Don't Scream (Short Horror Stories)

Landon

A young girl's obsession proves to be dangerous...

*****

His bronze muscles glistened in the moonlight as he ran across the football field.  Every Friday night I watched him play, sitting in the bleachers, praying that those beautiful blue eyes would fall on me. 

Landon Cardozo was the air that I breathed, the only reason I had the will to live.  Everything else in this world amounted to absolutely nothing.  He haunted my thoughts every day, and my dreams every night.

I longed for the day that he would wrap his muscular arms around me, his eyes burning into mine as he told me how much he wanted me. That he couldn't live another moment without me.

Sadly, it was nothing more than a fantasy. Landon had no idea that I existed. Why would he? He was the kind of guy that was drawn to beautiful girls with beautiful bodies. How could he possibly notice a girl as plain, chubby, and bashful as me?

I wanted to tell him that there was more to me than the acne on my face and the cellulite on my legs. I was one of the best painters in the school, and my knowledge of history surpassed most of the teachers.

Why couldn't Landon notice these things, instead of focusing all of his attention on cheerleaders? Those girls only cared about themselves. None of them had even a shred of the passion that burned within me.

But that passion was wasted on worshiping Landon from afar.  I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but the fear of rejection was too strong. 

What if he laughed at me? 

What if he told me I was ugly?

I would go home and slit my wrists.  There would be no point in living unless Landon loved me back.

Still, I was tired of wondering how he would react to my confession. Life was far too short to keep these emotions bottled up inside. The only way I would ever find out how he felt was to tell him the truth.

The football game came to an end and I watched him walk into the locker room with his teammates.  He stayed in there for quite sometime, so I decided to wait by his truck in the parking lot.

The anticipation of this moment was so great that I could hardly stand on my feet.  My knees trembled beneath me as I saw his dark silhouette coming towards me. 

What would he say when he saw me?

Would he think I was weird for waiting for him?

His eyebrows raised when he saw me standing there, but he did not seem troubled.  He simply offered me a smile that made me want to melt.  "Hey there."  He said, his silky voice making my toes curl up in my sneakers.

My mouth became dry and I had to clear my throat to muster up a response.  "H-hey..." I stammered, shifting on my left leg.  "That was a good g-game."

"Thanks."  He said, smiling at me.  He took a step towards me and I had to bite my lip to keep from squealing with excitement.  To be this close to him, to be able to smell the cologne on his freshly showered body, made my loins burn with pleasure.

"You're in my chemistry class, right?"  He asked, eyeing me curiously.  "I think we were lab partners once."

"Yes, we were."  I answered, beyond thrilled that he remembered.  "We failed that assignment because neither one of us could light the Bunsen burner."

"Oh yeah..." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.  "I never was any good at stuff like that."

We stood there in awkward silence for several seconds before he asked, "So, were you waiting out here for me?  Did you need to tell me something?"

My chest was so heavy I could hardly breathe.  I closed my eyes and said, "Yes, Landon.  There is something I wanted to tell you.  I...I lov-"

"Can you hang on to that thought for a sec?"  He interrupted, "This bag is killing my shoulder."

He pulled his black duffle bag off of his shoulder and set it in the back seat of his truck.  My throat was tightening with each passing second.  I had to push past this distraction and tell him the truth now!

His back was still towards me, which would make it so much easier to talk to him.  I wouldn't have to see his initial reaction.  I wouldn't have to see him laugh.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and said, "I-I just wanted to tell you that I lo-"

My confession was halted when I felt a sharp pain in my chest.  I opened my eyes and gasped in horror when I saw that my white shirt was drenched with blood.  "W-what...?"  I moaned as I clasped my chest with trembling hands. 

Landon watched me with a smile on his face as I collapsed to the concrete ground, his hand wrapped around a large knife. 

He kneeled down beside me and jammed the knife into my stomach.  "It was nice of you to wait for me." 

I stared into his blue eyes as blood filled my throat and mouth, the smile on his face becoming even more beautiful when he watched me choking to death.  That was the last thing I saw before the darkness overtook me, and I died in his arms.

Landon Cardozo was the air that I breathed, the only reason I had the will to live. 

It was too bad that he was also a serial killer.