He hesitated like he wanted to say more, but there was no time. I had to get inside. Her property was gated, but otherwise, it didn’t have any extra security other than a regular alarm system (this is why learning background information about a Target is crucial. It’s a real timesaver later). So once we got past the gate, it wasn’t any trouble to make it up to the house. I knew the security system was likely off because it was afternoon, so I didn’t hesitate to walk up to the front door and try to open it.
It opened.
I ran into the house, yelling Frankie’s name, praying all over again that I wasn’t too late to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life.
“Olly?” she called, coming around the corner and stopping in the wide archway that led into the large kitchen.
“Please tell me you didn’t…” I rushed forward.
Her face went pale and the bottom fell out of my stomach. No. Please. No.
Rosalyn walked around the corner behind Frankie. “Who’s this?”
All the air whooshed out of my lungs and I felt myself smiling. I grabbed Frankie and pulled her against me, crushing her into a hard hug. “Thank God I made it in time.”
“How are you here?” she asked me, her voice muffled against my chest.
“It doesn’t matter. We need to leave.”
“What’s going on?” Rosalyn asked. “Frankie, is everything okay?”
I released Frankie so we could make up some lame excuse and get the hell out of there, when a black cloud rose up behind Rosalyn. It looked like one of those heavy rain clouds that blow over entire towns quickly and unexpectedly just before dumping a ton of hard rain over everything.
He acted fast, holding out what I assumed was both his arms, and then placed his hands over both her ears. His soul worked fast, funneling itself inside the Target, slipping into her head in seconds before she even knew what was happening.
She lifted a hand to her head to wipe her brow like she had a headache, and when she looked up, Storm had taken over.
“I figured it would be easier this way,” Storm said, his voice now the voice of the Target. “Plus, now you won’t have to hear her ask a bunch of questions.”
“Thanks, man.”
Then I swiftly snapped her neck.
She fell to the floor instantly. Dead.
Yes, it was that quick. I wasn’t about to draw it out and make things harder than they already were.
And this was hard.
This wasn’t something anyone wanted. Least of all me. I was weary of killing. Weary of death.
“Oh,” Frankie gasped. “Is she…?”
I stepped aside so she could look down at the body. So she could fully understand what she was getting into when she said she wanted a life with me.
No, I didn’t want her to change her mind, but I didn’t want her to one day look in the mirror and wonder who the hell she had become. I understood that feeling well.
“She’s dead,” I said, flat. “Give me your cell phone.”
She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to me. I dialed G.R. and handed the phone back. “Tell him it’s done and then hang up.”
He answered a few seconds later.
Frankie did as I told her and then stared down at the body. So did I, but not because of the incredible guilt I felt (though, I admit I did feel guilt), but because I was wondering where Storm was. Why was he still in that body?
I didn’t try to comfort her because there was no comfort in this and coming from the man who just murdered someone without blinking, the comfort probably wouldn’t be that good anyway.
The Reaper appeared like he always did and Frankie looked at me swiftly, fear in her face.
