Dark Alley Chapter 8 The Killer's Twisted Origin

　　Years prior, Todd Wells had lived on the city's outskirts, next door to Mia Carter. They grew up side by side—playmates, classmates, teenage sweethearts, all the way to the brink of marriage. Their wedding date had already been picked, until catastrophe destroyed everything.

　　Todd's father worked as a motorbike taxi driver. One fare dispute turned violent; a vengeful rival rammed his bike at high speed, leaving him permanently paralyzed from the waist down. The other driver paid a mere five thousand dollars in compensation, sending the Wells family spiraling into crippling poverty. Mia's parents immediately called off the engagement, refusing all compromise.

　　"Bring me twenty thousand dollars, and we'll talk marriage," Mia told him coldly. Her words crushed Todd's heart. He threw himself into grueling overtime for years, scraping together every penny until he held the full sum out to her—only for Mia to turn him down without hesitation. She had cast aside all their youthful promises without a second thought.

　　Todd begged her through tears, nearly dropping to his knees, yet Mia spun on her heel and walked away for good.

　　He tried to mend his broken heart with time, forcing himself to forget her. Then one afternoon, he spotted Mia wrapped up with Ethan Hale. He knew Ethan was wealthy, a serial cheater who tossed empty romantic vows at every woman he pursued. Still deeply in love with Mia, Todd begged her to leave the toxic affair.

　　Instead of gratitude, Mia screamed insults at him, mocking his family's misfortune and hurling vicious slurs about his disabled father. That night, he watched Ethan and Mia lock lips and embrace beneath the trees once more—and murderous rage ignited in his chest.

　　Todd prepared every weapon he would need: a razor-sharp axe, long steel blades, waterproof mud boots perfect for sewer escapes, and fingerprint-lined gloves to erase all evidence. On that storm-lashed night at the start of the story, he hid behind the oak tree, watching Ethan and Mia's tryst. After they parted ways, the empty, rain-threatened streets gave him the perfect opening. He charged Ethan from behind, swinging the axe into his skull as lightning split the sky, illuminating his contorted, bloodthirsty face. He hacked the victim's body repeatedly with his blade, then fled down into the sewer tunnels to vanish.

　　Todd never planned for Jenna Reed's scheme to unfold. While he lay low underground, Jenna exploited Mia's guilt and fear, staging fake hauntings to drive her former friend completely insane and seize her coveted secretary position.

　　When Jenna and CEO Raymond Cole snuck away to their secret rental apartment for their tryst, Todd slipped on his black cloak, crept to the window, and let loose that eerie guttural cackle to terrify them. He ducked out of sight before Raymond could spot him. At first, he had no intention of killing the businessman—but seeing how Raymond flaunted his money to manipulate and seduce women despite his wife at home fueled his rage anew. He resolved to end Raymond's life too.

　　One evening after a company karaoke night, a heavily intoxicated Raymond climbed into his private Mercedes. Todd ambushed the car, smashing the windows, and hacked him to death with the same axe and blades used on Ethan.

　　His ultimate goal was to make Jenna suffer a slow, agonizing breakdown before killing her outright. Elaine Cole, Raymond's wife, was merely an innocent pawn—Todd stabbed her in the street mid-fight with Jenna to send a terrifying warning to his true target.