Interlude: On Strangulation
I suppose it would be foolish to ask if you've ever strangled someone. It is highly unlikely, and, even if you had, I'm sure you wouldn't admit it. It's not the kind of thing you broadcast to the world. No, it's the kind of thing you keep to yourself. It's yours and yours alone- forgotten during the day, retrieved and relived each night; savored until it's gone, and you have to do it again.
Are you still watching those crime shows? Didn't I tell you to stop, that they fill your little head with all sorts of inaccuracies? For instance, they make strangulation look easy, when I can assure you, it's not. Do you have any idea how much force it takes to cut off the air supply? Do you know how long it takes them to die? I don't either. I'm not exactly looking at my watch while I do it. It feels like a long time, though.
On crime shows, the victim is often choked while lying on the floor. The one doing the choking is on top, allowing for a bunch of artistic camera angles, interspersing the faces of the hunter and the hunted. That's one way to go. I prefer to catch my prey from behind, by surprise. You can still watch, and, when the moment finally comes for them to take their final, desperate breath, you can be assured that their last thoughts will be frozen across their faces for all time. No need for artistic camera angles.
Anyway, I tell you all of this to let you know that strangulation is my first love, my preferred method. Remember my partner (temporary, only for convenience)? The sociopath? I told you she fears me. This is why. She knows I could get to her. She knows I could take her by surprise. She knows I could strangle the life out of her at any moment. She needed elaborate plans, she wanted to make a spectacle. It was hubris, and it got her caught. I don't need any of that. I can do my work whenever the mood strikes, whenever the opportunity to presents itself.
Yes, strangulation is my first love. I helped her. I like surprises. I can still get to her. I'm smart. I'm a liar. I don't like crime shows. I'm here. You see, don't you? That I'm trying to play fair with you? That I'm trying to give you every opportunity to put it all together? That I'm trying to prepare you? I'm part of this story, too. I am the story, even if you don't see it yet. Don't say you haven't been warned.