Chapter two

Edmund Fane had just changed into a new set of clothes and set some out for the blonde girl. He hoped with any luck, she'd find them. His car was not so far behind and if only he could find his way back to it, that would be great. He was getting better at this, remembering. As he walked the trail path headed upwards and outwards to the far off road, he couldn't help but think about the girl that died and made him have to do this. She was also blonde. She liked all the kinky stuff and his grip was a little bit too tight. He wasn't sure when he realized she was dead. When her eyes bulged, or when her skin turned purple but he was never going to forget the red of the blood where her head was on the wall as it slid down out of his grip, putting her in a lifeless pile on the ground.

Edmund had committed many crimes and atrocities in his 23 years but he had never killed anyone until that day. It was the day that changed the course of his life. He knew what would happen if anyone was to die by his hands. He shouldve been more careful. He'd said this over and over to himself since that day. And even then, twelve years later, walking back to his car, he thought about it again. He'd left his clothes behind for the girl, that was more than he did for anyone else and yet he felt like something was missing. By the time he got to his car, the sun was up and shining brightly through the cracks in the clouds. He was sweating and almost out of breath which was a testament to his activities the night before. No gym or workout session could ever prepare anyone for that and he had come to terms with that. His joints hurt and his bones were sore. He wasn't quite healed yet. That was something else he was getting good at. Knowing what parts of his body were fully healed and what parts weren't. Even on the inside. The progress was minimal but existent and that was what mattered most.

Edmund sat in his car and put hid head on the steering wheel. He closed his eyes for about five minutes and tried to turn the car around but realized he couldn't physically bring his body to do that. He had to go home but deep down he knew he just had to find out something about the girl. This wasn't his first time out in the woods but it was his first time going back to check. He started the car and put his foot on the gas, going in the direction he felt she should be coming out from if she took the right way. Any sensible person would know that when lost in a forest, it's always wiser to go in the direction of the less dense and more open area with less trees, or so he thought. He wondered if she knew. If she found his cabin, if she found the clothes, if they were her size. He knew chances of the last one were slim as the clothes were his and even he couldn't deny that he was an unconventionally large man. That wasn't the case until twelve years before. As for the rest of the ifs, he thought it would be the day he found out if blondes were as dumb as they were reported to be. Compared to him she was relatively tiny, he almost couldn't see her or the tiny thumb she stuck out. The clothes looked exactly how he thought they would on her. Baggy. He really liked how they looked on her. It struck him just how true the thought was. And it wasn't that they looked good, they did but that wasn't the point. The point wast that he liked the thought of her in his clothes. As he got closer and drove slower, he could see the faint glow of the sun on her face, her eyes, her hair. There was something about the blonde of her hair with the sun against it but he just couldn't put his finger on what it was. Her skin was dry and she looked hot and cold at the same time. He slowed to a stop in front of her and she peered down, straightened out and looked behind him for more incoming cars. He smiled to himself, not just because of her rude behavior but because of the fact that he knew no one was going down that road. She didn't seem to know that. He did because he had been there many times before, often for the same reason he was there the night before. Only very daring people, criminals and creatures of the night dared to walk or in this case drive the path of the lonely highway. He wasn't even sure why she was there in the first place but he supposed instinct brought her there. He thought about the night before even as he explained to her how very little options she had. He thought about the white of her hair. He thought about her golden eyes and her delicate yet somehow defined features. He thought about her passion and ferocity, she was a real wolf. He was sure she wouldn't remember. She looked young so he was sure she was new. He wondered about who she had killed, about how she killed him or her. He handed her his driver's license when she asked and thought about her using the word pretty to describe him. He thought about how funny that sounded and about how unflattering sitting made his actual size. When she finally got in, he revved the engine and couldn't stop himself from asking the question. "You think I'm pretty?" and as he asked it, he knew he wanted to make her see more than just pretty but that would have to wait until after his meeting.