Lucien said nothing, staring at Jack while focusing on his movements.
"I noticed you awhile back when you passed my neighborhood and I cannot help but to see how beautiful you are!" Jack said feverously while smiling, the tips of the sides of his mouth almost touching his ears.
"Why did you follow me, handsome? It's still not your turn, I'm busy right now with something," Jack asked, contemplation visible on his face.
Lucien replied with silence.
"Then you cannot leave my house then, you already saw me," Jack said as he slowly approached Lucien.
"You buried them alive and then smashed their faces with a hammer," Lucien said as he pulled out a hammer resembling the one that was used by Jack.
For the first time, Jack stood there in a daze, forgetting everything that he was doing. Murderous intent sprang up inside his vision as he stared at Lucien while smiling widely.
" You know that yet you still came, what a foolish decision, handsome one, are you with the police?" Jack asked Lucien as he gripped the crimson hammer of his, the blood of his victim dying it red.
"No," Lucien said calmly as he slowly inched closer to Jack, still unaware that the distance between them was being bridged.
"Then why are you here? You're not here to arrest me," Jack said as he grinned like a starving predator.
Tension filled up the atmosphere of the room, with both of them holding their respective hammers. The slightest movement of one of their hand will be the signal of their battle. Jack's breathing quickened, excited at the thought of his prey fighting back.
"Oh, I cannot wait to see the despair of your beautiful face when you're buried in the ground!" Jack said maniacally as he licked the bloody hammer of his.
Jack still didn't notice but Lucien was just one step away from completely closing the distance between them. Jack smelled of the earth and decay. His clothes dirtied and full of mud. His face was a face only a mother can love, full of lumps and pus was constantly leaking from them. He looks like a monster.
With Lucien's height, he can immediately reach Jack's hand that is holding the hammer by just dashing through but Lucien waited. A true predator knows the time when to truly strike.
Then Jack moved first. He lunged as quick as a cat, wielding his hammer. He swung his right hand overhead, targeting Lucien's face. With the darkness all around them, they could only hear the sounds of their movement and see the silhouettes of their bodies.
Lucien was no ordinary predator though. He moved before Jack even swung his arm, sidestepping the heavy swing. The attack passed him by inches, ruffling his unkempt hair with a mini gale.
Lucien then struck the hand holding the hammer, prompting Jack to shriek loudly as his whole right hand was broken by the sheer force of Lucien's swing.
Lucien then swung the hammer on Jack's face, breaking numerous of his teeths and his nose, as he fell on his back. Blood continously poured out of Jack's nose and mouth, he even choke on some of it.
"Pleath, have merthy on me," Jack pleaded while sobbing, the tears on his eyes mixing with the blood on his face. He was constantly crawling backwards as he fled from Lucien until his back hits the rotting wall.
Lucien stood above Jack, no emotions on his face.
Without even replying to Jack, Lucien swung his hammer as hard as he could on Jack's face, disfiguring it on one strike. Jack's skull cracked and the contents of his brain spilled out. Brain matter was everywhere and his eyes popped out like balloons.
Lucien puffed out the cold air from his lungs when all the tension of his body was finally released.
Lucien contemplated cleaning the hammer that he brought on Jack's clothes but they were dirty, so he just held it for now. Lucien then went to the back room, where he found an unconscious woman.
It was Ara, his team leader from their department. Her forehead was bloody and blood covered half of her face. She was unconscious and still wearing her work clothes when she was brought by Jack. He checked her pulses and and her breathing was still fine. He cut off the rope that Jack binded her and left her to her own, she was a native of this city so she knows where to go. Although the dead body inside the living room may surprise her a bit, Lucien did not care.
Lucien then stood inside the living room, noticing that the air had still not settled. His instincts screamed at him that it was still dangerous. The atmosphere around him still heavy and oppressive. Then he noticed the unnatural stillness and silence of the neighborhood when a faint sound was slowly approaching from a distance.
Sirens, Lucien thought as he undressed his gloves and used it to cover the bloody hammer that he used.
Lucien the hid the hammer on one of his inner coats pockets. Hoping the police was just passing by and not targeting the place he was right now. He quickly went to the window and pulled the curtain back slightly so he can see the outside.
Dozens of police cars are slowly surrounding the house he was in. Flashing red and blue lights flooded the streets. Police men on the outside, aiming their gun towards the house as they slowly enter the premises. Two prominent police men were even wearing bulletproof vests as they lead others to surround the house. His exits are all blocked now with nowhere to escape.
Fuck this timing, Lucien cursed inwardly. The serial killer was a beginner so the police easily identified the pattern. The police also have a larger data base and manpower than him so finding Jack was a piece of cake. And they knew that the Executioner will take care of Skullcrusher. Hence, they used Lucien to take out Jack, while they observe from the shadows.
"It's the police! Open up!" An officer outside shouted as he banged the door with his fists, not expecting the frail and wooden door to withstand the force of his impacts.
Lucien thought of anything else that he can do but no thing comes to his mind. He just stood at the center of the room, unmoving while beneath him was Jack lying in a pool of his own blood.
The wailing sirens never stopped and it continued to multiply. As Lucien listened to the sirens surrounding him, the officers outside were still shouting.
"The perpetrator is inside!"
"Cover the back door, do not let him get away!"
So be it, Lucien thought to himself as he reminisced on all the things he had done for the betterment of his community.
I killed 21 murderers, I hope the people they killed are at peace now, Lucien thought to himself as he observed the fallen body one last time.
Let's not give up though, I still have to kill more of these evil scums! Lucien thought as he gathered his courage again to escape the authorities, doing everything he can to avoid getting caught.
As Lucien noticed that the door in front was being broken down by the repeated hammering of the officers, he quickly got out of the backdoor while the officers are still circling the house. He then slipped into the narrow passage of the houses surrounding it, the shadows swallowing all of his existence.
" Clear here!" an officer shouted as they completely encircled Jack's house, not knowing that Lucien already escaped.
After waiting for a few seconds that no police officers were near him, Lucien quickly moved again towards the fence that was surrounding the houses, scaling it in one jump and landing on the other side silently. The streets around him was now flooding with officers, each of them reporting their situation and giving commands.
Lucien moved towards the lowest density of the officers, hopping over another fence and landing on a yard of a stranger. He clung to the wall of the fence to avoid being spotted by the officers with flashlights. He knew this neighborhood, he had it memorized for situations like this. Thinking that he was safe for a moment, Lucien stood to jump over another fence when someone snapped a flashlight on him, blinding him for a few seconds.
"There!"
Lucien pivoted instantly as beams of harsh white lights focused on his position. Shouts followed and gunfire rained down on him.
He dropped to the ground as a bullet tore the fence he was climbing.
Fuck, Lucien cursed inwardly as he was moving, adjusting his position to avoid being hit by the rain of bullets shooting in his position.
He simultaneously ran and avoided the bullets as he sprinted through the houses. Lucien even thought that the police already evacuated the people living inside the houses as it was too quiet and their firing of their bullets has no regards to the safety of the residents. The officers followed his trail as sirens approached his location, leaving him no choice but to go inside an apartment building.