Goddess of Pain - Katie May Page 0,11

skates down my back and chases away any and all warmth I once felt. Though I’m protected inside from the growling thunder, intermittent flashes of lightning, and pouring rain, it feels as if I’m standing directly in the downpour.

Stepping around Ray and Henry, Avery perches on the arm of the couch and grabs the television remote. He immediately flicks through the channels until he stops on a local news report.

Which is currently describing the gruesome details of Professor Whitmore’s death. Apparently, his wife found him strangled in their shared bedroom earlier this morning.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

My heart is hammering so loud that I can’t hear anything else. All I can do is stare at the screen, willing the image to change.

“Did you know this man?” Henry asks, frowning.

“He was…” I clear my throat and try again. “He was my professor.”

And now he’s dead.

My childhood serial killer has struck again.

Chapter 6

The next two weeks fly by with no new dead bodies or attacks. It lures me in to a false sense of security—that moment in a horror movie when you firmly believe that the girl is going to survive the masked serial killer. However, as she runs bleeding and screaming from the house, he materializes in front of her with a chainsaw raised. With one fatal sweep of his hands, he cuts her head clean off.

And yes, I have been binge watching Avery’s horror movie collection.

Don’t judge me.

During that time—that excruciating period—I jumped at every noise, every shadow. I barely, if ever, left my room. I emailed my professors and told them I had a bad case of food poisoning. I’m not sure if they believed me, but I was a model student. The good girl. What reason would I have to lie?

Besides, oh, the fact that someone is trying to kill me.

Even Avery grew increasingly concerned as the days dragged on and I became more and more secluded. He began to leave plates of food outside my door, never questioning my eccentric behavior and caring for me despite it. I can’t even imagine what would’ve transpired if my brothers had stayed longer than a day. No doubt, they would have dragged me from my bed kicking and screaming, demanding I ovaried up.

Is it possible that the threat is over? That I’m safe?

Surely, these killers know where I live. If they wanted me dead, they had ample opportunity to eliminate me during the two weeks I remained in self-isolation.

My confidence returning, I wake up on the fifteenth day with a skip to my step that hadn’t been there prior. Avery, currently shirtless and dancing around the tiny griddle as he creates Mickey Mouse pancakes, glances up in alarm. His eyes widen comically, as if my appearance is more shocking than anything else in the world. Though, I can’t blame him for being suspicious. I did go weeks without leaving my room, except for the occasional bathroom trip and food run.

“Morning, Aves,” I say cheerfully, pushing up on my tiptoes to peck him on the cheek. His confusion only grows, tiny creases appearing between his eyes.

“Good…morning?” His voice sounds hesitant, unsure, and heavy with trepidation. He eyes me warily as I dance around him towards the coffee pot. Pouring myself an overflowing mug, I prop my hip against the counter and watch him as attentively as he watches me.

“How are you this fine, beautiful morning?” I query, flashing him a bright smile.

His frown deepens.

“Worried. Confused. A little scared,” he admits with a shrug. On the griddle, his pancake begins to burn, and he releases a heated curse as he dumps it onto a plate with a spatula.

“No need to be scared,” I say jovially. “Everything is fine.”

“You sound like a cult leader,” he points out, but my smile only broadens.

“Have some Kool-Aid,” I whisper in my best creepy-psycho voice, extending the steaming cup of coffee. He snorts, some of the confusion and wariness dissipating from his gaze.

“I’m just glad you’re okay, sweetheart. I was worried for a while.” He hesitates, nibbling on his bottom lip. “Is this about the prank on your car? I know that was probably scary—”

“It’s fine,” I dismiss immediately. The last thing I want to do is discuss what had transpired those many weeks earlier with first the car bomb and then the shooter.

I’m safe, and that’s all that matters.

“Em…”

“I actually have a shift scheduled in… Shit! I have to be there in thirty minutes.” Cursing, I race around Avery, pause, and then turn back and kiss him once more on