“Goddamit, you bitch!” He yelled as he rubbed his foot. “I’m not going to stop. You know that, right? She showed me in my dreams. She needs you to die so that she can live. And you can be goddamn sure that I’ll do anything I can to bring her back!” As Allison’s breath became even again, she looked at him questioningly.

“Oh,” he grinned,” she didn’t tell you did she. So much for lesbian love, eh?” He drew in a long breath, “She needs the souls of remorseless wrong doers to bargain back her life.”

“What?!” Allison exclaimed.

“What do you mean, ‘what?’ I thought it was pretty clear; you are a cold-blooded murderer. She showed me in a dream how you killed that married couple and got away with it. You’re remorseless. You didn’t confess your crime. If I kill you, then through me, she’ll deliver up a remorseless sinner. Something about demons feeding on the souls of the wicked, or some such. By that part of the dream, I’ve stopped paying attention anyway. So, there it is. Either you confess your crime to the police, or I end you in order to bring the love of my life back into the world of the living.”

“What about you?” Allison asked. “You murdered her. You never confessed to the police. You’re also remorseless.”

“But she loves me! She knows I didn’t mean it. I just—just let things get the better of me. That’s all. Every night for the last eight years, we’ve made love—in my dreams, I mean.” His voice became wistful. “Our love transcends life and death. I don’t need to know the details. All I know is that you’re a killer, I kill you, then I get the girl.”

“Why are you telling me this? You’re a fool. All I have to do is kill you and she’s mine.” Allison scoffed. Phillips stood upright. He seemed to have regained his vigor. “She’ll never be yours. I told you; she makes love like a true woman. She definitely needs a penis, my dear. And I’m afraid nature just hasn’t accommodated you. Besides the dream showed me killing you. I assume you’re acquainted with her ability to see into things that have not yet come to pass.” He cracked his neck. “I am relentless, Allison. I assure you, I will claim your soul for her, and she will take her rightful place by my side.”