doggedly
[ daw-gid-lee, dog-id‐ ]
adverb
- in a persistent or tenacious manner:
She worked doggedly and tirelessly, overseeing nearly every aspect of the show.
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Darren barely checked the room before he bolted the door. He wanted to collapse right then and there, but that would not lead to anything good. He checked out the room he had entered. There was a window that a quick glance told him could be open. So at least he had a way out if he needed it. He also became aware that he was in some kind of study. Bookshelves lined the walls, and there was plenty of seating. All Darren cared about was what he could use to barricade the door. If he could make it strong enough, maybe he could get some rest.
He got to work moving whatever he could. His entire body protested everything he did, but he kept going. He was just glad his pursuer was not in any apparent rush. It allowed him to make temporary havens like this one.
As soon as he moved another chair in front of the door, creating a sizable pile of furniture, he groaned, went to the nearest wall, and sat. His entire body ached, but most of all his feet. They were sore and he could practically feel blisters forming.
He did not get much time to rest. The heavy footsteps were already coming. They echoed through the hall on the other side of the door. Normally, Darren would feel confident that the man would either pass him by or have difficulty getting through the heavy door and everything he had placed against it. Maybe he would even give up. Find easier prey. But that hope had long been abandoned.
Sure enough, the doorknob rattled as the man tried to open it. It was locked, of course. Not that that would stop him for long. But it was something.
“Why are you doing this?” Darren called. Keeping hidden was useless, so there was no point in trying. Asking such questions was also useless, given how many times he had tried to get answers before. “I haven’t done anything to you. I haven’t done anything to deserve this. So why? Answer me, damn it!”
Much to Darren’s surprise, the knob stopped rattling. And a voice like crushed rocks came through the door.
“Why?” It said. “Because I can. Because I want to.”
Darren was not sure whether to be amazed the man could speak, or to be furious at the words that had been spoken.
“You…that’s it? You’re trying to kill me because you want to?” His voice rose with every word he spoke. How long had he been running? He had lost rack of the time passed. And now he found that all that effort was because of a whim?
“Yes. That’s it.”
“Well then, how about you stop? You don’t gain anything from this, right? And surely there’s something better you can be doing with your time that trying to kill one man.”
“Better? Yes. But I want this. So this is what I do.”
Darren was tempted to remove his barricade just to punch the man in his teeth. Maybe knock a few of them out before he was gutted. It would be very satisfying, even if he ended up with a knife in his belly.
“There must be something. Some way to get you to stop. Everyone has something they want, right? I don’t have much, but I have things you must want.”
“No. I want to chase. I want to kill. That’s it. And that is what I’ll do. I won’t stop until I am here and you are not.”
Darren let out a low growl. He want to talk more. To try and convince the relentless killer to stop. But it was useless. The knob started to shake again. The conversation was over. The chase had resumed. Darren took a deep breath. He had a few minutes before he needed to move again. Just a few minutes to try and catch his breath and stop his feet from aching. It was not enough, but it was all he had. And then he would, once again, need to start running.
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It's almost Halloween. I hope you're all ready for it. Me? I'm always ready. Because nobody ever comes to my house, so I don't need to do anything!
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