a Beasts in the Boroughs au featuring strangler!Matt, killer!Charlie, and Kacey (ofc)
In collaboration with @abeastoftheboroughβ @asthehourspassβ
The soothing blaze of crisp menthol burns through Mattβs lungs as he inhales the smoke deeply, sinking further into the rough brick of the building that he was leaning against. Pulling the cap of his hat down to better conceal his identity, his eyes track the pretty thing heβs been watching for the last few days. She runs from one building to the next, hopping over the puddles to ensure that her expensive pumps donβt get soaked and stopping under every awning in between to avoid the worst of the rain. She wasnβt going to get very far at this rate; not that she would ever make it to her destination tonight anyway. No, he had plans for her.Β
Matt never thought he would get this opportunity again. The opportunity to indulge. After the incident in Washington and his near-capture, he had fled to New York to get lost in one of the biggest cities in the world. Starting over had been the easy part; he had started over more times than he could count but the need to do so to such a large degree had never been necessary before. Never until now did he have to give his identity a complete overhaul; new home, new job, new ID, new person. Hand in pocket, he rubs his thumb and fingers together where the identifying ridges used to mark the flesh, now smooth with new scarring to eliminate any suspicion should his past ever catch up to him. He had to be more careful here, he couldnβt afford to make any more major mistakesβ practice makes perfect and he intended to perfect his practice.Β
Stubbing out the butt of his cigarette, he pushes off from his resting spot and follows a couple of blocks behind the woman as she gets further and further away from the safety of her home.Β
Matt lets out a huff of irritation, mostly with himself, succumbing once again to the disappointment of his carelessness. He squats to inspect the fresh body and observes her back carefully, looking for any signs of breathing. Nothing. Removing a dark leather glove from his hand he lifts her wrist and places his fingers on the pulse point, findingβ¦ nothing. With a sigh, Matt releases her, watching the perfectly manicured hand fall limp to the damp pavement with no resistance.Β
Well shitβ¦ that didnβt go as planned. He had hoped to have more time to play with her before her inevitable demise but he got too excitedβ too caught in the moment of watching the coloring of her pretty face transition into a darker hue.
He rises from his squatted position and paces the small confines of the dark alleyway, panic and anger settling in as he tries to think of his next move. With a growl, his hand curls into a fist and he hits the nearest brick wall, over and over again until red droplets and scrapes marr his knuckles, the pain giving his brain enough of a reprieve to think clearly and come up with a plan. Bloody fingers comb through his curly mop, leaving pink streaks in the light hair as he paces the small confines of the alleyway and he assesses his options. Eventually, his eyes land on the dumpster a final time and a defeated sigh escapes him as he realizes that this is his only choice. Matt places the black cap snuggly back on his head and slides his glove back on before getting to work on disposing of the body.Β
The slam of the dumpster lid hitting the wall of the building behind it echoes through the small space and Matt is met with the wafting scent of decaying city trash. With any luck, the pick up services wouldnβt run for another day or two and by then he would be long gone. He hefts the limp body over his shoulder and does his best to slide her over the lip of the steel box. Just as he gets the second leg over the ledge and rummages some of the full trash bags over the corpse to conceal his deed, a voice speaks from several feet away, startling Matt into a defensive stance as the lid smacks back down.Β
