PSYCHOPATH

chapter 6: the confrontation

Chapter 6: The Confrontation

~"I was the devil and you my angel. I saw your weakness but you saw my potential."~"

The thing standing in front of her was something out of the darkest parts of her mind. Not that it was ugly or truly a monster, but it was an image of terror. Horror personified. Her throat closed and for a few beats, Ella thought she was dying; she couldn't breathe. Ella's fingers clutched at her flesh, above her thrashing heart.

His outfit refused to show one ounce of skin. Scanning him quickly with her wide, fevered eyes, he was dressed in a black trench coat and boots. It was a disguise, so eccentric and gruesome that looking at it caused a dizzying sensation. The trench coat looked like it was for rainwear, with a hoodie and its long length that reached the knees. Ella probably would have found it dopey and awkward, but on this stranger, it was nothing less of a nightmare.

The worse part of the getup was the face. There was no face. It was simply a black hole. A black mask was probably covering the man's face, but it had no eyes or mouth or nose and because of the darkness outside, the hood over his head made his appearance look like a great endless abyss that was going to suck her away. A black hole.

A year ago, she would have laughed and maybe cursed out the stranger, thinking it was a sick prank. But, now...Ella knew this was no stranger. She had even invited him there. To talk.

A prisoner, a victim; she was officially dragged into a whirlpool of anguish and constant fear. And she had asked for it.

He stood in the frame of the doorway. Then walking in, he closed in on her. The black boots scuffed across the floor with each step. Her feet brought her instinctively back as he came into her house, without another word.

She had no choice but to let him in either. In his gloved hands was a gun. Her gun. Her trusty Llama III-A handgun. The one always in the safety of her purse. He had somehow taken it from her without her knowledge. Now she really was screwed.

"How did you get that?" was the first thing out of her mouth. It was stupid and dumb, but she wasn't thinking clearly. Her aching heart was pumping too much blood, but not enough to her brain.

The thing ignored her question. He knew her name.

"Good evening Ella."

Ella jumped, his voice was deep. Almost too deep to be intelligible: a series of grated, rumbling notes. No, it wasn't his real voice. She recognized the sinister, almost mechanical voice from behind the mask, as a voice modifier. Of course, he wanted to disguise every part of him so she couldn't sniff him out.

"Don't worry I'll be gone before William arrives." The motorized voice reassured her. Ella stiffened; he knew about their plans. He has been watching her for a while then. He knows everything about her.

The creature was large. Someone tall, whose shadow completely blotted out what little details played across her blurry vision. His footsteps were steady. Heavy. Each one resonated over the hardwood she was trying not to collapse on.

Ella's thoughts flew from one extreme to the other. Was he here to kill her? Leave her body hanging to a wall with crude words written with her blood? Was he here to kidnap her? Was there a chance for her to get help? Could she fight back? Maybe she could smack the gun from his hand and shoot and kill him in one quick movement. Something told her though that beneath the black mask, he was watching her very closely. Too closely for her to be able to retaliate.

What happened to the security James Grey ordered around her? What bullshit that was.

Ella could not fight him. She had no gun. There was nothing around her to smack him with. Even if she did, she knew he was much stronger than her. Ella could not run. She wouldn't make it past her hallway before he shot her legs and crippled her or went straight for the head and ended her. This was an experienced killer. He has dealt with resistance in his victims. He has chased and hunted before. This wasn't his first or his last. There were no options left.