Obsession Of A Psychopath ☠︎︎

Chapter 16 : Xantris

Liam Robinson’s mind raced, each creak and whisper in the office causing him to jump, convinced that Hunter would materialize out of nowhere. He was acutely aware of his impending fate; Hunter had left him a clear message, and deep down, he knew he was next.

Anxiety clawed at him as the weight of his sins bore down, leaving him trembling in his chair. He glanced around the spacious office, but the air felt suffocating, as if the walls were closing in. Memories of the past flooded his mind—each one a reminder of the choices he had made.

Then came a knock at the door. Liam flinched, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Before he could respond, the doorknob twisted, and the door creaked open.

Hunter stepped inside, and Liam’s heart nearly stopped. The boy he once knew had transformed into a man, his eyes hollow and devoid of life.

“Good evening, Doctor. Have time for one more patient?” Hunter asked, his tone casual, but there was a chilling edge to it.

Liam forced himself to speak, surprised at how steady his voice sounded despite the turmoil within. “I thought when you were all grown up you’d look more like your father, but you resemble your mother, it seems.”

Hunter paused, his gaze boring into Liam. “Did you come to kill me? You’re the one who killed Matthew and the others, right?”

Taking a seat on the sofa meant for clients, Hunter remained silent, his presence heavy in the air. Liam’s heart raced as he struggled to maintain composure.

“Listen, Hunter,” he said, his voice desperate. “This is wrong. You don’t want to head down this path. Just turn back before it’s too late.”

Hunter leaned closer, a predatory glint in his eyes. “oh and when will it be too late?”

Fear gripped Liam’s heart as he met Hunter’s gaze. “When you abandon your humanity. This isn’t the life she would have wanted for you,” he replied, his tone laced with genuine concern.

“I find your choice of wording interesting,” Hunter mused, his voice tinged with bitterness. “You’re saying it like I just woke up and decided to turn out like this.”

A heavy silence fell between them, the tension palpable. “Doctor, it’s already too late. I’m not going to stop. Not until each one of you is dead—each and every last one of you who laid a hand on her, all those who watched and did nothing as she was tortured, as she died.”

Liam’s eyes widened in shock, the realization of Hunter’s intentions crashing over him like a wave. The room felt heavier with their shared history, and Liam’s heart sank deeper with each word.

“What happened back then, I can never apologize enough,” he began, his voice trembling with remorse. “I don’t care if you take my life, but I don’t want you to ruin your life because of revenge. I didn’t know what Justin was planning that day, I swear. None of us did. He threatened us, had dirt on all of us. If we didn’t comply, he would have destroyed our lives. But not a day goes by that I don’t regret what happened. That look on your face that day haunts me every night . You were just a child. You shouldn’t have seen.”

Hunter listened intently, the weight of Liam’s words pressing down on him.

“What do you think, that killing everyone will ease the pain? That she will come back to life?” Liam reasoned, his voice softening with compassion. “Revenge is a double-edged sword. The more you wield it against your enemies, the more you get hurt as well. You should just turn your life around. I know as a child you wanted so desperately not to end up like Justin. It’s not too late.”

A scoff escaped Hunter’s lips, a bitter smile forming. “You’re a psychologist through and through, but you shouldn’t worry. I chose this path knowing I won’t make it out alive, but I don’t want to go alone. I want to drag all of you to death with me….. you were the one who frequently visited me in the asylum to have sessions with me. You planted all kinds of ideas in my head, so don’t start acting like you grew a heart.”

Liam’s expression softened, desperation creeping into his voice. “What do you think your mother would say if she saw you like this? She was a kind woman who wanted nothing but for you to grow up to be a different man from your father.”

“Do you think I’m becoming like my father? Do you think he would be proud of me?” Hunter mocked, his voice cold.

Mr. Liam opened his mouth to respond, but Hunter interrupted, “Doctor, since I have you here, mind if we have a therapy session? I won’t get a chance like this again.” A dark smile played on his lips as he reached for a cigarette, the smoke curling around him as he took a drag.

“Doctor, I met a woman…” he began, shifting the subject.

Liam’s gaze remained fixed on him, concern and curiosity mingling in his expression. “How do you define a crush combined with longing, Doctor?” Hunter asked, his voice somber.

“I think about her all the time,” he confessed, his voice filled with longing. “When I eat, when I’m sleeping, when I’m exercising—thoughts of her just flood my mind. At first, I thought it might be a primal instinct, a natural desire to find a mate and bear offspring. But it’s more than that. Creating children is the last thing on my mind when I see her.”

He brought the cigarette to his lips again, taking a deep drag and letting the smoke fill the air between them.

“I get a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest,” he continued. “My heart beats faster, to the point where it feels like it might burst out of my chest. I find it hard to breathe, as if the air around me becomes thin and elusive. It’s a different sensation from when I’m having a panic attack…”

He paused, taking another drag from the cigarette, allowing the smoke to momentarily envelop him before dissipating into the air.

“Every interaction is filled with a giddy anticipation, and I become acutely self-conscious, wanting to present the best version of myself. I look forward to seeing her every single day.”

“I constantly want to know what she’s thinking, what makes her tick. I want to make her happy, to be the one who brings a smile to her face. When she’s sad or angry, I find myself elated when she seeks me out to vent her frustrations or cry on my shoulder.”

The cigarette burned slowly between his fingers as he continued, the smoke curling upwards, carrying his words into the air.

“And when she hugged me,” he breathed, the memory stirring something deep within him. “I felt this uncontrollable urge to hold her tight, to shield her from the world and protect her against everything and everyone.”

“When she smiles at me, when she touches me, my knees get all wobbly,” he admitted. “It’s like I can’t stand properly, as if my legs have turned into jelly. And it’s not just my physical sensations that are affected. My senses become heightened, as if a veil has been lifted, allowing me to experience the world with a newfound intensity.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. The smoke from the cigarette danced lazily in the air, creating a hazy backdrop to their conversation.

“I get a heightened sense of excitement and euphoria,” he continued. “Every interaction, every word exchanged, feels like a surge of electricity coursing through my veins. I thought that being around her, making her fall for me, would calm this raging, intense feeling. But it’s getting worse. She’s like a drug, and the more I get a taste of her, the more I want to completely monopolize her...”

“Tell me, Doctor,” he asked, his voice challenging. “Is this what you people call happiness? This intense, all-consuming longing and desire? Because if it is, then I’m not sure I want to be free from it. It’s addictive, exhilarating, and makes me feel alive in a way I’ve never felt before.”

He leaned back, exhaling another plume of smoke.

As silence stretched on, Liam finally broke it with a statement that carried a glimmer of hope. “That’s good,” he said, his voice measured. “If you still have the capacity to feel other emotions, you are not too far gone.”

Hunter didn’t respond. Instead, he continued to smoke, a mix of amusement playing on his face as he fixed his gaze on Liam. The smoke rose lazily from the cigarette, creating a veil between them.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Liam began again. “From the way you described your feelings, I can tell you would do anything for—”

Hunter burst into laughter, the sound reverberating through the room. Liam’s confusion deepened as he stared, searching for understanding.

“Nothing you say will change anything. You say it’s not too late for me—it’s already too late. It has been since the very first time you made me take someone’s life. Remember our extensive sessions? ‘It’s okay to get rid of them. You shouldn’t think of it on a deeper level. It’s like killing a cockroach or a mouse that entered your house. Not everyone deserves to live.’ Those were your words to a twelve-year-old boy.”

“Pain is but an inevitable emotion all humans have to go through. Pipe down and take it like a man—another one of your life advices,” Hunter added, his tone laced with mockery.

“It’s funny,” he continued, voice dripping with disdain. “You expect me to feel some sort of emotion after all you’ve done to me. What exactly am I supposed to feel, Doctor?”

The confession hung heavily in the air, the atmosphere charged with chilling intensity. The room felt smaller, suffused with an eerie stillness as the weight of his words settled upon them.

“I never wanted my life to end up like this,” Hunter whispered. “I especially don’t want Amanda to ever see this side of me.”

“ That’s why I’m trying to atone for the crimes I committed against you. I can’t change the past, but I can at least make sure you don’t cause more damage,” Liam said.

Then, without warning, there was a knock on the door, and in walked a group of police officers.

“Freeze! Put your hands up!” one barked.

Liam’s heart raced, panic flooding his system. “I’m sorry, Hunter, but this is the only way I could stop you,” he stammered, eyes wide with disbelief.

Hunter remained unmoved. He had noticed how Liam had remained seated during their conversation— of course he knew, Liam had been trying to call someone, Hunter already knew Liam had visited the police station days before.

“You really are so stupid. It’s almost annoying,” Hunter thought aloud, running a hand through his hair.

Liam’s confusion deepened as one of the officers approached him, holding up a document. “Liam Robinson, you’re under arrest for the murder of Matthew Brown. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney; if you can’t provide one, the state will provide one for you…”

“No! This is a mistake! What’s going on? I didn’t kill Matthew!” Liam screamed, his voice cracking with desperation.

“That man over there did it! Hunter, what have you done?” he shouted, fear and disbelief mixing in his tone.

Hunter simply stood by, watching the chaos unfold with a chilling calmness. ‘Not yet. I don’t want to kill you just yet, Doctor. I’ll make you suffer a bit more first.