Both Sides of Murder (Periodical x AlluringEnigma)

[AlluringEnigma]

A wicked grin spread across Hannah Druther’s face, her grey eyes now dancing with dangerous intent. She had spent most of her life flirting with moral grey area, but there was no mistaking it now; Hannah was about to become a cold-blooded killer.

Of course, it could be argued that she had always been one, and now was the realization of her potential. She much preferred to bury her storied past, only reliving it at moments of intense emotion, but it had been littered with thoughts of this day. Now, she was here, standing in front of a helpless and struggling woman who was not long for this world. Hannah, of course, had no idea who the victim was. In fact, she seemed like a nice enough lady. However, the decision of who to kill had never been hers, for this was not just her act of depravity.

Next to her, timidly gazing around the room, was her partner, a girl she had only met a few days past. Hannah knew little about Brittany Crawford and her motives, but the girl was no doubt intelligent. When she had first met the antsy, raven-haired killer, she had been quite impressed by her line of questioning. The young mastermind, so to speak, had brought up questions that Hannah had never considered. She seemed to have the mind for murder, having thought out as many angles as possible, her mind running through the possibilities like an experienced field general considering his angle of attack.

Now, for Hannah, none of it had mattered. The plan was a hazy concept, and the method of murder was even odder. The woman who Brittany had selected was nailed to a cross, the spikes holding her up hot enough to cauterize her wounds, leaving the woman fully conscious as the pair of fledgling murderers gazed up at her. From what Hannah had discerned, this was some sort of mockery of the church, though her grasp of the motive was tentative at best.

She had not signed up with Brittany out of any inherent agreement in motives, but rather as a means to an end. The timid planner could lay as many traps and pans as she wanted, and Hannah would assist without complaint. However, now, well now the show was hers.

“Hello there, lovely.” She intoned, her tone brimming with ecstasy. “I’m sure you have no idea what you’ve done to deserve this, and frankly, I don’t either. I’d refer you to the girl next to me, but honestly, I think you’ll be a bit occupied screaming bloody murder to ask about your sins.” Hannah’s words, which carried throughout the warehouse, were almost sung out in a hollow tone, carrying through the countryside of Charleston with a haunting effect.

“Anyways, I thought I should let you know that I’m going to thoroughly enjoy killing you. Hopefully that adds some reason to your death, though I frankly couldn’t care either way” she added with a wicked smile, the begging of her prey simply adding to the adrenaline-inducing experience. With a slick look over to Brittany, who simply nodded for the green light, she advanced forward.

With a casual flick of her wrist, the switchblade she was carrying extended into a full knife, her victim’s eyes now filled with fear. With a casual smile that belied her purpose, she continued to talk as she set about her handiwork. “Now, I find it quite upsetting that I can’t dismember you, as you’d fall from your perch. I’ve always wanted to slice a hand or finger off, but I suppose that can wait” she mused as she plunged the dagger into the left eye socket of her victim.

As the blood curdling screams echoed throughout the empty foothills, Hannah waited for the screaming to subside before continuing. “I was hoping that the eyeball would pop out, but I guess that’s just for the movies. On the bright side, I’m learning so much!” she exclaimed, before gouging out the other eye. Once again, she waited for her victim to calm herself, twirling the blade between her digits with extraordinary dexterity. “I wish you would stop screaming” she added with a frustrated sigh, the blade now placed along the victim’s arm.

“I think you’re blessed. Your death is bringing pleasure to another human being. Is that not the best thing one could wish for? No one but us will ever share a moment quite like this, isn’t that comforting?” she ruminated, before slicing the blade horizontally along her victim’s arm. “Y’see, I could do this vertically, but you’d slip away much quicker, and then the moment would be fleeting” she added poetically, looking up to see that the poor girl was fading out of consciousness.

With an exasperated sigh, she slapped the girl a few times, shouting “Wake up! We aren’t done, and you should be thankful for that!” she added. Hannah continued to slice along each arm, leaving about 3 or 4 careful slashes before leaning in close to the quickly-fading girl, softly whispering “Thank you, I hope it was as magical for me as it was for you”.

Then, after wiping the blade along the victim’s clothes, she took a step back and admired her handiwork. Brittany was doing God knows what, likely leaving behind clues or messages that would make sure their mark was felt, but all Hannah could do was pant heavily. Her blood was hot, her eyes wide, and she seemed to be riding the high of her murder with relative ease. Hannah jumped for joy, letting out an emphatic ‘WHOO!’ before turning to face Brittany, wherever she was, and exclaiming “That was fantastic, wasn’t it!”

 

[Periodical]

"Who's going to find her in an abandoned warehouse? Where's the fun in that?"

The sing-songey voice of one Ms. Brittany Crawford asked out loud to the room, though she figured it was mostly likely a rhetorical question. For Brittney, it was almost a cat and mouse game. How far could ride this? How much of a high could she get with her new found friend before everything came crashing down? The path to this position was a little more cloudy for the southern belle fresh out of Louisiana.

The girl's question was pretty dumb. It would be easy enough to find the poor victim. Brittany had intentionally left more than enough clues. From the means of disappearance of the girl from her job as a bartender from one of the local pubs, to the particularly placed "clues" leading to of one of the choir boys, Brittany's head was swimming. She had received a degree in criminal psychology with a minor in human biology from Louisiana State University, destined to be a grunt who worked at a jail for the rest of her life. The ceiling was rather low, but Brittany wanted to change things. It was sad really, her father's hard earned money that had been spent putting Britt through college would all go to waste when he found out exactly what his daughter had been doing with her spare time.

Brown eyes searched the room as Brittany took in her surroundings. The warehouse was abandoned alright. Once used for storing farming equipment, now stored nothing more than a few empty wooden crates and a few wooden pallets were scattered around the premises. Cobwebs hung in almost every doorway. Most of the windows were either missing or broken. The door to the manager's office hung on a few hinges. As a matter of fact, the warehouse had looked like it had been deserted for quite some time. The cross had been easy enough to make, though in the dim light the imperfections were hidden quite nicely. Besides, when it was all said and done, nobody would remember how shoddy the cross looked, they would just be looking at the body.

Twirling her inky hair in her fingers, wrapping her fire red painted finger nails, Brittany wandered off, glancing around the warehouse for anything she could use. Dropping a button or two here, a couple of bottle caps there, maybe a crumpled pictured Brittany had swiped from the bar. It was enough to give the illusion of an easy solve.

Once a church goer herself, Brittany found a little comfort in the cross. Again, it wasn't perfect, but it would do fine just the same. Hearing the shrill scream from her victim was almost soothing the Brittany. It meant that her first step in a long journey was completed. There was no more going back. The two were criminals now. Mahogany eyes searched the scene, and Brittany took note of the fact that blood wasn't quite as disgusting as some people made it out to be. In fact, in more ways than one, it was actually kind of pretty.

The entire week, Brittany had been going back and forth in her mind about doing something like this. At first the idea came out as a joke, and when she tried to take it back and was put on the spot by Hannah, which forced Brittany's hand as she quickly reaffirmed her intentions. It would have been the perfect time to back out, but something about being on the run with a stranger was titillating and tantalizing to her. She had everything she had wanted and more, but the feeling of danger and consequence had long been forgotten.

Much like Hannah, Brittany knew almost nothing about the woman with whom she shared company with. The two had seen each other one night at a bar, and after mixing a few words became fast friends. The woman on the cross, the waitress who had served them that night and a woman who Brittany had given quite a large tip to at the end of the night. Now she was dead, and while Hannah spoke to her, Brittany was off tinkering with something else. She wanted to be tracked, she wanted to have to be careful, she wanted to live on the edge. All of this would be for nothing if no one would find the girl.

The screaming finally ended in some muffled gurgles and blood filled the victims mouth before she finally stopped breathing. With a hole as her left eye and large slashes down her arms, Brittany met eyes with Hannah who exclaimed out of the thrill of the murder. Brittany smiled a toothy smile at her accomplice. She straightened out her white sun dress before she moseyed her way back towards Hannah. Looking down, Brittany admired the work of her companion. The body almost looked fake, though she knew it was very real. It reminded her of something she had seen in a movie, or in one of those Halloween shops. The pale moonlight and the dimly lit room certainly didn't help. Still, she could smell iron in the air and for a moment, she wondered. Is this what hunters felt? The cold air lapping against their exposed skin. The oddly sweet smell of a fresh kill that hung in the air. The feeling down in the pit of the stomach that it was all over, or rather, that a long and strange journey was about to begin.

"Well, we are certainly livin' in high cotton."

The woman said before she broke the gaze and looked back towards to body. Out of her peripherals, Brittany could see that most of Hannah's face hidden in the shadows of the night, giving her quite a menacing appearance. The look she had given her new found friend was one that wondered if they were on the same page. Her smaller hands moved to play with the necklace that her father had given her.

All that was really left to do was dispose of the weapon and bide their time.

"Drink?"

Another toothy smile before she loud out a soft laugh.

 

[AlluringEnigma]

For the first couple of minutes, Hannah was on cloud nine. Her whooping and hollering reverberated through the structure, drowning out anything Brittany could possibly say or do. In fact, her own ominous figure was quite lost on Hannah, who was reveling in the adrenaline of her first murder, and she was completely unaware of the possible distrust that such an image could sow. Even if she could’ve seen herself, drenched in the blood of the recently deceased waitress, she would have simply admired the gore that now adorned her white tank top.

As she began to come back down to Earth, she realized the state of herself, and knew that it was something that would have to be remedied before leaving the building. As that raced through her mind, she heard Brittany pipe in, and grinned at the girl, her face akin to a child on Christmas.

With her heart racing, and a whole load of emotions now running rampant throughout her, a new thought entered Hannah’s mind. At the time of their first meeting, she had never quite realized the beauty of her Southern acquaintance. Their talks had been limited to business, and even those talks had been curt and professional. Now that the act had been committed, the messy-haired girl realized the exquisite beauty of her acquaintance. Certainly, Brittany was no model, but the emotions of such a visceral experience heightened Hannah’s perception and seemed to apply rose-tinted glasses to the fledgling killer.

Now, Hannah was entirely unsure of her partner-in-crime’s sexual preferences, it had never been important to killing so it had never been discussed, so she knew that simply asking would be a good way to end their professional relationship as quick as it began. Instead, Hannah would have to employ some sort of subtlety, a trait which was not one of Hannah’s skills.

Gears in her mind turned for a few seconds, before she decided to kill two birds with one stone. She had brought an extra change of clothes, as she was quite aware that she would be the one getting her hands dirty, and had originally intended on changing in some secluded corner of the warehouse. However, she decided that a public show might be the best way to gauge the interest of her new partner.

With a big smile and a tone still high on the ecstasy of her acts, she remarked “Mmm, that was better than I could even imagine, don’t you agree? I’d love to get a drink with you after something like that” she added with a smile, as she washed her hands off in a basin off water, doing her best to remove most of the gore from her skin.

“So, do tell, what do all the caps and shit mean? I’m not sure if I understand how they’re going to help discover this piece of art?” she added curiously, eyeing Brittany with a twinkle in her eye. As the girl responded, she began to strip away the blood-soaked top, revealing her bra-clad bust. Hannah proceeded to feign stretching out, pushing out her chest towards the girl, and curiously looking over to gauge the reaction Brittany would give.

Hannah herself was quite the well-endowed serial killer. While she had never spent much time beautifying herself, she had always been blessed with natural heft to her assets. While the insane personality, wild eyes, and messy hair may have driven off most normal people, the girl she now shared the warehouse with was certainly not most people.

“I must say I’m glad I brought a spare change of clothes” she added not so subtly, her hands now reaching down to paw at the hem of her pants. “You’re lucky, those clothes fit you well, it’s a good thing you don’t have to trash them” she added with a saucy smile, before stripping off the pants and throwing them aside, leaving them in a heap somewhere in the warehouse.

To this point, Hannah was certain that Brittany was interested, though reading people had never been her strong suit. The Southern belle had never peeled her gaze away for a moment, and in Hannah’s book, that was enough to proceed. “Tell me something, did that get you as excited as it got me?” she asked quietly, her hands now running along her smooth skin, which was only interrupted by the slightly stained lingerie she still wore.

“I suppose I have to get rid of these too” she added, referring to her undergarments in a quiet, flirtatious tone “It’s a shame, I quite liked this pair”. Then, with a flourish, she unclipped the bra, throwing it to the side as well. She began to take confident strides towards Brittany, her panties now the last shred of clothing on her.

“The way I see it, we could do a couple things” she mused, as she stopped a few steps away from Brittany. “We could either go get a drink, which would be fun for celebration, or…” she purred as she shimmied out her panties, flinging them to the side “…we could go somewhere nice and private, a place where the police won’t be looking for us, and celebrate slightly differently?”

Then, without waiting for an answer, she walked over to the bag and threw on a hoodie. The garment was long enough to hide the lack of bottoms, and Hannah was quite prepared to wait for an answer before fully dressing. Something told her that a fresh kill was just as exciting for Brittany as it was for Hannah, and that the pair would be doing something far more interesting than drinking.

 

[Periodical]

The black haired female was particularly observant. Every little detail of the scene she had planned out. Just why would a waitress find herself in this abandoned warehouse? What good could possibly come of it? Brittany winced against the hooting and hollering of her comrade for a moment before she turned towards her and smiled when Hannah had asked what was going on with the caps. It was all for the fun of the chase. Brittany figured this was their first time. It may be nice to have a little more time and at least see what they were dealing with. After all, part of the fun of being a killer was the chase wasn't it? She figured Hannah was fairly expendable, and at this point, she had no blood on her hands. It would be simple enough playing the damsel in distress that was expected of her. What was the worst that could happen.

"It's all for the good of the cause."

The meek girl said before opening her mouth to explain why. At the same moment, her partner had started to undress, and it stopped Brittany nearly in her tracks. She had never been sure which way she swung. After all, father had never permitted her to have a boyfriend, and the few times that she had been able to experiment, it was at an all girl's Catholic summer camp. It was hardly any exposure to anything of interest. Any time a boy would look at her with lust, they would promptly receive threats from her dear father. Such a sheltered life she had lived to this point.

When the undressing continued, Brittany was fixated. There was nothing like watching a woman undress to get the young maiden hot and bothered. She never did peel her gaze away from the changing. When Hannah asked her questions about the murder and how she had responded to it, Brittany didn't answer. Her eyes searching the body of the killer as she stripped away the evidence. When Hannah began to approach her, her heart nearly skipped a beat. That look in Hannah's eyes was something that would have caught anyone off guard. The stride, the posture, the look. All of it together nearly made Brittany weak at the knees.

Her eyes shifted when Hannah shimmied out of her panties and just cast them aside. Of course they were desperate to see what had been hiding underneath. Without even realizing, Brittany began to bite and chew nervously on her bottom lip. She hadn't had much experience in the way of being intimate, especially not with another woman. Harmless kissing here and there but that was practically the extent. Still, the way Hannah was making her feel was unworldly. Was this the feeling of lust? Of need? Of pure, unadulterated want? Perhaps. Perhaps it was something else.

It took Brittany a moment to mull the question over. She was unsure what Hannah had in mind though her own mind started to go to places that she had wanted. Who wouldn't say yes? Besides, the world was their oyster. She had said yes to the murder, why wouldn't she say yes to anything life through at it. It was clear, Hannah was going to allow her to actually experience life. With luck, Brittany would experience it faster than most girls her age. It was all but a done deal. All they needed was confirmation.

When she threw on the hoodie, Brittany had to catch her breath before she could even think about answering. The kill was enough to get her heart pumping, but it wasn't nearly as exciting as she had thought. Maybe it was because she hadn't been the one to watch the life slip out of their poor victim's eyes. She was just a bystander to the actual plunging of the knife. She was off in the distance when the screams started. She didn't feel the actual struggle of the poor woman. Her nose hadn't been blasted by the smell of iron as the first cuts were made. She hadn't been their to taste the blood in the air as it leaked out of whatever cut was made. Fuck, her clothes hadn't even gotten dirty. There would probably be another victim sometime soon, and Brittany hoped she could feel the same adrenaline rush that had gotten Hannah hooting and hollering.

Brushing some dirt off her skirt, Brittany's mind finally allowed her to speak for a moment.

"Well... It was okay."

Brittany said with a brief pause as she referred to the murder.

"Next time, I think I want to be the one that actually does it. It may be a little more interesting then. I did enjoy watching you though."

Her voice was still quiet, and she almost had to force out the final words. This should be a visceral experience for both. Sure, she could plan out the traps and the clues that she had wanted the police to see no problem, but at this point she was just an accomplice. Thinking again, Brittany finally answered Hannah's other question. At this point, Brittany was committed to experiencing what she could, and she was commited to going with the flow. If she was being asked anything, she would say yes.

"That sounds sublime. I would love to go somewhere private with you."

The words were confident. She didn't necessarily trust Hannah, at least not yet, but what was the worst that could happen? Her body could end up in a ditch? She could become the next victim on Hannah's hit list? All of which were small prices to pay. Brittany moved to gather what she deemed was necessary, leaving Hannah to do the same. Picking up the knife, and making a few last second checks, she made her way out to her car that was parked outside. There wasn't much need for them to be careful about leaving tracks, one of the reasons that she had chosen the location. She wanted something a little safer for the first run through. There was still lots of risk, but she wouldn't allow anyone to get them on some technicality like tire treads. After all, she hadn't gotten a chance at the actual act yet.

"So, where were you thinking of going? Motel?"

In Britt's experience and studies, motels seemed to be the easiest to go to. Most of them didn't really get much information about the people booking the rooms. Most one could check out whenever they wanted to if need be. It was just a quick an easy place to stay where they would have a roof over their heads. Some of them were a little more shady sure, but it beat camping of being exposed to the elements. That being said, if Hannah had something better in mind, she would surely take them there so they could relax. Brittany decided she could really go for a shower at this point

 

[AlluringEnigma]

Hannah grinned at the girl the whole time as she gathered her things up, knowing that they shared intentions in two different aspects of their partnership now. With a flourish of her duffel bag, which she carried as if it were a designer purse, she faced the exit, waiting for Brittany to join her side. “You may assist next time, but remember your role, I get to mutilate, you get to decide the details. Don’t ever forget that” she added, her flirtatious tone now dropped for a kore gravelly slur that tried to suggest that Hannah was far more experienced than she actually was.

The pair continued to walk outside before being greeted by the beaten-up red pickup truck that Hannah so adored. The ride itself was much more convenient for such a location than the more fancy car that Brittany had. With a grin, she jumped into the car, waiting for Brittany to do so before continuing the dialogue. “No, motels are for grownups. Not to mention grownups that don’t intend to wake up with each other” she added with a smirk before turning the key in the ignition.

Hannah slammed the accelerator, racing towards the highway that led into town before continuing her line of thought. “You don’t seem much like an adult to me, you seem more like a freshman cheerleader who’s meeting her boyfriend behind the bleachers.” Hannah added a mirthful bout of laughter, tossing her wild mane of hair back, before turning back to the conversation.

“Nah, no motels. You’re still a timid schoolgirl, and until you prove otherwise, I’ll treat you as such” she added with a playful smirk. It was a rather bold statement for such a new relationship, but unless Brittany stood up for herself, Hannah was going to do with her as she pleased. The blonde killer was unsure whether or not Brittany would rebel against her rather aggressive and bossy attitude, but she figured that either way she’d end up enjoying herself.

“Anyways, you can try and pretend to be an adult when we get there, let’s just enjoy the ride” she added with a grin, the driver seat window now down as they cruised along the highway, the car well over the speed limit. The timing of the murder had meant that they had picked the perfect time for romance, so to speak. The sun was low in the sky, and by the time they reached their destination, the evening would be quite cool and comfortable, with the last embers of daylight clinging to the sky.

“So, after this, I think we’ll have to lay low for a little while. Obviously, we don’t have to take too much time off, but a day or two without attracting suspicion is for the best. We can stay at your place or mine until then, either should be fine” she added as the car entered the limits of Charlestown. The town itself was always quite slow, and today was no exception. Cars were as rare as pedestrians, and they encountered only a few on the way to their destination.

“Lucky for you, I thought ahead. You’re not the only smart one here” she added sarcastically, before continuing “I brought a few things along for you, they’re in the trunk” she purred. Hannah was quite the experienced partner, and she had brought along quite the collection of ‘enhancements’. At the time, she was unsure whether or not she would get the chance to employ them, but now she was quite pleased that she had thought of it.

With experience, Hannah was in a unique place in terms of her style of sexuality. She had always enjoyed taking the upper hand, and most of her encounters in life had reflected that. However, it was only a matter of time before she had met someone who had shown her the other side, so to speak. Once upon a time, Hannah would have scoffed at the idea of following someone else’s whims, but a rather confident partner of hers had changed that. Nowadays, Hannah tended to lead aggressively. She found that most girls would succumb to her whims without hesitation; Hannah was quite sure it was due to the mix of her rather wild stare and her confident tone, the pair of assets intimidating most of her sexual partners. However, for the few girls that had the wherewithal to challenge Hannah, they found her a rather fun girl to toy with.

As it was, however, Hannah would be shocked if Brittany resisted Hannah in any way. She got the feeling that the girl was more interested in learning than trying to maintain her pride. When the truck finally pulled up at a local highschool, just outside the bleachers of the stadium, Hannah jumped out of the car and stood outside the truck waiting for Brittany to do the same.

“Alright partner, strip for me. I’ve already given you a show, now be a good girl, and give me a show.” Hannah exuded confidence, her gaze unwavering as she examined Brittany’s every move. Hannah was expecting Brittany to do exactly what she wanted, and any action otherwise would be quite the surprise to wild blonde. If Brittany had any desire to surprise her fellow murderer, it was now or never. “Come on little girl, we both know you can’t wait to show yourself off for the whole world to see” she added with a taunting tone, the slightest bit of honeyed seduction in her voice. The taunting was designed to make Brittany comply, but only time would tell if it did just that, or inflamed the Southern belle into action.