Devil's Silent Sin

"S-Stay away from me..."

The words caught in Vivienne's throat.

She tried to push herself backward, but her shoulders struck cold stone.

There was nowhere left to go.

Her heartbeat pounded so hard it drowned out everything else.

The man stood a few steps away, dressed entirely in black.

A hood concealed his hair.

A mask erased his face.

Only his eyes remained visible.

Even they refused to give anything away.

"There's nowhere to run."

His voice was low.

Rough.

Steady.

It carried through the silence as though he'd said something obvious.

Vivienne forced herself to breathe.

"If..."

Her voice broke.

"If you were going to kill me..."

She swallowed against the lump in her throat.

"...why didn't you do it before?"

Her vision blurred.

Tears burned at the corners of her eyes.

"I shouldn't have seen any of this..."

Pain throbbed through her legs.

Warm blood soaked into the torn fabric of her jeans.

Everything below her knees felt strangely distant.

Numb.

The man didn't move.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Then-

"I know."

His answer came almost quietly.

"You saw everything."

A chill crept over Vivienne's skin.

His head tilted slightly.

"And that's exactly why..."

He took one slow step forward.

"...I'm not going to kill you."

Her breath caught.

What?

Nothing about this made sense.

Every story she'd followed.

Every article she'd read.

Every victim...

None of them had been spared.

"So listen carefully."

Another step.

The distance between them disappeared.

"If anyone asks..."

His gaze settled on hers.

"...you never saw me."

Vivienne couldn't look away.

His gloved hand lifted.

For one terrifying second, she was certain he was reaching for her throat.

Instead...

His fingertips brushed a tear from her cheek.

The touch was impossibly gentle.

So gentle it felt wrong.

"You deserve a chance."

A pause.

His voice dropped to almost a whisper.

"Even if I am the devil."