Doctor Death.

Eliza walked through the cold, dark alley. Little did she know she soon wouldn't be walking anymore. He had been watching her for almost an hour it was almost time. She shivered as the dark of the alley crept into her consciousness. Suddenly she got the feeling someone was watching her. She spun around but no one was there. She remembered reading in the local paper about the latest string of murders. According to the paper, so far four petty officers & two navy officer dependants had been gruesomely murdered. The police hadn't released much information about the killings but she knew that all the victims had been young vulnerable women who had been walking home & were ambushed in the dark. Eliza was fearful now. It would be just her luck to end up as the victim of some crazed psychopath. She reached into her bag & felt around for anything she could use to protect herself. She swallowed hard when she realized she didn't have much in her bag to defend herself with. She grabbed the first thing she touched which happened to be a can of spray deodorant. Eliza was slightly relieved when she realized she could either hit an attacker with it or spray the contents in their eyes. Not pepper spray but just as effective. The alley was almost pitch black. She could barely see her own hand in front of her face. She felt around in her bag for her keys, knowing they could come in handy if any psychopath came close enough. She was so sure now that she was being followed; she decided to walk backwards following the simple logic that no-one would be able to sneak up on her. As she walked, she listened. After a few minutes of no longer being able to hear strange noises, Eliza figured it was probably all in her head, that she was scaring herself. Then she felt a hand grab her from behind. Eliza tried to scream but the sound was muffled. She tried to use her keys but the move was obviously expected & consequently blocked as the keys were wrestled out of her hand, Eliza remembered the deodorant. As she put up a fight for her keys with one hand, she twisted her body & hit out with the can in her other hand. Then, when she had both hands free, she pulled off the lid & sprayed directly in his eyes. He recoiled & stumbled back. Then he regathered himself & moved toward her with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. At that moment, Eliza knew she would never survive this night.

She stifled a sob, she had survived horrible & unspeakable things in war zones such as Iraq & Palestine but here, here in America she was supposed to be safe. As he picked up a stray piece of wood, she held the can ready. He walked slowly toward her; the wood aimed. It was so measured & deliberate that it unnerved her. She threw the can as hard as she could & heard the deep thunk as it ricocheted off his head. When he moved closer she saw the deep cut the can had left. As he came close, she dug her nails into the cut, scratching the rest of his face while she did so. Eliza cried as she tried to tear his face away. Then she felt a hard blow to the side of her head & suddenly everything went black. She didn't feel anymore. He looked at her fallen body, it was such a shame. He positioned her like all the others & started to go home to clean up. But as he left he remembered he hadn't left his mark. No one would know that this was his victim. He went back & put the gloves that were in his pocket on, took out the penknife he knew she'd been looking for & calmly carved in very small letters, DM on her cheek. His initials. After the first one he had been tempted to carve a duck but thought it might be too obvious. Dr. Donald Mallard then stood up & admired his handiwork. He looked at his watch, it was time to go. His mother would be awake soon & so would the rest of the world. He cleaned the knife & placed it in her hand. Then he removed the gloves & placed them in the used glove bag he always had & walked away.