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

Fresh Start

With Karen's words heavy on her mind, she wanted to doubt everything she had stated - growing up to be paranoid of a man she had never come in contact with and growing up to be "prepared," when the same man lived in Mia's house without the thought of harming a hair on her head. There was no way this was the same person she feared.

Arriving home by eight p.m., early November chill swept over her arms as she carried two bags into the house - one containing the ingredients to make dinner, the other holding the surprise she got for Michael, hoping it would help him communicate more with her while she was away. Grunting, both of her hands were occupied as she had forgotten to put her keys between her thumb and index finger to unlock the front door, relieved to see it open in front of her, Michael's presence shocking her as he wasn't in his usual attire.

Not even wearing his mask.

Smiling at his consensual vulnerability towards her to truly show his face, she entered the home, his clean and natural scent entering her nostrils as he was wearing one of the many outfits she had gotten him. Nothing fancy, just casual work clothes and things for him to feel comfortable in. "Thank you, Michael. Oh, you look so handsome." She smiled, knowing one of the main reasons he kept his face from her is that he was insecure about his eye, the deep scar and blind eyesight impairing any positive thought towards himself.

His face remained still, showing no reaction to her comment, although he felt an unfamiliar shiver across his sternum at her comforting words. His beard was becoming thicker, the weight of his facial hair making him feel more comfortable as he felt that his facial hair still covered his face. "I'm making soup for dinner. I hope you're hungry," She smiled, finding the bravery to reach up and cup his cheek, feeling his silver stubble warm against her palm. He tilted his head into her touch briefly before she felt his hand grip her wrist, turning his head to where his lips pressed against her palm.

She was flustered at his reaction, her smile becoming wider as she was so proud of him for feeling enough trust towards her to fully reveal himself, both without the confines of his mask and preferred coveralls.

He followed her through the short hallway into the kitchen, watching her set two plastic bags on the counter, removing several different cans of vegetables before turning to face him again, a sly grin on her lips. He tilted his head at her as she looked mischievous. "I got you something. I hope it helps us communicate better when I'm at work and you need something..." She smiled, pulling a small box from the bag, a flat and thin piece of technology in her hand. "I'll show you how to use it, but I figured it would help us if I'm not here and you need something-"

Michael wanted to destroy the stupid little piece of the civilized world in his hands - to crush it in his bare, and now clean, hands right in front of her, to watch her disappointment plaster across her face.

But he just couldn't. He knew he still had evil tendencies that would probably never go away, but with the ounce of humanity he had left, he knew he wouldn't do such a thing to break her heart. She had already given him too much - her home, necessities, bed, her time, and herself. She had completely given up her private life to make his life better. He at least owed it to her to stay out of trouble, even if that meant learning to function in the civilized world.

He looked at the phone in her hands, watching her function it as if she handled one every day...she did.

"See? You just hit this green button here and my name is already here and saved. So, if you want to send me a message when I'm not home... Say if you wanted me to pick up some candy on my way home, just type right here 'candy' and I'll know what you mean. Okay?"

He took the phone from her hand, looking at it intensively, thinking it was a trap. Although he had to agree that it was a good idea, even though he could make things easier if he just talked to her, but he liked to keep a mysterious side to him, even to the woman he swore he loved, although he wasn't quite sure if he knew what love was.

But he sure knew what cherishing a person was...

He sat the phone on the table as he proceeded to follow her outside to feed the horses before it got too dark, spending the half hour to do so absolutely admiring Harlow and Lilo, watching them approach him as they now recognized him as a snack provider, which didn't bother Michael much.

He carried the buckets of feed for her while she put the horses into their stalls, ensuring that they had enough water to last them throughout the night all while giving them timeless attention as Michael could tell she loved her animals. "Alright, I'm sure you're hungry, aren't you, Michael?" She smiled, facing him, watching his cold stare look at her face, studying every detail that belonged to her.

She nodded faintly at him, gently gripping his forearm to motion for him to follow her, only to be stopped by him grabbing her arm, pulling her back towards him as he concluded that her spark of touch and warmth was far too much to let it walk away. She giggled into his touch, looking up at him to see a grin plastered on his face. She smiled, snaking her arms around his neck, feeling his snake around her waist, feeling her cold skin against his warmth, pulling her even tighter in an attempt to keep her warm.

Once returning into her house, she began to boil the water to make soup while Michael stayed in the kitchen with her, curiosity eating at him as he wanted to toy around with the phone she got him, letting it sit on the counter while he touched the screen with his large finger, tapping on the message button that she had pointed to him before, typing the word 'hi' before sending it to her, watching her check her phone from her back pocket as her back was turned to Michael as she was opening the cans of vegetables.

Smiling, she turned around to look at Michael, "Well hi there! I see you've figured it out."

He flashed a weak grin, continuing to watch her stir the vegetables and elbow pasta into the pot, the smell of fresh potatoes storming into Michael's nose, his stomach growling at the scent. He was never one to eat much, but he was sure Mia would change that.

Leaning against the counter, a glimpse of the television caught Michael's eye. Tilting his head, he dismissed himself from the kitchen and into the living room to watch the picture further, which was a true-crime documentary about Ted Bundy on Mia's Netflix channel, which was something random she would turn on to drown out the silence of her house.

Losing track of time by watching the documentary, Mia walked into the living room with a blanket draped around her shoulders as a sudden chill swept over her. She smiled, seeing Michael sitting on the couch, his bold stare at the screen, turning his head to look at her as she approached him. "Dinner's ready. Whatcha watching?"

He didn't answer her, just watched her as she got closer to him. She looked at the screen, the documentary at its end. She wondered why he was so intrigued by a true-crime documentary, however, she was interested in them herself - wondering what goes through a person's mind to kill, knowing she had living proof right in front of her, living proof that she had begun to fell in love with. Grimacing to herself at the thought, she had wondered if she was just as sick as Michael was.

Ignoring her intrusive thoughts, she was bold to straddle Michael's lap on the couch, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, hands clutching onto the blanket, cocooning the two of them. She felt his shuddered breaths under her as he wasn't sure on how to feel about the gesture, feeling completely submissive under her.

But he wasn't complaining...

Slowly, he snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. He ran his leathery digits up and down her back, feeling her body relax into him. His thumbs kneaded into the muscle of her back with every downward motion, cracking a smirk at the purrs of satisfaction coming from her throat, feeling her nose press against his neck as she nuzzled against him, unaware that she was falling asleep in his embrace.