Tonight was the night. It had to be. The chaos was invading again. If he didn't act quickly, it would be too late, and the chaos would get her. He couldn't have that. He loved her far too much to allow her to be lost forever to that insidious force that threatened to engulf everyone. He pictured her in his mind. That long flowing hair, shimmering with the obvious care that had been put into it. The softness of her skin and the idealistic glimmer in her eyes, as she smiled that radiant smile which made his heart ache. He cared far too much to allow that delightful smile to be wiped away forever, or to see that glimmer leave her eyes as reality set in and she lost herself to the pain of living. He thought of her face, withered by worry and time, until she lost everything that made her shine. A wave of revulsion washed over him as he brought his fist down on the arm rest.
No! He would save her. She deserved far better than what was coming; and he would protect her from it. He had to. He had watched her carefully, as he had all the others. Looking for any signs, any hints of the pain that would come. He had followed her from work to her home, to make sure that no one disturbed her while she made it back safely. He was her guardian angel. Eventually, it wasn't enough just to guard while she went back and forth between the office and her house; and for him to go to his own job while she worked. There were so many things that could sneak up on you without realizing it; and he would be remiss if he didn't go the extra mile to ensure that she remained safe.
So he took a personal day and let himself into her apartment, once he had made sure that she was safe at work. He had been gratified when he realized that she had several locks on her door. One couldn't be too careful in this day and age. Far too many weirdos about. Nonetheless, he couldn't protect her if he didn't see what was going on inside her home. So he took his first big risk. He invented a pretext to go to her workplace, where he would be able to walk about unnoticed. He had taken her house key off of her key ring and had gotten a copy made while she was on her lunch break. He knew the exact time and place she took her lunch everyday. There was no chance that she woud notice. Then he had simply returned the key to her ring, while she had taken a bathroom break. It had all been done with no one the wiser.
Since that day, he had used his key everyday that he could manage to go in without being noticed. He looked everything over, looking for the signs. He knew them well. Finally, as he was sorting through her mail this morning, he had found the terrible letter. It was the sign. The time had come. So he sat in his car across the street, waiting for her to return home. It was Friday, and he knew that she would be home shortly. The rumble of an engine caught his attention and he turned to see her car make its way down the road and pull into her driveway across the street. She stepped out of the car. He reached into his glove compartment and removed the small case, shoving back any fear or reservations. It was time.
He waited a few minutes until she was inside. It would be a few minutes before she was ready for bed. She always went to bed this late. Once he saw the upstairs light off, he would wait a few minutes to be safe and then he could make his move. It would be easy. He knew from experience that she didn't have a burglar alarm. He had never been happy about that, but in this case, it seemed to be working in his favour.
Finally, the light had gone out. He got out of the car and moved from shadow to shadow as he made his way up to the porch, and slid his key into the lock. Turning slowly, making as little noise as possible. He turned the knob, and with the utmost care slowly pushed the door open. He took off his shoes and padded alone the carpeted hallway and made his way up the stairs. He came to her door, and took the syringe he had ready, and made his way slowly to her sleeping form. He stood over her, watching the rise and fall of her chest, as she slept peacefully on her back, savouring these last signs of life before his duty must be done. He prepped the syringe. This was meant to be quick. He couldn't bear to hurt her.
He quickly plunged the syringe into her neck and injected the solution. He pulled back, and set the syringe on the bed side table, watching as the rise and fall ceased. He reached down, running his fingers through her hair.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.