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Either I passed out, or he knocked me out, but it doesn’t matter because both had the same outcome. And now, I’m no longer in the chair. I'm laid out on the floor.
My heart pounds as I take in my situation. Arms pulled taut above my head, hands tied together with rope. I am tethered to the beam behind me.
I try to kick, but that’s when I realize this time, my legs are restrained, too. My ankles are tied.
Oh, shit. Is this how he killed them? A chill runs up my spine.
He has me placed so that the shape of my body makes my arms point in a specific direction. North. I’m lying here tied down and pointed north.
I’m the next victim of The Compass Killer.
My limbs shake as I try to pull my arms free. The rope burns at my wrists, chafing the delicate skin.
“Oh, I see you’ve decided to wake up and join me for fun time.”
Stone crosses the space, and then gets down on his knees, crawling over my body.
I try to buck my hips to move him off me, but it’s no use. I can’t get enough force behind my movements to do anything.
“There, there. It will all be over soon. Just shush and be a good girl,” he coos, lifting his hand and letting me see the knife he’s holding.
He looks unhinged as he stares at me. His gaze doesn’t meet mine. Instead, he looks through me in a far-off zone.
His arm moves quickly, and the blade is pressed against my throat.
It’s not cutting, though, just resting, but if I were to move, it would slice through my skin.
“Tell . . . tell me about N-N-North,” I quietly stutter out. I need him out of this trance. When he looks at me, it’s as though he can imagine my body drained of blood.
If I can get him to talk about his brother, maybe I can buy myself more time to come up with a plan.
His eyes go wide at my question, and he pulls the knife from where it rests.
I almost let out a sigh of relief, but I don’t dare move.
It could tip him that I’m trying to buy time, and I can’t have that.
When I can no longer see the blade, my body starts to relax. I’m still scared, but when I look into Stone’s eyes, they are no longer hollow and lost. He’s present with me now, and although this version of him still petrifies me, I know for the time being, I’ll be alive.
“North . . .” he says to himself, and then he lifts off where he’s crouched over my body and moves to a standing position.
My chest heaves when he turns around and moves toward the chair against the wall.
When he slumps into the seat, I do exhale.
“North has always been my responsibility,” he starts, then tilts his head up and closes his eyes. “North didn’t have the childhood I did. I’m older than him.”
“You raised him?”
His eyes open and meet mine. “I did.” He leans forward, placing his elbows on his thighs. The hilt of the blade is still in his hand, but it’s not raised. Instead, it rests on his leg.
“How?”
“I’m much older than him. Ten years. North wasn’t planned. And the truth of it . . . he wasn’t wanted, either. Our mother resented him being here and ruining her perfect life. From the minute he was born, she hated him.”
My chest tightens, knowing full well what it felt like to be the unwanted child.
“She was terribly unhappy—”
“Where was your dad?” I interrupt. I know a little about this, his job kept him away, but I need to hear this from him to understand more than the town gossip.
“He traveled for work. He was a builder.” He nods. “The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. We all are . . .” His words trail off. He shakes his head. It’s like he’s pulling himself back to the present. “She would cheat on dad when he was away. She became an alcoholic, a drug addict. Even before they both were gone, I was the one who cared for North. He was mine.”
“What happened to your dad?”
“Dear old Dad . . .” He smirks. “He got smart and came home early one day. Found Mom’s lover in bed with her.” His smile widens. “So much power in dad’s hands that when he grabbed her lover’s throat, it didn’t take long to strangle him. A crime of passion they called it. But unfortunately, a crime, nonetheless. Went to jail and then died there, too.”
“And your mother?”
“What my mother put North through, now that was a crime. He was so small when Dad went away. And I wasn’t old enough yet to take care of him. If I were, I would have killed her sooner.”
