Coldest Degree

Prologue

September 1st

“Hello, my pet,” he rasped as a wide smile crossed his lips.

Through the scope of his rifle he could easily make out the redhead’s slender figure as she jogged down the road. A quick glance at this watch confirmed that she was once again on schedule.

Each day, at precisely 4pm, she swept past the Cliff on her run. She ran no less than two miles a day through the Beach—tackling hills and sand, and weaving in-and-out of parked vehicles. Today, as always, a few loose strands of curly hair were plastered to her sweaty forehead, and her oversized t-shirt had begun to cling to her pale skin.

Her chest heaved as she broke into a sprint, and her well-worn grey sneakers mercilessly pounded the street.

“That’s my girl…Take out your anger. Punish yourself,” he muttered, tacking her movements with the scope.

He watched her slow at the crest of the Cliff. Her blue eyes were drawn to the water on her left side. Her arms stopped pumping and she bent over. She gasped for air, her hands clutching her knees as she sank into the grass.

As soon as her breathing calmed, she climbed to her feet again; her legs shook as she blew two kisses towards the water.

“You’re a very brave girl, my dear. Unfortunately, it’s time for the games to truly begin.”

A smirk replaced the smile on his face as he narrowed his dark eyes and placed a finger on the trigger.

Her face turned towards him and her ice-blue eyes scanned the area. He took careful aim at the center of her slightly-freckled forehead.

“Good-bye, my dear,” he hissed.

With a chuckle, Jonathan Weiss squeezed the trigger.

Author’s Notes:

Here is the completely re-worked and edited version of Coldest Degree. There’s been a lot of restructuring, particularly in the beginning chapters, and it is considered “clean” (i.e. no language unless absolutely necessary!)

Constructive crit is welcome!

Enjoy the story that started it all… and brought Katherine Winters into the world of writing.