Killing Maya Rae ✔

One

     I’ve always hated the rain. Yeah, it adds some noise to block out my footsteps, it blurs the victim’s vision, yadda yadda yadda. But my problem with it is that it adds this whole cliché to the chase and it really kills the whole originality thing for me. All I’m trying to do is murder an unsuspecting victim without all the “It was a dark and stormy night” bull. Can’t a girl catch a break?

     It is cute though, how she keeps looking behind her. It’s not like she would see me anyways. I’ve been watching her for a week or so now. I know her blind spots, her nervous habits, her uncanny ability to charm a tip from any coffee shop customer that walks in. It’s the coffee place she works at that she’s closing up right now, locking the back door with a key and pulling her hood over her head. I still don’t know why someone as petite as her would choose to walk through alleys instead of well-lit streets. It could be dangerous, especially at this time of night. Well, especially when someone like me could be just around the corner.

     The sound of her shoes hitting the pavement is almost lost behind the veil of rain. The droplets refract the glow of neon lights into a misty haze. If this were anything but a story, it’d be someone’s Tumblr aesthetic.

     I’ve decided that tonight’s the night.

     Tonight, I will finally get to watch the life drain from those hazel eyes. All the waiting and watching I’ve done will pay off into a big crescendo of blood and gore. There are so many ways to do it, even with just the double-edged twin daggers I brought. They sit in wait, tucked away in my boot. Beautiful, but deadly. I can see it now: pinning her against the brick wall, the stone rough against her cheek. She won’t even see it coming as I bring the blade to her neck and press ever so slightly. Then, with the flick of my wrist I’ll—Ow, fuck.

     My boot collided with the drainage pipe that, for some reason, jutted out right in my way. The loud, hollow sound was definitely not covered by the storm. Just my luck. I dive into a somersault and find cover in a deep doorway as she turns to look behind her. “Who’s there?” Her voice quivered ever so slightly, and God that fear sounded amazing. It stirred a hunger in me, as screams and pleas often did.

     The brief moment of silence that passed was interrupted by heavy footfalls splashing on the ground. From my position, pressed into a corner with a doorknob jamming its way into my spine, I couldn’t see what was going on, but I knew the second I heard her muffled scream.

     I slip out of the entryway and find some asshole pinning her against the wall, a gun to her back.

     There’s no chance in hell I’m going to let him beat me to it… but, might as well let him think he’s getting his nasty groove on for a bit. As he hurries to get his fly unzipped, I take my time. I pull out my lighter from the pocket of my jacket, light a cigarette, take a few drags, and saunter right up to the guy. He’s too busy fumbling with his belt—it’s ugly, by the way—to even notice I’m leaning against the wall a foot away. I clear my throat. “Hey, asshole,” I say as I blow smoke into his beady little eyes. The second he goes to bring up the gun from her back, I decide to put my cigarette out on his crooked ass nose.

     He hissed in pain and tries to hit my face with the butt of his pistol. Can’t let him ruin the merchandise. I grab his wrist and twist his arm back and down, forcing his weight to shift. He drops the cheap weapon and goes for my throat with his free hand. Trust me, the sound of his knee cap snapping under my boot was absolutely beautiful. “What the—”

     “Run home before I break your other one.”

     He does. Well, he kind of hobbled, and I huff in annoyance. People these days

      I flinch as arms wrap around my waist and her head buries itself into my shoulder. Shit. I forgot where I was for a second. Hurriedly, I shrug the girl off as best as I can.

      “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that I’m so grateful you just happened to be here. I was just on my way home from work and it was so dark and I don’t know what could have happened if…” She trails off once she takes a second during her blabbering to look at my uninterested face. Considering I’ve already screwed up by letting her see me, it’s best not to talk at this point. Not that I’d want to. She’s far too bubbly.

     “Okay, well, thank you.” She holds out a delicate hand to me and smiles. “I’m Maya Rae.”

      Ugh. I know.

       I don’t respond. Instead, I stare at her hand and glance back to her imploring eyes. She thankfully gets the hint and puts it down. I turn to walk away and, surprisingly, she doesn’t seem to follow.

       “Wait!”

        It’s strictly against every handbook out there to stop, but I did.

        “Will I see you again?”

        Seriously, can this get any more cliché than it already is? I leave before it can.

              
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Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think and whether or not the sarcastic punch lines got you. 'Till soon! -Red