grin appeared on his face as he very quietly and quickly slipped through the front door into the warm dark apartment and gently closed and locked the door behind him.
The apartment was still and quiet, and Stanton could hear the heavy rhythmic breathing of two people coming from the bedroom. All the shades were drawn shut, letting very little morning light into the living room. Stanton scanned the tiny living room and the adjoining small dining area and kitchen. Nikki’s apartment struck him as being very much like his own, which gave him a certain sense of comfort and ease.
He put down the backpack he’d brought with him and quietly removed his boots, so that he stood in his thick white socks, which would make substantially less noise. Stanton put on a pair of latex gloves, removed the small bottle of chloroform and white hand towel from his jacket pocket, and pulled the large hunting knife from its sheath.
He crept noiselessly down the dark hallway, past the bathroom to the open bedroom door, where Nikki and a male companion lay naked, sleeping next to one another. On a nightstand next to the bed were four empty beer bottles and a small pipe, with a lighter and an empty Ziploc baggie next to it. He stood in the doorway, taking in the scene and listening to the rise and fall of the slumbering couple’s peaceful breaths.
Again, Stanton closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. Then, he moved swiftly to the sleeping male, who looked to be in his very early-twenties. Stanton jumped on top of his torso, while at the same time forcefully pushing the companion’s head into the pillow, which startled the man awake, with a violent but tardy shake. Within seconds, before there was even time to scream or realize what was happening, Stanton drove the hunting knife directly into the man’s exposed throat, killing him instantly, and causing his blood to spray wildly from the wound.
He immediately shoved the dead bleeding body to the floor and turned his attention to Nikki, who had woken in a haze, not entirely comprehending what was happening. Before she could make sense of it all, Stanton had straddled her body, with his knees pressed firmly into each of Nikki’s arms, and shoved the chloroform-doused hand towel into her mouth, muzzling her until her eyes finally closed again.
Chapter 14
December 22 nd
The sound of music woke Nikki the second time, who despite her technical state of consciousness, was still in a haze. Her head throbbed and her vision, at least initially, was blurred and glassy. She couldn’t move her mouth, as it was held tight by something uncomfortably stuck to her face, forcing her to breathe through her nose. She was still naked, but sitting upright in what she recognized as one of her dining room chairs. Nikki tried to move her hands, but like her slightly open legs which were tied firmly to the front two chair legs, they were bound tightly behind her and she felt a heavy metal object, which she suspected to be handcuffs, squeezing each of her wrists.
Initially, the music, which sounded like some sort of opera, filled most of Nikki’s dulled senses. It was a man singing, with a very deep voice, but she couldn’t understand the lyrics or even make out what language was being sung. As she slowly became more and more cognizant, she began to recognize and understand the depths of her exposure and vulnerability. This realization was accompanied by an immediate sense of fear and terror.
Nikki looked around, as her head seemed to be free, and realized she was still in her own bedroom, apparently alone and bound to the dining room chair which had been placed next to her bed. To her left, on her dresser, she saw what appeared to be a video camera on a small tripod pointed at her. She looked to her right, towards the bedroom door, and saw another video camera, standing atop a tall tripod, watching her. When she looked down at the bed and saw her boyfriend’s blood which had sprayed onto the white
The apartment was still and quiet, and Stanton could hear the heavy rhythmic breathing of two people coming from the bedroom. All the shades were drawn shut, letting very little morning light into the living room. Stanton scanned the tiny living room and the adjoining small dining area and kitchen. Nikki’s apartment struck him as being very much like his own, which gave him a certain sense of comfort and ease.
He put down the backpack he’d brought with him and quietly removed his boots, so that he stood in his thick white socks, which would make substantially less noise. Stanton put on a pair of latex gloves, removed the small bottle of chloroform and white hand towel from his jacket pocket, and pulled the large hunting knife from its sheath.
He crept noiselessly down the dark hallway, past the bathroom to the open bedroom door, where Nikki and a male companion lay naked, sleeping next to one another. On a nightstand next to the bed were four empty beer bottles and a small pipe, with a lighter and an empty Ziploc baggie next to it. He stood in the doorway, taking in the scene and listening to the rise and fall of the slumbering couple’s peaceful breaths.
Again, Stanton closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. Then, he moved swiftly to the sleeping male, who looked to be in his very early-twenties. Stanton jumped on top of his torso, while at the same time forcefully pushing the companion’s head into the pillow, which startled the man awake, with a violent but tardy shake. Within seconds, before there was even time to scream or realize what was happening, Stanton drove the hunting knife directly into the man’s exposed throat, killing him instantly, and causing his blood to spray wildly from the wound.
He immediately shoved the dead bleeding body to the floor and turned his attention to Nikki, who had woken in a haze, not entirely comprehending what was happening. Before she could make sense of it all, Stanton had straddled her body, with his knees pressed firmly into each of Nikki’s arms, and shoved the chloroform-doused hand towel into her mouth, muzzling her until her eyes finally closed again.
Chapter 14
December 22 nd
The sound of music woke Nikki the second time, who despite her technical state of consciousness, was still in a haze. Her head throbbed and her vision, at least initially, was blurred and glassy. She couldn’t move her mouth, as it was held tight by something uncomfortably stuck to her face, forcing her to breathe through her nose. She was still naked, but sitting upright in what she recognized as one of her dining room chairs. Nikki tried to move her hands, but like her slightly open legs which were tied firmly to the front two chair legs, they were bound tightly behind her and she felt a heavy metal object, which she suspected to be handcuffs, squeezing each of her wrists.
Initially, the music, which sounded like some sort of opera, filled most of Nikki’s dulled senses. It was a man singing, with a very deep voice, but she couldn’t understand the lyrics or even make out what language was being sung. As she slowly became more and more cognizant, she began to recognize and understand the depths of her exposure and vulnerability. This realization was accompanied by an immediate sense of fear and terror.
Nikki looked around, as her head seemed to be free, and realized she was still in her own bedroom, apparently alone and bound to the dining room chair which had been placed next to her bed. To her left, on her dresser, she saw what appeared to be a video camera on a small tripod pointed at her. She looked to her right, towards the bedroom door, and saw another video camera, standing atop a tall tripod, watching her. When she looked down at the bed and saw her boyfriend’s blood which had sprayed onto the white
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