The first time I met Lucas, I was instantly drawn to him. He had such charisma and charm that made it impossible to ignore him when he was in the room.
I'll never forget the night I bumped into him outside my favorite bookstore. I was exiting and he was headed inside.
With my nose stuck in a book, I didn't see him until it was too late. After helping me pick up my stuff, Lucas asked about the book I was reading and we stood around chatting for what seemed like forever.
Lucas looked every inch to be the 'bad boy' type. He was tattooed and had a lot of piercings. His ears must've had at least 5 earrings in each ear, none of which matched and most looked kinda girly. Still, he looked tough and rugged. Not my type at all, but I was intrigued with him.
Before parting ways that evening, I gave him my number. It wasn't something I usually did, but I couldn't seem to help myself when it came to Lucas.
I actually didn't expect to hear from him again, but sure enough he called me later that night. I only ended up getting a couple hours sleep because we stayed on the phone all night.
He listened to me go on and on about my life and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. He even sounded sympathetic when I told him about the death of my parents in a car accident years before, that had left me pretty much alone in this world. From the little he told me about himself, he was a loner just like me, always preferring books rather than people.
Even after we hung up, I could still hear his kind voice in my head. I drifted off thinking about his adorable smile.
The next day at work, I told my best friend Jenny about Lucas. Jenny was a few years older than me and always thought she knew what was best.
"You've only known this man for less than one day, yet you think you like him already?"
"You just have to meet him, Jenny. Then you'll understand. It's hard to explain, but I just feel something around him."
"You 'feel' something?", Jenny asked, laughed out loud, then continued, "Amy, you're 20 years old. You don't know what you feel. Probably just hormones."
I knew right then, Jenny would never understand. I was really hoping she would. Jenny was all I had. After my parents died, I didn't really have any family left. Jenny was even my only friend. Jenny's opinion meant a lot to me. I would just have to keep this from her.
So I kept seeing Lucas anyhow. I couldn't help myself. Things between us started to progress so fast. Before I knew it, he was spending nearly all his time at my apartment. Even spending the nights there.
It felt like we had known each other for years, when in fact, it had only been a couple weeks.
Jenny showed up unexpectedly a few days after Lucas moved in. She was furious. She voiced her opinion right in front of him too. She stormed out when Lucas told her to kiss his ass and she never came back. I regretted not sticking up for her. I wish I had. I guess she saw something in Lucas that I wasn't seeing.
The first time I became uncomfortable around Lucas was when he came home late one night with fresh scratches on his face. He seemed to be out of breath and frantic.
He wouldn't tell me what happened. Only that he had an altercation with a co-worker at the pizzeria he worked at. I didn't question him any further because he became extremely upset if I tried.
The next day, I came home to find Lucas there, with a new ear piercing. I jokingly asked him about the newest addition, remarking that it looked like something a teenage girl would wear. He instantly flew into a rage. Tossing my coffee table across the room and storming out the door.
He didn't come back that night. As a matter or fact, I didn't see or hear from him for a few days after that.
Then one day out of nowhere, he
shows up unannounced while I was lying in bed late one night.
I heard him frantically pounding on my front door, yelling my name over and over.
I opened the door to find Lucas standing there, his face smeared with blood.
"Look!", he said gleefully, shoving an earring into my face, then continued, "Now you only have me. You can count on me, Amy."
I instantly recognized it. It was Jenny's. It was her favorite pair of earrings.
"Lucas," I asked cautiously, "where did you get this?"
I guess deep down I already knew the answer. Lucas's behavior had given a lot away. I guess I should've seen it before now, but who wants to think the one they love is a serial killer?
Lucas shoved his way inside the door.
"I thought you'd be happy! That bitch never approved me of anyhow! She's ignored you since I started staying here. Fuck her! Now it's just us!"
It hit me then. All the mismatched earrings... They were from his victims. Lucas was a murderer. Why hadn't I seen it before?
I knew I had to call for help. But how? Lucas was pacing around the room like a madman. He grabbed me and tried to kiss me. I was too terrified to fight him off. I was afraid he would hurt me if I did.
Once he let me go, I looked down at my shirt and saw the blood that had smeared on my shirt from his jacket. I screamed then. I couldn't help it. I was in shock. I knew Lucas would kill me too.
Lucas grabbed me and covered my mouth.
"Shut up, now! I don't want to hurt you. Don't make me," he whispered in my ear.
With him pressed up against me, I felt the knife in his jacket pocket. His murder weapon. I shook my head and let him know I would be quiet.
I reached for him as if asking him to hug me. He took me into his arms. I reached into his pocket and grabbed the knife before he could move away.
Lucas jumped back and stared at me wide eyed. I was standing there with his very own knife pointed towards him. I knew I was shaking. He laughed hysterically.
"What are 'you' going to do?"' he asked.
"You are a murderer, Lucas. I'm calling the police. Don't move or I will cut you. I swear it!"
I glanced away for a mere second to look for my phone. He was on me in an instant. We fell to the floor, with Lucas on top of me. His fingers were trying to peel mine away from the handle of the knife. I knew that if he got it, I was dead.
I shoved the knife forward with all my might. Lucas gasped and looked into my eyes as the blade struck his heart.
"I thou..thought you loved me..," he said.
"I thought I did too," I said as I shoved the knife deeper and twisted it.
Lucas went limp after a few minutes. It took everything I had to shove him off of me.
I stood up and looked down at his lifeless body. I knew I was lucky to be alive. I bent down and retrieved Jenny's earring from his pocket. Then I ripped all the other ones from his ears.
Before I could stand, I felt his arm grab mine.
"I would've never hurt you, Amy. Never."
"I would've never let you," I replied and reached over to slam my hand on the handle of the knife once more.
After one last breath, he died on my floor.
I walked out the door, covered in his blood, with a handful of bloody earrings in my hand that still had the flesh from his ear attached to them.
I breathed in the fresh night air. Then calmly walked to my neighbors to call police. I would have time to panic and cry later. 
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