Chapter 23 - The Man In The Shadows

He started stalking her at first, but the more he stalked her, the more he hated her. Eventually, he came up with an idea to drug her and disfigure her. He was going to slice her across the face and see how she planned to seduce rich men.

But, when he finally got her into her drugged up state, he enjoyed the control and power he had over her. She said she was disgusted by him, but there she was, practically strip dancing in front of him, demanding for his attention.

She was so high that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

The woman eventually laughed and sat down on the floor. She then held onto his leg and looked up at him. As she looked up, he saw the clean, white, porcelain skin on her neck.

He felt so powerful at that moment. Like he could do anything to her - even kill her.

He looked at the knife in his hand, the one he was planning to slice her face with, and he realized that slicing her face would only make her ugly, it wouldn't make her respect him. So, he had to do something more. He had to show her that he was better than a doctor - that he was a God.

At that moment, he remembered the way his professors doubted him. How they kicked him out of medical school because he couldn't cut up a dead body and how they didn't believe him when he said he could cut up a living person.

So, with one deep and confident slash, he cut the woman across the throat, ear-to-air, making sure to sever her carotid artery; he wanted to guarantee her death and show-off his accuracy and skills. Blood splattered everywhere and quickly drained out of her neck. Just before she took one last breath, he saw the fear and pain in her eyes. For him, fear was a sign of respect.

He looked down at the masterpiece he created and it felt good.

Alex remembered that day clearly. It was the most powerful and in-control he had ever felt in his life. That feeling was addictive. So addictive that when he met a patient's daughter and saw the way she looked at the doctors, she quickly became his second victim. And, before he knew it, he came across his third victim at the university when he saw some girls swooning over Dr. Su who was a guest lecturer at the university.

He quickly realized that killing was like a drug for him, so he limited himself to only increasing the body count by one every month. If he wasn't caught that month, then it was a sign from God that he could continue.

Since he wasn't caught in February, he killed another 3 in March. The more he killed, the more addictive it got.

This addiction was the reason why he was currently staring at Halia like a drug addict waiting for his next shot. As Alex watched Halia dance in front of him, he felt his heart beat with excitement. There was only an hour and a half left until April.

It was almost time to kill again!

But, just as he glanced down at his watch to check the time, he suddenly heard a voice behind him.

"I would let her go if I were you."

Alex lifted his head in surprise. This was an abandoned warehouse, was there another person here?

He then saw a man appear in the shadows, he was barely visible, but he was definitely there.

"Who are you?" Alex asked.

"Just a nosy person that's passing by," the man replied as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Are you the serial killer that everyone's been looking for?" he asked straightforwardly.

Alex looked at the man in surprise. How did he know? Was this man from the police?

In a panic, he quickly pulled out his knife and pointed it towards Halia. "Don't come any closer or I'll kill her."

Alex tried to find a way to escape, but two men suddenly appeared behind him and pinned him to the ground.

"Who are you? Are you the police? I want to speak to my lawyer!" Alex yelled hysterically.

At this time, the man from the shadows finally stepped into clear light. As soon as Alex saw him, he was shocked. He had seen this man at the hospital before. Everyone avoided him because...

"We aren't police. By the time we're done with you, you'd probably wish we were," one of the men laughed as he pulled out a hammer. "Now, tell me, which finger do you like the least?"