Haunted Adeline

he screams of pain bouncing around the cement walls are getting

a few times. I don't know anything about some fuckin' ritual."

of his neck. Guess it's not actually blonde anymore since most of it's

in specific locations that won't allow the fucker to bleed out too

his lashes.

fucking day.

stray puppy dog.

He sniffles, snot leaking down his chapped lips.

"Cool, thanks man," I say casually, as if I haven't been torturing

He dies instantly. Not even all the hope has vanished from his

against his still-closed eyelid.

"Mexican, bald, has a scar cutting across his hairline, and a beard.

"Please, man," he blubbers. "Can you help me out here?"

I roll my neck, groaning as the muscles pop. It's been a long

charge of sending out mulesto help capture the girls. He-he's a big

He cringes away from the knife, tears bubbling out from beneath

I nod slowly. "Yeah. I think I can do that," I say, right beforeI swing

Dickhead won't be getting up and walking out of here, that's for

"Fernando what?" I snap.

"Sure," I chirp. "If you can get up and walk."

my arm back and plunge the entirety of my knife through his pupil.

he stands, his body will go pitching forward.

damn sure.

"Then what does he look like?" I grind out impatiently through

"H-his name is Fernando. He's one of the operation leaders in

him slowly for the past three hours.

deal in the warehouse, b-basically runs the whole thing there."

I almost laugh.

He sobs. "I don't know, man,"he wails. "He just introducedhimself

He looks down at his severed heels, knowing just as well as I do if

as Fernando."

gritted teeth.

"Y-you're lettingme go?" he asks, staring up at me like a goddamn

His breathing calms, and he looks up at me through ugly brown

quickly, and too many broken bones to count.

"Less crying, more talking," I bark, scraping the tip of the knife

eyes, hope radiating from them in spades.

You can't miss the scar, it's pretty fucked looking."

eyes yet. Or rather, his one eye.

"Fuck, man," he cries. "I told you that I just went to the warehouse

through to your brain."

"So, you're useless is what you're saying," I surmise, inching the

blade towards his eye.

And normally, I have the patience of a saint.

centimeter is going to prevent the knife from going through his eye.

He squeezes them shut as if skin that's no thickerthan a

Sometimes it sucks being thehacker andthe enforcer. I really

painted red now.

Sweat drips down his nose, mixing with the blood on his face. His

patience for this whiny asshole.

crying to give me a coherent response, I get a little testy.

Fucking laughable.

overgrown greasy blonde hair is matted to his forehead and the back

fucking enjoy hurting people, but tonight, I have no goddamn

I had already cut off one of his ears, along with ripping off ten of

I know how to wait for what I want most. But when I'm trying to get

some real answers and the dude's too busy shitting his pants and

"No, no, no," he pleads. "I know someone there that might be able

a tad annoying.

"This knife is about to go halfway through your eyeball," I warn.

to give you more information."

"I'm not even going to show you any mercy and shove it all the way

his fingernails, severed both Achilles heels, a couple of stab woundsin specific locations that won't allow the fucker to bleed out too

his lashes.

fucking day.

stray puppy dog.

He sniffles, snot leaking down his chapped lips.

"Cool, thanks man," I say casually, as if I haven't been torturing

He dies instantly. Not even all the hope has vanished from his

against his still-closed eyelid.

"Mexican, bald, has a scar cutting across his hairline, and a beard.

"Please, man," he blubbers. "Can you help me out here?"

I roll my neck, groaning as the muscles pop. It's been a long

charge of sending out mulesto help capture the girls. He-he's a big

He cringes away from the knife, tears bubbling out from beneath

I nod slowly. "Yeah. I think I can do that," I say, right beforeI swing

Dickhead won't be getting up and walking out of here, that's for

"Fernando what?" I snap.

"Sure," I chirp. "If you can get up and walk."

my arm back and plunge the entirety of my knife through his pupil.

he stands, his body will go pitching forward.

damn sure.

"Then what does he look like?" I grind out impatiently through

"H-his name is Fernando. He's one of the operation leaders in

him slowly for the past three hours.

deal in the warehouse, b-basically runs the whole thing there."

I almost laugh.

He sobs. "I don't know, man,"he wails. "He just introducedhimself

He looks down at his severed heels, knowing just as well as I do if

as Fernando."

gritted teeth.

"Y-you're lettingme go?" he asks, staring up at me like a goddamn

His breathing calms, and he looks up at me through ugly brown

quickly, and too many broken bones to count.

"Less crying, more talking," I bark, scraping the tip of the knife

eyes, hope radiating from them in spades.

You can't miss the scar, it's pretty fucked looking."

eyes yet. Or rather, his one eye."You're a child rapist," I say aloud, though he's no longercapable

a drive from my house. Parking is a bitch in Seattle, so I'mforced to

annoying cause I'm hungry. While I do enjoy myself a good torture

ass burger.

enduring extreme pain and foreign objects being plunged into them

rdAvenue, and not too far of

our heads and shoulders like icepicks—typical Seattle weather.

and disposing of them properly. I don't trust other people to do it for

murder, dispose of the body yourself.

accompany it.

me, so I'm stuck with the tedious, messy job.

Well, inthis case—if you don't want to get caught and charged for

Ahead of me, there's a bookstore lit up, the warm glow shining

shops and an array of storeswith people bustling in and out like a

I sigh. What is that saying? If you want it done right, do it yourself?

of hearing me. "Like I'd let you live," I finish on a laugh.

ruin any dinner plans I had in the next several hours. Which is

bunch of worker ants.

A storm is rolling in, and soonsheets of rain will be descending on

I whistle an unnamed tune as I walk down the street, passing

it is after dealing with humanbody parts, I'm in the mood for a mean

I slide my knife from the socket, the suction noise threatening to

And now for the worst part—dismembering it into bits and pieces

is not a soundtrack I'd ever fall asleep to.

onto thecold, wet pavement and inviting passersby into its warmth.

park a few blocks away and walk there.

session, I'm definitely not a dickhead that gets off on the sounds that

The gurgling, slurping, and other weird noises bodies make when

It feels like ten o'clock at night, but it's only five P.M. As fucked as

My favorite burger joint is right off of 3

As I near, I notice it's packed full of people.I spare it a single glance before moving on. I don't care about

weren't so distracted.

I note the name below the picture.

Adeline Reilly.

and gearing up to cuss me out, yet the second he gets one look at

Long, wavy cinnamon hair brushed over dainty shoulders. Creamy,

Her eyes are what draw me in. Sultry, slanted eyes—the type that

A beautiful name fit for a goddess.

fiction books—I only read the ones that are going to teach me

rack. Though she could easily make it on one of those covers

But somethingabout her captivates me. It feels like a hurricane is

She doesn't have that plasticbeauty you see lining the magazine

as her hair. A brown so light, it's unusual. One look from this girl and

sidewalk. Someone bumps into me from behind, their smaller stature

beaming back at me.

my scarred face—he takes off into a half-walk, half-run. I'd laugh if I

straight, white teeth.

As I'm turning my head to look at some other shit, my eyes get

caught up on a board right outside the bookstore, a smiling face

sporadic without overwhelming her innocent face.

something. Particularly about computer science and hacking.

I turn toglare at the enraged guy behind me, their mouthopening

Before me is a picture of an author that's hosting a book signing.

Her lipsare pouty and pink, stretched into a radiant smile with

By now, there's nothing those books can teach me anymore. I've

without photoshop and surgery, her features are natural.

any man would be on their knees.

I've seen a lot of beautiful women in my life. Fucked a lot, too.

always look seductive without trying. They're nearly the same color

mastered and then surpassed it.

She's fucking incredible.

ivory skin with freckles dotting her nose and cheeks. Light and

weird trance I fell into anyway.

barely knocking me forward, but it does manage to jolt me out of the

Without permission, my feet slow until they're glued to the cement

at my back, pushing me towards her and leaving no room forresistance. My feet are carrying me into the bookstore, my black

small checkoutdesk on the right side, and maybe thirty people. Now,

congesting the area. This small structure wasn't built to house more

of my eye at first, but the small glimpse is enough to send my heart

Taking a deep breath, I find a spot against the wall in theback. I

knees weakening and my pulse racing.

than theten large bookshelves lining the left side of the room, the

I open my mouth, ready to tell the fucker to stop looking for

treasure in his nostrils when it feels like heaven's gates open up.

The only lingering scent filling the air is one you attain from used

In that second, the people in front of us seem to part at the perfect

Oxygen, words, coherent thoughts—all that shit escapes me when

It's too hot in here. Too crowded.

touching all over the book he's holding. I glimpse Reillyon the cover.

it.

walked on the moon. Nor do I know if parallel universes exist. But

what I doknow isthat I just found the meaning of life sitting behind a

there's a large table in the middle of the room where the author sits,

movie—slow, but instead of an evil smile, I'm sure I looklike I just

And one asshole beside me keeps picking his nose, his dirty hand

found out that there's evidence the earth is actually flat or some shit.

books—though convoluted from the large group of people

don't want to get too close yet.

Poor girl. Forced to sign a book that probably has boogers all over

boots soaking the welcome mat at the entrance.

I get my first look at Adeline Reilly in the flesh.

table with an awkward smile on her face.

I don't know if God really exists. I don't know if mankind has ever

angle, providing me with a clear view. I only see her from the corner

My head turns like one of those creepy bitches in an exorcist

She's even more exquisite in person. The sight of herhas my

into a tailspin.

and at least double the occupancy limit packed in the stuffy store.

Shit.

Because that's also fucking laughable.

No.I want to watch her for a while.

arrange those pieces to fit against my own. I don't care ifthey don't

fit—I'll fucking make them.

"Before we start…"

her in front of at least fifty witnesses.

My mind has already been made up, the decision fortifying like

ground. Her eyes round in the corners ever-so-slightly, as if she's

little creature before me.

Something inexplicably dark arises in my chest. It's blackand evil

cross lines that I will never be able to come back from, but there's

I'm addicted.

mine. If it means forcing her to be mine.

porn videos. I suck in my bottom lip, biting back a groan.

But the look is gone in seconds, barely there before she slides her

for a brief moment, the latter looks like she's ready to bolt. She

onto mine, clashing with a force that nearly sends my knees to the

just as enraptured by me as I am by her.

A tall, willowy woman hands my new obsession a microphone, and

Because I'm obsessed.

And I will gladly cross every single line if it means making this girl

All I want to do is break her. Shatter her into pieces. And then

know I need to leave now before I do something stupid like kidnap

barrel through everybody if I were short.

good look at her. Thank god for my height because I'd probably

Fuck, her voice is pure smoke. The kind you really onlyhear in

I lean against the wall and watch her, absolutely enthralled with the

and cruel. Dangerous, even.

mask inplace.And then shesnatches the microphone and brings it

So I stay in the back, peeking through dozens of heads to get a

And then the reader before her is pulling her attention away, and I

stares at the mic as if the woman is handing over a severed head.

to her wobbly lips.

granite in my brain. At that moment, her wandering eyes slide right

And I know I'mabout to do something bad. I know that I'mgoing to

not an ounce of me that gives a fuck.

No matter. She won't be able to escape me now.I've just found myself a little mouse, and I won't stop until I've

trapped her.

What would you expect from the next chapter