That was the last straw.

I grabbed the back of her neck with a firm hand and scraped her face across the brick wall. Her panicked struggles and wordless cries, which would’ve moved me once, did nothing. Raising my free hand, I struck downward, twisting my hips to add more power. The force of the blow slammed her to the ground. She lay there in a heap and didn’t move.

My inner beast was on the loose and it wanted blood. It was the answer to the pain that echoed inside me like I was a church bell. Life never rewards the good. Who prospers? The corrupt, the selfish, the arrogant- those people willing to betray you.

I watched the night’s rain slowly clean her face. Dark rivulets of makeup and blood pooled under her.

This was my baptism.

She coughed and I knew it was time to go. I rifled through her purse, took out her cell phone and her wallet and chucked the rest into the street. I pocketed the cash and dialed nine-one-one on her cell. Still ringing, I dropped the phone on to her body and walked away.