The Devil's Apprentice by William Massa

Author:William Massa [Massa, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Critical Mass Publishing
Published: 2020-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The murders of the two hikers dominated the morning news. Every station seemed to be running a story on the Headhunter’s return. A picture of the latest victims, smiling and happy, flickered across the TV screen, adding even more drama to the gruesome story.

Chloe choked back a moan of despair as she stared at the image of herself and Erik. It’s not every day that you see a story about your own murder on the news.

The story drove home the reality of what had happened to her and her boyfriend. The last few hours didn’t feel like some crazy dream any longer.

Monsters were real, and she was at the mercy of one.

She breathed in deep, wondering once again why she required oxygen if she didn’t have any lungs.

Magic.

Fucking nuts.

The twin emotions of helplessness and despair invaded her soul. Chloe stifled a sob. From the corner of her eye, she caught the Headhunter looking at her. A grin lit up his bland features.

Her pain turned to rage. The sick bastard was getting off on her loss. Showing her the news of her death was another part of his sick game.

Another chilling realization hit her. She wasn’t the first one to endure this horror. There had been others according to the news: other couples, other women, other heads.

Muses, as the twisted freak liked to call them.

And that raised a question. What happened to the other living heads this bastard had collected? What would happen to her once the summer was over and the Headhunter finished his latest magnum opus? Was there a way to end this perversion of life?

The possibility that there might be a release from this nightmare existence filled her with hope.

On-screen, a reporter announced that she was about to interview a friend of a deceased. A second later, a teary-eyed Sophie appeared. As the reporter pressed for details about her dead friend, the camera panned to reveal Max sitting beside Sophie’s chair.

Seeing her sad-eyed dog on TV sent another jolt of agony through Chloe. She would never see her dear Max again, never hold his sweet face in her hands or brush his fur.

A wave of hatred welled up in her as she fixed her gaze on the Headhunter instead. He killed the TV with a smile on his face and not a single care in the world. The freak was having a fantastic day.

“You’re a star. What do you think of that?” the Headhunter asked with the excitement of a kid who’d just received his first magnifying glass and was looking forward to burning down an ant colony.

Chloe held her tongue. She knew the Headhunter’s type. Her abusive ex had pulled the PG-rated version of the same shit on her. Push her buttons, get her to lose it, and then retaliate tenfold. She was struggling not to provide him with the satisfaction of a response. But it was getting harder and harder to keep it all bottled inside.

“The news sure likes to milk the drama. The whole bit with the dog was too much.

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