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Clockwork Heart Chapter 4.5 (ripper)

Ripper

Shadows hid the Ripper from view of the street but the Ripper could see everything with clarity. Coaches clicked along slowly, already slowing in their haste as night drew near. However hidden under their hood and with eyes so bright that they almost shone, the Ripper was just beginning its day. Pulling the cloth of tis cloak tighter around their body, they pressed themselves against the wall as footsteps got louder and louder.

A man scurried past, his coattails flapping behind him and black medical bag clutched firmly in hand. He did not stop for anything, just kept rushing forwards even after he almost got trampled by a clunking clockwork horse as it galloped through the streets. He lifted his greying head towards the heavens as he approached the large set of gates down the furthest end of the road and to the ripper it appeared as if he was praying to the heavens for assistance before he yanked sharply on the rope hanging by the seven foot high monstrosities.

The Ripper might have been curious if a light didn’t appear within the upper floor windows in the three story house across the street. The residence itself was rather unassuming, blending in with the gothic design that exuded from every other property on the street.

The Ripper leant closer, the light from the street lamps hitting the exposed hand and reflecting off so that drew the gaze of several pedestrians sill in the area. The Ripper didn’t care about them. Its gaze was focused upon the girl in the window as she brushed her hair and wandered about before the window without any real purpose.  

Not caring at the people now speculating about the figure lurking in the shadows, the Ripper stepped out into the light, making sure that their face remained hidden at all times. It walked up the street, seemingly leaving its target but it was when a coach came rearing around the corner that the being acted.

Jumping into the middle of the road, the Ripper stood perfectly still with its head ducked as the fast moving vehicle careened closer and closer.

The portly man who had been on the verge of falling asleep only a moment before, sat upright and started shouting as he realised there was a person just standing there in the middle of the road. At the last possible moment, he yanked hard upon the levers. The clockworks groaned under the pressure and a loud bang issued forth causing smoke to billow out before the entire coach veered left and sped into buildings where the ripper had been hiding between only moments before.

The explosion that ricocheted from the collision caused the floor beneath the Ripper to tremble. The figure turned to regard the chaos it had just caused, cocking its head to the side as they reviewed the billowing plumes of smoke with curiosity.

Doors started to open on both sides of the street, some already carrying buckets of water that sloshed as they hurried down their front steps. Other spilled out of their homes to watch from their front steps. The house of his victim was now wide open. Her parents, were one of the few who had run out to help, their shoes forgotten inside their house while they hurried to do what they could, calling for others to get the supplies they needed.

The Ripper almost smiled. They had just made its job so much easier. Taking the steps two at a time, the ripper climbed up to the front of the house, pausing on the threshold to survey the street. No one was paying any mind to the dark figure thus it went unnoticed when the cloaked being stepped inside and shut the door firmly behind them, taking extra care to turn the lock. It wouldn’t do to have someone sneaking up on the Ripper while they were working.

The Ripper didn’t take much note of the house or its décor. Its eyes were focused on the stairs that lay ahead. Moving forwards on the balls of its feet, the Ripper knocked back its hood as it crept up the stairs. Skin the colour of honey and hair that was white, too while spilled over the shoulders. And yet the skin and hair looked strange in the lamp light, they shone unnaturally bright like they weren’t skin and hair …but something else.

Its lips twitched as it climbed, forming a smile that would haunt children’s nightmares if they even laid eyes upon it. But no one would see the face and live. Only the Ripper’s victims got the privilege to look in the eye of the murdered the second before their heart was ripped from their chests.

Thus, when the Ripper swiftly moved up the stairs and glided among the landing, they did not try to shy away or hide their presence. The ripper wanted them to know that they were coming, that the Ripper was coming for them. It always provoked a reaction, an excitement that resonated with the hunter within.

Reaching the end of the hall, the figure tilted its head so its hair flopped over its shoulder and then waited. The hubbub outside was loud but due to the proximity, the hunter could hear its prey anxiously pacing up the length of the room.

For a moment, all fell still and then the front door jiggled downstairs. The Ripper’s smile widened but it meant nothing good for the young woman on the other side of the door. It simply made the anticipation all the sweeter.

With a swift and powerful kick the door burst open. It swung forth with so much force that it ricocheted off of the wall with a loud crash. The young woman who had been mid pace at the time of impact, screamed and jumped back, her eyes widening as they caught sight of the thing imposing upon her space for it was a thing…it certainly wasn’t human. Nothing human could look so humanlike and yet be as cold and unfeeling as metal.

The rattling of the door down stairs became louder as the Ripper’s little thief backed up into the wall looking much like a weak and feeble lamb. Advancing, the Ripper pulled back its sleeves and grinned so wide that its teeth were showing. This terrified the woman even more as she edged towards the corner of the room effectively trapping her in.

“You have something of mine,” a soft velvety voice rung out, brushing against the woman’s ears like a gentle caress that had her eyes fluttering shut in a mixture of acceptance and comfort. It was the voice of death to her and the inevitability brought about a release.

“I don’t have anything of yours.” The young girl whispered as her red hair fell into her face.

For a moment the Ripper paused. What if she was telling the truth? The figure questioned before shaking its head and continuing its advance. It didn’t matter, only by seeing could they believe. The Ripper had heard the townsfolk say it often and during those times it had washed over the killer’s mind like an ocean waves upon the sand but now, as this little woman quivered against the wall, the hunter finally understood.

“We shall see.”

 The eyes blinked open, at the same time the Ripper closed the gap between. There was an exchange of body heat, one feeling the flushed warmth coming off the nervous prey while the other felt the chilly absence of heat. Gooseflesh formed on the cowering woman’s skin as she stared into the eyes of dear.

With a sharp thrust, the Ripper thrust forwards just as the door downstairs was forced open. But it was too late. The parents were running up the stairs, calling out in loud voice for their daughter. However she was frozen. Her lips parted as if to speak but blood bubbled up in the corner of the mouth and she blinked with wide rolling eyes as the Ripper pulled back their arm with her heart encased firmly within the beings hand.

Opening and closing her mouth, she tried to speak but like the strings had been cut, the young woman fell to the ground in a heap. Her blood seeped from her body, pooling out from the gaping hole in her chest while the Ripper, who had literally torn the life from her body.

They didn’t care. The figure spared one glance at the prone form before pulling the hood back up so that they were hidden from view once more before walking to the nearest window. It had been pulled open so that the girl could watch the spectacle on the street but for the Ripper it provided the perfect escape route.

The tingling on the back of the beings neck drew its glance backwards and with no emotion at all it stared at the mother and father as they balked in their door way. Both had gone pale and clutched one another as they saw their limp daughter and her blood that now glossed over the floor.

The ripper glanced back once more before leaping out of the window. Disappointed flooded through its veins as it hit the floor with a thud, the heart still clutched within its grasp. It wasn’t what they were looking for, but it would do… for now.