There I am.
Here is me.

I stare at him. He is me, and his face is mine.

The face.
Copied verbatim in the cool gleam of the silver.
Moonlight’s glare leaves the face in half-shadow.

I see it in his face, and feel it in mine.
Writhing.
Pulsing.

I feel it – know it – is in there.
Under there.
Living there.

It—
(they, them)
—thrives in the space between the skin and flesh.

Escape.
They always escape. They always elude. They always avoid my blade.

The blade.
I hold it up, and so does he.
Flash of light as moonlight’s glare hits its edge.

Tonight.
IT ENDS TONIGHT!

No hesitation as we plunge the blade into our cheek where we catch one as the others wriggle away before we pull out the blade and slice upwards and nick the eye but can’t stop now they’re crawling under my nose slice there slice the other cheek slice the forehead stab stab stab the chin we almost have it! there’s one more there we’re almost done ignore the trickling into the sink ignore the unhinged jaw please god LET ME GET IT