Chapter 1
The heat from the blood was invigorating as it washed over her hand. It gushed from the wound and over her blade, bringing purpose to the killer as much as the scent of pennies. She had finally done it. Jenny had made her first kill.
The smallish woman stared into the frightened eyes of her victim; the scrawny girl was only sixteen and until this moment thought herself invincible. The girl tried to scream but the air was leaking from the hole in her lung. Jenny allowed herself a smile as she pushed the blade of her knife further into the teen’s torso.
Jenny could see the pain and fear welling up in her victim’s wide eyes. She turned the blade. No one would save the girl; Jenny chose this part of the jogging trail for its privacy. The sun wouldn’t rise for another ten minutes, and the next runner wasn’t due to arrive for twenty.
The petite murderess withdrew her weapon like a man finishing a one-night stand. Jenny knelt and slashed diagonally across the side of her throat. Another beautiful font of crimson.
Jenny wiped the blade on her dying victim’s Lycra shirt. She leaned over her target and held eye contact as she cleaned her reddened hands with sanitizer and a water bottle; Jenny saw the light go out of the girl’s eyes while she used the sweat towel to dry off.
This was what it felt like to find your life’s ambition. To know what you wanted to do when you grew up. Jenny thought of how people described falling in love and knew that she had done the same. She loved her victim for being her first, for showing her how good life could be. Jenny picked up a small stone from the trail and slid it into the pouch around her waist. She would always remember her first murder.
Jenny picked up the tree branch she’d placed nearby and brushed the area she’d walked in all the way to the paved trail. She walked briskly snapping pieces off the branch and tossing the bits away. Her tool was discarded five minutes before she saw another person. Jenny waved at Officer McGill as she passed him; he was on schedule as always.
Jenny finished her light workout and continued her day as usual. The only difference was the small stone she’d placed on her bookshelf and the feeling of accomplishment when she watched the news report of a body discovered in the park. Life was good for Jenny as she dressed for another day working customer service.