CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

   Lady Troy was busy dancing in front of the mirror as was her morning routine, caressing her breasts while her penis swung back and forth, back and forth. She didn’t hear the noise coming from the other rooms in the brothel. She didn’t know that Lily had been found murdered. Instead, she danced and read a little bit out of a book that a young Frenchman brought her. It was written by a man named De Sade and it aroused Lady Troy greatly. Reading was much more fun than hanging around with the other whores. They were so needy and weak. She didn’t need them. After all, she had her book.

   She was so engrossed in that book that she did not see the door open or see the razor shine in the sunlight as the black-gloved killer rushed forward. She did not see death as it came up from behind.

   The killer slashed her across the neck and grabbed her hair, shoving her face down deep into her chamber pot, the blood from her wound leaking into it. She coughed on a mouthful of her own piss. The killer pulled Lady Troy’s head up, giving her a moment to take a breath right before her head was shoved back in. Her mouth was open as it went down into the slop and chunks of flaky shit sloshed down her throat. Finally, she succumbed to a filthy death.

   The killer left the room, giggling.

* * *

   After she heard about the murder, Rebecca Bywater was afraid for her life. It hadn’t been just a drunk harassing her the night before. It must’ve been the killer.

   She drank a half bottle of whiskey and sat on her bed. In her drunken haze, she took out the medicine that the man from the General Store had given her. He had said it was for her woman parts. It was probably pretty common for whores to get problems down in that region and come to think of it, Rebecca did feel itchy down there.

   She took out the small sack of black paper and started to unwrap it. Inside was bright blue goo. It wasn’t like any medicine she’d ever seen but if that Tom Duma fellow was a trusted member of the town, it must be fine.

   So Rebecca rubbed the goo all over her vagina and leaned back on her bed. In minutes she felt the itching go away while her pubic area pulsed with each heartbeat. Then she felt feverish. Something was wrong. She sat up and looked down at her crotch.

   Tiny blue crabs were running out of her vagina.

   She jumped off her bed, screaming and swatting at the crabs. In her confusion and horror, she didn’t see when the window opened. She didn’t see the razor glistening in black-gloved hands as the killer crept closer to her.

   Rebecca’s legs were now bright blue from the tiny creatures crawling all over her. The killer grabbed her by the hair and sliced her throat. Blood splashed down onto Rebecca’s legs, drowning the crabs. The razor slashed again but this time from her chest down to her pubic hair causing her insides to spill out onto the dull brown rug.

   The killer looked at the mess and inhaled the stench.

   Death smelled good.