20XX/10/04 – Early Night
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„Why don’t you put the gun down Ms. Glaze and we can talk this out?”
“So, you can take out your scissors and slash me like you did to all those other women? Yeah, I think I’ll pass.” Her grip around the weapon tightened, her knuckles turning white from the force. It felt heavy. It had been heavy when she first took it, but now that she was pointing it at another person, Liz felt like she carried a huge rock in her hands. Still, she had to keep her arms up. It was the only way to keep control of the situation. She needed to be in control, it was her only way out of this. However, despite being faced with the imminent danger in front of him, Leon didn’t seem to be concerned in the slightest. He should have been shaking, sweating or at least showing any sign of fear, anything that wasn’t that never vanishing smug smile on his lips. She should be in control. So why did it feel like she wasn’t? Like she never was. Could it be-
“You took the bullets out, didn’t you?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAt7WyhwdYxI
“What?” Although his question should be a sign of confusion, he seemed to be more amused at her accusation. 263Please respect copyright.PENANAtmwUbJ6T0b
‘“Answer my question, Leon. Before you handed me your gun, did you take out the bullets?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAyohNm8dF9K
He scoffed. “Take them out? Why would I? That would defeat the whole purpose of giving it to you so you could defend yourself.” Another laugh escaped him when he saw the wary look on her face. She clearly didn’t trust a word he said. Had they been in another situation, he’d have feigned to be hurt by her lack of faith. But considering the current circumstances, he only kept smiling as he spoke. “Well, if you don’t trust my words, why don’t you put them to the test?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAL9ikfezJDv
“What?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANApAhq05q8cX
“Shoot.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAhAIGzUVqPI
Liz opened her mouth in astonishment. Had she just heard right? Did he just ask her to shoot him? 263Please respect copyright.PENANA7ENxKk5GKx
As if he had read her mind, Leon chuckled. “Not me of course. Shoot something else, the window, the ground- I would advise not to aim at the doors or walls though, you never know where the rebound ends up.”
For a few moments the brunette stared at the weapon in her hands, contemplating what to do. Then she swiftly pointed her right arm to the right, and pushed the trigger. A loud bang echoed through the empty hallway, followed by the shrill sound of shattered glass. While the young woman momentarily flinched at the sound as well as the recoil of the shot, the officer didn’t move a muscle. Unfaced and still strangely amused he asked. “Well? Satisfied~?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAxxFsgSIY6J
Liz gritted her teeth, adjusting her arm back to its original direction, effectively pointing the still smoking gun back at the man. 263Please respect copyright.PENANAcMhHI5jywU
“I didn’t lie to you, and yet you still don’t seem particularly happy.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAfkJmoD4Rc1
“Of course not, I’m alone with a murderer.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANArcJkLAowvi
“Ah, that. I didn’t get to ask yet, but- How exactly did you come to that conclusion?” He questioned, sounding generally puzzled for the first time.
“Well, that's the only possible conclusion isn’t it?”263Please respect copyright.PENANAdaSMaAdfdl
“How so?”263Please respect copyright.PENANAAB96cJNaHb
“You lured me here, into this abandoned building, after sunset, saying you plan to catch the killer here. We’ve been here, searching through every single room for how long now? Two hours? And yet no one showed up. I’m starting to think that no one will ever show up. You lured me here to dispose of me, to make me your next victim.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAryKVEq4iwL
263Please respect copyright.PENANAX9n9AZG6d5
Leon had been quietly listening to her explanation without showing any reaction. It was only after she was finished, that the smile on his lips grew a tiny bit wider. “Heh. Alright. I’ll play along. Let’s say you’re right and I am in fact the Paper Cut Killer; why would I go after you? It pains me to have to tell you this but, and I’m speaking purely from the perspective of our murderer here, you’re not my type Ms. Glaze.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAQcE4cceyBH
“Excuse me?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAs7Qrr3pvye
“Well, you see, I prefer to hunt down pretty blonde girls. Mud-brown haired chicks like you don’t exactly get me going. No offense.”
There was distinct irritation on the journalist’s face. She clearly didn’t appreciate his attempt at a little role play all that much. “Okay. Disgusting. Alright though. Then maybe, it’s not that you want to, as you called it, hunt me, but more so you have to get rid of me.” “Hm, interesting approach. Alright, for what reason?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAQXQTR0dUGn
“Maybe I saw something yesterday morning when you caught me trespassing. Something I shouldn’t have.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANA1qJdS4iUhl
“Like?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAqpAfu8K94E
“I don’t know. But that’s not important, is it? It’s enough if the killer believes I did.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAdQJ9DzyIw7
He tilted his head to the side, looking deep in thought. He had to be contemplating her words, evaluating whether they seemed plausible. After what felt like ages to her he finally nodded. “Alright, let’s go with that.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAMPGcEd0EaZ
Liz’s face momentarily lit up and a proud smile appeared on her lips. It only lasted for a second though, before the stoned faced expression returned. She internally cursed herself for feeling pleased at getting this man’s approval.
“Let’s move on to another topic then. How did I do it?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAadYZP4BFnf
“Huh?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANANTogveeiiK
“How did I murder those six women without getting caught?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAKgJA4InP3x
The brunette scoffed. “Now, that’s quite obvious. You’re an officer. The most useless and idiotic one I’ve ever seen, but still a member of the police. It would’ve been easy for you to get these women to talk to you somewhere alone. After all, who would suspect a member of the organization whose purpose it is to fight crime to actually be the one committing them.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANA7EPug34Fkc
“Huuuuh. I never thought about that before. Damn, the things I could’ve done and gotten away with.” Although his astonishment seemed honest, Liz was sure it was an act. Like everything else had been so far. Catching on with her thought process, Leon proceeded to answer the rest of his question on his own. “Going on with that, you’re surely suggesting that it would have been simple for me to get rid of any evidence too. After all, I'm familiar with the methods and techniques used by our forensics. Plus, I could be one of the first people on the scene without raising any suspicion, getting rid of things I’d missed initially easily.” She nodded. 263Please respect copyright.PENANAyGQwOVNoOe
“Not bad, not bad. But sadly, wrong nonetheless.”263Please respect copyright.PENANAuJyrcmqBR1
“Excuse me?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAWV60g6ic9Z
“As plausible as your theory sounds at first glance, there are a few flaws in it. Or maybe not flaws, but problems.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAtOKdRBtYJs
The young woman raised an eyebrow. “Pray tell.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANA2gmr4vHOLH
Ignoring the fact that she still pointed a gun at him, Leon lowered his hands. In reaction Liz grabbed the gun a bit tighter, ready to shoot at any moment. But he only went on to adjust his tie. She kept a close eye on every bit of his movements, but as long as he didn’t try anything she wouldn’t shoot. And Leon knew that. “Let’s see-“ He started, scratching his chin. It was weird, but Liz felt like she was watching one of those clichéd crime shows on television. And this was the moment where the detective would start to lay out his reasoning.
“First, let’s talk about my motive. Or lack thereof. Why would I want to kill all these women?”263Please respect copyright.PENANATw4TwzvKou
“How should I know? You’re a crazy psychopath. I don’t know how your mind works, I’m not a profiler. Maybe a blonde woman undermined your manliness or something. Or you’ve got a traumatizing childhood and big mommy issues because of it.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAkEoI0Dxa69
“Ok, that is rude. My mother has nothing to do with this.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAVYYhAXl1Ed
“Hey, you asked.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAcfy7OBez1m
The dark blonde huffed in a pretend offense. “Alright, let’s ignore the motive then. Why didn’t I kill you yesterday then? I had plenty of chances when I brought you home. There was no need for me to lure you here in the first place.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAqOet4Q54Av
That seemed to put a dent in her logic as she opened her mouth but didn’t seem to be able to come up with any words to say.
“And while we’re at it, let’s talk about the biggest problem here. Proof. Do you have any?” Liz gritted her teeth. Obviously she didn’t. Where should she have gotten it? But admitting that to him, she refused to do so. It would only ensure the return of that smug look. 263Please respect copyright.PENANA6spZ2bEVdT
“Well?” he probed impatiently. 263Please respect copyright.PENANAhdn2oL6OLs
“Tch.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANA8UPZ3MsRap
“My, it looks like you don’t have any, hm Ms. Glaze?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAjXaE3ci8bJ
“You little-“ 263Please respect copyright.PENANAavXAHoaKuI
“How about I give you the chance to get some proof right now?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAePNNXddMUg
“What?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAOYQobnOw1G
“Well, let’s suppose I want to kill you here after all. You know my go-to weapon is a pair of scissors. Meaning I’d have to carry those with me right now, no?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAkVHhoPkSxM
Her eyes widened in surprise as the officer raised his arms once more, spreading them to the sides this time. For whatever reason, he also did a 360° rotation as if he needed any more emphasizing on what he suggested for her to do. 263Please respect copyright.PENANAkLQ6jkcQeQ
“You want me to check.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAW8OO2zilfM
“Yep.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAWUEBqjaRW1
“That’s a very strange way of asking a woman to feel you up.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAB0KOh94Z7p
As swiftly as he had taken the position, Leon broke out of it, stemming his hands into his hips instead. “Really now?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAyWv42thfCc
“I mean-“ 263Please respect copyright.PENANAdWxausVDXh
“You really want me to kill you, huh.”
Liz groaned in frustration. She was getting tired of this. “Fine. I’ll do it. But one wrong move or sound and I’ll shoot you in a highly sensitive area.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAncKZ7MyfcP
The officer had already taken up the stance again but he looked momentarily stunned at her words. Bewildered, he opened his mouth to protest. 263Please respect copyright.PENANADSRbxTs8tt
“Don’t. Not a single word.” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAOf6ISgNDca
And closed it again. It seemed there were things he was scared of after all. With a sigh Liz warily stepped closer to him, careful not to drop the gun from pointing at him. Everything in her screamed that this was a bad idea, but somehow she went along with it anyway. It wasn’t like her at all and she couldn’t explain why she kept on listening to his weird suggestions. There was just something about him that pulled her along, and she couldn’t go against it, no matter how hard she tried.
Just one more step. Liz pushed the barrel of the gun against his chest, making sure that he felt it through the fabric of his suit. She needed to remind him of the situation he was in. But as she looked up at him she was once again met with that smile of his. And those blue eyes that somehow seemed to stare right into the soul of the person looking into them. As she had done outside the old hospital, Liz quickly looked away, focusing on his arms instead. She started to run her free hand along the black fabric, feeling for anything that could resemble scissors or a weapon of any other kind. Not finding anything she moved on towards his torso and back, making sure not to glance at his face as she did. Leon stayed quiet throughout the procedure, which was a good thing in itself. But on the other hand, she was sure that he could hear the way her heart hammered in her chest. Liz bit her lip. It wasn’t like she was in any way attracted to him. Sure, he may have been considered handsome in some way. But a suit could do wonders to any man who wore it. And the moment this one opened his mouth, any bit of attraction one could feel would dissolve as quickly as it had appeared. She was sure of it. Her heart was only beating faster because of the stress she was under. At least that’s what she told herself.
It was when she moved on to the pockets of his jackets when her eyes went wide. Is that- No, it can’t be. There’s no way he would- 263Please respect copyright.PENANA2dptZTNukr
Liz took a step back and stared at him. Amused by her shocked expression, the officer tilted his head a little. “What is it, Ms. Glaze? Did you find anything of interest?” 263Please respect copyright.PENANAVnGQEixYNx
“I- Your right pocket- Is that-“ 263Please respect copyright.PENANA3O9f2LNQSM
“My pocket? Oooh.” Realization dawned on Leon’s face, as he noticed what object the journalist was so nervous about. A strange twinkle appeared in his eyes and suddenly his smile seemed to radiate something different than smugness. Something slyer, almost cunning. And Liz didn’t like it one bit.
“Well, Ms. Glaze, I think it’s time to end this little game of ours. Don’t you agree?”
No.
“As amusing as I think the time we spent together these past two days was, all good things must come to an end.”
This isn’t happening.
“I must say, you surprised me quite a bit when you suddenly pointed my gun at me. Honestly, I didn’t expect you would. After all, it isn’t quite your style.”
You’re telling me- You planned all this?
“Oh, by the way, I really enjoyed your little theory earlier. Pushing those crimes on me, it would have been quite clever indeed. A shame you didn’t have the guts to actually go through with it.”
No! Don’t come any closer! I’ll shoot!
“Heh. It’s no use. You can pull that trigger as much as you want. You know there’s no bullet left in it. You surely felt them in my other pocket earlier after all. You shouldn’t have wasted that one shot I left you with like that.”
No. No. NoNoNoNoNoNo!
“What’s with that look of terror? I won’t hurt you. You know I’m not the Paper Cut Killer.”
Shut up.
“By the way, I really liked your words from earlier. What was it again you said? Ah, yes, right: You’re starting to think that the killer will never show up.”
SHUT. UP.
“You were actually quite correct in that assumption. I call it an assumption, but it is more of a fact you knew before entering this building with me. After all, the killer is already here. But, of course, you already knew that too. Isn’t that right, Ms. Glaze?”
SHUT UUUUUP!!!
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'Cause my demons tied me down263Please respect copyright.PENANAkb04uWT28b
With silk chains wrapped around263Please respect copyright.PENANAlb4Sqdg90M
My soul it seems so obvious263Please respect copyright.PENANAqKloNwQfql
That I should put an end to this263Please respect copyright.PENANAFolJsXGV85
But demons take control263Please respect copyright.PENANAM0zK22smsp
Like dark sins in my soul263Please respect copyright.PENANAyjgt6eGEY9
Against The Current - Demons
263Please respect copyright.PENANAKcZSEwZeOD