Taking the elevator, they made it to the third floor and Matt found the room he’d booked. Using the card key, he unlocked the door and stepped inside, holding Alex’s hand. Justin and Becky followed.
The room was nice, with two queen-size beds with red and white duvets against the left wall and a 37-inch wall-mounted flat screen TV opposite the beds. Matt and Alex took the bed farthest from the door and he eased her down onto it. As soon as she lay down, she bolted upright and ran into the bathroom to vomit.
Justin let Becky find her own way to their bed and said, “Damn man, this is a nice room! How much did you pay for it?”
“Enough,” Matt replied, throwing the car keys to Justin. “I rented it for three days, which should give us plenty of time to play and get out of town. Go down to the car and get our shit so we can get started.”
Justin walked out of the room without another word and came back a few minutes later, carrying his backpack and Matt’s large black athletic bag. When he entered the room, Becky was passed out on the bed and Matt was helping Alex get under the covers. Both girls were fully clothed but wouldn’t remain so for much longer.
***
Matt opened his bag, pulled out a roll of black duct tape and tore a piece off that was large enough to cover Alex’s mouth. He turned to see what Justin was doing and found the other man staring at him. He looked at Becky. “What? You don’t know how long she’ll be out so you should probably hurry up.”
Justin smiled. “Duct tape? Isn’t that a little cliché for a serial killer?”
“Shut the fuck up. I don’t see you doing anything but smiling like a retard.”
Justin held up his hands. “Okay, man. No need to throw insults around.” Still smiling, he opened up his backpack and took out twelve feet of thin, yellow nylon rope and began tying up his victim. He wound it around her ankles and tied them to her wrists. He ran the rest of the rope up the length of her body, opened her mouth with one hand, and ran the rope through her mouth, between her top and bottom teeth. He was done by the time Matt finished using the duct tape on Alex’s hands and feet. Both men stood back admiring their handiwork.
Matt wondered what Justin could possibly have in his backpack that would enable him to torture and mutilate his victims, but before he could ask, Justin spoke.
“You’re first. It’s 1:20 am and the timer starts now. Do whatever you want to her, but keep her alive for as long as possible.”
Matt turned and looked at Alex and realized he’d forgotten to check her eye color. He reached over and peeled back her right eyelid, but her eyes were rolled up in her head so he couldn’t tell. He wanted to wake her up, so he dug around in his bag until he found what he was looking for. He held up a large vegetable peeler and showed it to Justin. “This is how you sober somebody up.”
Matt sat next to Alex and picked up her arms, which were still bound at the wrists. He took hold of her index finger with his left hand and, using the vegetable peeler, dragged it down the length of her finger. Unlike peeling a carrot or potato, the skin didn’t come off in one long sheet, but rather in small pieces. Blood immediately poured from the wound and despite how much it hurt, Alex didn’t awaken. She moaned and tried turning over, but Matt held her in place and continued removing the skin on her finger as Justin watched. By the time he had removed all the flesh, Alex was awake, struggling to scream through the duct tape on her mouth.
Matt stood and stared down at her.
“Good morning!” he said with a smile. “I’m glad I finally have your attention. If you stop screaming, I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
Alex’s muffled screams died down to pathetic whimpers as Justin came over to have a look at the skinned finger. “Ouch,” he said with a grin.
Matt ignored him and spoke to Alex. “As you know, this is Justin. Justin and I have a little bet going that you girls are going to help us with. I don’t know how much time you spend watching the news, but given that you got in a car with a stranger, I’d guess not much. Justin kills people and is the guy who puts his victims’ hearts on a plate. Heard of him?”
Alex couldn’t say anything but her eyes widened in recognition.
Matt gave her a moment then spoke again.
“And I, well, the press know me as the guy who removes the eyeballs of his victims.”
At that, Alex started screaming and struggling to break free.
Matt interrupted her but had to raise his voice to be heard. “You’re getting all worked up and I haven’t even told you about the bet. See, Justin came up with the idea that whichever one of us can keep his victim alive the longest during several uncomfortable procedures gets to kill the other one. Seeing as how I’m the best at what I do, I couldn’t help but take him up on his challenge and kill him, but not before teaching him a few things.”
Tears flowed out the corners of Alex’s eyes and she stared at Matt and Justin pleadingly.
Matt didn’t seem to notice as he sat back down on the bed and picked up her hands once again. She tried to sit up which only pissed him off, so he elbowed her in the face, breaking her nose. “Better turn your head to the side, princess. Wouldn’t want you choking on all that blood.”
As she dealt with her broken nose, Matt began removing the skin from her index finger on the other hand. Alex screamed and struggled anew, but Matt held her down until the finger was completely skinned. He rubbed the gore on the bed and turned around to face her.
Without saying a word, he ran the vegetable peeler down her broken nose, smiling as he held her head in place. After removing most of the skin, he threw the peeler to the floor and stood up. “This is boring. Time for something new.”
He reached into his bag, pulled out a thick pair of gloves and put them on. Then he pulled out a thick tree branch. On more careful inspection, Justin noticed it had thorns around the outside. He wasn’t sure what Matt intended to do with it, but he had a pretty good idea. Matt also removed a box cutter from his bag.
He moved to the foot of the bed and laid the stick down next to Alex, who looked at it in horror. Using the tool, he made quick work of removing her pants and underwear and stood, staring at her exposed flesh. “I’ve always been a leg man, and those are some damn nice legs.” The sight of Alex lying there half-naked started making Matt horny, but he suppressed his urges and picked up the stick.
He smiled and turned to show it to Justin. “Do you know what this is called?”
Justin shook his head.
“This is called a devil’s walking stick. I’ve had it for a long time but never had the chance to use it. I’m thinking this could be fun.”
Justin looked at it and smiled. It was about two feet long and two inches around, but what impressed Justin the most were the two-inch-long thorns encompassing the length of it. This was going to be nasty. He sat down at the foot of the bed and looked at Becky. He wasn’t sure how, but she was still passed out, even with all the noise going on.
Matt stepped back to the foot of the bed, kneeling down and gazing at Alex’s vagina. “It’d be a shame to mess up that pretty cunt of yours, but I think the blood will be worth it.”
Alex tried closing her legs, but Matt held them open and put the end of the stick against her opening. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but this might hurt a little.”
He slowly pushed the stick into her vagina as she writhed and tried to scream on the bed. During those seconds where she was quiet, Matt could hear her flesh rip under the strain of the thorns. He pushed the stick in and pulled it back out, repeatedly fucking her with the thorny branch as she lay thrashing and screaming on the bed. The amount of blood coming out of her surprised Matt and Justin, but it didn’t deter Matt from continuing to rape her. Alex eventually passed out and Matt threw the stick and his gloves to the floor.
Justin laughed and spoke. “Shit, man, that was fucking brutal. She’s lost a lot of blood. Better make sure she’s still alive.”
Matt made his way to the head of the bed and felt Alex’s neck for a
pulse. “She’s alive.” He removed the tape from her mouth, making it easier for her to breathe. “What time is it?”
Justin checked his watch. “2:42. Surely you can make her last longer than that.”
“I’m nowhere near finished yet, man. Watch and learn.”
Still standing next to Alex’s head, Matt slapped her face until she woke up. “You miss all the fun when you fall asleep.”
Alex immediately realized the tape was off her mouth and began to cry. “You killed it,” she whispered.
“What’s that? I didn’t hear you. Not that I gave you permission to speak, but I’ll let you repeat yourself this one time.”
Alex spoke up as much as she could. She was losing a lot of blood and her strength was fading. “You killed it.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I haven’t killed anything. Yet.”
Alex sobbed. “My baby. You killed it.”
Matt looked surprised. “You’re pregnant and you wanted to go out drinking with a stranger? What kind of fucked up woman are you?”
“I didn’t think I wanted it.” Alex was crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.
Matt looked at Justin. “Does that happen? Can you kill a baby through the pussy?”
Justin shrugged. “Fuck if I know.”
Matt smiled. “Let’s find out.”
As Matt began rooting around in his bag, Justin looked at Becky. She was awake, staring back at him. He looked back to Matt. “Better hurry, man, mine’s awake.” Since Matt wasn’t paying him any attention, he looked at Becky and winked.
***
Matt picked up the box cutter from the floor, opened it, and quickly cut away Alex’s work shirt, exposing her pink bra and bare stomach. He found himself becoming aroused again as he used the knife to cut the front of her bra, exposing her small, firm breasts, but he pushed the sensation down and asked Alex a question. “How pregnant are you?”
Alex looked away and didn’t answer.
Matt grabbed her chin, twisting her head toward him. “I asked you a question. How fucking pregnant are you?”
Alex started to cry as she said, “Ten weeks.”
“So two-and-a-half months. Why can’t you just say that?” Matt released Alex’s chin, took the roll of duct tape, tore off a four-inch piece, and placed it across her mouth. Then he knelt down next to the bed while she continued to cry.
“The question we want answered is this: Can you kill a baby by sticking something inside a woman’s pussy?” Matt put his hand on Alex’s stomach and pressed down, then he looked at Justin, who was rooting around in his backpack.
“I can’t feel anything in here. Maybe she’s lying, but I know one way to find out.” He looked back to Alex and said, “Sorry, sweetheart. This may sting a little.”
Using the box cutter, Matt made a deep cut into Alex’s abdomen. Alex immediately passed out and blood began pooling at the incision site. Becky turned her head away and even Justin had a hard time watching. Matt pulled the box cutter out of Alex’s stomach and made another pass, cutting away layers of skin and fat before stopping and staring at what he’d found.
Encased in a layer of fluid lay a baby. It was the size of a kumquat and Matt could see blood vessels through its skin.
“Fucking hell. She is pregnant.”
Justin got up to have a closer look. “Shit.” He felt for a pulse on Alex’s neck and checked his watch as Matt carefully cut the sac holding the baby from her stomach. “The time is 3:32 am and your victim is dead.”
“Well that didn’t last as long as I wanted, but this is fucking cool. Look at this!”
Justin looked at the bag containing the fetus and felt sick. He’d never seen anything like it, and the baby resembled some kind of alien. “That’s disgusting, man. Hurry up and finish what you’re doing. It’s my turn.”
“Just wait a fucking minute. I wanna see this up close.”
Matt took the sac out of Alex and watched the baby writhe around. Enthralled by the sight of it, he never noticed Justin untying Becky, or the winks the two exchanged, nor did he notice the hammer in Justin’s hand. Matt cut open the sac surrounding the fetus, cursing as the amniotic fluid spilled everywhere. The fetus wriggled around for a few seconds, then lay still.
Matt dropped it back onto Alex’s stomach and turned around to see Becky standing by the door and Justin coming at him with the hammer raised.
***
As Justin brought the hammer down, Matt raised his arm, shielding his face from the blow. The force of the strike cracked Matt’s left arm and he hissed in pain, dropping the box cutter. Breathless, he smiled and asked Justin, “This is how you wanna play?”
Justin raised the hammer. “I told you I was gonna kill you.”
“You can try.” Matt raised the box cutter and, as Justin brought his arm down again, he lashed out, making a deep cut in Justin’s shoulder. It didn’t seem to faze him and he went after Matt again, aiming for his head. Matt ducked in time and the hammer hit empty air. When Matt stood up, he punched Justin in his stomach as hard as he could. Justin stumbled backwards, the air escaping his lungs in a huge whoosh. As Justin recovered, Matt thrust the box cutter at Justin’s face. The big man was struggling to catch his breath and failed to move out of the way in time to avoid a huge gash across his right cheek. Justin’s blood ran down his face as Matt quickly moved to the side and kicked him in the ribs. Justin lay gasping on his side and Matt stomped on his right wrist, causing it to break with a sickening crunch.
Both men were now down to one usable arm and Justin was bleeding heavily from the cut on his face. Matt stopped to catch his breath while Justin struggled to get to his feet.
Matt started laughing. “Here we are, two notorious serial killers in a battle of evil versus evil. I thought it happened by chance, the two of us running into each other, but you’ve had this planned all along, haven’t you? Lure me somewhere and try to kill me? Clever, but it’s a shame I’m better at what I do. You’re gonna die and I’ll add your eyeballs to my collection. I have to give you credit for trying, though. That took a lot of balls.”
Justin was still catching his breath. “I’ve been following your movements for a while now, hoping to catch up with you and prove I’m a better killer than you are. Becky, my wife, keeps track of you when I’m out on the road and I promised her that when I found you, I’d let her come along. When she discovered you were running along Route 66, we decided to head out here and put an end to you.”
By the time Justin got to his feet, Matt was coming after him again with the box cutter, but fatigue made him clumsy. This time, Justin moved out of the way and grabbed the hammer he had dropped on the floor. In one swift movement, he brought the hammer down on the back of Matt’s head. The hammer went right through the bottom of Matt’s skull. Justin stepped on Matt’s back and pried it loose, hitting him over and over, laughing at the sound of Matt’s skull cracking. By the time he finished, Matt’s head was nothing more than a jumbled mash of brains, blood and bone.
Justin threw down the tool and dug through Matt’s pockets, taking his money and his car keys, then looked over at Becky, who was standing in the corner by the door.
“Almost ready, babe.”
He walked over to the bed and picked up his backpack. Knowing Matt had rented the room for three days meant they would be long gone before anyone discovered the bodies, and he had no worries about the police finding his DNA all over the crime scene. He had plenty of money and could exchange cars when they got out of New Mexico, having plans to head east, maybe toward Virginia or possibly even Florida.
Justin took his backpack into the bathroom and closed the door. He took a quick shower and changed out of his bloody clothes. Wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and black sneakers, he strode out of the bathroom and grabbed Becky around the waist. The two kissed passionately before walking out the hotel room, but before the door closed, Justin took the “Do Not Disturb” sign off the back of it and hung it on the front.
/> Justin and Becky walked out of the hotel arm in arm, got into Matt’s car, and drove off into the sunset, free to kill another day.
Rose Above by Stuart Keane
You remove the eight-inch blade from the corpse with minimal effort. You’re meticulous, careful. You’ve done this on several occasions following precise protocol, a process of rules and regulations that protects you from the law. They’ll never find you because they can’t. No DNA, no evidence, and no clues.
The perfect crime.
Seven perfect crimes, in fact.
You place the dripping knife on the floor at the side of the body, gloved fingers positioning it parallel to the still-twitching arm. You push the legs of the body apart with the tip of your plastic-coated boot, and the tightly bound baggy that tickles your ankle rustles as you position your latest victim in the required pose. You look around and check the essential points: A, B, C, D, E. All done. You nod with satisfaction. Following the MO.
No one will catch you. It’s impossible.
However, times have changed. Impossible is more than possible now. The laws of the new world, a world ushered in by the unthinkable, permit it.
But you still have the burning urge to quench that thirst.
The thirst for bloodshed.
New world or not, you still need to feed.
And feed you shall.
***
Rosemary Ost set a square of dark chocolate onto her tongue gently. Folding the wrapper back, creased red paper bound around crinkled golden foil, she stored the half-eaten chocolate bar in her pack. Three seconds later, she withdrew the confectionary into her mouth. Her diamond tongue stud twinkled in the daylight and clinked as it tapped against her teeth. The molten delicacy slid to the bottom of her mouth, and she smiled, curling a stray strand of ebony-coloured hair behind her ear.
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