Eat your heart out

“I sat there covered with blood dripping down my hands, and all I can think about was how great that felt to let go of the anger. I hope someone doesn’t see!” Thought Devin. “I just killed someone.” Devin said as he looked towards the mirror and smiled. Devin has been on a rampage ever since his fiancé was killed out of the blue. The culprits have evaded the police on more than one occasion and it wasn’t fair. Devin had purchased a thoughtful gift for Kelsie. A handmade heart-shaped locket that contained an engagement ring. She has no idea. The locket was sealed shut until Devin opens it. Unfortunately, that day will never come because Kelsie isn’t here anymore.

The night he went to purpose was the nightmare of a lifetime. Three masked men surrounded their car and smashed the windows. They pulled them from the car and tied them to chairs, bound and gagged. Devin began to wake up to the sounds of the love of his life screaming. “Please don’t!” Kelsie pleaded. “Devin, please wake up.” Finally, Devin began to open his eyes. What he says next shook him to his very core.

The three assailants stood next to Kelsie with knives drawn. Each one of them taking turns carving out a piece of flesh from her body. One by one each of the men snickered and mumbled “for baba yaga!” Each masked figure knew where to remove the most flesh without a lot of blood sluing out of the slices. Moments later, a fourth masked man emerges from the shadows wearing a detailed devil mask. Horns, goatee, and ripped cloth. He leans in close to Kelsie’s ear and with a deep raspy growl whisper “We’re here!”

After hearing the words, Kelsie let out a whaling last-minute scream before Baba Yaga takes his seven-inch steel blade and forcefully stabs her in her neck coming out the other side. With such ease he moved the blade forward severing the corraded artery. Blood is spewing everywhere. Covering everyone in the room. Devin cannot move or speak. His eyes glazed over. He just witnessed the love of his life get slain like a sheep being led to a slaughterhouse.

After a few hours, Devin becomes conscience. He opens his eyes and looks around the room with confusion. Finally, he sees Kelsie. Her throat wasn’t intact anymore. Her tongue was sticking out of her neck twitching. He realizes he was untied with the murder weapon close by. He hears the sirens of the Anderson police department of Madison County. Devin panicked. He remained seated to wait for the officers to come in.

“APD get on the ground and hands behind you back!” screamed Officer Jackson. Devin screams “I didn’t do this!” Officer Jackson reads Devin his rights. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”

Devin remained silent while the handcuffs were slapped forcefully on his wrists. Officer Jackson finished the left wrist. He was almost to the right when Devin headbutted him and took off running. The officer fell to ground grabbing his nose. Devin sprinted towards Kelsie’s lifeless corpse and grabbed the locket and took off out the door.

A few days later Devin remembered something from that night. He recognized the voices that murdered his fiancée. The three lower levels were Daniel Piese, Roman Ellis, Josh Upshaw. The big gun aka Baba Yaga, was none other than his uncle, Eric Holstrom. Eric was a small-time drug dealer who spent most of his adult teens and early 20s in prison for dealing heroin. Devin’s testimony was the key piece of evidence in his incarceration.

Devin had awakened form his nap and looked over at his night stand. Kelsie’s heart-shaped locket was sitting in a dry pool of her blood. Devin picked it up and immediately had a flash back of the night he gave it to her. “What’s this for?” Kelsie asked. “It’s for our four-year anniversary tomorrow.” replied Devin. She opened the box. Inside was a large rosy yellow gold and ruby heart shaped locket with a star shaped detail center. Finely engraved on the front were the words “after all this time?” and she opened it and on the inside of the front the word “Always” was engraved. A line from their favorite movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She gasped at the immaculate beauty of this necklace and couldn’t contain her emotions. Devin took it from her hands and came up behind her to put it on her. “I love you so much,” said Kelsie. Devin replied “I love you too, now tomorrow when we have dinner, I will show you the best surprise of all with the necklace!” He let her keep wearing the necklace because she had no idea that her life, their lives, were about to change forever.

Devin snapped out of his fantasy world and came back to reality. Devin played that night over and over in his head. From the time they were taken to the time he escaped. HE focuses on one person at a time. Up first, is Daniel Piese. Five foot six inches of put unprofessionalism. No respect, no loyalty, no life. Daniel lives in an apartment on the upper north side of Anderson, and Devin has been there less than three times. A small studio apartment with only a fridge and a stove top. Daniel has a few clothing selections to make each day. He washes his clothes in his sink with dish soap.

Daniel started to notice a few items missing from his closet. A pair of old torn sneakers and his jacket that he wore with Kelsie’s blood that he kept for a token. He began to worry. Daniel scrummaged through the newspaper and read the headline from his part in the murder. “Local woman found brutally murdered!” Daniel read some more and realized a horrid truth. Devin was not found at all. He scrambled to his phone and called the others. No-one answered. His heart sank further and further into his chest. He walked into his tiny apartment and everything went black.

When Daniel came to, he was groggy and had a terrible migraine. Devin looked at him and asked, “Do you know why you're here?” Daniel replied, “Not really, but I recognize the locket around your neck!” Filled with a semblance of relief, Devin began to unwrap his tools that he picked up a few hours before for his torture session with good ole Daniel. “Why did you take her from me? What was the reason? ANSWER ME!” Devin screamed. Daniel began to sob and try to think of a reason good enough but his mind was blank.

Devin began by securing Daniel to the chair a gagged him with a dirty cloth. Devin reached into his bag and pulled out a 7 series double speed drill with a side handle for better control. The drill was between 410rpm and 1750rpm. Devin took the drill battery and clipped it onto the drill and gave the trigger a squeeze. A loud high-pitched whirring sound erupted and Daniel began to shake with fear. Devin removed the gag and began to question him again. “Who else was there? What are the names?” Devin asked, as he brought the drill closer to his thigh. “I only knew one guy, Roman Ellis. He is the one that told me that his boss needed another guy for this job.” Daniel responded, “Give me a name!” “His name is Roman Ellis, I just told you that.” Daniel shouted.

Devin placed the drill closer to his thigh and went to work. He pressed the trigger down and pushed the drill into Daniel’s thigh. Upon bringing the drill out, the drill bit was covered in blood, tissue and a lot of muscle. Daniel is screaming for it to stop, but Devin moves to another part. Devin puts the drill up to the ribcage and digs it in between his ribs. “Please stop, I told you everything you wanted!” Said Daniel. Devin digs the drill deeper and deeper. Devin screamed “I don’t care, you took someone from me, so I am taking you from someone!” Devin removed the drill. More blood and a piece of his lung was at the end of the drill bit. Devin took the drill and placed it on Daniel’s sweaty temple, and started to laugh. “Feel what I feel!” Devin said. He pulled the trigger and jammed it inside Daniel’s temple. Daniel started to seize. Blood sluing from his mouth and nose. Devin began to bring the drill in and out of his temple. When Devin was finished, he removed the drill and what came out the insertion site was horrid. Brain matter, blood, and some skull fragments. Devin sat and stared at the drill bit for a long time. He laughed. Devin reached for the heart shaped locket still around his neck. He embraced it and look up and said “Baby, one down. Three more to go. I love you, Kelsie!” Devin then went to bathroom and washed his hands. Later that night, he walked over to his cork board and crossed the name off the list. With a smile on his face and as he started to laugh, he spoke three words, “Next, Roman Ellis!”