Killing Maya Rae ✔

Three

     Though my plans have been ruined twice, I’m opting to remain positive. This afternoon, before getting ready to meet Maya at the fountain, I stood in front of the mirror and repeated the mantra, “I will kill her tonight, I will kill her tonight, I will kill her tonight.” Does it count as a mantra if your intentions are violent? I think so.

       Now, I’m standing beside Bethesda Fountain, as promised, and it’s fucking cold. Eight o’clock has already rolled around and I’m wondering where the hell this girl is. Who does she think she is, planning a meeting spot and not showing up on time? All I want to do is take her to a secluded spot, slit her throat, and cover up my tracks. Is that too much to ask? I hate people who aren’t punctual.

     “Hi, there!”

      I jump as my internal dialogue is interrupted. I can practically feel Maya’s cheerful demeanor contaminating my day. She looks prepared to go somewhere even colder and I’m wondering what she thinks we’re doing. Whatever it is, I have my own plans in mind. “Ready to go ice skating?”

       Ice skating? Really? I’m not a fan of clichés, as you may know already, so I’m going to play it brutally honest. “No. Let’s go somewhere else. Follow me.” I shove my hands into the pockets of my jacket and take a sharp right turn, intentionally trying to walk faster than Maya. For a short girl, she can somehow keep up and it’s kind of killing the whole “leading her to her death” thing for me. I can’t really lead if she’s right next to me. Seriously, our arms are touching.

     “Where are we off to?”

     “Oh, just somewhere more private,” I say. I look at her through the corner of my eye and catch her blushing. Okay, what does she think this is? I mean, I thought this was pretty clear. Murderer, victim. Killer, helpless girl. What more could there be to this?

     We’ve hit the edge of the park and I scan the street ahead for the least populated area. There. That dark, secluded, completely original place to kill someone, alleyway looks perfect. I grab her wrist and tug her across the street, though it doesn’t take much force. She’s like a trailing little puppy dog, obedient to it’s master. How sickeningly adorable. I let go as we cross the mouth of the dead end and nod towards the back wall. She takes the hint and walks into the alleyway. Maya’s gone quiet, unusual for her, but I’m grateful nonetheless. As she avoids my eyes, smiling to herself like a dumbstruck schoolgirl.

     I turn my back and toy with the blade in my pocket. I run my finger along its smooth edge, feeling the sweet bite of razor sharp tension drag against my skin. This is it. Finally, I’d get to feel the rush of her warm blood slip across my hands. I’ve been waiting for far too long, in my opinion. At this point, you may be wondering why I’ve picked her. It’s not like she’s special in the sense of her timing. She’s not the first I’ve killed and she certainly won’t be the last. So, what does she have that I’d want to ruin? What is it about her that makes me itch with the need to watch the color of her eyes dull? Well, dear friend, it all has to do with her—

     “Kiss me.”

     Maya’s hands cup my face and forces my chin down towards her. She presses her lips upon mine urgently, softly. In my surprise, I fling my arms out of my coat, dropping the knife as a result. Shit shit shit. This girl is not letting go. Okay, think. How can I leave her defenseless now that I’ll have to use my bare hands. Strangulation, yes! We’ll save the blood for later.

     Despite the knot in my stomach, I begin kissing her back. I meet her cautious need with a false hunger. Good, good, let her think we’re on the same page. Her hands start to slide into my hair and I am not about to give up a good hair day for this. I grab her waist and push her back against the wall. Wow, she really likes tongue. I wouldn’t have taken her for that kind of girl. She seemed perfectly innocent before this started. It just means I’ll have to ruin her pretty little mouth so detectives can’t swab it for my DNA. Maybe I'll remove her jaw completely… depends how bored I am after the killing itself, I suppose.

     She releases my hair—I’ll have to cut away her nails, too—and her hands plaster themselves to the moist brick at her sides. I place my knee between her legs to make sure she can’t run if she tries and press myself against her to brace for any resistance. Here goes nothing. My first strangling attempt, I’m excited!

     I wrap my hands around her throat delicately. The skin there is soft and warm, and I can feel her pulse race beneath my touch. Then, I begin to close my fingers, focusing on her windpipe for the most part. I feel her arms come up behind my back and her nails scratch down my spine. Why isn’t she fighting it?

     She pulls the smallest distance away from my mouth and moans against my lips.

     Okay, what!? I immediately let go and push away from her. Even in the dark, I can see red and purple lines in the shapes of my fingers lace themselves across her neck. I wipe the back of my palm over my mouth and grunt in disgust. I lean my head back and look at the blurry stars, trying to recollect my thoughts. Is it hard to breathe? It’s hard to breathe. I glance back at Maya who’s still standing across from me. She has her pinkie nail between her teeth and she’s looking embarrassed as ever.

     “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

     “You’re into that? Are you kidding me?” I sigh in defeat and rest my hands on my knees, bending over to think for a second. I don’t have a plan B. That was my plan B!

      “I don’t know, it just happened. Are you mad?”

       I see her boots in front of mine and I look up at her from my awkward position. She’s reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear when I stand up and begin pacing. I’ve screwed up. I’ve really screwed up. This is turning into a real shit show, you know? I tune into Maya still rambling on about what just happened. “Jesus, stop talking!” She does. I need to go home, take a long bath, and think of another way to off her because, at this point, it’s personal. I have a reputation to uphold. “Meet me at the corner of Clairemont and 120th.”

     I begin walking away from her as fast as possible without running.

     “When?”

     “Tomorrow. Six o’clock.”

      I don’t even hear her response, because I’ve already disappeared into the night like the good serial killer I am.

     Holy hell, tonight was awful. We’re to never speak of this again, got it?

     Good.