This is a request from my new friend Collin. He asked me to write him a suspenseful story and I was proud of it, so I decided to upload it. Enjoy!
Dinner Time
The moonlight glinted off the knife, sparkling and shimmering in the gloom. Yes, this always was the best part of the evening. The man shook his long hair out of his face and placed the knife carefully in the pocket of his black leather jacket and walked out the front door, closing it and striding into the night. Today was Valentines day, and he was sure to find plenty of candidates tonight.
*****
Collin laughed as he parted ways with his friends. They’d gone out to see a movie together, determined not to make this Valentines day another one spent alone. A movie, a group dinner and plenty of laughs, and already they were fading into memory, the conversations seemed lost to the sands of time. The street lamps lit the street dimly, only enough to spot a figure ten feet away if you were lucky. In the distance, a cat and dog were fighting, the hissing and barking sounds just audible in the ever-increasing darkness. Collin pulled his jacket against him tighter as the wind picked up. February sure was becoming colder these days.
As Collin passed another street lamp, he noticed a long shadow behind him. Determined not to give anything away or frighten the person walking nearby, he continued to walk, passing his shiver of anxiousness as one of cold. To his right, a light was turned on in someone’s apartment, something that calmed his nerves slightly. Knowing that people were still awake was somewhat reassuring, even if there was nothing to be scared of.
Footsteps. Footsteps sounded clear as crystal in the fresh night air. One set, two sets, a third to the left. Collin’s breathing hastened slightly and he pulled his glasses from his jacket pocket. At night, his vision needed to be as good as it could get. The blur of the darkness receded as his glasses touched his face, though the difference was minimal. In the dark caress of the night, the sharpness of the image made no difference to the possibility of seeing it. But as Collin turned his head, he noticed a shimmering that he was certain he wouldn’t have noticed without his glasses. His eyes met the knife, held high in the air, and with a whoosh it fell, slashing the air, slicing apart the space where Collin had stood seconds before.
Collin ran. His heart beat heavily against his chest, pounding in his ears, his muscles pumping as hard as he could make them. The darkness became absolute as he reached the edge of the street, where no street lamps stood. His mind raced as fast as his body, trying to remember the way, right, straight ahead, past the oak tree and over the wrought-iron fencing. He shook his head in fury as he felt his muscles stiffen, he wouldn’t let himself be taken like this. The heavy footsteps of the man thudded against the hard earth louder and louder with every step. But there it was, the welcoming light of the porch-lamp, signalling his destination. A few more strides, a few more bounds and he would be safe…
There! He reached the door, fumbling with the keys. First attempt failure, second try proved just as difficult, his sweaty hands unable to grip the key properly to fit it in the lock. Third time’s the charm, he thought as the key fit the lock and he turned it, opening the door and slamming it hard and fast behind him. The footsteps vanished. Collin stood, his ear against the wooden frame of the door, his breath caught in his lungs as he listened. Nothing. The man was gone. He let out a sigh of relief and turned, jumping at the sight before him. “There you are!” Stevie stood on the stairway, a concerned look on his face that seemed peculiar when combined with the shine in his eyes. “Are you alright?” Collin merely nodded, forcing a smile and wiping his brow. As he took off his shoes, Stevie walked past and ruffled his hair. “Dinner’s on the table.”
