The killer was almost done putting his finishing touches on the game he had planned. It had taken a lot of work—a lot of hours—but it was finally ready. All he had to do was get one last piece of the puzzle in place, and then he could finally exact his revenge on Mason.
He finished stuffing his gear into the bag of the cold, dark room. There was little here but the artifacts he had collected along the way. Those things had helped him to construct this plan in the first place. They had encouraged him in the direction of his big idea.
As soon as he was finished, the killer double-checked the room one last time and then padded up the steps. Flinging open the wooden door, he emerged into the cool, shaded air and laid eyes upon the RV. It rocked violently back and forth, his hostage causing a scene.
The killer rolled his eyes, dumped his bag by the rear tire, then took out his gun. He held it at the ready, not really wanting to shoot just yet but prepared to do so if necessary. Slowly, he pulled open the door and took aim at the space between Diane’s eyes.
“You really should stop that,” he said.
Diane saw the gun, then slunk back, her eyes widening as she discovered her pitiful attempt had failed. The killer smirked, reached for the bag, then hurled it into the back of the RV. The hostage stared at it, unmoving.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s none of your business. Not yet anyway.”
“I don’t want to die.”
The killer laughed. It was a deep sound emanating from his stomach. His gun hand shook as he struggled to control himself. “Who cares?” he said, his laugh simmering but still hurting his jaw. “This isn’t about you. It’s about that husband of yours.”
“If you even think about hurting him, I’ll—”
The killer slammed the door shut. The woman’s shrill threats silenced immediately, the soundproof walls doing their job. As he headed to the front of the RV, he still couldn’t quite finish laughing at what she had said. Did she really think she was the main player in this game? Had the things he’d done not given a clear indication of what was coming?
Ah well, he thought, shrugging it off. If they didn’t realize yet, they soon would. Because it just took a little bit more time, and then Mason Black could die as he was intended to.
The smile came again.