Catherine was putting the finishing touches on her latest video. She had been making videos for the internet for the past three years, and did have a nice little community. But the last few months, she had found an interesting case she had covered, and her channel had blown up. She felt so good about it, but also starting doing it more seriously. She even started live streaming, just talking about regular stuff with her community. Even though the live streams were fun and all, her main focus was still the videos.

She finished the video, and set it to launch at three minutes over nine in the evening. Every video was launched at that time, because it meant a lot to her. It was the time of her birth. And as usual, on the day of the video premiere, she would be streaming, getting reactions from the community and talking about the video. That was the most fun part for her. She looked so forward to it. It was getting late in the day, perfect time for dinner and shower, and then get herself ready for the stream.

*****

It was three minutes over nine. Max Cowley’s phone beeped. He looked at it and saw that there was a new video up on one of his favorite channels, Dolphin Dives, where the host of the channel discusses morbid crimes and scary happenings. At first, he had just thought she had a cute voice. Then she started live streaming. And when he saw her, he knew they were meant for each other. She was gorgeous. And when she was sitting in front of the camera, talking to her community, he knew she was mostly talking to him. She even made herself pretty for him. So he would notice her. And notice her he did.

He watched the video enthusiastically, and when the phone got an alert for her live stream, he quickly opened up the live stream site and found her page. Starting soon was the message. He was OK with that. He knew she had to make herself look good for him. He just typed in the message box, “Hello everyone. Good video today, AMIRITE?”

A lot of people said hi and agreed with him. He chatted with the others for a few minutes, when the starting soon message disappeared, and on the screen was MissDolphin, in all her glory. She really had made herself look pretty. Max smiled to himself, and clicked on the donate button. 100 dollars. He typed a message to it. “looking good,” the message said.

MissDolphin’s face lit up in disbelief. And after a few seconds she smiled and said, “Oh wow! 100 bucks from MaxoPhone! This really means the world to me. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!”

Max smiled to himself and typed, “You earned it, babe. Keep up the good work.”

She looked flustered, but kept on smiling, and kept the stream going. It went like that for rest of the stream. MissDolphin talking to the audience, answering questions, talking about her video and the case she had been following and donations coming in. Every time a donation came in, Max would up it. Marking his territory. The other dogs may come sniffing, but he had to make sure they knew he was the top dog.

Eventually the stream finished, and Max went to bed. As he was falling into the realm of dreams, he thought of all the wonderful things he would do together with MissDolphin. And that made him happy.

*****

Catherine started her stream thirty-five minutes over nine, giving her viewers ample time to watch her video. She had her start screen up, as she had to do some final things before the stream started. Getting hydration was important. She poured herself a glass of water, which she put on her desk. She went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, making sure she looked good for the stream. She smiled to herself and then went to her computer. She started the stream, looked into the camera and said, “Hi guys! So awesome to see so many of you here tonight. I hope you have seen my latest video, and we can have a nice discussion about it as usual.”

Then she got a notification. Someone had donated already. She looked at the amount. 100 dollars. Holy crap. She looked at the donor and message and said, “Oh wow! 100 bucks from MaxoPhone! This really means the world to me. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!”

She felt flustered, she wasn’t used to this. She was all warm and fuzzy inside. Someone really liked her video. She took a deep breath, had a sip of water and continued the stream. It went on like that for the rest of the stream, the occasional donation flowing in, and her thanking the viewers for them. It was, all in all, a really good stream.

*****

The next few days, Max went to work, fantasizing about his upcoming life with MissDolphin. It was going to be such a wonderful life, he was sure of it. And he knew she felt the same way. Seeing how much she smiled when he donated, he knew she was ready for a life of luxury. And he would provide. Being an executive in a big investment firm, he did have a good life. He only needed a good wife. And that’s where MissDolphin fit in perfectly. His secretary looked at him funny when she caught him humming to himself. “Everything OK, Mr. Max?” She asked.

“All is good,” he replied. “In fact, all is perfect. I am in love.”

“Ooh, that sounds nice. Who is the lucky girl?” She continued her query.

He looked at her, smiled and said, “MissDolphin. She is a youtuber.”

“Well, lucky you. Dolphins are magnificent creatures. And I am sure she is equally magnificent.” She said with a big smile.

He let out a chuckle and said, “Oh, that she is. That she definitely is.”

“So how long have you two been dating?” She asked.

His smile faded. “Well, I still haven’t told her my intentions. But she feels the same. I know it.”

“Uhm…OK. You might want to tell her before she meets someone else. Just saying.” She said.

Max clenched his fist, and he felt blood flow in his cheeks. This insolence was getting on his nerves. Finally, he said in a stern voice, “Enough. My private life is no concern of yours. What does the rest of my day look like?”

“Of course, sir. My apologies. You have a meeting at two, with the guy from that AI company. Other than that, you are free.”

“Thank you, Ursula. That will be all.” He said, heading for his office.

*****

The next few months, life continued for Catherine. She continued making her videos, and had the life streams on launch day. It was a fun tradition. One day, while doing research for a video she was about to make, she got an email. One of her videos had been nominated for an award at a ceremony held by a group that celebrated up and coming creators, along with the site that hosted the videos and a few interest groups. She was so excited. This was so important, she wanted to share it with her community. She put up a note on her community page, alerting them to a special live stream in the evening. She got back to work, but had a bit of trouble focusing, due to her excitement.

Later that evening, she had dinner, a shower and made herself ready for stream. She turned on her computer, made everything ready for the stream, and put the starting soon message up. She then went back to the kitchen, and got herself a glass of water, as well as a couple of carrots for snacks. She was feeling both nervous and happy at the same time. She sat down in front of her computer, started her stream, looked into the camera, smiled, waved and said, “Hi guys! So nice to see so many of you here tonight. And tonight, we have a special stream. I have an important announcement to make.”

*****

Max was in the gym, working out. He had a playlist running on his phone, when he got a notification. MissDolphin was streaming tonight. He took a deep breath, and continued his workout. She was always making herself look good for him, he had to also make himself look good for her. He continued his workout with even more vigor, getting himself ready for tonight’s stream.

After the training, Max headed back to his office, to make some calls to new clients. After that, he wrote a short note about his discussions, what strategies to apply forthwith, smiled, and then went home. He made dinner, then sat down in front of his computer. He was ready. The notification sounded interesting, special live stream. He got on the site, saw the starting soon screen, and smiled. Every time he saw that screen, he felt a bit giddy inside. He loved seeing his girl talk about, well, basically anything. The starting soon screen disappeared, and MissDolphin was there, smiling and waving. “Hi guys! So nice to see so many of you here tonight. And tonight, we have a special stream. I have an important announcement to make.” She said. “I just got an email today telling me that one of my videos, the one about the case in the animal shelter, has been nominated for an award at the next Tommies Awards! I am so excited. I will be going there with my boyfriend, and, win or not, have a great time! It will be streamed, so be sure to watch! It will be soooo much fun!”

Max thought about her sentence for a second. Boyfriend? Was she ready to declare her undying love for him to the outside world? This was excellent. He opened a new tab in his browser, looking for the Tommies Awards. Hmm. Did he need a ticket, or was he included in MissDolphin’s entourage. Surely he was. This looked like a serious event, and serious events did things more…well…seriously. That was only logical. He decided to send her flowers instead. Since she was ready to show the world who her man was, he had to show her how much he loved her. He ordered a bunch of red roses, and on the card it said From your nr. 1 man. This was going faster than he had anticipated. But he felt relieved and happy that she finally decided to show the world who her man was.

*****

On the night of the ceremony, Catherine had bought a nice, red dress. She thought it looked elegant and couldn’t wait to show it in public. She was so nervous. Jack, her boyfriend, had come over to her earlier and was trying his best to soothe her. She smiled at him, but still felt anxious about tonight. On one hand, she was excited to meet a lot of new people and talk and have fun. On the other hand, she was so nervous about how public this event was. It was a paradox, being nervous about publicity, while making videos that billions of people could watch at any time. Although it wasn’t exactly the same, it was still a bit strange to her. Jack could see her worrying, so he went up to her and gave her a hearty hug and a kiss on the forehead. “Everything will go well tonight. Enjoy it.”

She looked him in the eyes, smiled, and gave him a kiss. “I know. It’s just…a bit overwhelming, I guess. So many eyes on me. It feels strange.”

As they stood there, admiring each other, they heard a car horn. Their ride was here. She took a deep breath, and they both made their way to the car. Jack, being a gentleman, opened the door for her, and then went to the other side and let himself in. The driver greeted them, then started the car and took off. Catherine did feel really anxious now. This was starting to get way too real. She was going to be a part of a professional production. She would have so many eyes on her. At least when the contenders would be announced. She took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down. It didn’t quite help. They drove for around twenty minutes before they got to the venue. Catherine stepped out and looked at the building. It looked…unimpressive. But what was important was what was on the inside. She didn’t know what she had expected. She was used to seeing millions of fans standing outside, cheering, while the celebrities walked down the red carpet. Then again, this wasn’t actors, not real celebrities. There was no carpet, no millions of adoring fans. Just a grey building with a heavy set of double doors. And there was a man dressed in a red jacket, red pants, white shirt, holding a clipboard. Catherine and Jack got out of the car, and headed for the man in red. Catherine smiled to him as she said, “Hello there. I’m MissDolphin, I’m here with my boyfriend for the awards.”

The man in red looked at her and said, “That’s all well and good, but I need your real name, please.”

Catherine blushed and said, “Oh, right! Catherine Blackwood, and my boyfriend is Jack Davidson.”

The man looked at his clipboard, then said, “Right. You go in and the second door on your right. Someone will help you to your seats.”

Catherine and Jack both thanked him, then went inside, and got to their seats.

*****

Max was feeling a bit… odd. He hadn’t heard from MissDolphin, and this was the night of the ceremony. He was sure he would be picked up. But it was nearing the ceremony, and there had been no communication from MissDolphin. Well, he wasn’t going to miss the show. It was time the world saw them together. He had his finest tuxedo on, and got out of his apartment, down to his car. He put the address of the venue into the GPS of the car, and then drove, while he hummed to the tune on the radio. This evening was going to be great, he thought.

When he finally arrived at the venue, he saw a man in a red jacket and red pants. He proudly walked to him, and smiled. “Hello sir! I am here as MissDolphin’s +1.” He said.

The man looked a bit confused, then said, “MissDolphin? The woman who already got here with her boyfriend?”

Max looked stunned. “Wait. What?” He stammered.

The man in red had a stern look on his face. “She already arrived. And she had her boyfriend with her. Who the hell are you?”

Max shook his head. “No, no, surely there’s been a mistake. I’m her boyfriend.”

The man shook his head. “You are not getting in. Please leave before I have to call the police.”

Anger flared up in Max. How could this happen? Why hadn’t MissDolphin talked to him all day? One thing was sure, he was going to find out all about it. And he was going to make her pay.

*****

The award show had been a massive success for Catherine. Although she didn’t win anything, she had talking to a lot of content creators, getting tips and making friends. She even agreed to make collabs with a couple of them. It felt like everything was starting to pan out. As she and Jack were in the car, going back to her place, she couldn’t help but smile. She looked at Jack, who smiled back at her. She felt like this moment couldn’t possibly get any better. They got home, ordered in some food, watched a movie, and then went to bed.

*****

Max was seething with rage. She had acted like she was his girl, and then, when it was time to show the world who they were, she had just ditched him, like an unwanted child. He was going to dedicate his life to ruining hers now. Like she had ruined his life with her lies. He was going to find out everything about her, about her ‘boyfriend’ and then…then he would set things right. Only then would he be satisfied.

He hired a private investigator to find out more about her. It was a guy he had used previously for work. He made up a story about her being a possible client, so he needed info on her and her ‘significant other’ just to be on the safe side. The PI bought the story and started his work.

After a few days, the PI came back with some results. Her name, Catherine Blackwood, her ‘boyfriend’, Jack Davidson, her address, Pinecrest Avenue 314. He also had some financial info, but that wasn’t important to Max. He had everything he needed now. It was time to get cracking. He thanked the PI for his work, then started planning.

*****

A couple of weeks after the award ceremony, Catherine and Jack had been spending more and more time together at her place. Things were getting more serious, and Catherine loved it. She also was working quite hard on her videos, and streamed a lot more these days. It was just perfect, she thought. Then, one day, she got flowers from a secret admirer. Jack was suspicious about it and confronted her. She tried telling him that she actually thought the flowers came from him. He didn’t buy it. He stormed out, enraged. He got in his car and sped off. Catherine was distraught. This was not how she had envisioned her future. How loud he had yelled at her. She cried for a bit, both because she felt scared when he started yelling, and also because this felt like everything was crumbling down. She had never been good in bad situations. And this felt really bad.

A couple of hours later, her doorbell rang. She got up from her couch, walked to the door and opened. Outside, two policemen were standing, with grim looks on their faces. One of them said in a low voice, “Catherine Blackwood?”

She looked at him, confused, and said, “Yes, that’s me. Did I do something wrong?”

The policeman took a deep breath and said, “No, this is about Jack Davidson. A few hours ago, he was driving, when he lost control of his vehicle. He crashed into a tree and died. I am so sorry for your loss.”

Catherine’s eyes widened, and tears started forming. “What? No, no, no, that’s…oh no. We had…an argument and he drove off. He must be back soon.”

“I’m sorry,” The policeman repeated, then they turned and left.

Catherine was left standing in her doorway, mouth agape, tears flowing down her cheeks.

*****

First part of Max’ plan had gone perfectly. He had paid someone to cut the brakes on Jack’s car, sent flowers to Catherine, hoping to agitate Jack. And it had worked so well. Jack had stormed off, driving recklessly. He then lost control of his car and smashed into a tree. Max was proud of himself. He was taking charge. Now all he had to do was to punish Catherine. And punish her he would. He had heard news about a storm that was going to hit the city soon. It would be a perfect end to this disaster of a love triangle. And a perfect metaphor for how he felt inside, after all her lies and deceits.

Max continued his planning, buying some equipment, such as a hunting knife, a rope and some black outfit to blend better in, as well as to keep him warm during the storm. He also got himself a black balaclava. For a long time, he fantasized about how he would put end to all of this.

*****

Outside, the storm was raging. Catherine sat in her living room, trying to enjoy a glass of warm cocoa with some cream. She kind of enjoyed these evenings, where a storm or a blizzard was raging outside, while she was having a glass of warm beverage and perhaps some cookies to go with it. But this time, with the loss of Jack, it just felt empty. She looked at the small memorial she had made in honor of Jack, with a few candles around and some of her favorite pictures of them together. And she let out a big sigh. The pain was still too much, she thought, and wiped away tears.

Buzz was lying on the floor, at her feet. It should have been a really cozy evening, Catherine thought, as she took a small sip from her beverage. But the evening just felt… sad and empty. A strong gust of wind blew into the house, shaking it and making creaking sounds throughout. Catherine took a deep breath, just relaxing with the calm on the inside, while the storm raged outside. Suddenly, Buzz lifted his head and perked his ears. He sniffed a couple of times. Then he started growling. He was looking at something outside. A squirrel maybe? He then started barking furiously. Catherine tried to calm him down, but he had already stood up. Another powerful gust of wind, and it sounded like her backdoor blew open. Buzz turned and leapt forward, towards the open backdoor. Catherine desperately tried to stop him, yelling, “Buzz, no. Stay!” But to no avail.

“Damn it Buzz, I don’t need this right now!” She said, trying to be as assertive as she could.

Buzz stormed out the open backdoor. Another gust, and suddenly she found herself in complete darkness. The power had gone out. Great, she thought. Her heart was starting to pound, and she could still hear Buzz outside, barking something fierce. But then she heard him whimper. Then he went silent. “Buzz?” She called out.

No answer. No dog coming back to her. She slowly made her way to the backdoor. She was contemplating closing it, but she needed to get the power back on. And the main breaker was in the shed outside. She also didn’t want to leave Buzz outside, and he might be really hurt. What had happened to him? Had a tree fallen on top of him? She didn’t want to think about that. She found a warm jacket and a scarf. She made her way outside, yelling for Buzz. But as she rounded a corner, her greatest nightmare stared right at her. On one of the plant hooks she had her lilies on, the lily had been removed, smashed to the ground. And on the hook, the corpse of Buzz was hanging. His throat had been slit, so forcefully, that it had almost removed his head. Blood was pouring from the fresh wound, and had pooled beneath it.

It took a few seconds for her to realize what she was seeing. At first, she backed away, shaking her head in disbelief. Then she slowly put her hands to her mouth as she screamed, and sprinted back inside. As she got back inside, she remembered that the power was out. Her head was spinning. What the hell was she going to do now?

*****

Outside, in the raging storm, Max was watching her. She was enjoying a drink. He didn’t care. She had lied to him. Strung him on. Acted like she wanted him, then discarded him like an unwanted pet. The rage seethed within him. This would end tonight. He had planned this…somewhat. He knew the lay of her house. He knew the main breaker was in the shed, so he went there. As he was inside, a strong gust of wind hit the house, blowing the backdoor open. He hadn’t planned for that, but it was a sweet piece of luck. He knocked the power out. Time to go to work. As he closed the door to the shed, her dog came running at him, barking. It stood before him, making sure he couldn’t get to it’s master. But Max was ready for this. He pulled out his knife with his right hand, and with his left he grabbed the dog by the collar. Like nothing, he lifted it. It started whimpering. He felt strong and powerful. “I don’t like competition,” He said, then stabbed the dog in the neck, then slicing across. The dog went limp and silent. Max looked around. Then he saw the lilies on the plant hooks in front of the house. He walked to them, still holding the dog. This would be a good surprise for her. He took one of the lilies off, and smashed it into the ground. Then he put the dog on the hook. He just had to see her face when she saw this. He made his way into a bush, crouching and watching.

After a few moments, he could see her making her way from the backdoor. She turned, then saw the corpse of her beloved dog. He saw her slowly back away in horror, shaking her head. Then her hands went to her mouth and she screamed. The pure terror in her eyes.

Max loved this. She turned and ran back inside. Like a mouse into a trap. Max smirked, then he stood up, and slowly made his way toward the backdoor. It was time to end this.

*****

Catherine got back inside, and hurried to find her phone. She got in the living room, and spotted it on the table, the moonlight guiding her to it in the darkness. With trembling hands, she picked it up and as she turned it on, she saw that the battery was almost dead. She said in a desperate tone, “Oh no, not now. Not now.”

She then dialed for the emergency services and turned around. As she did, she saw a figure clad in all black, with a balaclava covering it’s face. It held a bloody knife in it’s right hand. It was staring directly at her. “Oh no, no, no, no,” She screamed. She ran for the stairs, and heard footsteps behind her. As she grabbed for the banister, she accidentally knocked a few candles over. For a millisecond, an instinct kicked in, minding her to pick the candles up. She ignored it, running up the stairs, into the bedroom. She locked the door behind her and tried to find a hiding spot. There was pounding on the door. Then a maniacal scream. “Get out here, you whore! You led me on, only to humiliate me at the award ceremony! Come out and get your punishment!”

She felt confused. Who had she led on? Who had she humiliated at the award? She was sure she had been polite and friendly towards everyone that night. “Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?” She said, frightened and crying.

“Don’t give me that bullshit. You know what you did. I kept giving you money. Gifts. We were destined to be together. Then you show up to the award ceremony with someone else. Do you have any idea how that made me feel? These lies will stop today.” Max said, screaming like a maniac.

“But who are you? I have no idea who you even are. Have we met?” She said, trying to stay calm, but failing miserably.

“I am MaxoPhone,” Max stated bluntly. “The one who kept dousing you with money. With gifts. Showing you how much I loved you. And what do I get in return? Total humiliation. But tonight, you will get what you deserve.”

“Please, don’t hurt me. I had no idea what your felt. You never said anything to me. Other than that I deserved the donations. You can have the money back, I swear. Please, just don’t hurt me.” She pleaded with him.

“Too late for that. I’m going to take care of you just as I took care of your ‘boyfriend’,” Max said, laughing afterwards.

“Jack? You killed Jack? He had a car accident. Why would you bring that up,” She said, tears flowing down her cheek.

“Don’t be silly. I had someone cut the breaks on his car, then I sent the flowers to you. He fell for it. He drove off and the rest is history. Just like him.” Max had a fit of laughter after his last line.

“You…you monster. You despicable, vile piece of human waste. No wonder you can’t find women. You are too disgusting. You make me sick.” She said, rage building up within her now.

At that, Max screamed. He started pounding the door again, stabbing at it with his knife while screaming his lungs out. Catherine started screaming too, but out of fear, not rage. She went over to the window, desperately trying to open it. It had always been a bit hard to open. And she kept forgetting fixing it. As she stood there, trying to pry the window open, she heard the most frightening sound. Her door being unlocked. And then opening. She turned around, and that black clad figure now stood in the doorway, with flames running up the walls and stairs behind it. “Now MissDolphin, here is my final donation to you,” Max said, laughing as he stormed toward her.

She tried to dodge past him, but he caught her with his left arm. He held her as he lifted his right hand, stabbing her in the neck. Blood gushed out from the gaping wound, and Catherine tried to scream, but only a gargled sound came out. He let go of her and she fell to the floor. He got on his knees over her, stabbing her again and again. He let the rage take control. When he felt satisfied, he stood up. “Now, MissDolphin, we are over.”

He whistled to himself as he casually walked down the flaming stairs. He heard a loud creak above him. He looked up as a large, flaming beam hit him in the head. For a few seconds, he saw stars. He tried getting up, but the beam had him pinned. And he could feel the flames starting to devour him. He couldn’t stop laughing. Typical. He got his revenge, and now MissDolphin got hers too.