Opening Cages Opens Graves

Chapter 17 - The Last Kill

He listened to the tap, tap, tapping of the sewage water slowly hitting the ground from the tiny holes in the  rusty pipes above. As he did, his eyes fell onto the senseless blonde that laid besides him. A small smile would form at the corner of his lips every time her chest would slowly move up, indicating that she was still very alive.

He had the urge to grab her hands, but resisted for the fact that he could hurt her again. She was definitely different from everyone. Asher was merely a close friend who helped him in the life of living in the streets, but he felt something different for her.

He had never felt this way for anyone, just  anger, sadness, and loneliness. She, out of everyone else in the world, was the one person he wanted with him. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his thin arms around them. The same thoughts were still roaming around his mind from when he left the house a week or two ago.

His eyes slowly darkened. He knew what his plan was. He knew what he was supposed to do before the police catches him. It was just one last kill before he was sent back to the mental hospital, maybe even jail, or maybe even too his own death.

There was no way he could leave Echo a he left too do his job. He feared that she would leave him all alone and she would tell the police about him. He turned back to her senseless body. She was turned more sideways than she was before, but her chest were still alive, raising and slowly dropping as she breathed.

He slowly got up from his spot and began walking towards the darker end of the tunnel. No matter how ominous it looked, or what ominous thing lied beyond the darkness, he continued. He leaned against the wall, using his arm for support.

After a few steps into the darkness, he arm slowly reached for a small bag as he knelt down to its level. He pulled open the bag and began to pull miscellaneous things out. One were three sets of guns, another was rolled up scroll like bag full of knives, big and small, another were matches, and another was a small bottle labeled 'highly flammable'. He would do his job anyway even if he had to take her with him.

"Tiger," he heard her soft and faint voice call out. He emptied the rest of the bag, leaving in the many bottle of pills at the bottom of the bag, and only put the four items he brought out back into the bag.

"I'm right here," he called back.

He began walking towards the less darker part of the tunnel where she laid. He watched as her head quickly turned from place to place, searching for him. Her eyes were not used to the dark yet. Tiger slowly knelt down in front of her and grabbed her shoulders. She let out a slight scream and jolted away from him.

"It's me," he said, chuckling softly at her discomfort. He could tell that she was glaring at him at the change of pressure. Tiger slowly shook his head and took a seat right next to her.

She slowly crawled away from him. He let out a laugh, and crawled towards her.

"Don't tell me that you're mad at me?" He got no answer.

"Echo, we're not kids anymore, so stop acting like one." His voice slowly grew toward the end. She looked at him and he could tell her glare was on fire. She slowly crawled towards him, so there was no space left between them. She stared at him, and it took a few minutes for her to open her mouth. At first, all that came out was a pitiful laugh.

"I'm the one being childish?" She let out another pitiful laugh.

"You're the one who is always running away from home, and I'm the one that's childish? You're the one who didn't even go to school, and I'm the one that's childish? You're the one who hates everyone, and I'm the one that's childish? Hell, you're the one who kidnapped me out of reasons unknown, and I'm the one that's childish?" Tiger said nothing.