Flesh and Blood

Chapter 1 - A Serial Killer's Guide for Dumbasses

Blade piercing through skin, blood trickling out of the wound.

Eyes tearing, body straining, heart racing—

Pierce through the skin until blood trickles out,

Until the tears start streaming and the body starts shaking.

Delve deeper and through the flesh until blood pours out,

Until the screeches, screams, and cries fill the air—

Start with the skin, pierce through it until blood trickles out,

Until tears start streaming and limbs start shaking.

Then delve deeper, cut through the flesh until blood pours out,

Until screeches, screams, and cries fill the air.

And drag down, tear through the muscle until blood gushes out,

Until the choked sobs reach the final gasp.

***

Damien needed to get out of his fucking head. The more time he spent imagining the different ways he could carve someone up, the more likely he would jump the nearest person and cut them open. It would be really fucking stupid but it had been too long, almost five months, since his last kill. He was getting a bit antsy, maybe even nervous, not that he would ever admit that. But his nerves prickled every time a small, defenseless woman passed him. His heartbeat soared every time he heard a screech or scream or shout. He wasn't sure how he'd react to blood, but if he wasn't careful he would lose control of himself.

He needed to wait for the perfect time, place, and situation. He specifically chose this small college town in the middle of the country because of its near perfect conditions. A constant stream of travelers and students passing through the town. A police force notoriously known for its incompetence. They would suspect a drunken drifter or a jealous ex-lover before they even considered the attractive college student he was pretending to be. And if they ever came near to suspecting him, he would be three states a way with a new identity.

He needed to wait. And he needed to remind himself of the rules: Be thorough, Be patient, Don't be picky, Don't get comfy.

He repeated the rules in his head a few more times before exhaling carefully and browsing over the lecture hall. He knew everyone's names. He knew at least half of their addresses. He just needed to figure out who would be the perfect victim.

Who would scream the loudest before his knife even touched their skin? Who would whimper and plead for mercy as he traced his knife across their neck? Who would wail and sob when his knife cuts them open?

There were so many potential victims. There were at least ten viable candidates. Half of them were quiet women whose presence wouldn't be missed until a week later. Most of them would be very responsive to his actions. All of them would be easy victims.

But his eyes kept reverting back to the guy who sat next to him during every lecture.

Lucas Johnson. Nineteen years old. Well-known local. Captain of the soccer team. Former prom king.

He could easily fight back and escape. His disappearance would be noticed. He would be the most difficult victim.

But he wanted to watch Luke's muscles strain as he struggled to fight back. He wanted to see Luke's mouth spit out curses as the knife tore his skin apart. Yes, Luke would be a challenge, but he would be the perfect victim.

Damien nearly cursed out loud and tried to clear his mind of his violent thoughts.

It was a terrible idea, but his mind was set on this idea. He was going to kill Luke.

***

Damien went to Luke's next soccer game. He watched him move across the soccer field, imagined him tied up and marked up. He could already taste the first drops of blood in his mouth, coating each taste bud with a sharp bitterness. He almost drooled at the idea until somebody interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey."

He glanced up to find some emo girl staring at him. She had dark circles of eyeshadow around her eyes, numerous piercings across her face, and entirely black attire consisting of torn fabrics and fishnets. There were very few reasons why a girl like her would approach a guy like him and he couldn't think of any that would benefit him.

When he didn't respond, she sighed and chewed on her lip ring nervously. "Are the rumors true?"

Shit, there were already rumors about him?

"What rumors?"

"That you sacrifice people to the devil."

Oh, there were really stupid rumors about him.

He rolled his eyes. "I go to one party hosted by weird strangers . . ."

"But is it true?" the girl interrupted.

He glared at her. "Why? Are you a devil worshiper?"

"No, but I was hoping that you were crazy enough to sacrifice my friends for me." She paused to sigh dramatically. "My former friends."

He frowned at the offer. "Even if I were a devil worshiper, what makes you think that I would want to sacrifice your friends?"

"I dunno, a sacrifice is a sacrifice, right?"

"That's really fucking stupid."

It was actually a tempting offer. He didn't have to plan too much. He just needed to kill those friends and frame this girl. But how could he possibly trust this girl to not redirect the blame on him?

No, it was too risky of an offer. He shook his head at the idea and continued watching Luke. Besides, he already had a victim in mind.

"Well, I tried," she sighed out, but did not move away. Instead she shifted closer to him. "What if I paid you? Would you do it then?"

"No," he asserted.

"Well, if you change your mind, you can usually find me at the library."

The only thing that would convince him to search for her in the library was if he decided that she would be his next victim. He quickly envisioned yanking each piercing out, tearing the flesh, hearing her scream. He almost grinned at the idea and froze when he felt his mouth twitch.

Shit, he was already losing control of himself. It had been a difficult past few months and it was only getting more difficult. He needed to kill someone now.