The TV flickered in and out of service. The killer stared at it through the appliance store window, a hood covering his face while he contemplated his next move. The problem was, his next move depended very much on the outcome of the TV report.
The muted news anchor spoke of his massacre. Although her lips breathed silence, the subtitles beneath her enabled him to catch up on the latest. Even as a storm cracked overhead, all he could think about was the events that had unfolded.
The camera showed a wide shot of the apartment building. It looked so different on TV, possibly because he was looking at it from the outside, where police vehicles and officers littered the scene. Even Logan Fox appeared on screen, zooming past the cameras without a second glance. His face was stoic and pallid, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the apartments.
Inside the building had been different. Max had been in full control, making his way from floor to floor with a killing machine in his hands. For once, he’d been in full control of life and death, changing things as he saw fit, ending lives with the gentle squeeze of a trigger. How amazing was that? How easily did this come to him?
When the shot on the TV changed to a photo of the woman, Max leaned in closer. With his head against the cold glass, he carefully studied the update on his victims. Nine people had been shot and killed, with two more injured. Not bad for a day’s work, he figured, but what of Logan Fox? Where was that son of a bitch now? The last Max had known, he’d fired into the plasterboard wall and hoped for the best. Logan hadn’t chased him – he knew that much from his easy escape – so what exactly had happened?
The report shut off, and then all the TVs turned to black. The lights went out, a silhouette moving in the store as they prepared to shut down for the night. Max’s next actions depended heavily on whether or not Logan had survived, but as much as he liked to think his lucky shot had found the private eye, he knew it was a distinct improbability.
Which meant things were still on, and round two was coming soon.