Beyond

I was crouched in the mud, watching Sara's face sink below the surface of the swamp, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I stood and turned, scanning the woods around me. But no one was there. When I heard a voice from behind me, however, I froze.

"Hello, John."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're dead."

He smiled, then shifted so that I could see my handywork. The wounds from the knife still looked new, even though it had been months since I'd murdered him.

Daniel tried to close the door, but I was faster, wedging my foot in between the frame and the bottom. I smashed the door into Daniel's face and watched him go down.

"I told you," I snarled, "that you would be sorry if you ever put your hands on Eden again." The knife appeared, and as Daniel struggled, I whispered, "I always keep my promises."

The knife sliced through Daniel's neck so easily, and then my hands were covered in blood. I listened to Daniel gasp, and could faintly hear her name. That only angered me more, and I wanted to cut the boy's tongue out.

When Daniel's last breath rattled out of his useless body, I smiled.

"Your memories are like ghosts," Daniel answered gently. He stepped closer. "You have so many that will never die. As much as you enjoy what you do, there is a the smallest amount of regret."

"I kill because I like it, there is no in between."

"So what about Eden?"

I glared. "What about her?"

"You haven't killed her yet. What are you waiting for? What is she to you, other than a useless bag of bones?"

I opened my eyes, but he was gone. All that greeted me was the air that smelled strangely of blood and rotten flesh.