The Murderer
Had it only been a different night, a different place, or a different kind of man passing by the threshold of that innocent pub, the events that had transpired at that point would have undoubtedly been drastically different. I can only guess if anyone outside that place had a clue when those exclamations of mirth became the desperate screams of the helpless, begging for their very lives.
My grip remained steady on the young man's shoulder as my free hand slid into my pocket and slowly drew out my knife. He lowered the drink he held in his hand and began to turn towards me. I pressed the cold, steel blade to his throat and he immediately froze. I brought my face so close to his ear that I could feel the cartilage on my cracked lips. I then whispered five macabre words:
"Are you ready to die?"
The man remained perfectly still as I sliced his throat open with the knife. Blood gushed from the open wound, soaking the blade and my hand. I quickly turned to another man and stabbed him in the chest repeatedly. I watched the light leave his eyes as his body collapsed to the ground. I heard the screams of women and glass shattering as they dropped their drinks and ran for the door. I laughed as I watched them struggle with the lock. I grabbed two more men and quickly stabbed them, not stopping to watch their struggle. A woman screamed and sprinted over to kneel next to one of the men who lay dying on the floor. Mercilessly, I plunged the knife into her back, taking pride in the red stain that was quickly growing larger and larger in the cotton of her white dress. One man had managed to pry open the tavern window and people were pouring out of it onto the balcony. I let them escape and smiled widely to myself as I watched my dying victims writhe on the floor. Their breaths came in choked gasps as they attempted to draw in oxygen through their blood-blocked windpipes.
My clothes were now coated with a fresh layer of blood. I mused as the sticky, red liquid ran down my skin and dripped over the edge of the blade. I unlocked the tavern door and headed back into the town, relishing the sense of immortality that I felt.
