The Tears Devourer

XXIII

     "What the f**k?" Patton whispered on the other side of town as he checked the news in the comfort of his living room after arriving from school.

     "... unfortunately, the girl's body was found, dead, by the local authorities. We have... Jessica, are you there? Do you hear us?"

     "But... what the f**k happened to the chain?" Michael's pupils dilated a few extra millimeters. He walked to the edge of his bed, resting both hands on his knees and bringing his torso closer to the screen. "Damn! Show the body...!"

     "No... We still have nothing new, Matt. The body has been transferred to the central hospital Downtown after the official statement of the coroner, just a couple of hours ago. Since that event, the press has been removed from the surroundings. The Lt. of the W.D.P.D., Jason Quintana, has not wanted to comment on the matter, and has kept the rest of the participating police squad aside from the macabre discovery."

     "Ok, fine. Let's think about this s**t. She's got a few bruises on her skin, marks from the wires, a few fewer teeth… ” And that's when he imagined that piece out of place. The burn. Yes. The others never had burns. This one has burned heels... But, the eyes... Oh, fuck."

     "Matt ... Ok, yes... No, Matt, for now, the identity of the body remains silent, the only thing... The only thing we were able to rescue was the s*x and age, as we mentioned earlier. The body belongs to a woman, between fifteen and twenty years old, in very poor physical condition... That is, marks were found all over her body, she had bruises on her limbs and marks on her hands and feet, as if she had been tied tightly in those areas. At least that is what the photos that have come to light show us, and that were taken at the time of the discovery."

     "But show the damn photos...!" Patton moved closer to the screen, only because suddenly an image was released by the program. "Shit..."

     The image they showed, only represented an amorphous and blurred silhouette of a lady. A total amalgam of cream, black and white; which did not allow any detail to be observed. They commented that by channel regulations, they could not show the strong images during child protection hours, far from it, because they hurt the sensitivity of viewers.

     "Well, Rachel, if I don't want to lose you, I have to act fast." He took a deep breath and blew out a long, heavy sigh. "I guess I can't wait till the dance. It'll have to be as soon as possible before they tie ropes and notice my presence in this s**t hole."

     "And how do you plan to do it?"

     "Well... Just like the rest, right? I'll ask her out and… ” He trailed off for a moment, rambling with his thoughts.

     "And... They're going to catch you. If you use the same as with Ariana, they will catch you."

     "If I ask her out, it will no longer be a coincidence that two people disappear suddenly and in the same way with me..." He got out in his room, and began to turn, from his bed to the window and back.

     "It must be different, Michael. This time, no one should know you saw her."

     "Tomorrow's Saturday. How am I supposed to get her out of her house without anyone seeing me?"

     "Look at the clock, boy. You have enough time to wait for her to leave the house for any reason right now."

     "To take out the trash, to take a call, to see a familiar face peek out of your window."

     "Exactly. The opportunity won't magically come to you, Michael, you must go for it."

     "But what if it doesn't happen? What I do? Do I wait all night outside until fate tempts me?"

     "It always tempts you, Michael. One way or another, it always tempts you. You just have to be patient."

     "I know, I know. But, there are many hours of waiting..."

     "Wait for what?" The door of his room suddenly opened. Mathew, his father, showed a third of his body, exposing a half-finished beer in his left hand. "Who are you talking to?"

     "With Thom... Thom Hopper." Michael hastily pulled his phone out of his pocket and placed it face down on his right thigh. "We're doing a group experiment for the chemistry lab... Uh, we need to keep an egg under..."

     "Yeah, yeah, yeah," his father snorted. "There's pizza in the refrigerator. Help yourself.” He left the room, leaving the door open.

     "Wait for him to sleep, and go." The second voice continued.

     "I guess I'll have to wait for fate to do its part," Patton whispered. 

     Mysticism counts, that people receive exactly what they are trying to attract. At that moment, Michael Patton had finally found the perfect replica for his revenge. This woman, who would satisfy him in ways no one else could have before. And he was in luck, as Rachel was mired in total terror and mistrust. In a totally opposite way from Patton. Suddenly, fate would conspire to bring them together, but not in the way anyone would dream of.