Pt 1 Home coming
Springfield, IL
'The city is dangerous' she had always been told. Especially in this part of town. Especially at night. Especially for a young lady, her father would drone on forever if he was in the soup, and you allowed him the time. And he seemed off his tilt much more often these days. He had always been a casual drinker, but when Sarah had left for college, he had dove into the bottle like he was making up for lost time. Or perhaps trying to lose some time. It had been thirteen years since his wife had been killed in a car accident, and now that he had the house to himself it felt too big. he wished she would move back home, but he would never bring himself to say that.
Sarah knew his heart was in the right place, even as she rolled her eyes at his paranoid mutterings. Sarah wasn't stupid. She carried a taser in her purse at all times, and an illegal can of mace her friend had bought "somewhere." She felt prepared for anything this city could throw at her. Unfortunately for Sarah, there are levels of preparation, no one can be ready for anything every time. Also, sometimes life just cheats you out of a win.
As she walked along the echo of her footsteps sounded off behind her, as if she were being followed by a phantom. Without warning she began to feel a tingle at the back of her neck, the feeling she got at parties when someone was staring at her, sizing her up. The thought was so apt that it shook her a bit. That's what it felt like now. The feeling of someone starring at her with a hungry look.
She looked over her shoulder again, and this time she saw someone standing under the streetlight. Their face was hidden in deep shadow. She tried not to freak out, telling herself it was just someone out for a walk. "Nope." She told herself. No law-abiding citizen would pause to stand dramatically under a streetlight for her benefit. She walked a faster. The sound of footsteps was no mere echo now. Someone was walking behind her, the steps never sped up, yet they sounded closer now.
As she turned a building corner, she looked over her shoulder one more time, and saw the street was now empty. Before she could look straight again, she walked into her stalker's arms. She yelped; her scream of fear caught in her throat. There was no time or thoughts for self-defense. Later she would be embarrassed about her lack of decisive action. She realized pretty quickly that this was a different person then the one that had been following her. It was a young woman in a black evening dress. Her ebony hair hanging down over her eyes.
"He's gone, isn't he?" She murmured. She sounded unsurprised and a little annoyed at Sarah.
"Wh-who?" Sarah stammered in confused, and looked over her shoulder again, just to be sure.
"Someone I was hoping to meet tonight." The young woman replied. "An old acquaintance, you might say." She looked up then, slowly, and Sarah took an involuntary step back. The woman had black eyes without hint of white, or iris. Just dark and blank like a shark's eyes. It was now that Sarah saw the woman was freakishly pale. Ghost-like. Low at her waist she held a shining knife. "Go home." She said without emotion. "Don't go to sleep tonight. You might not wake up."
Sarah had had enough of this creepiness. She turned and ran down the street to a friend's house to find some safety from this night gone mad.
Killer Jane knew there were no safe places in Springfield tonight. Nor would there be until Jeff was stopped. It had been eleven years, but Jeff had come home again. And how fitting it all was that Jeff was here, that Jane had followed him here. He had evaded her all these years. Always one frustrating step ahead of her.
Yes, it was very fitting. This is where Jeff had become the twisted freak he was. It was here that she had become a monster herself.
And it was here that their rivalry would end. It was here she was going to stop Jeff the killer once and for all or die trying.
Jeff had been stalking the meat for almost ten minutes now, slipping from shadow to shadow, and just as silent as a shadow himself. His hand grasped and fingered the handle of the knife jammed into his belt, something almost like a nervous tick. He could have killed her several times before he stepped into the streetlight. It would have been so easy. He could have thrown the knife and buried it to the hilt in her back. He could have put her to sleep. Watched her eyes close for the final time.
But he wanted to do this right. There was a psychotic protocol to adhere to. He was musing such thoughts, trying to keep his manic excitement contained when a strange feeling came over him. Not fear. Jeff hadn't felt fear since his accident. It was a feeling of unease. Something that caused hesitance. He retreated to the shadows to examine this alien sensation.
It was the feeling of a shark swimming through polluted waters. Something was wrong here. It felt like a trap suddenly. Jeff didn't know how that was possible, once he had the idea, he couldn't shake it loose. There was some kind of trap here. So, with some reluctance he retreated further and let the meat escape. There would be other chances to play, and other playmates. He disappeared into the darkness, his permanent grin like a lopsided crescent moon.
Like Jeff, Killer Jane also kept to the darkness as she went on her way, preferring the seedy alleyways and side streets. She would not find Jeff again tonight. That was something she knew. But he wasn't done here yet, and there would be another chance to get him. The only way to get close to him would be to catch him in the act of killing, while he was distracted. That would be regrettable, but she could do it. Because she was a monster herself. Her motives had nothing to do with heroics, and everything to do with revenge.
Springfield was sleepy and calm, and unaware, but the residents wouldn't be so relaxed if they knew two sociopathic killers had chosen their city for a sadistic game of cat and mouse.
Log in to comment