Give Me Your Heart

“What…?” Sylvia asked on the other end of the line. I smirked at how convinced she was of my fake innocence. “I’ll be right there, okay? Where do you live?”

The question made me shut my eyes in fulfillment. I told her my address and she hung up quickly. I would have to prepare myself before she arrived. I took a seat beside the door, wrapping my arms around my knees, and began to tremble—I would have to keep it up until she was here.

Minutes passed and she finally came through the door, looking down at me. “Darren?” she asked. “What—“

She saw Melanie’s body lying on the floor and covered her open mouth. “Oh God,” her muffled voice said. “Who did this…?”

“I don’t know,” my shaky voice said. I fought back a smile of triumph. I stood, pretended to stumble over, and stood beside her. “I opened the door and she was lying there. Someone wants to scare me… or kill me.”

Sylvia took a deep breath and took her eyes away from the corpse. “I’ll call the police. You stay here and don’t touch anything,” she demanded before walking into my kitchen with her phone.

“Hi, is this the police?” I overheard her frightened voice say. “My name is Sylvia Roux, and I’m at my friend Darren Valentine’s apartment…”

Hearing the word “friend” made me cringe in anger. She wasn’t my friend… Well, she was, but in a way I couldn’t even explain to myself. Friends had to do with love—the very thing I’d never experienced or felt, and the thing I will never want to know of.

Sylvia stepped back into my living room, avoiding the body. “They’re on their way. We need to provide them with ID and they’ll be here for a while… I’m really sorry all of this has happened to you tonight. I mean, I accused you of doing these things earlier and you just disappeared into the bathroom—wait, what happened? Were you okay?”

I stiffened and nodded, trying to keep those cuts out of view. There was one gash along my arm from that side of myself no one could see, therefore it was unexplainable.

A sudden knock was at the door. “Police!” a man shouted. Sylvia and I looked at each other before I answered the door.

“Detective Mosley,” the tall, lanky man said, showing me his badge. Forensics and other detectives filed into my apartment.

“May I see your ID’s please,” Detective Mosley asked. His eyes quickly glanced at Melanie’s dead body and back at Sylvia and I. The both of us nervously pulled out our ID’s, showing them to him, and he nodded as he wrote our names down on his notepad.

“Mosley,” one of the female detectives called. “What?” Detective Mosley said, shutting his notepad. “It looks like we’ve got a Dominic Flanagan on our hands… or a copycat,” the woman said.

“It can’t be Flanagan,” Mosley said. “He’s locked up in the Russell Barker nuthouse. This has to be a copycat. A damn good one too.” He pointed towards the incisions that read “FIXED.” “Except this one’s more gruesome. The killer must’ve hung her from that fan, ripping her hair out.”

All of the women in the room, clutched onto their hair, imagining the pain. Sylvia stepped into the apartment building hallway for air. I followed her. “Are you okay?” I asked innocently.

“I just…” she began. “I hate that Dominic Flanagan. He’s so fucking disgusting. Seven girls killed in a similar way to this one. I fucking hate him.” Sylvia began to sob and slowly sat on the hallway floor.

“Is she alright?” Mosley asked. I nodded and waved him away, wanting to smirk. I kneeled beside her and asked her what she hated so much about Dominic—my inspiration.

“I can’t tell you,” she said, wiping away her tears. “I’ve never told anyone.”

It was time for me fake my comfort. I hesitated before I sat beside her and hugged her in my arms. The scent of her hair was making me insane. “You… can tell me,” I managed to say.

“I—“ she said before sobbing again. “I used to be in love with Dominic. I used to be his fiancée. I ran from him.”

As I held her in my arms, I couldn’t help but smile. I’ve now found her weakness. Of course, I could blackmail her in the future and she would bow down to my every command. Do everything I say or I will tell your ex-fiancé where you are, were the perfect words.

This is perfect.

I listened to the voice in my head.

Did you ever wonder why she didn’t break down crying when she saw what we’d done? She’s obviously used to it and she’s obviously attracted to men that do these things. We’re in for a good time.

I smiled, but then frowned when she looked up at me. “You don’t think I’m a freak, do you?” she asked.

I shook my head and ran my fingers through her hair, trying my best not to cringe. ‘I don’t think you’re a freak.”

Because you’re the freak, the voice said. We are one maniacal, psycho freak.

“I loved him Darren,” she whispered as she held onto me tightly. “He didn’t know that.”

Imagine what we can do to her. We can get away with everything. And lastly, she will die the most disgusting death. Oh, we’ll enjoy that.

I rubbed my hand on her back to sooth her crying. I wanted to burst out yelling and kill her right then and there, even with the police only a few feet away. But I calmed myself.

“Interrogation time,” Mosley said, peeking out of the door again. “I’m taking you guys with me to the station. I’ve got a lot of questions for you.”

I stood and held my hand out to Sylvia, helping her up. We followed Mosley outside and she paused. I turned around and saw her walking towards me quickly. Her lips came to my cheek.

My pupils shrunk in fury. “Thank you,” she said, not realizing I’d froze where I stood. I finally nodded and she continued to walk outside. My fists clenched and I felt my stomach churning as if someone had just kicked me straight in the gut.

Now she’s just at the top of the list. Foolish girl. She just unleashed the freak.