It was a cold, dark night, and the full moon was a beautiful shade of bluish grey. The shadows danced off the sidewalk, and young Delilah embraced them, embraced the night in general. It was the only time she could be free from the judgmental, materialistic world. You’d imagine someone named Delilah would be a young, blossoming flower, draped in a sundress with strawberry hair in ringlets. Yeah, well that was far from Delilah’s reality. In truth, she was more plain than anything. Her hair was straight and black, and every day she wore different shades of black, tan, and brown. Unlike her beautiful, popular older sister, Delilah had no fashion sense, and always went unnoticed.
She seemed to blend in with the darkness as she descended into the woods. Her hideaway, her secret cave, was awaiting her. Delilah had always loved exploring, and when she was twelve, she had stumbled across a beautiful, roomy cave with limestone and crystal hanging from the ceiling. It had seemed to be quite empty, and for the past four years she had visited the cave practically every other night. Over the years, she had furnished her little cave. It wasn’t much, but it was the best a girl of her age could do. There was an icebox in the corner, equipped with ice cream and other snacks, as well as a few little cabinets complete with necessities such as band-aids, food, and even a hot plate, as well as a few books. There was a television she had bought used, and Delilah had even brought the old chair from her room.
As Delilah reached the cave, she suddenly knew something was off. The rock she had placed in front of the cave to hide it was moved a little to the side, and there was just enough room for someone to fit through. Someone was inside, or at least had been. Her heart beat in her chest as she slowly walked through the opening. She looked around, and her heart nearly stopped. The furniture was gone, and everything else was destroyed. The raggedy little carpet now had even more holes in it than before. The contents of the cabinets had been emptied on the floor, and the cardboard box she used as a table had been smashed. Her hideaway from the world, her home away from home, had been completely destroyed. Delilah sank down against the cave wall, tears stinging her eyes. This had been her only escape, the only place she really fit in. At home, at school, in the real world, she had always been ignored, always last choice, last place. Now, she had no choice but to spend her nights in her dank, lonely room.
“Shut your mouth, girl, and stop your blubbering,” a Southern accent harshly drawled.
“Wh- who are you?” Delilah sputtered, her eyes red and her cheeks splotchy. She might have happened to cry easily, but Delilah was not one to succumb to fear. “Why are you here, and what have you done with my stuff?”
“I highly doubt you’re in a position to ask me questions,” the man grinned cruelly, pulling out a freshly sharpened knife.
Delilah screamed, though she knew nobody would hear her. She was too far out into the woods, and besides, nobody knew she even went out at night, much less about her little hideaway.
“I said shut your mouth, girl,” the man hissed, backing her up against the wall. As he pressed his knife up to her throat, a small trickle of blood flowed over her shirt.
‘So this is how I’m going to die,’ Delilah thought with a surprising serenity, silent tears straining her eyes. As the knife dug even deeper into her throat, Delilah’s life passed before her eyes. It’s a horrible thing to be murdered, but even worse when you know no one will miss you.
