Beyond

I sat up while Devon slept. Sitting at the kitchen with a warm mug of tea, I was so engrossed in my thoughts about John that I didn't see or hear him until he was right in front of me. I looked up, my eyes wide, and tried to blink him away because I knew it was a dream, that he was here because I felt guilty.

"You look like shit," Daneil said, smirking.

God, even dead he was an asshole.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Daniel grinned, and for the first time since his death, I saw the cause. The moonlight had caught the wound on his neck, where his flesh hung loose, jagged.

I felt sick.

"I went to visit John," he told me. "He killed another woman. Just one step closer to his ultimate target. What are you going to do when he comes for you?"

I stared at my dead ex-boyfriend, who was asking what my plan was for when my attempted killer/stalker came to finish the job. I lowered my head into my hands and ran my fingers through my hair.

"I suppose I'll have to kill him before he can kill me," I answered quietly.

When I looked up, Daniel was gone. But there was something in the air that made my stomach churn. I took a breath and closed my eyes.

Could I kill you? Would it be that easy?

I didn't know.

But I was going to find out.