This is a story i had to write for school, i hope that u like it, it is a short story and will only be this chapter.

Cherry and Me.

To an outsider my situation would look bewildering as they tried to grasp why an old man in his early 80's was standing under a gumtree at 1am, while the rain fell from the sky. Although it wasn't as if raindrops were falling, but instead it was as if someone was pouring a constant stream of buckets filled with water down upon the earth. But to me this was the reason for my being, I always waited for this date each year and had my a gender list all in order so that once it was the night, I could pay her tribute every since her death over 50 years ago. For it was her who showed me –me one of the creatures that prowl the night, me one of the predators that mothers try to keep their children safe from but not everyone can keep their children safe for ever– that life could be more fulfilling if I changed a few things, and she helped me get through the hard struggles that I had along the way. But everything that she had helped me with and taught me went away when she died.

As my trench coat dripped away the water that had collected as I had walked here, as I pondered what the time was while I waited for Cherry. Cherry might not have been her real name, actually it isn't, but that's what I started calling her ever since I first started to observe her and noted that she always wore Cherry red clothing, thus the name Cherry. I pulled back my sleeve to see my old and battered watch that had collected my sagging skin as it worked its way up my arms as cold as ice, but it was refreshing and helped me think clearly. 12:55am, just five more minutes to go until I can give what tribute I can to her with the sacrifice of another. My hat let drops trickle down my face as it tried to get rid of the overloaded water that was held in between the fabric; while I watched distant headlights turn a corner on the other side of the park. I found it odd that a car would be in this part of the neighbourhood at this hour, as normally the males get a taxi home from the strip joint called Gals for Guys, which was evidently where Cherry worked.

Footsteps alerted me to the approach of who I hopped was Cherry as I hated to be seen on this night by a teenager that who even though they are drunk or high can sometimes still call the cops, or cause such a commotion that a resident comes out to see what all the commotion is about. Her tall lanky figure sent a long stick shadow on the ground as she approached the street lamp closest to where I was situated. Keeping to her name tonight she wore a tight tube top –that made her medium sized breasts look just that cup size larger- and tight leather pants –that just barely covered to the top of her bum- with sparkling red high heals that made her bum look smaller, but most of all they made it header for her to run away in.

I waited until she had reached the next street lamp before starting to peruse her. It wasn't all that long until she became aware of the footsteps that were slowly and carefully getting closer to her. I got the bottle of cyclopropane out with my handkerchief that I would use to subdue her until I got her back to, my romantic hide way you might call it. But before I could get her back there I would have to catch her first, this part always made me thin of the game that children play called Kiss Chasey.

Despite her being in high heels, she ran very well in them. First she started of slowly, then started to get faster as she heard the pace of my footsteps quicken. With a small glance that she through over her shoulders to see who I was I just waved and called out.

"Nice night for a jog, don't you think?" but she didn't reply only turning back to face the path that she was following while trig to desperately get out of the park, and with that my pace quickened even further, as I would have to hit her with the cyclopropane before we got out of the park.

But she was starting to get even faster then what I had expected from her while she wore high heels. She was on the verge of running, when a sudden cool breeze whipped her soaking wet brown hair back behind her, the rain making it look a darker shade to the light brown I was so used to seeing it.

A car came flying down the road up a head with the loud doof doof music, which shone just how close to the street we were getting. I would have to act now, or else I would be punished for not sacrificing someone like I said I would do each year.

Just as I grabbed her she spun around and got me with the pepper spray that she had hidden in her hands, then kneed me in the balls to make me double over in pain while she ran for help. But that wasn't going to fit me, I would keep on going. I would make sure she knew her place in the world, which was 6 feet under out in the bush.

She was crossing the road when I finally was able to get up from her attack. Rubbing my eyes in pain I ran after her. She darted down a narrow ally way that I knew led onto a back road, but it would be the perfect place to get her, as my car was on that back road.

I attacked her once inside the ally so that you could not see what activities were taking place in there if you were on the streets when I happened. I felt the gun in my back while my hands got pulled around behind me, and Cherry was talking to the person who I thought had the gun to my back as someone hurled me up off the ground and pushed my down the ally. Her voice didn't sound like I had imagined it to; it wasn't the high and girly voice that went with the outfit but instead a deep almost manly voice.

I didn't pay much attention to the short ride to the police station, actually I didn't pay any attention to anything until a door slammed in the interrogation room that I was in, I was to busy thinking about how I failed my love. Failure was the worst punishment that someone could ever feel, especially when it is there soul mate that they failed.

"50 girls have been found dead, in the same spot, and around a year apart. Some were decapitated, while others had been slowly cut into little pieces. Did you really think that you would get away with it, or better yet did you think that we would really let you get away with it" Cherry said as she slammed a folder full of pictures down on the cold and hard metal table that I was seated at.

I was unresponsive as I continued to think of my sweet, but this seemed to make Cherry even madder. "Say something you sick basted! 50! 50 girls have died because of you sick games! We have been after you for the last 5 years!" she yelled at me, making her face keep her name.

"Cherry do you realise that your face hold your name to perfection?" I enquired.

"Don't call me Cherry, that is some sick name that you have thought up for me and I detest it!" before she could continue there was a knock on the door and without a second glance she stormed out slamming the door being her.

A few seconds later she came back in, her face finally composed so that it should no emotion, it was like a plastic mask someone had made her wear. I rolled my eyes to see if I could get this mask to snap on her face, and revile to me the true emotions that she was trying so hard to keep to herself. But she seemed to not notice what I was trying to do and read out a list of names.

"Erin O'lee age 24 decapitated, Honey Small age 19 straggled, Olive Winter age 22 rapped then had a head force trammer killing her instantly, Nicole Jones age 24, Kim Bee 26, Emily Hopper 25, Hannah Green 23." She slowly got faster and the mask slowly started to fade away until there was a knock on the door, at which she sent a scowl then composed her face again.

She turned her back on me but continued to talk, but I wasn't paying attention. My heart had suddenly stopped at the guard in the corner was looking at Cherry so he wasn't paying attention. She was blocking my view from with one was mirror where other police officers where hidden watching our conversation. I didn't fight it; I just clutched my chest in pain and then slumped down on the table.

I was nothing and yet I was everything at the same time. I watched as the pissed off look came once again onto Cherry's face as she turned back around and noticed me lying dead, before yelling out.

"NO! NO! That sick basted got away! I spent 5 years on this guys fucked up story! NO!" she yelled as other police officers ran into the room to check my pulse and tried to revise me. I felt that I could be pulled one way or the other and it was my choice in which I chose to stay dead, so that I could truly be once more with Earla.

The End.

By Jaq Anderson