Chapter 54: Lynn: Ah, What a Goddamn Shame
As he spoke, John Kost excitedly showed Maria his "love poem."
And when she saw the severed head floating in one glass jar, and the lone eyeball staring from another...
...Maria broke, letting out a piercing, hysterical scream.
"Why are you afraid? But... I love you so much."
He crouched, his expression wounded as he watched her shrink away from him in pure terror.
"Can't you feel it?" John pleaded. "How much I love you?"
"L-let me go... please, I'm begging you!"
She was sobbing now, staring at the man who had been her patient. "I have a fiancé... I'm getting married soon. Please... just let me go."
"What did you say?"
The mask of self-pity shattered. The moment he processed her words, John Kost's eyes went bloodshot.
"Damn it! Why? Why would you do that to me?"
"I loved you! And you're going to marry someone else? You're betraying me!"
Maria recoiled, her terror ratcheting higher as his face twisted into a mask of pure rage.
But the chain snapped taut, and he lunged, dragging her back across the floor.
"I will not let you marry him! You're mine! You can only be mine!"
He pulled a dagger from his belt.
Maria screamed, a raw, piercing sound. "Shut up!" John roared. "Only in death will you finally be mine!"
He raised the dagger high, ready to plunge it down.
At the last possible second, the warehouse door exploded off its hinges. Lynn and George stormed in, pistols up. "Stop!"
Seeing the blade about to fall, they both roared.
Two muzzles snapped onto him. John reacted instantly, yanking Maria up as a shield, the blade pressing against her throat. "Don't move! Or I'll kill her!"
"John Kost, calm down!"
Seeing Maria's life on the line, George and Lynn locked eyes.
George began to circle, drawing his attention. "John, put the knife down. You love her, don't you? You wouldn't want to hurt the woman you love."
They'd been partners long enough. One look was all it took.
George draws his fire. Lynn finds the opening.
"Of course I won't hurt her! But I have to make her mine forever!"
Kost was clearly psychotic. Normal logic wouldn't work.
So George played into the delusion. "You're right, John. She belongs to you. After all, that beautiful four-line love poem you made... she must be incredibly touched."
"Yes... she should be. Very touched."
He pressed the knife harder. "Are you touched, Maria?"
Maria, seeing her chance, forced herself to calm down. She understood the play.
She nodded, her voice trembling. "Yes... I'm very touched. You... you just startled me."
"Really?"
A flicker of pure, delusional joy crossed Kost's face.
George pressed on. "See, John? She's so moved, she'll want to marry you. But a woman like that... don't you want to give her a perfect wedding? Put her in a white dress, with flowers?"
"Yes!"
Kost nodded, his mind latching onto the new fantasy. The knife in his hand began to lower.
"I need to get her a dress. The most beautiful dress. She was just scared because I... I didn't have a dress for her..."
Bang!
The instant the blade was clear, Lynn squeezed the trigger.
The bullet tore through John Kost's skull.
Lynn was moving before the body hit the floor, grabbing the hysterical Maria and pulling her to safety.
"Ah!!!"
The shock hit her, and Maria collapsed into Lynn's arms, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.
George let out a breath and gave Lynn a nod.
Lynn winked back at George, patting Maria's back to comfort her.
But his eyes were on Kost's corpse. A translucent, purple-glowing spirit was rising from it.
Kost's spirit was staring, its gaze fixed on Maria... and its eyes, when they turned to Lynn, were burning with pure hatred.
'It wasn't because I killed him,' Lynn realized. 'It was because I was holding her.'
Lynn felt the obsession... and just sighed.
'Love. The eternal theme. Even when it's just plain obsession.'
After Maria's sobs subsided, Lynn motioned for George to cut the chain from her ankle.
He, meanwhile, walked over to Kost's corpse.
The spirit followed, its hateful gaze locked on him.
Lynn used his Phantasm ability. The obsession was simple: Kill Lynn Hall. He touched Maria.
"Ah, what a waste..."
He muttered, and his eyes flashed a cold, golden-green.
The air around him rippled.
The next instant, dozens of shadow-like specters materialized, swarmed Kost's spirit, and began to tear it apart.
"AH!!!"
Lynn ignored the spirit's silent scream.
In moments, the spirits he'd summoned had devoured Kost's soul, leaving nothing.
"What's a waste?"
George, draping his own jacket over Maria, walked over. "He may have been sick, but he still brutally murdered four innocent women."
"And you took the shot to save a life. He had it coming."
George completely misread him, assuming Lynn felt bad about killing a 'sick' man.
He had no idea Lynn was pissed off that he'd just found a rare, purple-level obsession, only to have it be completely useless to him.
"Alright, I've called it in. The cavalry is on the way."
"Let them process the scene. You and I will go back, file the report, and then you're on administrative leave."
"Right."
This was one of the perks of the job that Lynn genuinely loved.
After all, a justified shooting meant... at least a week of paid administrative leave.
As for the Internal Affairs review...
'Pfft. George would handle the statement. What the hell was there to worry about?'
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