PHILLIP LEANED back in his chair, feet on the desk, controller in his hand, throwing his mind and body into the latest test version of Harbinger of Doom. This was what he loved about his company. Sometimes he got to play video games at work. It was the best, and right now, things were going so well, he’d decided to reward himself. Phillip didn’t usually have time for things like this, which was a pity, because gaming was where his heart was, his passion, and he’d always been damned good at it. When he played, he was on top of the world. Phillip dodged his avatar and obliterated an enemy fighter, twisting to one side and then the other to chase the next.
The game was still in development, and he made a mental note of any glitches as he continued. “Yes,” he crowed to the empty office as his score approached the current office record. Then a few minutes later, he whooped as he blew past the high score and continued on.
A knock sounded, and he paused the game, sitting up. “Come in.”
One of the lead game developers poked his head in. “I see you beat the record.” Word got around fast sometimes.
“Come on in.” Phillip practically jumped out of his seat and motioned to his conference table. “I have a few ideas for improvement and a list of things to smooth out.” God, he loved his work. “Have a seat and we’ll go over the ideas I came up with.” Sometimes life was great.
THE MAN stood in a strange hotel bathroom, delighted at just how easy breaking into someone’s room was. No muss, no fuss, and he was in. Getting a duplicate key had been surprisingly easy. And once he was out of here, no one would be the wiser. He wasn’t even supposed to be in town, and yet, a quick train ride had him at the hotel, where no one expected him… in a city where it was easy to hide in plain sight. Still, he needed to be careful. One slipup and the entire plan would be ruined. He had to be quiet and hope that one of the maids, who seemed to be everywhere, didn’t decide to come snooping. He stood in front of the mirror, but didn’t look into it. There was nothing to see.
No one saw him any longer. He faded into the background now. Not that he gave a fuck in hell about it. He could use that invisibility to his advantage. He pulled the surgical gloves from his pocket. He had gone over this part of the plan in his mind many times. Still, his heart beat quickly. He needed to keep calm and his head level. Get in, get out, draw no attention.
It was shockingly easy to find out shit about people. Anything they put online could be used to follow them, to figure out who they were and where they were going to be at any given time. He was an expert at social media and other sites. When you didn’t have a life of your own, you lived through others. But he was tired of that shit, and it was going to come to an end. “I will be noticed now,” he muttered to himself. A sound in the hallway made him pause, for just a second sending his heart to his throat. He hurriedly dumped the contents of the pill bottle into the toilet, his hands shaking slightly, and pulled the Ziploc bag from his pocket, refilled the container with the slightly larger pills, and replaced the lid and set it back into place.
The only thing that saddened him about this plan was that he wouldn’t get to watch. That had been the most satisfying thing about the others. He’d been able to stay out of the way, hidden, and had seen his terminal handiwork put into play. It couldn’t be that way this time, unfortunately, but changing things up only made him harder to trace. Not that anyone was looking for him. That was the beauty of this entire plan. He got what he wanted, without anyone knowing that it was he who was pulling the strings that would force Phillip to see him. One by one, he’d make sure Phillip was all alone. As for Phillip’s “friends,” all he’d have of them would be the memory of their funerals.
A knock sounded on the outside door, and he stilled. “Housekeeping.” The knock repeated. He needed to make a decision, fast. The best thing was to do as little as possible. Elaborate was death; simple was the key. The simple things were overlooked, just like him.
He stilled and turned out the light, then stepped behind the door. There was no need to panic. If he had to, he’d simply take care of the woman. He had prepared for this. The lights in the room flashed on, and the maid moved through the room. He stood still, breathing slowly and evenly, reminding himself that he was a predator. If she discovered him, he’d take care of her. Predator… he liked the sound of that. It made him feel forceful, strong, and in control. And when he thought about it, he was in control. The light in the bathroom came on, and then a few seconds later, the room went dark. He stood there, waiting as the room door closed.
Just like that, he smiled and pulled off his gloves, then put them and the bag back into his pocket. As easy as that, he was done. He slipped his hand into the sleeve of his shirt, using that to open the door, and checked the hallway before leaving the room and heading down the hall to the elevator. He rode down alone, keeping his head down, his gaze plastered on his cell phone. Any cameras wouldn’t catch his face. Not that he had to worry… not really. There was nothing amiss, as far as anyone would be able to tell. He hadn’t actually changed anything, just upped the dosage of the tranquilizers… to lethal. The plan was brilliant, simple, and flawless.
The elevator doors opened, and he stepped out into the lobby, striding to the front doors and then out into the night, tossing the bag and the gloves into a random trash bin a few blocks away. Nothing to it. No one ever saw him, and they weren’t going to start tonight. But eventually, Phillip would have to see him. And when Phillip did, he would get what he wanted. It was that simple. All it took was patience, some planning, and, lately, some lethal force.
He was surprised at just how easy it was to end a life—how simply he could do it and not leave a trace. Damn, he had just discovered another talent, one that would make him the master of what went on around him. It was as gratifying as sex. No, even more. Because now, he had the power—the ultimate, godlike power—over life and death.