by Amanda Byrd
“Oh, well, you see, I, uh . . . I like kids. I don’t have my own or anything and I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so I don’t have nephews or nieces. So I hang out at the playground. Parents give me dirty looks and think nasty, disgusting things about me.”
“How, exactly, do you like kids, William?”
“They’re more fun than adults. We play games, swing on the swings, make sandcastles . . .”
Okay, if this guy isn’t beating the shit out of them and killing them, he’s a damn pedophile. I’m trying to get it out of him, but not all the way. I don’t want to have to report him to the cops. I want to rip his heart out while he watches! Oh, the things Teddy’s gonna do to him . . . I can taste the fear, the cortisol . . . the adrenaline and heat! Let me poke a little more and see what comes out.
“Okay, so you enjoy playing with children, is that it?”
“Oh yeah.”
He said it in such a slimy way it made Miranda’s skin crawl as if there were spiders just under the surface. She thought she might lose it on him herself, and with a great amount of self-control, managed to not lunge straight at his heart, ripping it out right then and there. She had no desire to explain why her carpet was covered in blood. Not to the bubblehead at the desk and definitely not to the cops.
“Okay William, here’s the deal. I want you to come by my home office tonight for some more in-depth talking so we can really outline a plan to help you. Are you okay with that?”
His eyes lit up like lights on a Christmas tree, “Really?” he squealed, “Oh Doc! Yes! I’d love to!”
Miranda took one of her business cards from her desk and scribbled her address on the back, along with a time and a personal note: 6pm, or you’ll be late for dinner. William snatched the card eagerly, like a child who had never been taught proper manners being handed an ice cream cone. He squealed again, bowing and thanking Miranda profusely, and ran out the door with glee. Holy shit. What in the seven hells was that about? You know he’s going to show up ridiculously early, bearing flowers and drugged wine. He feels like his secret is out now and he’s free to do what he wants, when he wants. Such a shame for him. He’ll never see the light of day again. Teddy is prepping the home office now, complete with six-millimeter walls and flooring. No blood, especially that of a child killer, will stain my brand-flipping-new floors.
Miranda picked up the phone and dialed Teddy’s cell. It rang once.
“Hey babe! How’d it go?”
“Well, if he could be any more excited about tonight, I think his black heart might actually explode in his chest.”
“M! Don’t make the guy do all that now! I want to play!”
“And play you will, my dear. I hope you have the greatest playtime of your life. Even better than the times-” she stopped there because she had no inclination to bring back the memories of war. Teddy would do that on his own, without her help, and he would take it all out on William. Neither one of them felt the least bit remorseful, either.
“So I told him six, err, I wrote six pm or you’ll be late for dinner. Expect him by four. I should be home by one. Another short day and I’m not gonna be here when Elisonde decides to show up. That bitch . . .”
“You’ll beat her. You beat everyone.”
“I know, I know. Alright, I’ve got a patient waiting, I’ll see you in a few hours. Love you.”
By noon, Miranda had finished her new patient evaluations for the day and was packing her things to take home, including William’s paper file. She had already deleted him from the computer records and the claim would never make it to his health insurance company. When she walked out of her office, the bubbleheaded twit was nowhere to be found, not even a note. Just as well. She was about to be replaced anyway. Shiloh would be down soon and the fun her and Miranda would have, combined with how reliable and trustworthy she was, would more than make up for Miranda pulling in some idiot temp. But, that’s what temps are for, temp jobs.
Miranda walked out into the finally cool October air and climbed into Night Chariot, giving her a pet as she did. She inserted and twisted the key and Night Chariot purred to life. God, I love this SUV! Guys, take note, Night Chariot doesn’t talk back. Come to think of it, neither do King Nightmare or Emperor Bête Noir. Then again, you’re all useful, well, you two to a point. I will be rid of you one day and you’ll find another host to inhabit and torture the shit out of. But Miranda, we love you. You’re as twisted as we are! Oh stop your whining. Let’s get this afternoon started! Rolling down the windows and turning up a song sexily crooning something about killing for someone, she shifted into auto-stick mode and put the pedal to the metal. She was excited for Teddy to join in her fun, though he requested she did not watch. He had said something about not wanting her to know just how messed up he was because she would probably have him locked in a padded room complete with a self-hugging jacket.
By the time she got home and grabbed a blood pack snack pack, her office was fully draped in six-millimeter plastic. Teddy was duct taping the floor pieces to the ones hanging from the ceiling when she walked in.
“Careful! I haven’t taped it all yet. I’m not about to have you all pissed off because there’s blood all over your favorite flooring you waited forever to have.”
“Aww, you’re too good to me.”
“And you are to me,” he stepped over and kissed her hello.
“Babe, this is sexy. I’ve been waiting for the day you wanted to take a bigger part in all this. I’m lucky to have you. Know why? Because no one would ever put up with my human self, let alone this nonsense from the jackasses living inside me.”
She kissed him long and hard.
“Are you almost done? I was thinking we could relax a little bit before this predator piece of shit shows up,” she looked at her watch, “we’ve got about two hours. Oh, I was also thinking of making him the centerpiece of our bonfire tonight, what do you think?”
“I think you’re a damn genius, Miranda!”
Teddy went happily back to work with the duct tape and six mil, finishing in thirty minutes. They went out back for a quick swim in the pool, then showered, though they wondered why showering now was even necessary considering they were both going to be dressed in blood very, very soon. That thought made them both relax quite a bit, like this is what they were designed to do; born killers, or something like that.
Four o’clock on the dot, the doorbell rang. Miranda opened the door wearing a chiffon dress, barely see-through, to an overjoyed William, bearing, as predicted, flowers and a bottle of wine. Miranda invited him inside and closed the door on the last day of William’s predatory behavior and life.
Seventeen
Miranda took the flowers and wine from William and led him to the office. There were no lights on and the blinds were closed. William started to protest mumbling about being terrified of the dark, but he went in after some soothing from Miranda. As soon as the door was closed and locked, William inside, Teddy clicked a button and the room came to life. William saw Teddy first and was thinking to ask who he was but then saw all the plastic covering the walls, ceiling, and floor. He saw, too, gleaming knives, a metal thing that looked like a gear at the top only sharper, some duct tape and rope, and other instruments that looked like things once used many years ago in public mental hospitals. He panicked and ran for the door he entered through only to find it would not budge. He tried ramming it with his shoulder but felt a sharp pain and heard a loud cracking sound—he broke his shoulder.
Teddy laughed at William—at the futility of his stupidity, at the dumb look on his face when he realized he had broken his shoulder and his arm hanging limply at his side. Teddy did not move, take one step in any direction. He wanted William to see how deep he was: stuck in this room, in this house, the house of a doctor he had trusted enough to accept an invitation to her home for private sessions. He had plans for her, for them together, a
nd his face fell into hopelessness upon the conclusion that he would not leave this house alive.
“You will exit the house alive,” Teddy finally spoke, “But you’re not leaving the property.”
He let out the laughter only another truly evil person could fully grasp the meaning of, and William did. He was found out and defeated; caught by his own open mouth. Teddy laughed harder, watching the range of emotions now taking hold of William and his face. William charged at Teddy, as expected, and Teddy just stood there, still laughing. William tripped over the plastic on the floor and fell onto a plastic covered lounger. Teddy finally made a move, seeing that William had his first adrenaline burst, duct tape and rope in hand. Only then did William realize the rope was sopping wet, dripping a path from where it sat on the desk to him on the lounger. The liquid left behind was clear, which William hoped was only water. Teddy began to tape William’s feet first, one to each foot of the chair, in an awkward-looking spread eagle position. Then he started on William’s wrists, William screaming out in pain when Teddy yanked harder than was necessary on the arm with the broken shoulder, taping each wrist to their own chair legs. Teddy looked at William as he stood over him and cocked his head to the side, thinking to maybe tape him at the neck, also, but decided to tape at William’s forehead because Miranda needed his neck intact. He taped twice around William’s head all the way around the bottom of the chair and back again in an oblong shape. Teddy would not bother to tape his mouth shut though. The screams of agony were Teddy’s pleasure.
“So, William, I hear you like children.”
“What of it?”
“We don’t like people like you. You deserve everything I’m about to give you and more. You take innocent children from their parents. No parent deserves to never know what happened to their child. Now no one will ever know what happened to you because you have no one who cares what happens.”
“You can’t. You’ll be arrested.”
“Hah! If that’s what you want to think, go right ahead and be that brainless. Now, where should I start?”
Teddy dropped the sopping rope just out of William’s reach and walked to the desk, looking lovingly upon the knives and other random sharp objects he had. The rope was special. It was to be used to make the pain worse and as an accelerator for the fire. It had been soaked all day in high octane gasoline and transported to the office in a construction trash bag, meaning it never leaked once. William was now able to smell the rope and started furiously squirming and screaming, all in vain.
“Are you going to set me on fire? No, please, I’ll do anything! Please don’t hurt me or burn me! I’m terrified of fire!”
“Don’t worry, you won’t be alive long enough to feel too much of it or smell your own flesh burning.”
“WHAT? Oh my God, I’m sorry, I’m SORRY! Please let me go!”
Teddy simply laughed and went back to picking up each knife and instrument, trying to decide how he wanted to start the torture. He also needed to remember to not let the cocksucker bleed too much because Miranda needed the blood. Picking up each one and holding it up to the light to watch it glimmer, then set it carefully back down, Teddy suddenly felt dissatisfied, as if he did not have enough implements at his disposal. What he really wanted was a chainsaw, but Miranda would never allow that sort of thing, not when she needed the blood and heart. The spillage of too much blood would have her attacking him in no time. Her need for blood was too great for her own liking lately and Teddy loved her more than enough—but wanted very badly to let his own demons out to play—to disrespect her like that. He settled on a paring knife.
It had a beautiful stainless steel handle that went seamlessly into the small blade and shimmered like the ocean. William squealed some more and shook violently in terror. He tried again to free himself from his bonds and let out a defeated huff. Teddy walked up to him, squeezed both sides of William’s mouth open with one hand and sliced William’s tongue out in one swift flick with the other. Teddy let the flopping piece of muscle drop to the floor and kicked it away so he would not step on it.
“There. Now I don’t have to listen to your senseless begging. You know what’s coming and you can’t stop it, no matter how much you cry. Aww, look at the tears rolling down your face! Let me wipe them for you,” Teddy bent down and grabbed the rope, using the end to wipe William’s tears, then shoving that same end in his mouth, causing him to let out a howl of anguish.
“How does that taste? Oh, right, would you like me to take it out of your mouth now? Miranda wouldn’t really like drinking this stuff in your blood anyway.”
Teddy removed the rope from William’s mouth and William made slopping pig sounds trying to speak or possibly cry out, but nothing that came out was intelligible. He then circled William once, trying to decide which appendage to start with. It truly was a hard choice; there was the extra sensitive stomach area, the arms, legs, face . . . Teddy decided on the stomach; make it hurt as much as he could and listen to the cries, just the way he preferred. Ripping William’s shirt clear off of him, Teddy took the paring knife’s tip and poked at random spots on William’s stomach, making William squirm like a newborn. Teddy thoroughly enjoyed this. He kept poking for the pure amusement of it all then sliced a bit of skin from the very last rib on the left side. The howling cause Miranda to poke her head through the door William broke his shoulder on.
“Hey, so the cats are kinda freaking out, which is weird since they don’t do it when I howl—oh, hi William—anyway, should I maybe lock them in their room? Yeah, I’ll do that. Okay, how much longer do you think you’ll be? I’m starving and it’s a perfect night for a bonfire.”
“Maybe an hour or so? What time is it?”
“Six, so dinner time,” and she winked at William, “Oh and thank you, William, for the flowers and wine. I knew you’d drug it, so it’s now down the drain and I made a crown out of the flowers for you to wear at the bonfire.”
Miranda pulled her head out of the doorway and locked the door again. William turned his gaze back to Teddy in primal fear. Teddy just smiled and went back to work on William. Within an hour’s time, as promised, Teddy was finished and ready for Miranda, which she must have sensed because she walked in wearing a plastic jumpsuit.
“How- Never mind, I’m sure one of the idiots told you.”
“Yep! My my, Teddy, you do beautiful work!” She kissed him excitedly and, so hungry was she, accidentally bit his lip.
“Oops! I’m sorry my love! Good thing you’re Type O?”
Together they laughed. Miranda bent down, looking William in the eyes as she did, licked a cut on his face, swooned over the flavors, and bit down hard. She drank until his cheek sunk into the bone, then went for the neck. She drank only enough to make sure he was just barely alive and covered the mark. She stood upright and nodded to Teddy, who picked up William’s limp body, along with the plastic that covered the lounger so the fool would not drip blood everywhere, and carried him out to the bonfire Miranda had built while Teddy performed his magic on William. Miranda grabbed the gasoline rope and threw it into a contractor’s bag and followed Teddy out. She closed the sliding door so the cats would not come out, since letting them out of their room once the howling stopped was the first thing she had done.
Miranda handed the bag to Teddy, who used the rope to secure William to the pyre. William’s eyes opened, a last flicker of life and hope still left in them. Miranda bent down and nose to nose with him said, “And now for the bonfire”, and placed the crown of flowers on his head.
William’s eyes grew wide with fear again, Miranda and Teddy laughed, and Miranda suddenly and quickly punched William in the middle of his chest, smashing through the bone to grab his heart and pull it out. It dripped and oozed blood and Miranda held it to William’s terror-paralyzed eyes. She took one bite before the last bit of life left William completely.
“Oh well, his loss,” and she fin
ished eating the heart.
Together Teddy and Miranda lit the pyre right at the ropes to help start the fire. Miranda removed her plastic jumpsuit and threw it into the blaze. Teddy pulled up two chairs and they sat there happily watching their bonfire, right through until it was nothing more than ember.
Eighteen
Miranda called Shiloh the next day, letting her know the whole Elisonde encounter from a few days before, which really pissed Shiloh off that she had not called her immediately after. Miranda responded with the things that had taken place between then and now and Shiloh forgave her. One less child killer when Shiloh brought the kids down.
“Look, she’s talking battle on the fifteenth. That means you need to be down here a week earlier than planned. Come alone, that’s fine, but if you want to see this, and keep that vile she-wolf out of my office, get down here by the first.”
“Miranda. That’s two days from now.”
“Okay. I can change your flight without fees. Say you’ll do it, please? You love fire and I can guarantee she’s going to use it. She already said she would. She seems to think roasting me on a spit and stabbing me in the heart with a pure silver blade will kill me but she’s so wrong she has no idea.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll figure out something with the kids until them and the other half come down.”
“SCREW THAT! He’s their dad, he’s gonna have to step the hell up. Game over. You’ve told me as much. Leave him no choice. I’ll reschedule the flight and have a car come get you. I’ll let you know about the car when I send the new ticket. Give me five minutes once we hang up.”
“When the shit did you get so bossy?”
“You taught me well, wise one.”
The women laughed and hung up so Miranda could call the airline and a car company. In a matter of thirty minutes, Miranda had Shiloh’s flight changed and the car scheduled and paid for. She emailed Shiloh, as promised, who decided a response email was not enough. Miranda’s phone rang.
