text: Jody was sitting in the very back of the theater, as he usually did. Even in a packed theater, not many people would elect to sit in the back row if there are other seats available. And that practically guaranteed that there would be a whole row of empty seats for him to choose from. Jody valued his personal space. He didn’t have many friends. The kids at school didn’t know anything about him or his family. Even to his teachers, Jody Teller was an enigma. And that’s how he preferred to keep it. The house lights dimmed and the previews began to play. And all the standard noises soon followed. The sounds of muffled conversations, ringing cellphones that people had neglected to silence, patrons munching on handfuls of popcorn or tearing open bags of candy. Jody was very observant for his age. And what he observed was a young man, sitting by himself in the sixth row, glancing periodically over his shoulder in Jody’s direction. At first, Jody thought he was waiting for somebody. But as the previews concluded and the title of the film flashed across the screen, it became obvious that the man was alone. And he had his eyes set on Jody. He could almost sense what the man was thinking. The man saw a young kid sitting by himself in a dark theater, no parental supervision, nobody to protect him. He saw an easy target, weak and vulnerable. Jody was a short and scrawny ten-year-old boy, with a ruddy complexion, copper colored hair, and a smattering of golden brown freckles across his rosy cheeks. He wasn’t big or strong, but he wasn’t as vulnerable or naïve as the man silently predicted. As a loner, he was very aware of his surroundings at all times, and he knew how to look after himself, watch his own back. He waited thirty minutes, then abandoned his popcorn and soda and slipped out of the dark theater, hoping to avoid the man that had been watching him. He got three blocks away from theater when a white panel van pulled up beside him. The passenger window rolled down and the driver leaned over. Jody recognized the driver as the man from the theater. Jody started to take note of his features. He was a Caucasian male, dark curly hair, about two hundred and thirty pounds give or take. It was hard to determine his height while he was sitting behind the wheel, but Jody estimated he was about 5’10, maybe 5’11. He appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties. No wedding ring or jewelry of any kind. “Hey, do you need a ride?” the man asked, flashing a benevolent smile. Jody remained silent, studying the man, sizing him up. “Hop in. I’ll take you home if that’s where you’re heading. It sure beats walking.” “Sorry, I don’t know you,” he said. “You’re a smart kid. My dad always warned me not to take rides from strangers when I was your age. My name is Todd. What’s your name?” “Jody,” he said after a brief moment of hesitation. “Well, now we’re not strangers anymore. See how easy that was? Come on, kid. I’m not a bad guy. I’m not going to hurt you. I just hate to see you walking by yourself. This isn’t the nicest neighborhood.” He glanced up at the cloudy sky and added, “Looks like it’s about to rain any minute. You don’t want to get caught in the rain, do you?” Jody shook his head. “So hop in. I’ll give you a lift home. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, I have plenty of candy. Do you like butterscotch?” Jody considered his options. Then he shrugged internally and thought, *what the hell? Why not?* The man leaned over again to open the door and Jody climbed into the passenger seat and accepted a few individually wrapped butterscotches from the man. He unwrapped one and sucked on it, grinning from ear to ear. His parents would be so proud of him. They would eat well tonight. He had to stop himself from licking his lips in anticipation. They would pick his bones clean, then grind them to dust. Nothing would be left for the police to find. Not that they would look. The cops never looked too hard for people like Todd. Nobody would miss him. The boy slipped one hand in his pocket and felt around until his fingers found the syringe. A quick injection was all it would take. Then the man would sleep forever. It wouldn’t even hurt. Well, maybe just a little. They drove in silence for ten minutes. Jody paid close attention to all the street signs as he enjoyed his butterscotch. The man took a sharp right turn into a wide alleyway and the van came to a stop. He waited for the man to remove the keys from the ignition. Then he pulled the syringe from his pocket and stuck the needle into the man’s neck, pressing down on the plunger. The contents of the syringe coursed through his bloodstream and he was dead in under a minute. Jody took out his cell phone and made a call. It rang twice before his dad picked up. “Hey, dad. I’ve got another one. I’m in the alley by the corner of Essex and Dewitt, in a white van. I need you to come pick me up. And make sure you have enough room in your trunk.