the nightmares came back

they woke him up in the darkness

the sweat soaking the sheets

he was drowning

he couldn't think about the things he'd seen

things he'd done

was it wrong to live for those little moments when he felt alive?

he thinks about the writer

will she see the new deaths on TV?

will she cry?

women always seem to cry when it's a child that he takes

even if it's not their own

he goes to the bathroom and splashes water on his face

the moon is a bloody shadow on the floor

it illuminates the trash bags in the corner

the phone on the counter

20 missed calls: mom

if he talked to her would she hear the death still thick in his voice?

it has to be someone else

that girl

does he remember her number?

would she answer the phone?