It was dark, nothing made sense. Each hall twisted and led to several others, it was disorienting. Her hands scraped the hard walls looking for a light switch or an unlocked door. She found none. Suddenly footsteps began echoing behind her. He had found her.
Suddenly she heard a Him call out, “Marina, I know you’re there.” She could hear the smile in his voice, “Come here, I won’t hurt you.”
She was driven into a panic. Running through the halls she found the staircase. Plunging down the stairs she heard him follow. He came right behind her, his left hand wrapped firmly around her neck, as he brought a gun to her temple. His breath was ragged in her ears and his voice was shaky, “Did you really think you could get away.” He took a deep breath the shakiness in his voice fading, “It is a pity, really, that you chose now to run, because now you must die. “ The gun fired off, and Marina’s body went slack.
He lifted her body gently into his arms. Walking down the rest of the stairs, he whispered to her, reassuring her that she was in a better place.
He entered the foyer and set her body on the sofa and walked to the arched front door. He walked outside and admired the gray bricked house once again. Its best feature, to him was the beauty of its surrounding. The house stood in front of an old oak forest that turned gold and red when seasons changed.
Sighing he tore his eyes from the beauty of it and walked to his shed. Grabbing a shovel and her headstone, then he walked out behind the house and began to dig. His arms began to ache as he dug, and his thoughts ventured to thoughts he didn’t want to think about. So, blocking out everything he finished the grave.
Walking back into the house he grabbed Marina’s body brushing the hair from her face. He carried her body into the bathroom, where he had hung the dress he bought her for that night. Pulling it from the door he set Marina in the tub and washed blood from her face and arms. He removed her clothes and put her in the ivy colored dress that draped around her form. Lifting her out of the tub he walked out back to the grave and laid her gently within it.
*
Once again in the house, he walked up the stairs to his room. His room was cold, and lifeless like the rest of the house, it had no joy or love. That is why he needed, no wanted a woman. Somebody who could love him, but everyone who came ran and he was forced to kill them to protect himself and his home.
Walking to his own bathroom he removed his blood stained shirt, and began to wash Marina’s blood from his skin. He regretted killing her, she was one girl he wanted to love, but he didn’t love her. Shaking his head he walked backed to the foyer puling on a crisp, clean, white shirt.
He walked out of the house, walking along the uneven bricks, on his way to his date. He was hoping she would be the one but whatever awaited him, he felt as if he was ready for it.
*
She wasn’t prepared for what she saw, when he arrived. His eyes met hers and it was like someone set her heart on fire. He smile and her heart jerked free of its cage and full jumped in to a river of flame as it always did when he smiled at her. Today though, those eyes hid a secret that was tearing him apart.
She gave him a weak smile walking to his side, “Hey, if you don’t want to be away from home, let’s go back there.”
He nodded but then sighed, “I promised you a beautiful evening, Rowan. I’m sorry I ruined it.”
“You ruined nothing, William. Nothing was ruined, you’re not comfortable with this today let’s just go to your house and relax.”
“Ok, thank you Rowan.” He didn’t say everything he wanted to, but he was falling in love with her. She had captured his heart and he didn’t want it back.
They walked to his house, and she stopped in front of the house. Her eyes skimming over every piece of beauty that surrounded it, then finally her eyes met Wills. He brought the beauty to this place, without him it would be cold and dark, much like her heart was without him.
“Will, it’s beautiful.”
He smiled and walked towards her brushing the light brown hair from her cat like eyes, “No, Rowan this place is pretty. But you, you are beautiful, and I love you.”
Those words took away her breath as she looked into his deep blue eyes, “I love you too, Will.”
He swept her into his arms pulling her close, he kissed her forehead, “Please, come live here. I... I need you close Rowan.”
She smiled wrapping her arms around his neck, “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.” He laughed and lifted her easily into his arms and carried her through the front door. He set her on her feet once they were inside, a smile spreading its fingers across his face. He pressed his lips to hers, in a sweet gentle kiss that took her breath away.
She broke apart from him for air, suddenly terrified of him, not knowing why. He smiled at her joy dancing in his eyes, “Let me show you to your room. Careful this place is a labyrinth.”
*
Her room was beautiful, but she was still scared. Will had left her alone so she could get settled and she couldn’t have enjoyed the silence anymore then she did. Walking to the bed she sat down, trying to shake the feeling in her stomach.
She closed her eyes and leaned back. When she woke an hour later, only to see Marina’s ghost floating before her.
“You are in danger” Marina whispered, “He will kill you. Get out of this house now.” With that the ghost disappeared, but everything it told her she already knew. Will was a killer, he had killed eight girls before her, nine if she counted Marina.
*
Will walked into her room shortly after, only to find her window open and Rowan gone.
“Dammit!” He jumped onto the roof through the window, and from there to the ground. He caught her before she reached the gate; pulling the gun from his shirt he pressed it to her temple, “I thought you were different than this.” Just as he was about to pull the trigger she brought her foot up, hitting his knee and causing his grip to loosen. She then ran to one of the oak climbing up its outstretched branches and back onto the roof of the gray bricked house.
He stood and climbed up after her. She was behind one of the two chimneys, and when he found her, her hand connected with his jaw, “You know what Will, I won’t kill you. It’s not my right. It’s you victims.” As soon as she said that all the girls he had killed where on the roof with them.
The ghosts surged forward, making Will fall off the roof to his death. Then they turned towards Rowan, Marina stepped forward from the group, “Thank you for freeing us. You have our gratitude.”
*
Rowan climbed from the roof, and walked to Will’s dead body, “I loved you, and you would have killed me if I tried to leave you got what you deserved.” She walked from the house then leaving its secrets to die behind her.
