I Am Death Read Online Free PDF

black.
    ‘Don’t look so surprised, kid. Changing your appearance isn’t really that hard.’
    Ricky was still shivering.
    ‘So,’ the man said. ‘Let me ask again – what’s your name?’
    Ricky’s lips moved, but his voice failed him.
    ‘What was that? I didn’t hear you.’
    The man took a step forward. Ricky’s arms jerked toward his face to protect it. The man paused and waited, observing the boy.
    ‘Richard. My name is Richard Temple.’ The boy’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.
    ‘Umm.’ The man nodded as he scratched his chin, apparently missing his goatee. ‘But everyone calls you Ricky, right?’ His voice was back to being throaty and cold.
    The boy nodded.
    ‘Well, not anymore.’ The man sucked in a breath through his nose as if getting ready to spit. ‘I’ll tell you a secret. You were supposed to die here. I was supposed to do
whatever I wanted with you and then kill you.’
    Tears began to roll down Ricky’s cheeks.
    ‘But I’ve decided that that’s not what I’m going to do. At least, not yet.’
    Ricky couldn’t tear his eyes from the man’s face.
    ‘Let me tell you this – life, as you knew it, is over, do you understand? You’ll never leave here. You’ll never have a friend again. Not that I think you had any.
You’ll never go to school again, or play outside again, or see your family again, or do anything again other than obey me. Is that clear?’
    Fear kept Ricky from replying.
    ‘Is. That. Clear?’
    Ricky saw the man’s fingers close into a fist, and fear made him nod.
    ‘You’ll do everything I tell you to do. You’ll not open your mouth unless I give you permission to speak. You’ll only eat whatever is left over from my plate. If
there’s nothing left over, you don’t eat. If you try to escape, I will know, and I will punish you. If you disobey any of my rules, I will know, and I will punish you. Do you
understand?’
    The boy nodded again.
    ‘This is a new beginning for you,’ the man continued. ‘And since it’s a new beginning, you need a new name, because I don’t like yours.’ He wiped the back of
his right hand across his lips, and for an instant the man looked like he was pondering something. ‘You know what you look like, all awkward and skinny?’ He didn’t wait for an
answer. ‘A squirm. You look like a squirm.’ A short pause. ‘I really like that.’ He smiled. ‘So that’s your new name – Squirm. Every time I call your name,
you will answer “Yes, sir”. Do you understand, Squirm?’
    The boy didn’t know what to do other than look totally and utterly petrified.
    ‘DO YOU UNDERSTAND, SQUIRM?’ The man’s yell reverberated against the brick walls like a death call.
    ‘Yes, sir.’ His voice was drowning in tears.
    The man smiled as he walked back to the cell door.
    ‘Welcome to your new life, Squirm. Welcome to hell.’
    The door closed behind him with a muffled thud like a coffin lid.

Six
    Captain Blake waited while both detectives checked the file in their hands. It opened with an 11x8-inch colored portrait of a woman.
    ‘Her name was Nicole Wilson,’ the captain began, leaning back and sitting against the edge of her desk. ‘Twenty years old. She was born and raised in Evansville, Indiana, where
her parents still live. About a year ago, after being accepted into law school at CSULA on a full academic scholarship, she moved here to Los Angeles. Her records show that she was an outstanding
student. For pocket money, and when her college schedule allowed her, she would sometimes babysit a few nights a week. This was supposed to be her first college summer break, but instead of going
back to Indiana to see her folks, she decided to stay around because she managed to land a temp job, running errands for a small law firm in downtown LA. One of her professors helped her get the
job.’
    Hunter and Garcia studied the opening photograph for a moment. Nicole Wilson had a round face, with expressive