52The back door to Mrs Clarks was slightly rotten. In my bag of goodies was a crowbar. After a quick assessment, I saw that the frame would split easily by the lock. I wiggled the bar into a small crack and pulled. The wood started to make cracking and splintering sounds. Slowly adding more pressure until the catch popped. The door swung opened a little more violently than I anticipated but the sound was minimal. Taking a quick look around before entering I saw no one.Inside the house was dark and quiet. Even in the shadows, I could tell that this place was tidy and clean. From my bag, I took some cable ties and a knife. To keep my movement silent I took off my shoes and walked on the balls of my feet. From the kitchen to the living room and up the stairs. All the doors were open making it easy to find the right room. She didn’t move a muscle as I stood over her sleeping body. Her mouth hung open it amused me to see her without her teeth. At the same time, it s

54 Night was drawing in and the orange glow from the street lights was dull and muted. Sporadically cars would pass the house of Mrs Clark. After a full day with the bitch I found she didn’t have as many friends or family who cared about her as I thought she might. Not once did her phone ring. That gave me hope that she wouldn’t be found for a few days. Killing Mrs Clark was not as joyous as I had hoped. The bitch had managed to get under my skin and I had killed her sooner than I wanted to. I had planned to take her limbs slowly one by one from toe to neck. Cauterising each wound as I went stopping the bleeding. But no I just slit her throat making her death quick. Before leaving the house I changed my clothes and wiped down anything I had touched. When leaving the house I did a quick fix on the door lock so from the outside it looked closed. In reality, the door would come open easily but that didn’t matter. As far as I could see things were ok. No people about and

56My thumb was in agony and I was in a fucking mess. Light was Less than when I first walked in but not low enough for me to go unnoticed if I was seen. I forced myself to look at my thumb even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. It was shorter than the last time I looked at it and bent at a strange angle. Suddenly vomit rose up and flooded my mouth and sprayed out of my lips. Sick splashed on the ground by my blood-covered shoes spattering them completing my ensemble. My hands were shaking with the pain I can now feel from my thou. I took another look at my thumb. It was now clear after a second look that I had pushed my thumb out of its socket and up into the back of my hand slightly. With my right hand, I wrapped my fingers around my thumb and pulled. The pain was unbelievable. Somehow I managed to pull it forward and it clicked back. It still hurt but nowhere near as much as before.“OH MY GOD! CARLA.”Who ever was in the bar had obviou

58 Adam was now in bed and I was pacing up and down. My mind was working overtime playing out different scenarios. When she said don’t wait up was she meaning she wasn’t coming back? Could she have been insinuating that she was going to sleep with another man? The bag of blood covered clothes caught my eye. This would be a welcome distraction. I would go and burn them ready to throw away somewhere. Oh, and while I was at it I could change my number plates. By the time the tasks are done, she might be back and we can make up. Hours were ticking by at a pace that was not good for my mental health. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes like hours. Why did time have to pass like this? Why couldn’t all-time move at the same pace? Well there is nothing for it at eleven twenty-six and forty-three seconds I’m going to bed and when I wake up in the morning she will be here with a the mother of all hangovers and a baby to look after as I go to work. Then who will be laughing?

60Lou seemed to still have something on her mind after our little spat. I had been avoiding the inevitable conversation for days now. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife when either one of us walked into a room with the other tension was evident. It was bugging me that more and more people seemed to be getting suspicious of me. Maybe if I look back at my life people have always had an aversion to me. Not many stayed around me for long. Lou was probably the longest relationship out of family I have had and we had only known each other for about six months now. Today I was planning to go car shopping but this with Lou was getting to me. I was going to have it out with her today before I told her about going car shopping. Straight after the washing up was done. Yes I’m fully aware that in procrastinating but. But nothing do it and get it over with I told myself. Right here it goes.“Lou can you come here a minute please.”I called to her as