Michael nervously checked the ramshackle locks on the door of his cheap motel. He’d lived a rough life, had committed unspeakable crimes and was typically the kind of person who broke locks rather than used them, but tonight he was the one who was scared, the tables had turned.

All of his life he’d been a hunter, stalking his prey from afar and waiting for a moment of weakness to strike. Theft was his first crime, he enjoyed the thrill of taking what he wanted and knowing others were powerless to stop him. But the thrill of his conquests was short lived, the rush he felt was soon replaced by an emptiness, perhaps it was a mirror into his own soul and Michael couldn’t handle it. Longing to fill the void he had decided to up his ante and began taking what could never be replaced, people’s lives. What he relished even more than the kill was watching the family members unravel, as the threads of their minds pulled apart he felt his own torn soul patch itself together.

For years he repeated his pattern. Stalk, Attack and Observe. Repetition honed his skills and he became an expert in his field. He had taken the lives of twelve and had no intentions of stopping. Until he got the call.

The phone in his seedy motel didn’t ring often, so he was already startled but he went into pure panic when he heard the voice on the line.

“Michael, this is Terri, you know the girl you stabbed six times and left in a ditch. How are you?”

He began to stammer uncontrollably and the caller interrupted “That’s okay, I didn’t expect a scumbag like you to remember every lady he’s been with. But I hope you’ll recognize my face when I stop by. You see I haven’t stopped thinking about you since last time, I want to do it again, except this time I’ll tie you up” and the line went blank.

Michael couldn’t think straight. He had no idea how to handle the new emotion that was bubbling up inside of him. For once the emptiness was gone, but he wasn’t experiencing the thrill of the chase, he was getting a taste of the fear he put into his prey. And he loved it.

Of course he remembered her, she had been his fourth. He remembered all of them vividly, especially the grisly details. He remembered the rush he felt as he sank his blade into her back and the days long high he was on when he finished. The crystal clear memories vividly flooded his mind and he felt his newfound fear subside as it was being replaced by another even stronger new feeling, genuine excitement.

With childlike glee Michael unlocked the door and thought to himself with a hackle, “I’ve never had round two”.