stories of serial crime by Lin Raven

Promise Keeper

Chapter 1

You're standing there and you're silent, waiting for your prey to come into your sight. You look normal, a black shirt with blue jeans and a jacket. Your prey steps into your arena without knowing and you lure them away.

A married couple. "To death do you part," you whispered, grabbing their attention. "With love in your heart, you have kept your vows."

You attack. You have a dagger in your hand and stab them three times. "One for Love, One for hope, and one for your vows followed." You whisper to their corpses.

You walk away from the scene. "To death do you part." You whisper. "You have followed your vows.

You leave the scene with a feeling of pride and hope. You make sure that the wedding vows are followed. You make sure that the love is promised.

You are the Promise Keeper.

Chapter 2

You add their names to your list of victims. "Another set removed." you murmur.

You go to your house and text your friends. They have no idea the monster you have turned into. They believe you to remain with no blood on your hands. They believe you will tell them if you kill someone.

They are so very wrong.

You will not tell them for it is only their opinions that matter to you. As far as they are concerned, you have never done anything worse than wrote about death and murder. How would they reply if they knew it had become your lifestyle?

Your friend is married, but you have sworn to keep them away from this lifestyle "choice" of yours. You do not want them to leave you.

You talk to your friend for a while, never once mentioning that you had everything to do with the numerous deaths around the country and around the world.

You go through your thoughts for a while, closing your eyes. You wonder when the monster within you took over.

An image of your father and step mom fills your mind. Your first victims. A happy couple that had everything to do with the misery you had in life.

Their deaths were not enough. The feeling was so great that you wanted more. You feel empowered by it. You are in control of who lives and dies.

You decided long ago that you would ensure that vows were followed. Divorce was not an option with you around.

You had an image in your mind of who you used to be. Never did you think you'd become this person you are now.

Chapter 3

You see a child that gives you a chill feeling down your spine. She had features that remind you of your friends. She is tall with blonde hair and has eyes that remind you of the sea.

It has to be a coincidence, you think to yourself.

The parents come out to her and your mind reels into overdrive. No... they will find out. You panic and go into hiding.

Your friends have arrived without so much as a warning that they were coming.

They don't have to know, you tell yourself. As long as I am calm and collected, they'll never find out.

Chapter 4

You hide from them in fear of what they would think.

Murderer, you think to yourself what they would say. We should have realized it sooner. We already knew you would become this from the time you were 13. We knew you'd end up being a serial killer.