#27

Zap.

"ARgggggh!", I screamed in pain as an electric shocker was thrust into my left side just below the rib cage and the lightning shock surged through my body – enough to hurt like hell, but not enough to make me pass out.

"So tell me. Why did you kill her?", the now-familiar voice of a man asked me as I still lay in the darkness.

"You are fucked up. I was already caught by the police. They were bringing me to the station. I was going to be tried and probably get executed. I don't know what fucking grudge you hold but there is no point you doing this to me now" – actually, what fucking happened? I remember sitting inside the police transport, and that's where my memory cuts off and skipped to the point where I woke up in this dreadful dark place.

Zap. Zap. Fack.

"I don't actually give a fuck what other girls you killed. It's despicable but that is to be handled by the law. I'm normally a man of laws, but this one you are right, I hold fucking grudge, like you would never know"

"oh I see.. you her father or something?"

"FUCK YOU!"

I get zapped repeatedly and I'm almost on the verge of blacking out, but he stopped after maybe just one last time before I would have lost consciousness.

"You killed my daughter. My one and only daughter"

"I guess I have to say I'm sorry. Actually, I really am sorry.." I was sincere this time.

"That won't bring her back. It never will. Nothing you can do or no amount of apologies you make will ever bring her back."

"What is the point of all this then?"

"I hate you, but I don't give a fuck about you. You are just a lump of meat, an insect to be squashed – but I want that bitch"

"that bitch?"

"Rika"

Why does he want Rika – does he know anything about how shits are related?

"Tell me, why do you want Rika?"

"Because she's the one who led you to kill my daughter, and I believe I can find a way to bring her back if I can catch her"

"You are bat shit crazy", okay, this guy really was bat shit crazy, but I knew he was onto something

"You say that now. But she will come. She will come to find you again. And I will catch her, and bring everything back to normal"

"Your daughter can never come back to life, and Rika will never come here, she won't even know where I am, fuck I don't even know where I am now"

"You think I'm doing this shit without a plan? She will find out, and she can't help but come here trying to get you out, it's just a matter of time"

"Whatever the fuck you say – and when would that be?"

"Next spring"

#28

I'm waiting in the park at night. It's the night of the crescent moon, as dark as the night gets. I see the girl walking across the grass field, make her way to the bushes on the other end. She's holding a little paper packet in her hand

"Come out kitties"

She beckons into the darkness as she whispers.

One fat cat comes out, looks around, and three more kittens come out as well a moment later.

"How are you feeling today? Your babies are looking healthy"

The cat meows and smells the food the girl has taken out from the bag and laid out on the grass. She takes one bite, and soon the kittens lunge forward to feast themselves on the food.

"Good girl. You need to eat well to be healthy again. I'm sorry I can't take you home. This is the best I can do", the girl says somewhat sorrowfully.

I feel bad. I found this girl maybe two weeks ago by chance. She was a nice girl, feeding the homeless cat and her kittens at night, every day, and it's the sad truth that her genuine niceness is the reason why she will get killed here tonight because I knew for a fact she will be here again tonight, alone, with nobody around nearby at all, she was just the perfect target to kill – for Rika.

I slowly started to creep up behind her, closing the distance quietly, trying to not make any sound. But the animals have much more keen senses than us humans. The cat is suddenly startled

"What's wrong kitty?", she obviously didn't hear me herself

Meow.

The cat looks like she senses a danger – would this be trouble for me?

Nevertheless, I can't let this chance pass. Soon the kittens will grow up and they may move on, I have to take this opportunity while she's here, so I take a few more steps to be closer.

The cat arcs her back up – I heard this is what cats do when they feel threatened and want to make themselves look bigger, but hey, I'm not here to do you any harm, and frankly, you should not risk the lives of your offsprings to protect a random girl, no matter how kind she has been to you.

As if the cat received my inner thoughts as a telepathic message, she scuttles away in hurry, grabbing one of the kittens by the scuffle of her neck. Other kittens are startled and they follow their mom into the bushes.

"Hey! What's wrong?", the girl asks in the direction where the cats have run off to, and by this time I'm standing right behind her.

I hesitate for a minute, not because I was uncertain about killing her all of sudden, but because I couldn't decide whether I should say I'm sorry before I stab her or after.

As I was thinking this, she must have felt a presence right behind her slouched back, and as soon as she saw me holding the knife she let out a squeal.

Fuck I wasn't quick enough. I should have slit her throat before she could scream as I did with the other guy. But luckily, I was quick enough to instinctively punch her hard in her stomach, she gasped and fell to the ground panting, unable to scream as she was catching breath.

This is it.

This time it is no accident, and I don't feel particularly good about killing a nice girl that is kind to homeless animals, but it had to be done. I quickly kneeled on her, my right knee pressed hard against her chest and the left palm covering her mouth. The faint light from the crescent moon reflected on her glasses, and our eyes met briefly. Why. Why always these eyes. I thought to myself as I plunged the knife into her throat.

#29

"'A girl is brutally murdered in a park while feeding cats'. Come on, isn't this a bit harsh?", Rika asked me, looking up from her phone as she was reading the news.

"Fuck me. I don't feel good about it either. But it was the best chance to do it and she was just unlucky to be such an easy target"

"Your self-justification disgusts me"

"You wanted me to do this. I did it only for you"

"Well, thanks I guess"

"So now what? What does this prove? I hope this helped you because I feel fucking horrible about this one, unlike the 'bitch' I killed before. So this better have been worth it"

"Unfortunately, nothing conclusive. I have a hunch I am correct, but this is not enough sample size to conclusively prove"

"FUCK. I had to.."

"Shhh, there are people around here"

I calm myself as I was reminded that we are sitting in a café, a public place

"It did help me somewhat. So thank you for that. But it's just not enough. I'm sorry"

"Oh man. What more do you want from me?"

"You need to kill another one"

"Jesus.."

"But let's make some rules because we might have to do this a few more times"

"I really don't want to do it again"

"Please. You owe me this much at least. It should be fine if we set some rules and principles"

"What would that be?"

"You target the bitches that actually deserve to be killed" – I almost said 'such as yourself' but held back. It was crazy how much love and hate I felt for this girl at the same time.

"Here. I printed this out. This shall be your next target"

Rika then laid down a small photo card on the table and pushed it towards me. I look down to check the photo.

"Right. This I can somewhat agree with. But you are truly evil"

Rika just grinned back – an evil grin.

#30

"Tobi Krux, you are under arrest for murder of.. thirteen girls and a man you fucking asshole!"

A police baton came crashing down on my head. There was genuine anger on the hand that gripped this blunt object of violence.

"I don't know what you are talking about"

"Tobi.. why… is this real... why did you…", my mom came into the room, half out of herself with disbelief, and not coming any closer to me than a few steps away – maybe even my own mom is disgusted with me now.

"You guys got nothing on me"

"You are busted. Give it up. We will bring you to justice, and you will be executed as you deserve"

"Like I give a fuck"

"Where is Rika?!"

"Who?"

Another brute hit of a baton landed on the back of my head

"Oh fuck come on. I'm sure you guys are not allowed to do this"

"Just answer the fucking question. Where is Rika?"

"I have no fucking clue. And she has nothing to do with anything"

Then the police officer that was pressing me down against the floor turned me over and looked me in the eyes, then spitting on my face.

"We know she's your partner in crime. We will catch her, just like we got you now"

I found this unwavering determination and self-belief hilarious, so I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it

"What the fuck are you laughing about!"

The cop gave a choking grip on my throat and yelled at my face.

"You guys have no fucking clue. You will never find her again – never"

"We will find her – whether you fuckhead cooperate or not"

"You can't. I bet you my life that you can't. At least until the next spring"

Maybe I said more than I should have, but it was hilarious and it wasn't like there was anything they could have done. The cops brute-forced me up with handcuffs on my wrists and my ankles chained, dragging me down the corridors and the stairs banging me around a good deal along the way – for fuck's sake guys, I live on the thirteenth floor.