The River Runs Dry by L. A. Shorter

dark night.
    As he left Darcia slumped down into the now vacant seat beside Jessie, a drunken smile on her face.
    “What was that about?” she asked, snatching a shot from the table and sinking it in one.
    “Nothing,” Jess replied blankly, “just Liam being Liam.”
    Darcia had a look on her face like she couldn't understand why Jessie kept turning him down. She didn't push it though, especially now that Jessie had made up her mind to leave.
    “Do you wanna get out of here?”
    “What about Tony? Aren't you going back with him?”
    Darcia shook her head. “He's being a douche tonight so forget him. Anyway, I wanna spend time with just you, maybe talk about what you asked me.”
    Jessie's ears perked up. “You mean leaving with me?”
    Darcia nodded. “I've been thinking about it a bit. I dunno, maybe I should leave here as well.”
    Jessie spontaneously threw her arms round her, spilling a drink as she did.
    “Easy Jess, it's not certain,” Darcia laughed. “Let's go back to yours. We can talk about it there.”
    Jessie leaned back, a smile still spreading over her face. “All right, let's go.”

Chapter 11
    I am the predator. I am the lion. They are my prey.
    Narrow eyes watched as two girls walked along in the south of the town.
    Drunk girls, stupid girls. Both of them....mine.
    The man watched as they spoke, his eyes locked on their dark brown hair, swishing as they bounced down the road. There were a few other people on the street, but no one would notice him, because there was nothing noticeable about him. On the outside at least. On the outside he was a man, on the inside....a hunter.
    He walked slightly awkwardly, missing the odd step. It was a game to him, imitating his prey, copying their moves so that he'd fit in. His dark hair was covered in a hat, his face in the shadows and obscured. His eyes shot to the left and right as he went, following at a distance in the girl's wake, but no one could see their movements.
    He was always on guard, always checking his surroundings. His senses were on edge, primed like a hunter. His eyes caught every movement around him, scanning the streets for anyone who might see him. He'd done his homework, though, and knew that there were no cameras in this part of town. No, he knew a lot about this town....it was his hunting ground now.
    Soon people would learn not to go out at night, and then the games would really begin. These stupid girls up ahead. They had no idea what was coming their way. The devil would pay them a visit tonight. He'd see them suffer like he had suffered.
    He had to be more careful now. The police knew about him, but they only knew of him, that's all. Soon they'd have more cops on the street. Soon they'd learn that this wasn't going to end. But not tonight. Tonight he'd have fun....tonight he'd take his time.
    The streets here were so open and wide, and now the few people on them were beginning to thin out and disappear. It made it easy to follow, especially with the heavy dust that often settled on the sidewalks from the wide plains and deserts all around the town.
    Even if you took away his ears, even if the girls were out of sight, he'd still track them. It was their footprints, he'd see them in the dirt, two sets of flat shoes, walking him right to their door. No one would notice such a thing, but he would. That's what made him such a good hunter.
    He could feel the tips of his fingers tingling now. They tingled in anticipation, in anger. It was the anger that drove him, the anger of his past. He'd never be able to quench it, so he'd harness it, enjoy it. Killing was how he did that.
    …
    A scream threatened to sound, but was quickly blunted before its piercing shriek could be heard. His fist saw to that.
    The body of the girl hit the floor suddenly. The other had already been seen to.
    Silence now, except some light music playing. He turned it off. He wanted to hear the sounds of the blood, of the hair being torn, of the eyes being cut and