Disclaimer: I do not own JTHM or any of the characters within the pages of JTHM…Don't sue me, you will get nothing, college students are poor. I also do not own Shakespeare or his work Hamlet.

A/N: IF YOUR GOING TO READ THE DAMN STORY REVIEW FOR GODDESS SAKE!!!!!!!! Killing me here, and unless you are Nny, and I don't know it…. Don't kill me….. just review. Arg. Enjoy dammit.

In response to reviews: I'm not saying anything about anyone changing, or what the hell either of them are going to do. I'm trying to keep them IC but they might end up slightly OOC or very OOC depending on where my brain takes me on a given day.

Savory Sadism

Ch 3: Stalker

Johnny walked out of the 24/7 with a brain freezy grasped tightly in his hand, he sucked from the straw and twitched for a moment. Yes there was a reason these were called brain freezy's. His eyes remained downcast to the sidewalk as he made his way slowly through the downtown lunch crowds.

'Too many people.'

He continued on his way, glancing up occasionally to look into the storefronts that he was passing, but seeing nothing of interest. He allowed himself to zone out as he walked, not having an actual destination set in stone. He was actually enjoying himself outside in the fresh air, and today for some reason he seemed to be invisible to the hoards of morons rushing around town, no one had stared at him, and surprisingly no one had opened their mouth to be rude yet. It shocked him to say the least.

'Maybe it was just Psycho Doughboy and Mr.Eff that made me so messed up.' He sucked on the straw getting another mouthful of the freezing slushy beverage. 'Nah, that wouldn't explain much. It's not like once they were gone I stopped being crazy. I just became slightly more sane.'
Johnny looked around himself upon hearing a small bell jingle and a door click shut, he surveyed his surroundings wondering why he had come in here. He turned to look at the glass front of the store, reading the back words sign from the inside 'Dragon's Books'. His eyes widened, shit he had unintentionally wandered in here while he had zoned out.

Johnny turned to face the counter, half of him praying that she would be the one standing there, the other half begging for it to be anyone but her. A middle aged woman stared back at him with a slight smile on her face. Her septum piercing dangled close over her top lip, making it seem that the piercing was not suited to her small face. He took in her appearance, short middle aged woman, with long hair.
'Nothing like Devi at all.'

"Can I help you?"

Johnny shook his head no and stepped into one of the many isles of books, his eyes scanning the shelf for anything of interest. As he scanned through the science fiction section his mind wandered back to his initial meeting with Devi, they had talked about everything that first day, books, movies, society, and yet he had remained sane enough to talk to her. That had been his first sign that there was something different about her, his initial thoughts of her were not that of how to kill her, but of how to see her again. And he had, he had come back almost every day for the first three months that he knew her, he had even cut back on his slaughtering long enough to get to see her.

Johnny pulled himself out of his reverie, looking up at the shelf he was standing in front of, the first two books his eyes fell upon weren't what he had expected. The Psyche of a Killer and the A-Z serial killer encyclopedia. He shook his head and turned from the books, 'last thing I need to be thinking about, the psyche.'
The next thing that caught his attention, he actually reached for to take off the shelf, Hamlet. He clutched the book in his free hand and quickly took a seat in the corner, placing his brain freezy on the floor by his feet, he flipped through the pages of the book. The soliloquies caught his attention, dragging him full force into the content that Shakespeare had created.

'To be, or not to be--that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--

No more--and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--

To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause. There's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life.

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely

The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country, from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprise of great pitch and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry

And lose the name of action. -- Soft you now,

The fair Ophelia! -- Nymph, in thy orisons

Be all my sins remembered.'

Johnny sighed and continued to flip through the pages of the play. He found himself relating his life and thoughts to those of Hamlet; insanity wasn't easy you know. Although there were many ways he could compare himself to Hamlet, his mind wandered back to the beauty he knew as Devi.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Devi stopped in the hallway, glancing at the hanging mirror momentarily. Her makeup had been done perfectly, the onyx liquid eyeliner outlined her flawless emerald eyes in an Egyptian inspired design. This was the first time in about a month that she had dared to venture outside her apartment. Tenna was usually the one to drag her out of the safety of her abode. Yes she had gotten better with her fear and paranoia, but the whole phase was not something she was easily able to leave in the past. A simple black tank top clung to her top half, allowing a little cleavage to be exposed. Her hands traveled down her sides smoothing the short black skirt that hugged her hips and thighs. Glancing down she checked over the torn fishnets and boots she adorned, accentuating the luscious curve of her long slender legs.

Devi proceeded into her living room, gathering her well worn flight jacket from the closet by the door. She slipped out the door with her coat over her shoulder, locking the door behind her.

"Might as well go downtown and do some shopping before Tenna comes over tonight."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Devi is the Ophelia to my Hamlet.' Johnny thought to himself, Hamlet's words bringing her image into his mind once again, her smile shining through all the hopelessness that lingered in his head.

'Maybe Mr. Eff was wrong. I mean if someone as crazy as Hamlet's life was worth while, mine has got to be worth something.'

He snickered quietly and turned his attention back to the book gripped in his slender hands. Johnny scanned through the acts, choosing specific soliloquies to read and reread. His attention was drawn to the door as a small bell rang signaling the entrance of another customer. He peeked over the top of the book as the person stopped to speak with the woman at the register.

"So Sharon, miss me since I've been gone? Or have you been partying without me?"

Johnny's heart caught in his throat, he didn't even need to see the face to recognize the smooth and calming voice behind it. The half of him that preferred not to run into her was winning his internal battle by an overwhelming percent.

'Shit, I'm not ready to see her; I don't know what to say to her.'

Johnny lifted the book back up in front of his face, covering it completely with the thin paper layers held together by the binding. He tucked his knees up closer to his chest, resting the book on his knees; he prayed that she didn't come to the back corner of the store that he had taken up temporary residence in. The words of the other woman were completely unheard by his ears, her voice being the only noise that flooded his head, sending his senses into overdrive. His stomach was flipping over itself, he felt like his organs were tangling together into one big mess, and his hands were shaking slightly enough to cause the book in front of his face to waiver.

"Nah, I just wanted to stop by and say hello to you. It's been a while since I've been down here, and I missed you. But listen I've got to run, I need to run to the store before I head home to meet up with Tenna.

"Well I missed you too, but you should stop by more often. Tell Tenna I said hello, have a good night hun."

"Bye Sharon."

"Bye Dev."

As soon as he heard the bell on the door chime, he slammed the book down onto the carpeted floor and bolted out of the bookstore. His brain freezy easily forgotten. He stopped in his tracks, glancing from side to side, his eyes scanned over people desperately searching for her form. He spotted her walking into the grocery store across the street, and chose to stay put and wait for her to come out of the store, following her would be too risky for him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Johnny leaned against the light post across from the Foodmart, his patience slowly wearing thin. How long could one possibly be in a grocery store for? He had somehow gone the entire afternoon seemingly unseen and unbothered. The sun was finally setting, painting the dark blue sky with splatters of neon pinks and oranges. The hissing of the automatic doors of the Foodmart caught Johnny's attention, his eyes darting to scan the doorway in search of Devi.

Devi exited the mart and headed down the sidewalk, walking away from the bustle of downtown. Johnny waited a few moments; pushing his weight off of the light post he followed her trailing about 20 feet behind her on the opposite side of the street. His eyes scanned her body from a distance, her boots thudded against the pavement with each step, her grocery back carefully situated on her hip. He found himself wanting to reach out and touch her, to talk to her, say sorry for what he had done. But he couldn't let her know he was there, not now, not yet.

Johnny kept his pace up with hers, just seeing her from a distance was enough to make him smile. Maybe following her home was a bad idea, but he reassured himself that it wasn't creepy for him to be doing.

'Just want to know where she lives, not like I'll talk to her or anything.'

He had remained perfectly stealthy, completely unseen by her for the first mile of the trek back to her apartment. Johnny had zoned in on her, concentrating on the thoughts running through his head, and what he would say to her if she did see him. He hadn't noticed the man that had begun to follow behind her, his hands buried in the pocket of the hooded sweatshirt that hid his face from view. Johnny caught sight of the man closing in on Devi, with her back turned to the man she was left completely vulnerable. His lips pursed together, worry beginning to weight on his chest.

'Fuck, ….. Shit…'

Johnny sped up his pace, he crossed his arms over his stomach, his hands now lurking inside of the oversized trench coat he wore, his fingers quickly wrapped around the handles of the two machete like blades. He kept his grasp tightened, torn between blowing his cover and protecting her…. Her…. The one that got away. But she got away from him, she was his, not this creeps. His ears caught the sound of a switchblade opening as the man closed the gap between himself and Devi, finally catching her attention as well.

Devi glanced over her shoulder at the man and looked back toward the sidewalk in front of her.

'Calm girl, not every guy is out to kill you.'

Devi glanced over her shoulder again a moment later, hearing a deep chuckle from the man behind her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and sped up her pace. The man lunged toward her, knocking her face first into the pavement, her groceries hitting the ground and spilling out of the bag. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to gain a rational thought, let alone gather actual words.

'Fuck not again. I can't even fight back.'

"Take… Just … Take my wallet, you can have it, my card is in there, cash everything, just take it, please don't hurt me. Oh fuck, please don't hurt me."

The stranger chuckled deep in his throat, one hand holding a knife to her throat while the other traveled down the curve of her back and her buttocks; His large frame easily holding her slim form to the cold hard pavement.

"Shit, Shit, please, just let me go, it's all yours, I didn't do anything to you, please."

Tears were gathering in her emerald eyes, slowly beginning to trickle down her pale cheeks before dropping to the ground that her face was pressed to. Her body trembled beneath him, causing him to laugh again.

"Sorry little missy, I don't want your wallet. I have bigger plans for you, you're coming home with me, you want to get out of this, don't, fucking, scream."

He pressed the knife harder against the flesh of her neck, the cold metal bringing a newfound panic to her mind. She could feel the bile rising in her throat as she fought to suppress the sobs of terror that threatened to spill forth.

Johnny saw red, his hands tightening further around the handles of the blades inside his coat. This was not going to happen, not to his Devi. He ran across the street, his boots pounding against the asphalt, the sound causing her attacker to look up from his victim.

"Don't fucking touch her." Venom dripped from every word out of his mouth. The stranger stood from Devi's back, turning to face Johnny he grinned.

"Aw little boy, being a superhero?" The man took a few steps toward Johnny, pointing his knife in his direction. The man's hood fell from his head, allowing his face to be seen in the dim illumination from the street light above.

Devi rolled over and scooted backward, her back pressing to the dilapidated building behind her. She dug her hand into her jacket, pulling out on of the small canisters of mace and gripping it tightly in her hand. She shook as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, watching the scene unfolding before her.

'Not him too, this can't get any worse. I'm a fucking psycho magnet.'

Johnny's final strides brought him within feet of Devi's attacker, he pulled his hands from inside his trench coat, the blades clinking against each other as his arms uncrossed from each other. The stranger laughed again.

"You wanna play?"

The stranger swung at Johnny with the small switchblade in his hand, catching him across the stomach, blood seeping to the surface of the fresh wound. He swung out at Nny again, this time missing him as he jumped away from the blade. Johnny crossed his arms in front of him, clutching the blades tightly, a malicious grin crawled across his face, he swung at the man, his arms uncrossing with the swing he took. Each blade sunk into the skin on the man's torso, slashing a clean X into his flesh, earning a pained scream. The man placed his hand to his chest, his face screwing up in anger.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

Johnny glanced over at Devi, catching the look of fear dancing in her eyes; he looked back to the stranger in time to see him slamming the small blade into his stomach. Nny hissed in pain, he swung the blade up into the man's stomach, pulling upward he could hear the flesh tearing as he lifted the man off his feet. The man gasped, blood dripping from his lips. Johnny pulled the blade back allowing the man's body to hit the asphalt with a heavy thud, blood pouring from the large fresh wound. He slipped the blades back into his trench coat before moving to approach Devi.

"Uh…. Hi…. Damn… I didn't want you to see that. But I…. I couldn't let him hurt you." Johnny wrung his hands together, ignoring the fact that he had indeed gotten blood on his gloves. He pulled the gloves off and tucked them into the pocket of his coat.

"I… I… Um. I ….. Thank you." Devi hoisted herself to her feet, leaving her canister of mace laying on the ground by her feet. Leaning against the wall behind her, she attempted to steady her shaking legs. Her eyes followed Johnny as he began to drag the body of her attacker out of the street and into the small alley besides the broken down building. He dusted his hands off and began to walk away, leaving Devi in shock.

"I'm not going to try to explain why I was following you, I just needed to see you and say sorry. I wasn't ready to actually talk to you yet, I don't really know what to say. But I'll leave you alone now."

"…Nny…." The soft tone of her voice pulled his attention back to her, he turned back to her before feeling his head spin from the loss of blood. He lost his balance, stumbling slightly he struggled to regain his balance. Failing miserably he could see the ground quickly approaching as his body fell dead weight. Devi managed to sprint forward, catching his body before it hit the ground. She dragged him toward the sidewalk, setting him down and resting his head in her lap. Her fingers softly brushed strands of hair from his face.

"You're hurt, all because of me."

"Nothing big, I'll live, hell you've done worse to me in the past, and I've certainly done worse to myself." He grinned up at her, not quite sure of which image of her to concentrate on.

"Hell I'm not going to ask why you were following me. But, why did you help me?" Devi pulled her jacket off, covering his chest and stomach with the large flight jacket she was so attached to.

" I don't know…. Hear me out…. I hate being touched, I hate feeling, I hate people, Hell I hate just about everything. I can't figure it out. You're different, I don't hate being around you, I don't hate you touching me, I hate caring about you because I fucked up. I didn't want to kill you, it….it…..was….. doughboys.…. Oh shit…." Johnny smiled up at her, his eyes slipping shut. He hoped this was it, this was death, he would be able to die happy. Darkness closed around him, surrendering him to unconsciousness. His head lolled to the side in her lap.

Devi tapped his cheek with her palm, great she was in a bad neighborhood, stuck between downtown and home with a man who had attempted to kill her previously. Yet somehow something felt right, she hadn't been terrified watching that man get ripped apart by Johnny, she had only been terrified of the attack itself. Reality sunk in, she was stuck here, Johnny in her lap, and no way to get him anywhere with her. Devi reached into the pocket of her jacket as it lay draped over his unconscious form, fishing for her cell phone. Her slender fingers wrapped around the sleek plastic device, flipping it open she frantically fought with the power button.

"Fuck it had to be stuck tonight."

The phone finally turned on as she shakily dialed a number, holding the phone to her ear she could hear it ringing through to the line. 'pick up, pick up, pick up.' She took a deep breath as she heard a cheery voice answer the phone.

"Hey Dev, Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting at your apartment for the past twenty minutes."

"Um, Tenna we have a problem. I need you to get your car and come pick me up by 1666 Hades Avenue. I'm on the side of the road, not actually at an address.. I'll explain when you get here."

It was going to be one long night.