In the dimly lit lovers’ motel, a man and woman were chatting before bed. I stood quietly at the door, letting them enjoy their final moments of pleasure.
No matter what, you should always have a good meal before you lose your head—this is the killer’s version of humanity.
“When are you finally going to divorce your wife? Didn’t you say she’s already losing her mind? How much longer do I have to wait?” After the sounds from the bed died down, the woman spoke first.
“Just wait a bit longer. Now’s not the right time,” the man replied, lighting a cigarette with his lighter and taking a leisurely drag.
“No, you promised you’d marry me before Christmas. Are you lying to me again?” The woman pouted, playfully hitting the man’s shoulder.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
I stepped out from the shadows. The man’s eyes widened in panic as he tried to jump out of bed, but I lazily raised my silenced pistol. With a squeeze of the trigger, he fell face down, blood soaking the sheets in a spreading crimson. The woman, dressed in her pajamas, gaped in shock, then started screaming—loud, frantic, desperate—tumbling off the bed in terror.
“Shh.”
I put a finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet.
“Please… don’t kill me, I beg you. I’ll do anything, I have money, please…” The woman trembled violently, half-kneeling as she pleaded for her life.
“Miss Lin, relax. I suggest you put on some clothes first. The temperature’s low—you wouldn’t want to catch a cold.” I tossed her a coat from the rack.
She obediently wrapped herself in the coat, forcing a smile. She was clearly trying to look beautiful, but in her terror, the smile looked far worse than crying.
I took out my phone and played a pre-recorded video from the client.
On the screen, a pale-faced woman stared straight into the camera, her eyes burning with barely contained excitement. She began to speak: “You’re my best friend. We grew up together. I even saw you as my own sister. In junior high, you sabotaged my bike so I’d miss the cheerleading captain tryouts, and I ended up with a broken leg and missed three months of school. I forgave you. In college, you accused me of cheating on an exam to win a scholarship. I forgave you. After graduation, you racked up huge debts and signed my name on the loan. I was harassed by loan sharks for months, working three jobs to pay it back. Still, I forgave you, because I always thought you were just an immature little sister. I believed one day you’d treasure our friendship as much as I did.”
“But you shouldn’t have seduced my husband. And you definitely shouldn’t have drugged my milk, causing me to lose my baby. Did you know the doctor said I’ll never have children again? I could give you anything, but now, I’ll give you my husband. You like him so much? Then you can spend the whole night holding him. If you call the police or try to escape before morning, the killer I hired will make sure you regret it in the most painful way possible. Believe me, you’ll regret it in the first minute. Hahaha…”
As the video ended, I sighed.
Women—truly terrifying creatures.
Miss Lin, wrapped in the black coat, looked at me with desperate, pleading eyes. I nudged my gun slightly, and as if shocked by electricity, she crawled back onto the bed, hugging the man’s gruesome corpse. She trembled all over, instinctively wanting to close her eyes, but too afraid to look away from me standing at the foot of the bed. She wanted to scream and cry, but could only clamp her hands over her mouth, her silent sobs echoing through the small room—a textbook example of psychological torture.
The corpse slowly cooled, the blood slowly congealed. Every second was a brutal assault on her sanity.
I was sure that after this night, she’d never sleep soundly again for the rest of her life.
Finally, dawn arrived. I stretched wearily and walked out of the motel. From behind me came a strange, hoarse laugh. I knew I was right—her mind had snapped.
Chapter 01
*