It was a little girl, maybe nine, wearing pyjamas. She was hiding behind a larger man like he was a building, her chubby little fist holding a box-cutter that poked out ever-so-slightly from behind the man’s silhouette.

I didn’t beg God, or the stars, or Buddha, or Jesus, or anyone else. It was silent, dead silent: it was just me, the moonlight, and the shadows. And I prayed to what was there, in that room with me. I prayed to the darkness, the shadows, and the silence.

It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog. It’s not a dog.

“Why are you saying these things?”

Because it’s fun to watch ugly people cry.

It took every ounce of my willpower to stop myself. That’s what made it so clever. It knew. It knew exactly how to push my buttons. It wasn’t about tricking me that time. It was about goading me.

By now they should just be silly forgotten mistakes but the longer and longer I left my sins to fester without facing up to them, the worse they became until there was no chance I could be saved.

Nobody complains, nobody’s reported missing. But I know for a fact that not only do some kids never come back out, but some kids that do come out never went in in the first place.

I figured it was my job to put him to use so that’s what I did, well… after I cleared out all the mulch first. After that, I eyed up the people on retail until I found someone who was just the right build to wear it.

I had a long time to think up a punishment. And oh boy did I come up with something good. I’ll say this about Keith, he follows instructions. You can’t question his commitment. Out of all the things I did to him during this time… I actually kind of feel bad about this one.

I didn’t expect the smell to be so bad. It wafted out when I pushed the door open and it was almost as bad as Valery’s place. The apartment beyond was dark and humid and crazy hot.