PART 2

Just when you thought the tale of our Christmas Darling had drawn to a close, here we are again. Together, like a happy loving family. The reason why we have family; when you desperately need someone to rely on and friends or acquaintances just will not cut it; family can always be the wind in the sails, righting the ship twisting it towards logical solutions and happy nostalgic memories.

A pale, shivering man lay out on the concrete floor of a soon to be manufacturing center. His face was battered, like how a person that had been mauled by a large angry dog would look.

The skin around his eyes burst from the internal bleeding, two beautiful blood grenades blossomed and exploded in unison. His suffering made it all worth more, the pain and agony on his face created a lustful feeling in our Christmas Darling.

The whimpering man reached for his nose and released a hellish scream when his brain pieced together the fact that it had disappeared from its place. You know the game you plan with little kids? I got your nose and then they freak out and you must quickly put it back in place. There was no putting this loose piece of cartilage and flesh back, also, there was certainly no need.

When he opened his mouth Jennifer could see only black and red, most of his teeth had been broken free from their comfortable gummy home. Some were swallowed; others were strewn about, "The...hell...is...this?" Blood flowed from his offset jaw with each murmur of a word. The warm seeping death let off steam in the cold winter night.

Proud and confident, Jennifer pulled the Soul Taker from its sheath. With a smile she announced, "Kevin Harris Weston, you managed to squirm out of the way of the crushing hammer of justice." The blade felt more comfortable than usual. It had seemingly molded itself to Jennifer's palm or perhaps it was the opposite.

The blade was elegant and powerful. It was an extension of Jennifer's body, a natural appendage to her, "You set a fire. If that were all, you would never know me. We would never have ended up here. Money is the root of all evil and the fire you set to that apartment complex you so desperately wanted to rid yourself of killed thirty-four people and seven animals."

Mr. Weston choked on the blood that was pooling in his mouth, coughing, and splattering an abstract artwork on the adjacent drywall, "Who...are...you?" An ink blot test of fresh blood, Jennifer thought it looked like a butterfly breaking free from its caterpillar cocoon, flourishing and ready to live again, but that is all relative.

The shimmer of the glade cast a blinding light into the fear filled eyes of Mr. Weston, "I am your destiny Kevin, the balancer of good and evil, the light in the darkness." A wicked smile transformed her face as Mr. Weston flooded himself with tears. His eyes were captivated, hypnotized by the blade.

He knew who Jennifer truly was now. His face made that very clear, "Christmas...Darling...shit." The amount of thick blood leaking from every possible area of Mr. Weston's person was very impressive. The human body is a miraculous thing.

With that horribly lame final set of words, "I, The Christmas Darling, sentence you to death for what you have done and what you were able to get away with. This is going to be rather painful. Enjoy the ride."

The blade melted its way into Mr. Weston's throat, easily and precisely. As was the norm, gurgling and involuntary body movements, engulfed the tenth victim.

It truly was Jennifer's favorite part. She towers over her victim with a powerful energy surrounding every inch of her. If she were arrested right now, it would not matter. The job was done; he could not be saved from this fate.

As the final death throbs sent Mr. Weston on his way into the darkness to face an even more terrible judgment, Jennifer reached into her pocket and retrieved a small black box. Giving it a firm press resulting in a confirming click, an ambulance flickered its lights. The driver pulled out a cell phone and made the call. The phone rang an abnormal number of times before there was finally an answer.

The dispatcher, clearly not thrilled to be at work, "San Diego 911, please state the nature of your emergency." Chatter filled the background of his voice. Maybe they were having a Christmas party or possibly watching some football. Whatever it was, it did not matter.

With a grim voice, "This is the Christmas Darling. You will find Kevin Harris Weston at the uncompleted construction site located in the lower Eastside of the 437. I killed him, like I always do, with my knife. I left you some clues so you would know that it truly was me. The holiday tradition lives on."

The dispatcher rebutted, "This is the Christmas Darling? Turn yourself in. Do us all a favor, please." His voice really did relay a sincerity not common these days. It seemed as if he truly wanted this to be over, the killings. The dispatcher clearly had not pieced things together. These killings were not meant to be hateful or malicious.

These killings served a bigger purpose, a purpose that was desperately needed in the world.

Speaking more than he was supposed to, "This will never stop. The Christmas Darling isn't a person, it is an event, a reckoning. The Christmas Darling is the feeling all humans feel when the evil are allowed to get away with sadism. Oh! Before we go...Merry Christmas."

Derrick broke the burner phone in half and placed it in the biohazard waste container in the back of the ambulance. He sat patiently waiting for Jennifer to do her postcard sign off and satisfactorily trot back to him. It did not take long, at least, not long enough to worry about the police showing up.

She approached the ambulance with stealth, figured it would be funny and a good test for her new sidekick. With weightless feet, Jennifer crept all the way to the passenger side door of the idling ambulance. With a quick, scary the shit out of you yank, she ripped the door open and hopped in.

Scared shitless, face contorted into something you would see in an old school ghost painting, "What the hell!?" Derrick clutched his chest as if he really thought his life were slipping away with each millisecond that ticked by.

His heart was fine. It was a simple, yet hilarious, joke.

Backhanding his shoulder, "Lighten up big guy. Just pulling your chain." Her face glowed, happiness covered it along with a bit of splattered blood.

In this moment, she was the most gorgeous she had ever been.

Licking his thumb while catching his breath, Derrick forced a smile and gently ran his wet thumb in circles to remove the errant blood spots freckling Jennifer's face, "There, I can catch my breath again and still clean you up my Christmas Darling."

Together, they drove off, slow and steady as can be. Before exiting the block, four police cars, three marked, came squealing around the corner with lights fighting the darkness and sirens waging war on the silence. They did not bat an eye at the ambulance leaving the area. They had not called cleared the scene for any medical first responders to report anyways.

The two justice bringers left the area together and content. Jennifer had never imagined having a partner, a man in her life, a co-serial killer. Sometimes fate works its mystical ways without even a hint of a warning.

Jennifer looked over at Derrick and gave him a smile with a wink. Derrick had a look on his face, a look of 'I have something to tell you but I'm not sure how you're going to take it'.

Jennifer read him like a book but let it settle for the time being. At this moment, the kill was to be revealed. The kill was tilting the scales ever so slightly. This was the reason the Christmas Darling was born, developed, and so elusive.

If a conversation needed to be had it would have to wait until the morning. The day after Christmas. The day everyone sloths around and counts the days until they must return to work and enter back into regular daily life. Ordinary folks, those without purpose, simply live to die.

They work their asses off, never accomplish their hopes and dreams, and eventually they die. They may live for decades or just a day, but they have no aspirations other than waiting for the reaper to pay them a visit and take them to the other side.

Derrick had participated, hell, more than participated. He had taken out Mr. Dobbins, number nine. He had to know that this was the right thing to do and that the feeling was the best part of the entire event. Hopefully, there was not a problem. Problems are not allowed in the Christmas Darling's life.

Right now, life was perfect.

Problem free and perfect.