CHAPTER ONE
Ella Dark stood in the place some people called the Deadlands: a deserted, 30-acre patch of wilderness in Washington, D.C., with a dark history. Only yesterday, this wilderness had been a theater of war. Ella’s partner, Mia Ripley, had tracked down serial killer Tobias Campbell to this location, and the two had engaged in a battle both had been waiting sixteen years for.
Tobias was one of America’s most infamous serial killers, taking the lives of five women in a string of heinous murders. Ella’s partner, Mia Ripley, had apprehended him in 2005 and he was sentenced to life in prison. When the FBI looked into Tobias’s history, they discovered a network of murders and underground activity that covered the entire spectrum of criminal activity. Tobias was a human spider at the center of an endless web.
During Tobias’s imprisonment, he’d reached out to Ella via letter, inviting her into his underground cell. Ella had accepted, and it had been the biggest mistake of her life. Ever since Ella’s visit, Tobias has haunted her from the shadows, watching her every move through surrogate eyes. A week ago, he’d escaped from prison and made his way to Washington, D.C., with one thing on his mind: ending this story once and for all.
The battle at the Deadlands had not been without its fatalities, but neither Tobias nor Mia were among them. Police and forensics had not yet secured the scene or even seen it for themselves. Given that the Deadlands were a gray area, both physically and figuratively, authorities needed explicit permission to intrude there. A gas explosion on these grounds 20 years ago rendered the place a danger zone, so authorities had to keep away until their safety was secured.
Ella was not bound by such restrictions.
The amphitheater loomed up ahead. In the crisp morning light, it looked like no more than a decrepit old barn, shaped as such, with a painted-white exterior long rotted to the elements. Thirty years ago, these Deadlands had been the home of Tobias Campbell’s carnival of delights, the same place he’d watched magicians and illusionists deceive the public with juvenile trickery. This was his real home, and, always one for theatrics, it was the only place he could satisfyingly end his long rivalry with the woman who’d captured him.
Ella navigated the amphitheater, through the hole in the wall that had once held a door, down the steps between the audience seating and finally arriving at the stage. There was a burnt-out candle and a single chair, and from this vantage point Ella surveyed the empty arena. Slumped in one of the audience seats, somewhere around row M, was a lone figure missing half of its skull. The figure was wearing Tobias Campbell’s infamous plague doctor mask, now a heap of obliterated latex.
Usually, when Ella was in close proximity with the dead, her primary response was empathy, sometimes despair. But the man in her vision was a Tobias disciple, and by now she’d come to view these followers, and Tobias himself, as something entirely Other, stripped of all humanity, leaving nothing but a soulless devotee to Tobias’s bloody cause. Ella had to dig deep to find compassion for someone so willing to be a cog in Tobias’s murder machine, but these people were not the authors of their own lives. They’d been corrupted and molded into loyal followers. These desperate souls were enticed by sanctuary and wealth under Tobias’s care. She was hesitant to use the term brainwashed, but that’s exactly what Tobias did. He’d broken these people down and rewired their perceptions of the world. Nothing was too far for them, even self-sacrifice.
Tobias had to be stopped. He had hundreds of followers, perhaps thousands. If she took out Tobias, his network would eventually collapse, saving these lost souls from a life of empty devotion.
Her partner Mia was in the hospital now. Mia’s battle with Tobias had not been without injury on both their parts, but both had escaped with their lives. Mia had two police officers guarding her hospital bed, and while it was the best option available given the circumstances, Ella was still worried sick about Mia’s well-being. In her last case, Tobias had infiltrated the FBI, corrupting a psychoanalyst and forcing him to turn his rage outward against Ella. If Tobias could pull this off, he could easily bypass two police officers. Mia was a sitting duck, vulnerable as a newborn lamb in a lion’s den.
Not only was Ella concerned for Mia’s life, but her old-turned-new companion, Ben, might also be in Tobias’s crosshairs. Ella had dated Ben for a few months, but they discovered their lifestyles didn’t intertwine. They’d reconnected only yesterday, but they’d been together back when Tobias had been watching from afar, however many weeks and months ago it might have been. Ella knew that Tobias wouldn’t stop until she and Mia were obliterated, and he’d do what he could to make the journey as painful as possible. That involved killing those closest to them.
Ella had come here on the off-chance Tobias might have left behind a clue to his whereabouts. Or better yet, to find whether he’d returned here since his clash with Mia the night before. She made her way around to what she assumed was the backstage area, if it could be termed such a thing. It was a dingy tunnel that led into a vast open chamber, complete with dead rats, piles of straw and a narrow steel cage. She inspected the bloodstains on the floor, recreating the scene based on the spatter. The only problem was that she couldn’t tell which stains belonged to who. It was just one messy, abstract painting in various shades of red.
Seeing this with her own eyes gave her new confidence that she could find Tobias of her own accord. The FBI director had given her and Mia strict instructions to stay away from this case at all costs. They were too close, and personal vendettas equaled mistakes. The director had a point, Ella knew, but he also didn’t understand the dangers she and Mia were under. It was easy to dismiss things when it wasn’t your own life that hung in the balance. That’s why Ella had no choice but to seek Tobias out for herself and put an end to this game of death once and for all.
She did one last inspection of the whole grounds, ensuring there were no living bodies present. It was eerily quiet here, miles away from civilization, so even the faintest sign of life would sound like an explosion. The only noises were her own footsteps and deep breathing. The place was as barren as an inhospitable planet, of that much she was certain.
Police and forensics would no doubt arrive soon, so she had to get out of here before then. While Mia’s secret pursuit of this case was no longer secret, Ella still wanted to maintain the illusion that she was keeping her distance. Otherwise she risked punishment from the FBI higher-ups, perhaps even suspension again. If they inquired, she’d tell the truth, but until then, she wasn’t going to stop until she held Tobias’s bloody spinal cord in her hands. Then she’d mail his head to the FBI offices, completely anonymously, to signal that his games were finally over. She’d get no credit for taking down one of America’s most infamous serial killers, but she wasn’t in this for the accolades. She was here to save lives, and that included hers and the lives of those closest to her.
Ella journeyed back through the narrow tunnel out into the main stage area. She ascended the steps leading through the stalls, arriving at the single dead spectator. It was a gruesome sight: half the victim’s skull missing, slushy brain matter lying on the seat’s armrest. Mia had given Ella the gist of what had happened but not the finer details. By the looks of it, she’d blown his brains out from close range with a high-explosive-incendiary filling, definitely not a standard issue 9-milimeter. Mia had not only come prepared, but she’d gotten personal. Understandable, Ella thought.
The man had been a decoy to distract Mia from her real target, or possible human insurance in case Mia had gotten the upper hand on Tobias. Ella glanced him over but couldn’t see a weapon on him. She didn’t want to touch him in case she left fingerprints behind.
What unnerved her the most wasn’t the defiled corpse. It was the plague doctor mask covering the dead man’s face. Tobias’s mask that he’d worn when he killed his own victims years ago. Black latex, a long beak, two gaping holes for eyes. It had stitches down the middle for that extra uncanny touch. He must have loaned it to this disciple. Never one to forego theatricality in favor of convenience.
Ella pulled her jacket sleeve over her hand, lifted up what remained and scrutinized the man behind the veil. An elderly man, long gray hair and a tobacco-stained beard. It wasn’t anyone she recognized. She placed the mask back down, severing a small chunk of it in the process. She pocketed it, perhaps a memento for future recollection. She considered photographing his face for evidence, but in this day and age, digital footprints were easier to follow than real ones. That’s why she’d kept her phone turned off since she got here.
She took her leave, back across the vast wasteland of dead earth towards civilization. She had no clue where to go or what to do next. Tobias could be anywhere by now, but if she knew him, she knew he wouldn’t leave D.C. until all this was over. He was somewhere in this city, hiding out, planning his next move. From now until either she or Tobias died, every day was a hunt, a game of survival. Two predators stalking one another and the first one to outthink the other would emerge victorious.
Game on, she thought.
But for now, there was someone she needed to meet. She had a promise to keep.