CONSUME

09.

CHAPTER NINE

Esther had once read that you could die from a broken heart. Broken heart syndrome, it could be caused by extreme emotion and stressful situations. While her heart wasn't broken, it felt empty. Her heart felt so empty that her chest was an aching void, tearing at her flesh and consuming her being.

"You can leave, or I can kill you."

Mia had looked at her with despair.

She had begged her to leave, pleaded.

Her death had been quick.

Esther couldn't feel panic in her body, she felt crushing despair. It was an emptiness that gnawed at her, leaving her with a void her mind couldn't fathom.

"Isn't this romantic, I've already killed twice for you!" His words were a string of amused mockery. His eyes searched hers, desperate for acknowledgment.

She had never experienced looking at someone and seeing nothing, his stare held no remorse and his touch felt bizarre.

"You're sick."

"You escalated things, love. I held the gun but you pulled the trigger."

"No-"

"You knew I would do what I needed. You were stupid enough to involve the two, blame yourself."

"That's-"

"You think they were your real friends? He sold you out in a second and the other one? She got you here, all alone-"

"Stop it."

She wanted to hurt him, to strike him as hard as she could because his words were cutting trough her and leaving her heart broken.

"Beg me."

A sadistic smirk covered his face.

"Are you going to kill me now?" She asked, her wrists going numb from his strong hold.

"No, you're mine to keep." He seemed satisfied with himself as he answered.

"Are you arrogant enough to think you'll get away with this?" She spat out.

"Two dead teens and a missing girl, I might just pin it on you sweetheart."

The harrowing fact that he could in fact do something so wicked made her quiet. He held the control in this.

It made her fear how many times he'd gotten away with killing someone.

"I think the whole town will turn on you-"

His obnoxious words were cut off with a scream as she bit into his shoulder, showing her knee hard against him and kicking with her feet as he lost his grip on her.

She took the few seconds of advantage to run.

She had never run so fast in her life.

She could hear the music from the house, seeing the lights appear as she neared the end of the path.

Her lungs burned, her legs ached and the nightmare of his hands around her neck played in her head as pushed herself Rutgers.