The Savannah J. Publications

He glanced down at his hands fighting the urge to be sick. He couldn?t remember ever seeing so much blood in one place; the sight of it taking his paranoia to another level. Anxiously, he looked about him trying to confirm that he was not being watched, although he knew they had not been followed. The blood made him jittery as if it could talk; as if it alone cried out for help. 

Peering up at the setting sun he knew he now had to work quickly. Most people used the darkness to cover their less than honorable deeds, but he could not afford to allow the darkness to catch him. That was when they came out. 

Vultures circled above him, obviously attracted by the smell of her dead body. It seemed as though their numbers grew each time he glanced up. The sight of their enormous wingspan added to his uneasiness. 

He closed his eyes taking slow deep breathes before finishing the task at hand; there was no place for nausea; he was running out of time. Grabbing her beneath the arms, he dragged what remained of her upper body a few feet away from where her severed legs lay. Next, he spread the broken pieces of her lower body around as well. He had to make it appear as though she had been mauled by them, just as he planned. 

As he turned and walked away, he was surprised by the feeling of relief that suddenly came over him; relief that she was gone; relief that she could no longer bring harm. He paused momentarily glancing back at her face, her eyes were still open and even in death she seemed to be watching him. Shaking his head to remove the panic that attempted to rise within his belly, he reminded himself once again that it was finally over. 

There were no feelings of remorse only of peace; something he had not felt for some time. You see today things changed for him. Today, he regained control over the life that she stole from him. The woman who stalked and caused his life to be a living hell was no longer a threat. He had turned the tables and beat her at her own game; catching her off guard when she least expected it, and snuffing out her life. 

He proved to her that he meant what he said when he in- formed her that some day he would end her madness. There had been warnings as he begged her to leave things be. He tried to explain that there was no love and there never would be any love, and her tactics were only making matters worse. But, she refused to listen and instead began to cause physical harm. 

That was when his will to protect took control, and a carnal side of him he never knew existed consumed him. Just as he promised he ended her reign of terror. A rustling in the brush pulled him back to reality and he stepped up his pace reaching the jeep, as he heard the first approaching sounds of the alpha lioness. 

He quickly removed his elbow length rubber gloves, coveralls and shoe covers and placed them in the plastic bag that had held her body, before hopping into the jeep. Locking the door and wiping his hands even though they were clean, he signaled to his partner who started the engine. As they slowly drove off a smile traced his lips and a sense of power filled his heart. You see today the hunter became The Prey.