Hunted - The past that kills [COMPLETE]

19 - Revelation (Nightingale Tattoo)

Soft fabric tickled Clara's face, making her crinkle her nose as the strip of material was untied and pulled away from her eyes. Unsure of who or what would be waiting in front of her when she finally opened her eyes, she took her time and slowly pried her eyelids open, fighting against the pit of fear burrowing deep in her stomach.

Her pupils became wide from adjusting to the darkness, her face contorting due to her unfamiliar surroundings, which were barely illuminated by the dim and worn bulbs dangling from the cracked ceiling. Her motions were slow and cautious from suspense and expectation of being attacked or frightened at any moment. Her eyes darted around the room as she took in as much detail as possible; two windows, one door, a sofa and coffee table, a second table made of metal, what looked to be a closet and an unknown object hidden by a large black sheet – which she only spotted through her peripheral vision once she turned her head to the right.

Looking closer, Clara noticed that the windows were hastily boarded up, but aged and weather-worn, the rusted nails a clear indication. Through some of the gaps and holes in the wooden planks, roofs of other buildings were visible, reflecting moonlight from the empty night sky. Clara deduced that she was on the upper floor of the house by just those snippets of outside alone. She also noted that the room she was in – while worn from age – was not dusty or dirty like most other rooms in the house. It definitely looked lived in, judging from the empty food packets and drink containers on the coffee table, but that wasn't the part that escalated her anxiety tenfold. No, that would've been the damage the room had received.

The sofa had jagged slashes across its surface, some of the stuffing ripped out through the old patterned material. The table beside it was chipped and one of its legs broken, making the structure uneven and tilted. There were a couple of stray pill bottles on the floor, some prescription, others with countless warnings on the labels, and none of which Clara could properly identify from her position. The blood was the real jaw-dropper. It was everywhere; staining the sofa, in puddles on the floor, dripping down the wall, the majority of surfaces had at least one drop of blood somewhere on it. Whether the blood came from various victims or just a handful, or how old some of it was, Clara couldn't correctly guess. It can't all be new blood, otherwise, the Alton Point Slayer must've killed more people in a week than anyone may have originally thought...

A firm hand suddenly gripped her shoulder, causing her to tense up and her eyes immediately dart to the wall across from her in an attempt to not make direct eye contact with the killer. She could feel the presence of them behind her and bit the inside of her cheek as that deep, chilling voice appeared.

"You took your time to wake up, my dear..." they said.

Clara swallowed, keeping her gaze directed at the wall as she opened her mouth to respond. "You could've woken me up sooner by hurting me. So why didn't you?" she asked quietly.

There was a creak as the killer shifted from one foot to the other before stepping in front of Clara. "I may be a killer, but I have a high level of patience. Besides, hitting you would be pointless when I could do so much worse" they said.

Clara did her best to suppress the shiver that jolted through her body at those words. She licked her split lip more, aggravating the wound before lifting her gaze to focus on the killer. She scanned the figure head to toe, uttering a small 'huh' while looking at their hood that still covered their head. Their lower face was covered by a scarf of some sort, only leaving their eyes showing. Those eyes that haunted Clara, eyes that matched her father's, but were void of every hint of kindness and humanity compared to his.

"I know you're going to kill me no matter what. So if this is it for me, I want to know who you really are" she said, staring up into the killer's eyes with all the courage she could muster.