A Broken World

Forty-Five

Yn

I lost him. I lost Larson. This prospect had so many twists and turns it wasn't hard to get lost if you don't know where you're going. It's also easy for someone to hide especially if they know where to hide. I had my gun drawn as I did a sweep of every cell and door I came by. I could hear a taunting whistle echoing off the walls. That's what he did when he would hunt down the terrified women he let loose only to chase them down again. He would whistle the first part of Motzarts’ Queen of the Night Aria.

It has been stuck in my head for years. I still have nightmares once in a while of him chasing me down in the woods. It was definitely the most horrific case I had been assigned to. I was young but I was the type he would typically go after. But he did. He honed in on me, latching himself to me like a leech. There were countless times that I've seen standing across the street from my apartment. He would stand under the streetlight and stare up at me. It felt like I was in some old classic horror movie or something.

“Come on, detective, I want to play. Come and find me!”

A chill ran down my spine. I would honestly rather be dealing with a herd of walkers right now. This man was a certified psychopath. The corridors were dark and some of them had a few walkers shuffling around. I would take them out as quietly as I could; I'd push my knife up through the bottom of their skulls and gently bring them down to the floor.

“You're getting warmer, detective.”

I was in a hall that was lined with cells on either side. It was almost pitch black, the only light coming from the small windows high on the walls every few feet. He could easily be in any of these cells. I made sure to have both my gun and knife out. I didn't want to fire the gun in here. The sound would echo through the whole prison and bring walkers right to me. But I also didn't want to fight this mother fucker hand to hand.

“You know, detective, I've missed you. You're the one that got away. We could have had a lot of fun together. You were different; special. So young and pretty. I would have treated you differently.”

I could feel my heart rate pick up with how close his voice was. He had to be in one of the cells. He would jump out at me, catch me off guard, and take me down. He was much bigger than me. Six-foot-six man who worked out on the regular was not something I wanted to deal with. He could literally pick me up and throw me. “Why don't you just come out so we can end this. I didn't want to play your game back then and I still fucking don't!”

A shadow darted across to the other side where there was a staircase. The creak of the door opened and then clicked shut. “Fuck.”

Daryl

Daryl was frustrated and furious about yn going after that crazy mother fucker. He wanted to go after her, but stayed behind to help T-Dog keep an eye on the last two inmates. Rick had run off after the short one and he didn't want to leave T-Dog alone. When Rick returned they helped get the last two inmates to a cell block that was clear.

The only thing they needed to do was take the bodies that laid on the ground in front of some of the cells. They had their hands zipped tied behind their backs and then were executed.

“I suggest you take those bodies outside and burn ‘em,” T-Dog told them before they all walked away.

“I'm gonna go find yn,” Daryl told Rick and started walking the opposite way. “Hold up, Daryl! I don't think that's such a good idea. According to what she said about this guy he's dangerous. We need to plan this out before we go any deeper into this prison. There could be a hell of a lot more walkers deep in.”

Daryl saw nothing but red, his anger boiled up and over, making him snap at Rick. “She fucking told you! You didn't listen and now she's somewhere in this fucking prison with a fucking serial killer! I ain't stayin’ here and waitin’!” Daryl didn't give a fly fick how loud he was being. He'll kill anything and anyone that gets in his way.

Yn

I waited a while before moving towards the staircase. When I opened the door the stairs only led down. I stepped back and looked around for anything I could use that would tell someone which way I went, if anyone comes looking for me at all that is. I was hoping they would come after me and not just leave me alone.

I made an arrow on the floor with junk I found on the floor and made my way down the stairs. The staircase was dark and cold. With my gun pointed out and my knife was held in my hand like I would a flashlight. My right rested, with my gun in hand,  atop my left arm. If I needed to stab someone or something I would be able to do so, well, if it happens to be on my left side, that would be easier than if I got attached on my right side.

When I finally made it to the last step there was another door. I looked through the window to see the office spaces where the visitors would come in and where the staff would be. He could be in any of those offices. Hell, he could be pressed against the door waiting for me. I took a deep breath and swung the door open, quickly looking on either side to make sure it was clear. When I saw it was, I stepped out of the stairs well.

“I know you're in here, Larson! You know you're gonna die so just come out!”

I checked each office I passed until I got to the last one. It was the reception area where visitors would signin. I looked through the glass but didn't see anyone. My hands were shaking, heart pounding out of my chest.

“I think I want to start where we left off, Detective.”

A chill ran down my spine when his hot breath fanned against the side of my neck. He was right behind me. How'd he sneak up on me? The grip on my knife tightened and I spun around sinking it into his left right. “Ah!! Fucking bitch!” I ran for the stairwell door and flung it open. “You know I love a chase, Detective! It's just like old times between us! Just this time the dead are walking!”