Nelson was a man who had learned how to manipulate people from a very young age. He always got what he wanted from those around him.
A smile, a well-timed word, or a glance was enough to break someone's will. He understood body language better than anyone else—silences, trembling, guilt… His skill wasn't empathy. It was control.
There were patients who believed he was truly listening, and colleagues who swore he was brilliant. Nelson was simply playing a game.
One day, a beautiful girl named Alicia appeared. She was charming, and they quickly fell in love. Everything could have been a normal relationship until she started to change—suddenly and without warning.
Her personality would shift completely from one moment to the next, which made Nelson think he had fallen in love with someone who didn't actually exist.
He tried to suppress the other personalities and keep only Alicia and his girlfriend around, but then Alicia decided to disappear.
No one had ever used him like that before, so full of resentment, he began to manipulate people to get Alicia fired from the hospital.
But that wasn't enough. He wanted to see her suffer. And just as he was about to carry out an irreversible act, she showed up at his door asking for his help once again.
Of course, he agreed. He manipulated her and was lucky enough to speak to the woman who had once been his girlfriend.
They agreed to maintain a relationship—this time even more ambiguous than before. That's when he learned that Christopher, the man Alicia had fallen in love with, had a second personality.
Alicia couldn't see it, but her other self could—and that's when Nelson used every tool he had to his advantage to murder the Snow family.
It was perfect. He not only framed the husband and lover of one of Alicia's personalities, but also took everything he wanted from her.
But then Larry appeared, from behind the curtain.
From their very first conversation, something felt off.
Nelson had tried his usual tricks: measured phrases, intentional pauses, subtle mentions of past trauma… But someone didn't buy it. It wasn't the agent—it was someone else entirely.
That's when he met Larry. He was the source of it all. He didn't flinch. He didn't swallow nervously. He watched. And he watched well.
"Do you realize most of your responses are loaded with moral judgment, Nelson?"
That phrase didn't offend him. It unsettled him.
Days went by, and the unease turned into obsession. Every move Larry made was precise, meticulous.
It was no coincidence that this man had survived so long among monsters.
Larry didn't just hunt criminals.
He understood them.
He heard them.
He felt them.
And the worst part... he wasn't afraid.
…
Nelson glanced at the rearview mirror of the truck Christopher was driving. The plan was to kill him as quickly as possible, with help from Christopher's fugitive personality, and then eliminate him too.
Everything was planned. One shot in this remote place would solve the problem.
"It's like sacrificing a chess player who doesn't know when to resign…"
But something—something deep—was gnawing at his gut.
When they arrived at the secluded location, Larry was no longer in his car.
"Find him," Nelson told Christopher, who nervously scanned the area, which seemed to be deserted.
"He's not here. I think he figured us out." Christopher was too nervous. They were about to try and kill a damn criminal profiler.
What kind of sense did that make?
But according to Nelson, if they didn't, Larry could describe them in detail, and nothing they had done would make any sense.
Bang!
That moment, a gunshot shattered the window of Larry's car and hit Christopher square in the chest, sending him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Larry, appearing like a ghost, looked at the man and smiled. "Good evening. I would've preferred it not be like this."
"Wait…"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Larry shot Christopher several more times in the same area where he had already been hit.
Then, in a loud voice for someone else to hear, he said, "You took longer than usual… Were you practicing how to kill me?"
On the other side of the car, Nelson smiled. He didn't fake a laugh. He didn't deny it. That would be useless. Larry already knew. "I thought of several ways. Some cleaner than others."
Larry narrowed his eyes and leaned slightly forward to look at Nelson, revealing something shiny on his belt.
It wasn't a weapon. It was a recording device, already running.
"The fascinating thing about you, Nelson, is that you can't help but try to control things. Not even when you're losing."
The blood drained from Nelson's face. For the first time, he understood what it felt like to be watched... to be truly hunted.
Larry hadn't come here by accident. He hadn't been manipulated. From the beginning, he had set the board, moved the pieces, and triggered every word Nelson had said. He knew. He had always known.
"This isn't a game. Not for you. Because I'm not a victim. I'm what comes for you."
Nelson swallowed hard. And for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say.
"To be honest, I would've preferred to kill you under different circumstances, but you left me no choice," Larry muttered, and from a low position, he shot Nelson several times, who appeared frozen in place.
Then, when no one else was left standing, he walked over to Nelson and, holding the gun Nelson had carried, fired several rounds at the truck to simulate a shootout.
As a criminal profiler, a forensic specialist, and also a killer, creating the perfect crime scene was easy for Larry.
Beep! Beep!
"Dex?" Larry looked at his phone and, upon seeing the caller, answered. "Something wrong?"
"Sergeant Doakes has woken up. He doesn't seem to remember anything, but I don't believe him."
Larry closed his eyes, processing the news. "Looks like I'll have to speed up the game."