Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) by L. Dee Walker Read Free Book Online Page A

stomach with threads of pink meat hanging out. It resembled an empty bowl of raw hamburger with her internal organs yanked out and tossed around the room.
    He had ripped off one of her legs, which laid half on and half off the tent wall with bite-sized chunks missing with shreds hanging in tattered pieces. Her brown eyes were wide with horror and pain. Her jaw hung ripped open in a grotesque, frightening position. With her dying screams, she choked to death on her own blood. The rest of her body looked as if she got into a fight with a wild animal.
    Candice screamed again, crying in raging sobs. She couldn’t move, frozen, as she gripped the shredded tent to stop herself from passing out. Tears flowed down her face like a waterfall after heavy rain.
    Meanwhile, Todd wasn’t standing still or taking the time to smell the flowers. He moved towards her, and every step got a little better. He wasn’t so much like a toddler just learning to walk, but more like one who knew how to without staggering. He was also bee-lined in her direction.
    Zach stopped moving backward. It was obvious Todd was tired of their song and dance and had turned to the easier game: Candice, who stood still so he could catch her. Rushing behind him, Zach scanned the ground for a weapon. Passing by the firewood pile, he picked up a log that required both hands and nailed Todd in the shoulder. Back in the day, he was one of the town’s favorite baseball players; sending many hundred-mile-an-hour balls out of the park for screaming home runs, so there was some punch in that hit.
    It worked. He got Todd’s attention. Turning, he raced back towards Zach. His pace was much faster.
    Zach had to jog to stay away from him. “Come on man, can’t we talk about this?” He looked behind him, shuffling his feet to keep from falling. “Obviously something has ya mad. Talk to me about it. Get it off your chest. You just might feel better, bro .”
    Todd continued the chase, quietly, eyes never leaving Zach for a moment until…
    Candice was disgusted. It was one thing watching blood and gore on the big screen, but it was entirely another seeing it in reality. All she could remember was how kind Janet was and how that son-of-a-bitch took advantage of her every day they were together. Nothing was ever good enough for him. No matter how much she drained her bank account dry, he always wanted more. Only now, she was dead and he killed her.
    Looking up, she saw that Todd ran after Zach. She didn’t even think. The only thing she saw was Janet’s face: before and after. Screaming loudly, she turned her anger on Todd. “ You son-of-a-bitch, you killed her! ”
    Zach looked over, blinking in shock. “She’s really dead?”
    Todd stopped chasing Zach. Turning, he ran straight at Candice. By this time, he moved the same speed as a marathon runner with that last burst before crossing the finish line. If she wanted him to come after her, she got her wish.
    It wasn’t exactly what she wanted . She watched in fright as he growled, snarling like some wild beast. Here was this enraged bull, rushing straight at her, without any way to defend herself. Quickly, she looked around for something that might even the odds.
    Stick, nope that would just break. A rock, she could be dead by the time he was close enough for her to hit him, especially in the dark. Dirt in his eyes, again he would have to be too close for comfort. Just as she was getting ready to run for it, abandoning any thought of fighting, her toe kicked something hard. Glancing down, she saw the ax. It wasn’t there a moment ago, but now it rested right at her feet.
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    “Thank you, Lord.” It was like a gift from God and she looked up thanking him, before turning back to Todd with a renewed sense of bravery. She could do this. Hell, she wanted to run him over with the truck a few moments ago, so she could easily chop off his head. She beckoned him closer. “Yeah, come on you son-of-a-bitch. Come