[ WP ] Two serial killers stumble upon each other while hiking . Both find the other to be the perfect next victim .

The handsome man stepped again through the dead autumnal air, his sweat pure salt. He had been trying to lose himself for hours now, knowing his efforts were in vain. Every inch of his sanctuary was known to him, no less than he knew himself, and ridding himself of that knowledge was impossible. 
 
 In the springtime, the trees had been vibrant, as they always were, after. But time had stretched on since Chicago to the point it felt like another lifetime. And now the brown leaves felt – did they even feel? His senses dulled and his mind confused, he could scarcely notice. 
 
 He heard her step like the Big Bang. From nothing, something. And she was there, standing in his indistinct world. 
 
 But she was sharp. And when she met his eyes, he knew it was too late for both of them. His desires were at his throat, clawing, but his conscience sat on his tongue. He pushed himself to nod politely, his thoughts most impure. 
 
 But she spoke. And the words pierced him like needles. “ My friend, ” she said, incorrectly. “ I have been lost for some time. Please, do you know of a place to make a call? ” 
 
 “ I have a home, ” he answered, the words flowing from his mouth like a regretted glass of wine. “ Simple, but with telephone. ” 
 
 She eyed him curiously, as so many had before. His speech was practiced to be remarkable, yet unassuming. He knew her answer before she spoke. 
 
 “ Thank you, my friend, ” she said, making two mistakes at once. 
 
 They reached his door, after many false smiles and much empty laughter. They entered and were buffeted by the smell of a rich marinara he had begun that morning. He had forgotten. When he had left, it was cold, canned tomatoes and dry herbs. And now he was in Venice, steering a gondola through the River Styx. 
 
 He tasted the sauce and laughed, a different sort of laugh than he shared with the woman. It was bubbling and hot, vivacious. The dullness had faded, and although he knew it wouldn ’ t last, he was alive. 
 
 It was only then he noticed the knife protruding from his heart. 
 
 And it was sharp.
