Cold-Blooded

Dry Bones

 Pulling the last slice out of the box I debated how to hide the evidence of me eating an entire pizza by myself. My roomie would not be too thrilled to find the box in the trash can as she hated it if I didn't share. Dumpster it is then. I hated keeping things from Katie, but after the stuff going down with my parents lately I just didn't have the energy to deal with it. I finished off the slice and carried the now empty box out of the apartment and down the stairs.

I stepped outside into the cool night air and turned to enter the moonlight alleyway that housed the dumpster. The lid squealed open and I hurriedly tossed the box inside as a cold chill ran down my spine. I looked behind me only to find the street as empty as it had been when I first left the apartment building. I shuddered, not sure where this feeling was coming from but anxious to get safely back inside. I heard a skittering noise coming from amongst the litter and jumped, letting go of the the dumpster lid. It promptly clattered shut and the bang resonated through the alley. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my frayed nerves and started to head back to the doors.

Hearing something that could have been footsteps caused me to quicken my pace and fumble through my pockets with trembling fingers in search of my keys. Instead of keys however I discovered a large hole in my pocket. I frantically thought back to the last time I had my keys on me. They were in my pocket right before I left, meaning they must have fallen out around the dumpster. I whirled around quickly heading back to go look, when I bumped into a man with a tan jacket. His head was bowed and a large hat covered his face.

"Sorry." I mumbled and tried to just brush past him. At an almost impossible speed a gloved hand shot out and grabbed my wrist stopping me in my tracks. The grip on my arm was tight with slender bony fingers and I am too stunned to struggle.

"I believe you dropped this." A dry gravelly voice flowed from under the brim of the man's hat. He reached out his other hand and as he slowly opened his fist he tilted his head to look at me with a fleshless smile. Gasping I started to pull away, but saw that my keys were in his outstretched hand. I grabbed my keys and accidentally pulled the glove from his hand as well, revealing white bony fingers. I struggled to pull my arm out of his grasp, tugging and pulling forcefully and I began to scream. I saw a glint drop from his sleeve and he spun me around placing the edge of the blade under my neck.

"I can't have you leave just yet." That shut me up fairly quickly. "There is just one little thing I need from you." I swallowed, uncomfortable with the feeling of the knife along my throat.

"And what is that exactly?" He chuckled and the rattling of his rib cage echoed down the street.

"Well I can't exactly just walk around like this now can I?" He shook his skeletal hand to emphasis his point. "I'm going to need your skin darling, which is very lovely by the way." He was going to kill me. I couldn't help myself as my screams resurfaced.

"Let me go! Please just let me go!" He traced my cheek with the cool metal.

"Feel free to keep screaming dear. No one will save you."

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