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A/N Hello!! Happy Halloween! I made a really short story just for Halloween, I’m not sure it's exactly scary it was supposed to be but I don’t think it turned out that way. Oh well, I hope you enjoy it.
Innocent
Evan cautiously looked out the window with his arms crossed. He stared into the dark ally directly across from his house but saw nothing. Evan closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh before yanking the thick curtains close shutting out all-natural light in the room. The only light source was the cool blue glow from the tv resting on its stand. Evan walked deeper into the living room and towards the chair that was placed in front of the tv and was a little to close to the coffee table then Evan would have liked, not like it matter anyways.
Evan walked over to the chair and had to move a giant stack of newspaper clipping before he could sit down. He tossed the clippings onto the already cluttered table before practically falling back into the chair. Evan rubbed his tired eyes and let out a long yawn. “Maybe I’m letting my paranoia get to me again,” Evan said and looked over at a small end table that was next to the chair. He stared at the crystal glass filled with an amber liquid, he reached out for it but stop before he grasped it as the show he was watching was abruptly cut and intruded by a news broadcast. Evan froze as he heard the familiar intro of the breaking news segment. He slowly turned his head and looked at the screen as a young woman sitting behind a desk with a sober expression appeared on the screen.
“Good evening everyone, we are sorry to irrupt your program to bring you this important message. Just hours ago the police found the body of a young man named Luke Patterson” Evan felt his heart skip a beat when the newswoman said the victim's name. “Brutally murdered in his home along with the calling card from the serial killer.” Evan shot up from his chair when he heard the killer’s name. His heart pounded in his chest and his knees felt so weak that they could collapse underneath him at any moment. Evan suddenly felt a rush of anger and he slammed his fist down on the arm of the chair.
“God damn it I warned him but he didn’t listen!” Evan swore and kick at the coffee table in front of him. He felt his anger deflate and let himself fall back into his chair in defeat. He felt his phone vibrate and he looked back at the tv as he answered it. “Hello,” He said quietly and his greeting was met with sobs of a devastated woman. “Oh, Evan! He’s dead!” She sobbed even louder into the phone, “My poor Luke is de…” Evan hung up the phone before she could finish and tossed it across the room. It landed on the hardwood floor with a clack but Evan didn’t care.
He just continued to stare at the tv as the showed photos of the gruesome crime scene. He didn’t care that he had hung up on Mrs. Patterson, he heard his phone vibrate on the floor across the room but he ignored it. Nothing mattered anymore no matter how hard he had tried to warn his friends they wouldn’t listen to him. They didn’t believe him when he told them that a ghost from their pasts had come back to haunt them, to hunt them down, to make them pay. Evan slowly started to feel numb and he sunk deeper into his chair. There was no point in trying to run, he was the last one and he knew the killer would stop at nothing until he was dead. He might as well just sit here and wait, he already knew that the killer must be on his way already. Evan watched as a picture was flashed of Luke being alive on screen. Evan started to feel tears swell in his eyes, it was a picture of them as kids all of them.
All of his other friends who had already fallen victim to this killer. Evan stared at each one of their faces, even though they where all smiling Evan could only see their lifeless corpse in his head. He could even see his own laying sprawled on the ground in front of the chair with his neck slit and countless stab wounds in his back changing his light blue shirt to a dark crimson red. He looked so pathetic lying there surrounded by stakes of newspapers and other articles just tossed about. Evan closed his eyes and clenched his fists trying to push those visions away. He wasn’t going to die like that, Evan looked up at the wall above a small wooden desk.
There was a corkboard covered in photos and articles all connected by a red string. There were news articles from each murder and Evan had highlighted all the important parts himself like how the police suspected the killer got in which was mostly through the front door along with what type of murder weapon which was a knife. Evan followed all the strings until they landed at a single newspaper article dated back ten years ago. As Evan started at it he recalled the event clearly, when they were kids they had created an awesome hideout in an old abandoned building. One day another kid asked if he could join the club. The group wasn’t entirely happy about this but told the kid to wait at the hid out for a bit before they got there.
That boy had been named Jonathan he was a quiet kid that rarely talked and mostly stayed to himself. So when he asked to join they were all a bit surprised. They all made their way to the hideout and climbed the stone stairs leading to the entrance. There laying in front of the door was the body of a kid in one of the younger grades and standing above it was Jonathan soaked in blood. The group let out a horrible scream and ran out of the building as fast as possible and quickly called the police. They watched as they dragged Jonathan out of the building kicking and screaming say he didn’t do it. And honestly, the more Evan thought about it the more he believed him.
It didn’t make sense why Jonathan would just kill some kid but the police made him and his friends testify against him anyway. They were young and easily manipulated, they only said what the police wanted them to say and because of that Jonathan was convicted and sentenced to prison for life. Evan took a deep breath and was about to release it when the floorboard creaked behind him. Evan froze and spun around, there standing a few feet away was Jonathan.
He had chocolate brown hair and pale white skin. He looked almost exactly like he did all those years ago just a little older and more ghostlike. “Jonathan, I’m sorry I know you were innocent,” Evan said desperately as he slowly backed away from him still startled by his sudden appearance. Jonathan seemed a little taken aback by that response and he glanced over at Evan's wall or evidence, "you always were one of the smarter ones" he said flashing a sinister grin but it quickly turned to a furious scowl "too bad it was a few years too late" he snarled stepping closer to Evan.
Evan felt his heart start to race he hadn't expected he would be here so soon, he had thought he would have had time to come up with a plan to defend himself, typically there were weeks in between murders. Evan tried to put as much distance between him and Jonathan as possible "Jonathan we were kids and didn't know better." Evan said. "Shut up" Jonathan yelled, "that's no excuse for ruining my life!" He screamed. “Years of my life wasted all because of those imbeciles who call them self’s cops calling it an open and shut case and you,” Jonathan said venom and hatred dripping from his voice, “You and those stupid friends of your told them I did it and let the real killer escape,” Jonathan said stepping closer towards Evan tightening the grip on his knife scowling.
“Now you’re going to pay for everything!” Jonathan screamed and lunged at Evan with his knife. Evan dove out of the way as Jonathan's knife made contact with the wall behind him. Jonathan quickly slashed at Evan again causing him to lean back as far as possible. Jonathan continued to press forward causing Evan to retreat further into the living room. Evan out of panic pushed over the tv and it crashed to the floor in between him and Jonathan. Evan took the opportunity and made a break for the back door which was through the kitchen. Evan’s feet skitted across the wooden floor as he turned into the kitchen.
He felt a shred of hope when he saw the screen door and ran towards it as fast as he could. Evan heard loud footsteps pounding on the floor close behind him and suddenly something slammed into his back knocking him to the floor just in front of the screen door. Evan looked behind him and saw Jonathan slowly standing back up, he must have managed to catch up and tackle him to the floor. Evan tried to get up as well but a searing pain in his left thigh prevented him from standing up. He looked down at his leg and felt something warm and sticky. He looked on in horror as he saw Jonathan's knife implanted deep into his soft flesh. Jonathan stood up and smiled at Evan, “look at you so helpless”
He sneered and went to step closer when flashing red and blue lights from behind the curtain of the kitchen window caused him to freeze. Jonathan swore under his breath. “This has taken too long, it’s time to…” Jonathan didn’t get to finish talking as Evan plunged the knife he had pulled out of his leg into Jonathan's gut. Evan let go of the knife and Jonathan stumbled back in shock as he stared at the hilt of the knife sticking out of his stomach. His back hit the cabinets and he slowly slid down them till he was sitting the floor. Blood slowly oozed from his mouth as he desperately tried to pull out the knife from his stomach but he was too weak.
Evan walked closer to his fallen friend who weakly started up at him. Evan just glared and crouched down beside him. He grabbed the knife and twisted it deeper into his intestines causing Jonathan to scream in pain before he pulled the knife out completely dooming him to bleed to death. Jonathan let cough filled with blood as more dripped down from his mouth. Evan went to stand up but Jonathan grabbed his arm, he started to chuckle and he pulled Evan closer so he could whisper in his ear. “I won,” he said before he let go of Evan’s arm.
There was a loud bang on the back door and causing Evan to jump and look toward the door as it was busted off its hinges by a group of swat members. They all instantly had their guns trained on Evan and along with countless flashlights making it impossible to see. “Freeze! Hands above your head” one of the officers screamed and Evan immediately complied dropping the knife in the process. One of the members rushed over to Jonathan and checked his plus. The officer shook his head “He’s dead sir.” A man wearing a police uniform let out a sad sigh and step forward so that he was face to face with Evan.
“Sir are you Evan” the man asked in an angry tone. “Ye..yes sir” Evan responded and the office reached behind his back and pulled out a pair of cuffs. “Then I hear by placing you under arrest for multiple charges of first-degree murder an…” “What!” Evan said trying to yank himself from the officer but he had already put the cuffs on. “stop resisting” the officer said as he started to drag Evan out of the room. “And we already have more than enough evidence to book you for life”
“Wait no he’s the killer,” Evan said desperately motioning towards Jonathan's body. “He tried to kill me tonight, he killed all my friends!” Evan screamed, “All because…” Evan's mouth froze when he pieced together what Jonathan had met by he won as the police officer shoved him in the back of a squad car. ‘NO! you got the wrong person” Evan screamed one last time as the cop slammed shut the car’s door and drove off to the station.
“Hold up,” Evan said putting down his pumpkin carving tools “There is no way the police would do that, there’s to much evidence pointing to you as the killer” “Shut up,” Jonathan said, “I’m making this up as I go.”
“Why is that every time Jonathan is telling a story he always ends up killing us, are you trying to tell us something here,” Smitty said as he finished carving his own pumpkin. “Not every time!” Jonathan protested. “No, its about every time” Luke corrected. “Is not” Jonathan argued back. “Alright enough!” Tyler said stopping the two from escalating the argument, “We all know Jonathan is a bit fucked up in the head, now can we please finish up the pumpkins and get the Halloween party going.” “Hey!” Jonathan said at his comment “Well I’m I wrong” Tyler challenged. “Well” Jonathan said lightly laughing “maybe I’m a bit delirious.”