, especially for touching her.

He forced Mia to the ground, just a couple of feet away from Michael's body. Her forearms were pinned against her chest as he forced her to look at him. "You will be the focal point of my next experiment. When he awakes, we'll be ready." He breathed.

"Ready for what?"

"The reunion. I believe you have made an impact on him, something that clearly agitates him at the mention of your name. I think an animal such as him is in love, Ms. Harris. And I think he's in love with you."

"You're so full of shit," She growled, fighting against him. "I don't even know how you got your license."

"Thanks to Dr. Loomis, dear!" He argued.

"Well, you're just as crazy as he was!"

"You watch your mouth!" He warned, daring to put his hand at the base of her throat, stopping himself from choking her as he wanted to watch Michael finish what Sartain had started. However, if she continued to poke at him, he would beat Michael to the kill. He forced Mia back into the car, shutting the door briefly to retrieve Hawkins' Glock, using it as a threat to her if she tried to escape again. He spent a few moments loading Michael's unconscious body into the car, his six-foot-three stature making Sartain look small, easily guessing for him to be over two hundred pounds as he draped over in the seat, almost completely laying on Mia, who had easily adjusted Michael's body to sit upright, somewhat more comfortable.

With a smirk, Dr. Sartain entered the driver's side of the vehicle, looking back at her, seeing nothing but live prey in the tiger's den in his mind. "Shall we?"