Killer Among Us Read Online Free Page B

soothed her.
    “ I’m Sophie.”
    “ I’m Kane. It looked like
you were running from something.”
    “ Yes,” she replied in a
shaky whisper. “This is going to sound crazy; I was running because
there was…I thought… a head rolled into my feet.”
    Kane blinked. “What?”
    “ Oh, I know it sounds…See,
I got lost…the head, it just rolled out of the sack and it landed
on the sidewalk next to my feet.”
    She was babbling and her face was still
white with shock. Kane unwrapped the candy and slid it between her
lips, she bit down gracefully and the sugar hit her system, jolting
her back to reality somewhat.
    “ That sounds crazy,
right?”
    “ Did you see his face?” He
asked.
    “ Uh, no, he wore a cap. It
was likely a Halloween mask or something; it just scared the shit
out of me.”
    “ Have you heard of The
Creeper?”
    “ No.”
    Her accent placed her as being from out of
town. “Are you here visiting?”
    “ No, I moved here two weeks
ago.”
    Kane felt his stomach tighten. He glanced
down at the toes of her tennis shoes, wondering if the head she
thought she had seen rolling into her shoe had left any evidence
behind. “Can you tell me where this happened?”
    “ No,” her face fell. “I was
lost and then I ran…I’m sorry. You think I am a lunatic I’m sure. I
should get home, my dog will be afraid if I’m gone too
long.”
    His eyes went to her hands; no ring. She was
alone. All alone and she may have very well spotted the Creeper. It
was a long shot, but he had to take it.
    Sophie became aware of the sounds that were
echoing through the space suddenly. Her head jerked up and her eyes
dilated, her nostrils flared like an animal that has scented
danger. Muffled screams, the sound of flesh hitting flesh; it rose
slightly above the music.
    “ What…what is that?” she
asked in a quavering voice. Stark horror darkened her eyes as she
asked the question.
    She probably thinks she wandered into a
building filled with killers, Kane thought.
    “ It’s a party. This is a
BDSM club. It is for people who are into bondage and
kink.”
    That sunk in. She didn’t look shocked by it
even though she was obviously confused. “You mean like whips and
chains and that sort of thing?”
    “ Yes, to a point. I need
your shoe.”
    “ What?”
    Kane leaned very close to her ear. “I’m a
cop. I’m working a case and I think you may have just seen
something that can help.”
    She looked dazed, “You’re here working a
case?”
    “ No I’m here for personal
reasons, or at least, I was. I need your shoe and I need to get you
somewhere safe.”
    Fear shot into her belly. Her distrust of
authority spiraled up, as did her realization that she was a
criminal with a newly expunged record and a very precarious
future.
    She decided to play along but only so she
could escape. Thinking quickly, she nearly spat out the words, “I
need to use the bathroom.”
    “ There are no
windows.”
    She gaped at him. “What?”
    “ Trust me,
okay?”
    “ I can’t.” The note of
hysteria in her voice told him all he needed to know, she wasn’t
making it up, she had seen something, whether that turned out to be
what she thought it had been was up for debate but he had a hunch
and his gut was rarely wrong.
    Sophie darted off the couch and through the
large double doors. She had meant to seek out a secondary exit but
instead she stood transfixed at the scene in front of her.
    A large open space spread before her, on the
sides, close to the walls, were strange X-shaped pieces of
furniture made out of heavy wood. People were standing up on the
small boards that sat at the end of those X’s, their arms up and
shackled to the highest points. Chains glinted in the dimness.
Heavy bass laden music thudded and beat from the speakers, down the
center of the room stood spanking benches, some of them occupied.
Naked flesh was everywhere, women dressed in scanty outfits and men
wearing leather milled about watching the other