Tell No One

Chapter 13

The man struggled against her grip, pressed up hard against the brick wall. His previously cocky grin was now pained, panicked as he fought her. Fought her? No one could fight her. Kiera's eyes glittered as his eyes rolled back in his head. Kiera let go, his body crumpling to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

Kiera has killed 53 people since that night. The media was calling her a serial killer, branding her as The Choker. What jokes. Various supposed 'sightings' of the killer had been called in, the police told us it must be done by a person of impressive strength to strangle so many people. As supposed as it was, they were looking for a tall, muscled man with the power to crush windpipes. Surely, not Kiera. Since then, the police department had been run ragged, overflowing with tips and sightings of people who fit such a description. People were warned to never go anywhere alone, to be back home before a certain time, to lock their doors at night. Not that that mattered. Kiera's newly conceived blood lust knew no bounds. Alana begged her to stay in at night, feared for her safety, but Kiera still went out, still partied; and still, the death toll increased. The reality was, Kiera had killed much more people than 53, but their bodies were never going to be found.

 Kiera frisked the man on the floor and thieved a carton of cigarettes. She wasn't addicted or anything; she just liked the silky feel of drawing the smoke down her neck. Ultimately, it could do no harm; she commandeered over her health, and smoking could not and would not affect her. The man on the floor gurgled, last traces of life slipping away as he faded into oblivion. Kiera tapped out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag before flicking it onto his body. 

Kiera walked back into the club, shutting the external door behind her. The dancers were oblivious.
***

Coming home that night, Kiera said a cheery hello to Kyle who was collecting his mail. He quickly scurried back into his flat once he spotted her, not making eye-contact. 

Kiera sat on her sofa and flicked the TV on to the news. They had started a segment called 'Choker Watch', methodically going through the list of deceased and missing in an hourly toll of her happenings. Again they reminded people should stay indoors, again they updated with the title of 'no reports' from the police. Kiera curled up her feet on the sofa, shoes discarded but dress till kept on. As she watched the glow of the screen, she felt a familiar presence emerge beside her.

They both sat in silence, staring and what Kiera had caused. She shot Mera a sideways glance, unsurprising by his silence. His face was a stony mask, despondent. Lately, it seemed that Kiera wore all the smiles, leaving him in a well of demure. Lately, all their meetings had been like that, the barest of words exchange, and without the once warm and friendly tones of their relationship. It's not as if he frowned as much, but rather he seemed retracted from her life. The visits had become less frequent. A few weeks back, Kiera had held a loaded gun to her head, testing her theory that he lied about her that night with Zeke. Sure enough, he appeared, and Kiera dropped her hand, calling him out on it.
He hadn't liked that. 

His visits were almost daily, maybe spaced out between a day or two every now and then; but mostly, he remained a surefire part of her life.

In the darkened lounge, they both still held their silence. Kiera turned to stare at him now, a brittle smile decorating her face. Mera looked back at her, the darkness in his eyes reflecting the deadness in her soul. 

"What do you think?" Kiera's voice was hushed, quiet. The words almost came out purred, stealing the way Mera used to talk.

"I think you should stop." Kiera's mood thundered, but she quickly quelled it.

"Why's that?" 

"Kiera, why are you doing this?" 

"Because I want to."

"For real?" Kiera nodded back. Mera stood up and rubbed his face with his hands. In that moment, he looked old. Kiera jumped up too. She looked at him up and down. No, not much had changed physically. He still wore a suit, the red tie. The black gloves were back. But inside, she sensed the shift.
"Mera, why do you always wear a suit?" Mera removed his hands from his face, placing them down by his sides.

"What?" he seemed taken aback by the question, confused at the change in conversation.

"Your suit. What, is it the only clothing you own or something?" Kiera began to grin, and Mera returned a mirthless smile of his own. 
"Perhaps. But besides, I think it looks good on me." Mera's eyes twinkled, a part of the old Mera showing though. 
Kiera trailed her gaze down his front. "Well... I can't disagree there..." Kiera stroked a fingertip down his front, touching his tie. Mera grabbed her hand. 
"My eyes are up here." Mera was grinning now. Kiera did a throaty giggle.
"There's the old Mera." Mera gazed down at her. Then, without another word, he disappeared into shadow, leaving Kiera alone in her dark living room.

***
"Hey Kiera." Alana's voice carried a tinny quality though the phone.

"What's up?"

"Me and Shelia are having a sleepover tonight, want to join us? Been a while since we did anything fun."

Due to the killer scare that was going on, the group hadn't been going out much. Sure, they'd seen each other in and between lessons, but the college was a cesspool of fear, everyone's own emotions echoed and amplified by the general populace. Some people had lost someone they knew, and everyone knew someone who had lost someone. Mrs Corsinn had temporarily closed up shop, worried about Kiera staying too late, and worried about her customer's safety. Now the florists were only open Saturdays. They were all affected.

"Sure, why not. You picking me up?"

"Yup. Just give me a half hour and I'll be there."

"Aight. See ya then."

"Byyye!" Kiera hung up. Although everyone has been stressed lately- the general toll of tests and lessons, on top of the threat of the killer- Alana had somehow been able to keep her cheery disposition. Honestly, Kiera was thankful for it. Being around her was refreshing- like taking a breath of cold air after coming out of a sauna. Her mood hardly every dropped, and it seemed like she wasn't affected at all. Kiera knew on some level, Alana was suffering the same everyone else was, but if it did, she wasn't going to show it. That was just the way Alana was. 

Shelia however....

Shelia had remained openly hostile, even more so since the 'attacks'. Now, she hardly ever spoke to Kiera, even when in the presence of Alana. She shot Kiera narrowed glances, treated her with suspicion, and sometimes, Kiera even caught a fearful look when she thought she wasn't looking. Times like that left Kiera puzzling. Shelia didn't trust her.

Kiera stretched, and threw some belongings in a bag. Maybe tonight, she could find out why.