The Presentation.

 
 Scarpe! Slam! Slice! Up and down, her helpless feet danced as her stubborn body fought desperately to maintain life's precious elements. Wound! Stab! Fresh, warm blood splashes endlessly upon my person as I continue to thrust cold steel into the sacred, warm temple of flesh. Crash! Crack! Silence! Finally, the last of her naive tears have dried up... soon, my darling, you shall be at last... You'll Achieve Your Fame!!!

He straightened his dark blue leather jacket as he confidently stepped out into the crowded streets of the 15th Arrondissement, Paris. It was an unsurprisingly fabulous mid-fall day. As the thudding of the civilian's footsteps, along with the heavy rumbling of driving vehicles, a sense of curious excitement rocked the beating heart of Peter Matthews.

Like many of us, Peter Matthews has spent the last several years struggling to make ends meet, frustrated, and hungry for his big chance in life. But he never got it. That is, until this morning. During a spicy morning with his partner and unofficial girlfriend, Pam, Peter received that call, which was meant to change his life forever.

After briefly waiting at the front entrance of his apartment for a taxi, Peter marshaled over his legions of thoughts as a faded yellow vehicle pulled up to the side of the street. Leaping quickly at the door handle with his right hand, Peter moved inside the car, told the driver his destination, and sat silently. 

It was a ten-minute drive to the train station, and the train ride was another twenty minutes to get outside the city. Once the trip was finished, Peter met up with another taxi, whom he paid extra to take him to the supposed gruesome crime scene that shocked the local farming community. Drowning in a sea of adrenaline, Peter slipped his nervous finger around a thin cigarette in a childish attempt to steady his nerves.

With a sudden jerk to the right, the taxi began traveling down a straight, dangerously narrow dirt road. The road was rough and uneven, and the yellow vehicle bounced and jolted as it moved towards the scene of the crime. Feeling the car jerk to a painful stop, Peter pushed open the door and stepped out into the sun's natural brutal sights. Removing the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out the smoke from his lungs, Peter gazed up at the seemingly pleasant old house in front of him. It had been forty minutes since Peter had received the call, though he knew Pam would have preferred to accompany him on this new assignment, but Peter refused. Thankfully for him, Peter had asked a friend to keep Pam busy for a few hours, who happily agreed. As he glanced over the old farmhouse, images of death that were born from life's end invaded Peter's thoughts - from those very memories when a newly awakened infant first opens their weak eyes into the sun's bright, comforting light to the final seconds before an elderly's view fades into an endless darkness that no soul can share.

As Peter approached the old farmhouse, the faint metal sounds of a large wind chime created a hauntingly hollow music that lulls the listener into a seductive and charming quality that most of the sane world would call perverted. This strangely fascinated Peter's more profound and prideful thoughts for some unknown reason. It was the discovery or study of an individual who possesses a desire to inflict harm and selfish brutalities upon another child of God, mainly when the killer had a twisted, creative, and inhuman set of skills within the fields of predator and prey. Yet, in a very controversial opinion, Peter was completely curious about such a person.

"Are you coming to cause trouble again?" a familiar voice approached Peter. " Or are you bored with playing babysitter with the pretty young thing?"

" No!" Peter replied curtly as he shook hands with his older brother and deputy for the local police, Johnathon Matthews. Since they were kids, Johnathon has acted like Peter's trusted father figure. The brothers had a good relationship in their fields of work. Still, they had sadly grown distant from one another personally, with Peter specifically feeling that his brother was too controlling towards Pam.

" Damn you, Pete. Do you still have to come off so sensitive? " Johnathon joked with a jab to his brother's arm. " You know, I'm just teasing ya."

Peter loosened his tightened shoulders and began to relax. " Sorry, John. I didn't mean to come off so defensive. If the office hasn't got you shackled to your desk, you can join Pam and me for a drink."

" Actually, I won't be able to accept your offer, kid," Johnathon said severely, putting aside his sibling's misgivings with a firm handshake. I will need to speak with you and Pam about this job. I can't predict how this will ultimately play out, but I need to ensure that you understand the real danger this poses to Pam; you can't have her rushing off half-cocked and stumbling upon this individual. You know me?"

" What makes you think that?" Peter asked back.

" Come on, " Johnathon sighed as he pulled on his clean-brown hair, " You'll see what I mean..."

Stay Tuned for Part 2.