The Serial Killers (Complete)

Raelyn 04/05 12:34 PM

I could feel the steady thumping of my heartbeat in my fingers as my feet moved in a quick antonym of each other. My breath came in sharp gasps as I flew across the path, taking my body farther from the cabin. Lex jogged lightly next to me, his strong, lean body, bounding.

Running had become a stress reliever for me ever since the second semester of college my freshman year. Sometimes it was the only thing that stood between me and the edge of sanity. Well, that and Alexander. I stole another glance at him, sunlight played over his tranquil face and the gold in his eyes seemed to shimmer. He was gorgeous.

I took a heaving breath and shut my eyes slightly, letting myself feel the nature around me. Light from the canopy above flashed against my skin in brilliant patterns; the forest stretched out before me, seemingly endless. It was beautiful and isolating at the same time. The perfect romantic getaway.

I skidded to a halt next to a giant white pine and rested my head against its soft bark. My legs wobbled slightly as I slid to the ground and wrapped my arms around my knees. Lex stopped several yards ahead of me.

"Breath, Raelyn," he joked.

I smiled with my eyes still shut.

Somewhere in the woods, an animal broke a twig. My head snapped up, breath lodged in the back of my throat. Seconds slipped away as I slowly untensed. "Jeez, now I'm scaring myself."

"Relax Rae, I'm here." Alex got down on his knees beside me, pulling me towards him. I let his warm, sweaty arms embrace me.

"Have I ever told you that you're perfect?"

He contemplated. "You have, but there is always room for improvement."

"Do you realize that you just contradicted your own perfectness? Did I just spot a flaw?"

"I'd understand if you couldn't be engaged to this flawed man here," he replied smoothly. It had only been meant as a joke, but I heard the vulnerability that lurked in his voice. It was a test, clear as day.

I nestled my head into his chest. "Remember the day you proposed to me. You were perfect then."

"I'm beginning to think you like your men impeccable." Alex kissed the top of my head and he shut his eyes.

I didn't reply, choosing rather to nestle into his chest.

03/24 7:54 PM

"Okay, one more picture please!"

I held my hand in front of my face. "No, Lex!" I moaned, giggling as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to his chest. He snapped the picture as I shimmied in his grasp.

He studied his phone for several seconds before turning it triumphantly so that I could see my own unaware reflection, smiling adoringly at something outside the frame of the camera.

"I look like an idiot!" My finger shot towards the phone, but he pulled it away at the last second.

"You're beautiful." He whispered, reaching for me again. He set his hand at the base of my neck and pulled my lips towards him. We met in the middle, his warm, pillow-soft smile pressed against mine.

"I love you," I murmured against his mouth.

He moaned and pulled us down onto the bed of blankets he had made for us beside the lake, the blue fabric billowed out around my head as he moved to the topward position. "You're so perfect."

Alexander's face hovered inches above my own, teasing me with the smell of his cologne. He smelt like the ocean and the sky and seduction; I wanted him to kiss me again. "Love me, Alexander."

His eyelids lowered and he brought his lips down to the tender underside of my neck and kissed the base of it. His lips traveled up my throat and across my jawline, up to my ear where we paused, breathing heavily with passion. Lex's deep timbor rumbled across my chest. "Would you marry me?"

My eyes fluttered open. "What?"

He sat back on his haunches, the glow of the setting sun got stuck in the reach of his blonde lashes. The golden flecks in his green eyes sparkled. He stole himself for a moment as he rummaged in the interior pocket of his leather jacket. "Raelyn Josephine Christensen, would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

There was no time for thought as my eyes landed on the perfect little diamond lodged in its gold setting. I cleared my throat, cleared it again and then took a deep breath. "Alexander, I, um."

"Don't think," he told me, taking my hand and slipping the ring onto my finger. It fits perfectly, I thought numbly. "Just love me, forever."

My eyes drifted back up towards him, where he was watching me with gentle eyes that spoke of a decades of wisdom. "Forever."

04/05 12:57 PM

"Do you hear that?" Alex's rumbling voice dragged me up from my doze.

"What?" My eyes razed the nearby woods, but all I saw was the sun filtering through the tightly packed trees.

That's when I saw him. A man, who was clearly a man, stood hidden partially by a tree, the midafternoon sun silhouetting him. His face was covered by a burlap sack with holes for eyes and a dripping black line where the mouth would be. Below that he wore a black tux, spattered with red, a slenderman.

He cocked his head to the side and we stared at each other for a breath. In the next, he was raising his right hand and waving the dripping, crimson blade as if welcoming us to hell.

I panicked. Terror or maybe adrenaline shot through my limbs as I dug my nails into the Alex's shirt and launched him and myself to our feet. Lex heaved beside me, his fingers curled around mine.

"I should go back," he told me, slowing.

I tightened my grip and pulled him with me faster. "Don't you dare!"

He didn't make a sound, the slenderman, but out of the corner of my eye I could see him darting through the trees, long legs keeping pace with us. Terror threatened to suffocate me, yet I could still feel my lungs taking long drags of oxygen.

River was the first to see us as we broke the edge of the forest. She waved a welcome before letting out an ear piercing scream.

I snatched her hand, dragging her into the house. "Holy shit! Holy SHIT!"

River threw the second door shut and twisted the lock. Together we barricaded the house, flinging chairs and clawing at latches.

As I secured the last window, blood pounding in my veins, I collapsed onto the bench at the foot of the Kate's bed. Her curtains still swayed from the breeze I had created, River and Alexander trailed me into the room. "He followed us here, didn't he."

River's head bobbed as her eyes glazed over. "He stopped at the edge of the woods. Just stood there and watched as you guys ran into the house."

"It's okay, Raelyn," Alexander tucked me into his chest. Then he tensed. "Where's Kate, River?"

River didn't respond and when I glanced up at her, her face had gone very pale.

"Wait, where's Kate?" My eyes skipped over the room where she clearly wasn't. "Where the hell is KATE?!"

Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly until she finally croaked, "By the lake."