The Unexpected Killer

     Day 1 of the "740 Words A Day Challenge" 

      Who could you tell if you had a secret that one day could kill you and everyone you know? Would you tell anyone at all or just keep it to yourself? Would keeping that secret in drive you mad? Knowing the truth, that you never asked to know. Could you one day forget about the secret? I know I never did and I probably never will. Five years ago when I was fifteen, I witnessed something. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The man spared my life, but I had to do something for him. He swore if I told anyone, even though the story sounds mad, he would kill me, my entire family and, anyone that could be linked to me; if the nut house didn't kill me first. I've lived the last five years in the shadow, speaking to no one, trying to live a "normal' life, but every sound that was made, I would begin to have a panic attack. I was always looking over my shoulder. Once I even thought locking myself in the nut house, I'd be safe there, right? No, he still could somehow get to me there. He's nowhere, but everywhere. I swear he watches me when I think I'm safe. You're probably confused and worried about what I'm telling you. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you. I'm telling you because I'm ready for him to come and get me, I've spent the last two years convincing myself that I was ready to kill the bastard.

      It began when my friend Chris and I were walking home from the mall. He had a car, but he didn't want to drive, he wanted to walk. Of course I agreed because I liked him and would never disagree. We were taking a back route, the fastest way home. We turned the corner holding hands because I was a bit scared. I saw a man in the descents, but I paid no mind to him, I thought he was just another bum that lived in this bad ally. When we got closer, I saw something in his hand, that Chris apparently did not see. A knife. I nudged at Chris asking him if we could take the long way home, that I was just too scared to go any further. But he didn't agree, he kept a hold of my hand, walking towards the man with the knife. Once we were about to pass the man, the man asked us if we had any money to spare. I told him I was all out, which was the truth. I went to the mall with ten dollars to buy a new pair of headphones. The headphones coast fifteen dollars so I had to borrow five dollars. Chris also said no, which wasn't the truth, he had like another fifty dollars on him. I didn't blame Chris for saying no, because if he gave every homeless man money, he'd be broke himself. We kept walking, I didn't want to stop for small talk. When we were about to turn to another corner the man spoke again, don't lie to me boy. His voice sounded cold, like he had no heart. Chris turned around and looked at the man and said, dude, I have no money. Chris then rolled his eyes and turned back around to keep walking. Suddenly Chris stopped again, I looked over at him, and he was just staring blankly in front of him. Then... I noticed the knife in his back and the man standing behind him. I started trembling, tears formed in my eyes. My best friend, the man I loved was dying right in front of me and I couldn't do one damn thing. Please don't kill me, I promise I won't tell anyone, I begged the man who was ripping the knife out of Chris. He smirked at me, like this wasn't the first time he's heard these words. Kill him, were the only words he spoke. He flipped the knife around, and held it to me. I looked at him confused. He wanted me to kill Chris...? Kill him or I will kill you, he spoke moving forwards. I took the knife from his hand and just looked at it, then looked at Chris, then looked back at the knife. I closed my eyes tightly and spoke, I'm sorry. And stabbed Chris. I opened my eyes and Chris laying on the ground with the knife though his heart. You will tell no one or I will kill you, the stranger spoke again, ripping the knife out of Chris's heart and handing it to me. I took it and the man spoke again, a present for my progeny. The man didn't say anything after that, he just turned and walked away.

      When I got home my parents were already sound asleep. I came in through the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle before heading to my room. I sat on my bed staring at the wall for at least hours, holding the knife that killed Chris in my hands. His blood still on it, drying as I thought about what to do. I couldn't go to the police, I'd be put away from life. Well, I'd be killed by the man. I took one of the shopping bags and put the knife in it, wrapped it up, then hide it in between my matres. 

      The police never found Chris's body. It was almost like he was never born in the first place. Like I was the only person alive that actually know of Chris. Like he was almost apart of my imagination. If I would tell anyone of Chris, they would think I was crazy. Maybe I was crazy. What if Chris never ingested? What if he was part of my mind that I imagined get killed? No, no, I have the knife, it has Chris's blood on it. But if Chris was never born, then it wouldn't have his blood on it. Whose blood would come up if they did a DNA test..? All the pictures, silly notes, drawings, clothes that Chris had given me was completely gone or was "given" by someone else. 

      I'll tell you another secret, every year on the night that Chris was killed, I go out and kill someone. Once again, no one finds their body and it's like they were never born. I leave their dead, cold, bloody body to rot. I come back the next day, and it's not there anymore, like it vanished into thin air. Not a trace left there. And it's all thanks to the stranger. The five year anniversary of Chris's death was last week. I went out once again and was going to kill, but then I walked into the ally way where I normally am, but a couple walked in. I held the knife behind my back, like I normally do, so I don't scare them off. The couple passed me and I struck her in the back. The male just looked at me, unsure what to do. I spoke like my master spoke to me on that night, kill her. He looked at me, like I looked at my master the first night. Like there was no way in hell that he would kill the love of his life. I flipped the knife around, handing it to him. He slowly took the knife away from me. He did nothing at first, so I spoke again, kill her or I will kill you. Unlike me, he didn't close his eye, he watched himself kill his partner. He smiled.You will tell no one or I will kill you, I spoke, ripping the knife out of woman's chest and handing it to him. He took it and I spoke again, a present for my progeny. I didn't say anything after that, I just turned and walked away, just like my master did to me.

      Do you believe anything I've just told you? Most of you won't, but theres some of you that believe every word I speak. And it's you that will lore my master to me, to kill me once and for all. 

      I sit in my room, looking at the clock about every five minutes or so. Waiting for him. It's now about three in the morning. No light in my room besides the light coming from my computer screen. I am not scared, not even a little. I take a deep breath in, looking around my room, even though I can't see a thing. When I look back at my computer, a figure appears in front of me. The figure, the stranger, my master shakes his head, then speaks, why did you tell my child? You were one of my finest progeny's. His eyes were the only thing that I could see, they were ice cold, just like his heart and soul, peering at me. But I had nowhere to speak, my soul was ice cold, just like my eyes, that were peering straight back at him. Because I want you to be my last kill, were the only words I spoke. He tilted his head to the side, like that was the first time he ever heard those words. You don't know the consequences of killing me child, he smiled and laughed that scary, cold laugh a bit. I don't care, I spoke, throwing my computer to the side, jumping up quickly and stabbing him in the heart. His body was limp for a second, then just fell to the ground and within seconds his body busted into ashes. The ashes went all over the room, mostly onto me though. When they did, I felt this urge to kill, this feeling of no remorse, full of hatred, of evil.

      I was wrong about everything apparently, killing my master was the worst idea I have ever gotten. When I killed my master, all of his hate and evil and darkness came into my body and overpowered the little good I had left. I was wrong about my master being my last kill, I was so sadly wrong, I've killed since then, and I had no care in the world, I didn't feel sorry for them. I didn't care about what I was doing to that human, for killing them, or making them kill someone else. I was once a progeny to my master, now I'm a master to my progeny's. And one day, one of my progeny's will do what I did to make master and kill me. And that will happen until the end of days. We are murders, we do not chose our futures, it's chosen for us. You have to be chosen to become one of us. I know nothing about my life, only that I will kill and I will make new progeny's who will also kill and make their own progeny's and so on and so forth. There is no end to this cycle of killing, well, until there is no one else to kill. I now realize there is really no hope for the world anymore...

1,860 Words