Consequences || Simon Ghost Riley

Chapter Eightteen || Recollection

     Walking across the span of his room, he decided to pull his drapes shut, granting the room an instant reprieve from the intrusive outside world. With a step-free of hurry, he started to undress, sliding each garment off until he was left in just his well-worn boxers.

     As he stood there, a soft sigh involuntarily escaped from him. Without another moment's hesitation, he eased himself down onto the familiar comfort of his bed.

     Before long, he surrendered to the tranquility of the night, his bedside lamp extinguished. Nestling into his cozy bed, his breath gradually began to calm, inviting sleep to take over. As he ventured into the realm of dreams, a figure arose from the shadows under his bed. She lowered her mask, revealing a smirk that had transformed into a malevolent smile, and it appeared eerily haunting, enhanced by the unpredictable moonlight that played across her face from the window.

     He remained slumbering quietly, his shallow, gentle breaths indicative of a sleep so deeply serene, it verged on virtually unconscious. As her hand floated gracefully above his mouth, she began to count these breaths, each one a testament to the depth of his undisturbed slumber. In this stillness, time seemed to slow, each breath counted becoming part of a silent lullaby that echoed in the quiet room.

     With a quick yet meticulous action, Sky targeted the man's midsection with her dagger, sinking it in until only the hilt was visible. Carefully and lethally, she etched her pathway upwards through flesh, the sharp edge of her weapon creating a macabre masterpiece on his body. The blade ended its horrific dance just shy of his trembling throat. His inflicted wounds sang a silent song of losing life force, as the blood meandered out, akin to a tranquil stream.

     The subtle glow of the moonlight seeping through the curtain's gap brushed against her blade, crafting a gory reflection of herself in its polished surface. Her intent gaze pierced him, as his eyes flash open in a raw display of surprise. He met her stare with an expression that spoke volumes of his vulnerability and pleading desperation, lying there on the bed in his final moments. The sight stirred a flicker of guilt in her, but she was quick to drown it.

     She dismissed her fleeting uncertainties without a second thought, and with a heightened determination, Sky drove her knife mercilessly into the delicate softness of his neck. His hands, in an instinctual response, rushed to stanch the bleeding.

     Sky's hand clamped solidly over his gasping mouth, stifling his frantic attempts to call for assistance. His eyes, wide with terror and filled with a fading spark of life echoed his futile struggle. As blood seeped from his throat, creating a gruesome tableau, her steely resolve did not waver. Shockingly mundane details came into sharp focus: his convulsions on the cerulean sheets, the faint whisper of his life draining away, breeding an eerie stillness. Slowly, as the sharp smell of iron pervaded the room, his hands, previously clawing and struggling, became but lifeless appendages, falling haphazardly to the bedspread, signaling the end of his earthly sojourn.

     Patiently, Sky allowed a significant span of time to pass, her hand stained with a disconcerting hue of crimson, before she reluctantly pulled it away from his motionless form. Swiftly, she moved in the direction of his lavatory, each step echoing her intent to rid her hands of the haunting vestiges of blood that told a story of their own. Standing in front of the mirror, she regarded her reflection with an air of satisfaction, a grin slowly spreading across her face, an unsaid testament to her accomplishment.

     When she made her return to the scene, she proceeded to retrieve the ill-fated knife from his neck with a sense of practiced ease. Then, with deft motions, she wiped it clean against her trousers, devoid of any lingering remorse. Once the blade regained its spotless facade, she carefully returned it to its leather home.