Jennifer Lynne is a homicide detective working on one of the most horrific serial killing cases New York has seen in the last decade. When she and her partner get a lead on the suspect, they catch him with his seventh victim. But things go south and...
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Leaving the prison should have shut out the claustrophobia. It should be left behind with the barred windows and locked doors. But even when I exit the outer gate and it buzzes closed, the ringing in my ears intensifies. It rattles in my head, creating a symphony of terrible pitch and painful echoes.
I hunch over, clutching my head. My body shakes as I try to breathe as the pain crawls up my temples and moves behind my eyes.
"Stop," I plead. "Please, just stop!"
The buzzing escalates, and I swear my head is going to explode or fly off my shoulders. I can't take it anymore! I let out a primal scream as I drop to my knees. "Stop it!" I cry out. "I'll do what you want, just stop! It hurts!"
It begins to quiet, slowly fading. The remainder of the buzzing hums in my ears as I try to catch my breath. I lift my teary eyes and I see several people standing in the parking lot, staring.
"What the fuck are you looking at!?" I stand and their eyes widen. They hurry off to the front gate of the prison.
As I make my way to my car, I feel a pinch in my stomach. I pause, my heart racing.
Who was I pleading to? The demon? No. I shake my head, laughing to myself. That's ridiculous.
The pinch turns into a twist, and I gasp aloud, dropping my keys. Fuck. I lean down to pick them up and as I bend my torso, it feels like my organs are being pulled and yanked. I cry out, almost falling onto the pavement again.
Doubled over, I retch. The vile scent infiltrates my nostrils. It spews out of me, splattering onto the warm concrete and onto the wheels of my car.
Blinking the tears away, I grip the door handle of my car to steady myself. My chest rises. I can't overlook this anymore, can I? I wipe at the corner of my mouth.
If I really was talking to the demon, then what the hell did I just promise it?
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Whenever I would start to drown in my personal life, I would throw myself in a case. It's the only place where I can refocus and calm the waters. I can't go back to the DLK case. It's closed. The killer is caught. I need something new. Something relevant.
