Vincent was in the laundry room changing his shirt. He threw his freshly bloodied shirt in the trash and grabbed a long sleeve dark blue polo out of the dryer. There was a knock on the door. Vincent fumbled for his glasses, dropping them on the floor. He rushed to get a napkin to grab his glasses. He searched for his disinfectant wipes and began cleaning every inch he could.

"Vincent! It's Rylee!"

Vincent looked towards the front door as he put his glasses on. His heart began racing.

"Vincent, I know you're in there. Please let me in."

He threw away his trash in the bathroom and grabbed a bar of soap to wash his hands, throwing it away once he was done. Vincent walked to the door, watching his feet as he did so. He opened and closed the door one, two, three times before opening it fully. Rylee walked in and Vincent closed the door behind her. She looked at him with her emerald eyes and watched his eyes drop to the floor, showing remorse. She let out a sad sigh.

"It happened again…didn't it?"

Vincent didn't answer her. Rylee walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He stood there for a moment, but gradually wrapped his arms around her. After a moment, Rylee released from the hug, but held on to his hands.

"I'm a monster."

Vincent let go of Rylee's hands and sat on his couch, hiding his face in his hands. Rylee sat next to him, putting a comforting arm around him.

"You're not a monster. You're…you're just ill."

Vincent looked up to see a tear falling down Rylee's cheek. He hated to see her like this. She was his best friend…his only friend. Vincent caressed her cheek. She brushed her fingers through her dark brunette hair and looked up into his breathtaking blue eyes.

"How could you possibly stand to be around me when you know what I've done?"

"Because, I know you can't help yourself."

"I killed that woman in that house today Rylee. Her name was Michelle Watson. She probably had a husband and children. She had a life, and I took it from her without reasoning."

Rylee closed her eyes, letting a few more tears escape.

"Have you eaten today?" Rylee asked after a bit.

Vincent looked down and shook his head.

"I'll make you a sandwich. Would you like the usual?"

Vincent nodded and stood up, walking into the other room and closing the door behind him. Rylee walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the ham, provolone cheese, and white bread. She cut the sandwich perfectly diagonal, just the way he liked it. She wrapped it in ceramic wrap and placed in the refrigerator, where it would remain for ten minutes. She sat down and took out an opened envelope, rereading the paper that was inside. Each word still brought tears to her eyes. Why did this have to happen? She looked at the clock. Nearly ten minutes had passed. Rylee put the paper back in the envelope and grabbed the sandwich from the refrigerator, walking to the door and knocking.

Suddenly, she heard a woman screaming. She entered at her own risk, seeing a boy looking towards Vincent on the TV screen. It was Stan. The blind boy who he had been helping in a program he joined to help the disabled. The blind boy whose mother had been murdered…by Vincent. Rylee took a step forward, causing the floor to creak slightly, but Vincent didn't turn around. His eyes were glued to the screen, so she set down his plate, along with the envelope she was holding and walked out of the room. The film ran out and he stared at a blank screen for a little while before he turned it off. He took a bite of his sandwich and grabbed the envelope, reading it slowly. Tears began to well up in his eyes. He set it down once he was done and stood up. He ran to the door, opening it two times before he went through.

"Rylee!"

Rylee stood up from the couch as Vincent walked over and hugged her tightly. Tears began to fall down her face as he pulled away and looked at her.

"You…you have leukemia?"

Rylee nodded, wiping her tears away. "I'm dying."

Vincent shook his head. "You can't die. You just can't."

"Vincent, sit down. I need to tell you something."

He sat down on the couch with Rylee. His hands were being held tightly by hers as she cleared her throat and looked into his beautiful blue eyes. He would soon know her biggest secret.

"Vincent…I love you."

Vincent's eyes grew wide. He stood up and kicked the TV remote across the floor.

"How could you love a monster like me?" Vincent yelled. He kneeled down on one knee and held her face in his hands, "I'm not good for you Rylee."

"Vincent." Rylee replied softly, grabbing his hands and lowering them from her face, "Good, bad, it doesn't matter. I love you, regardless of what you've done. I always will."

Vincent looked towards the ground for a moment and then looked back into her eyes.

"I love you too Rylee."

Vincent rested his hand on her chin and brought her close to him. Before she could speak, their lips met in a kiss.

When their kiss ended, Vincent looked deep into her eyes. Something was troubling Rylee. He could see it.

"What's the matter?"

Rylee readjusted in her seat, holding his right hand in both of hers.

"I…want to be your next victim…"

Vincent jumped up. "Is this a sick joke? You just told me you loved me, and now you want to die?"

"I'm already dying Vincent."

"I can't kill you Rylee."

"Vincent…I'm suffering. I'm in pain every single day, and no kind of drug I try or medication I take fixes anything."

"I'm sorry Rylee…I just can't."

"It's okay Vincent. I understand."

Vincent stroked his hand through his hair and walked into the bathroom and peeled away the plastic from his mirror. He was pale, paler than usual. Suddenly Vincent heard a loud thud.

"Oh no."

Vincent ran out of the bathroom to see Rylee on the floor with a knife in her abdomen. He fell to his knees and held her head up. Tears began to fall down his face.

"No, no, no. Rylee…you can't die. This isn't how it's supposed to end."

"You create your own endings Vincent. Things don't just happen."

Rylee's breathing became shallow.

"I…love…you…"

Those three words were supposed to be the most beautiful words in the world. Instead, they ripped through his heart like a knife. Rylee took her last breath, a single tear tracing down her cheek. Vincent lowered himself down to give her one last kiss, and looked into her lifeless emerald eyes one last time before he finally closed them. He hugged her tightly and then stood up to go grab a garbage bag to dispose of her body. Vincent had to get ready for tomorrow. It was Stan's birthday, and he had a very special day planned for him.