Two Years Later

My workshop is nearly full as I lug another box through the front door. I drop it off into a corner and head back out into the sunshine and the warm afternoon.

Nobody is around, though they wouldn’t be right now anyway. The locals all take a nice long break in the afternoon, their little siesta hour, and I like to use that time to get some extra work done. They all think I’m weird for wanting to stay busy all day, but that never bothered me. Then again, I wouldn’t see anyone around here anyway, since we’re so damn secluded.

I carry the last box into my workshop and grab a knife. I cut it open slowly down the taped seam then pull it open. Inside are sheets of plastic, that thick, beautiful kind that I love.

“I’ve never met someone that looks so lovingly at plastic.”

I look up and smile. Amelia stands in the doorway, looking gorgeous, her belly swollen with pregnancy.

“I don’t love the plastic, it’s what the plastic represents.” I walk over to her and kiss her lightly on the lips.

“I miss it too, you know,” she says softly.

“I know you do. We’ll be ready to go again soon.” I put my hand on her bump and smile. “You’re almost ready to burst.”

She sighs. “The sooner the better.”

“Then, once you do, we can get back to work.”

“Looks like you have a lot of work planned the way you’re stockpiling that plastic.”

“You should see the underground part.” I grin at her, referring to the several basements under my workshop.

“Come on,” she says, shaking her head and smiling. “Come have some lunch.”

“Just let me get this stuff downstairs. I’ll be in soon.”

She waves and heads back toward the main house as I hit the false screwdriver hanging on the wall that activates the basement door.

It slides open, pushing a fake hay bale aside. I grab a box and head down the stairs. The lights come on automatically as I step down onto the concrete floor.

I smile to myself. It’s been a couple months since I’ve had a reason to come down here. I put the box in a corner before walking into the center of the room which has a drain in the floor and a stainless steel surgical table overtop it.

This is my second home, my sanctuary, my church. It’s where I worship at the altar of death. Ever since Amelia got pregnant, we’ve had to slow down our killing considerably, but I can’t wait until we can start again.

She’s remarkable, Amelia. She learned so much faster than I thought she would. Once we left the city two years ago, we moved across the country, not staying anywhere too long before finally crossing into Mexico. From there, we got a flight to Spain where we’ve been living ever since.

Spain is a beautiful country. We didn’t think we’d stay, but we love the people, the wine, the food, everything. A year ago, I bought some land outside of a large city and began to build my property again. It was completed six months ago, which means it only got some two months of solid use before Amelia was just too pregnant to continue.

I didn’t think it was fair to keep killing without her, and so I’ve abstained as well. I know that as soon as our child is born, everything will change, and I’m not sure that I mind it so much. We’ll be able to continue our work, keep hunting down horrible people and ending them, but we’ll be slowed down.

It’ll be worth it. All of this is worth it.

Because I’m with Amelia.

Ever since we left the city, my screaming need has been more of a whisper. I’m not as deeply addicted to the death as I once was, which both terrifies me and excites me. I can feel it slowly ebbing away, getting softer, quieter. Amelia takes that edge away.

I want a family. I want a life. I know that one day, we’ll have to stop killing completely. I still have plenty of money, but who knows how long it’ll last. Spain is a strange place and we’re still getting used to it.

I finish bringing down the boxes. Once they’re all stacked in a corner, I take one last look at the beautiful knives all hanging in their places before heading back upstairs. I shut the trap door then walk back into the main house.

Amelia is in the kitchen, making lunch. It’s a tapas-style lunch, all different small meal platters, cheeses, a little wine, and some other gorgeous dishes. Ever since we moved to Spain, she’s really flourished, learning the language even faster than I did and taking up local cooking.

I come up behind her and kiss her neck. She smiles and tilts her head back, kissing my lips.

“Hungry?” she asks.

“Of course. Smells amazing.”

“Go ahead and take what you want.”

I slap her ass and she giggles before walking over and grabbing a plate. I take a few things and eat as I sit at the island, watching her.

Nothing could have prepared me for what was going to happen with her. At first, I thought it was just pure lust between us. I thought I just wanted to break her, make her into my sex slave, something dark and dirty. But instead, she showed me something else, a light I never knew about. She showed me that this was possible.

She showed me that another level to life was possible.

After a few minutes, she joins me at the table. She’s nine months pregnant and she’s due practically any minute.

But there’s one more thing. One last thing we need to do.

I want a family. I want a life with her. I want it all and need it all more than I could have imagined. We still fuck like the first day we met, and that spark never, ever went away. I know it’ll never fade so long as we keeping feeding it.

And we will. But there’s one more thing.

“Amelia,” I say. She looks up at me, smiling. “I spoke with Senor Hernandez.”

She cocks her head. “The priest?”

I nod and reach into my pocket. I pull out a small box and place it on the table in front of her. She looks at it quizzically.

“He said he’s willing to marry us.”

It takes her a second to understand, but when she does, her eyes go wide. “Are you serious?”

“Very serious.” I nudge the box toward her. “Open it.”

She reaches forward and takes it. Inside is a diamond ring that I had custom made in town for her. She stares at it for a second and then looks at me, tears in her eyes.

“Noah,” she says.

“What do you think?”

“Of course. Yes, I’ll marry you.” She laughs. “After this baby is out, though.”

“Good.” I pull her toward me and kiss her. “We’ll have the baby and then we’ll be married.”

“I love you so much, Noah.”

“I love you too.” I kiss her softly. “And when you’re ready, we’ll hunt again.

“Good.” She laughs. “God, I never pictured any of this. Did you?”

“Not once. Not a single time.”

“But it’s heaven, isn’t it?”

I laugh and smile. “It’s heaven.”

We laugh together and I pull her against me, my pregnant soon-to-be wife, my beautiful partner.

We’ll kill together, raise a family together, make love together. I never could have guessed that this is how things would have turned out, but it’s perfect. We’ll rid our town of the worst of the worst, the sickest bastards we can find. We’ll make the world better together.

And we’ll love each other. There isn’t a better life imaginable. We’ll love each other forever.