Carver

Prologue

The sound of high pitched screams filled the air as the woman desperately tried to find somewhere to hide from her attacker. Her silver halterneck top was torn from the neck down. Her curled ebony hair stuck up in all directions as she fled. Tears streaked the panic-stricken face, sending her mascara in trails down her cheeks. The heel of her shoe snapped, sending her hurtling onto the concrete floor. Her knees connected with the ground first, ripping more holes in her fishnet tights. The woman crawled up the steps to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens in a hope to encounter the security guard, however the guard was nowhere to be seen and she could not hear his footsteps. She screamed as a gloved hand grabbed her hair and dragged her inside. She was abruptly thrown onto her back. She was unable to make out any features of her attacker in the pitch dark. With one quick motion, the knife was slashed across the woman's throat, the tip of the blade glinting in the moonlight. Her eyes widened in horror as her hands came up to her neck in an effort to stem the waves of blood spilling between her fingers. She gurgled as blood surged over her lips with each dying breath. Her attacker simply chuckled as he turned and stalked away, leaving the woman to collapse into the crimson pool that had formed underneath her.