18

October 27

Rose Grey walked down the street looking for some suit. The businessmen were the easiest to rob. They were soft, weak. Suddenly she saw a very tall man walk towards her. He was wearing a rich looking suit, and cape. Funny. But she knew he would have money. As he walked closer so did she. She was one of the best pickpockets in the city. She never got caught. She even stole from cops. It made her laugh.

As he passed she dipped her hand in his pocket. Suddenly a cold hand like ice and steel grabbed her hand. She looked up into a light blue eye and a brown one. They glittered with hate and... amusement. She opened her mouth when the hand spun her around and into an alley. He let go of her and disappeared.

A sudden screech of metal sounded behind her and she whirled around, a startled yelp escaping her. Panting harshly, she clutched her chest and tried to calm her jack hammering heart as she peered into the thick dark shadows. A slight movement and glint of light caught her eye. "Look I am really sorry. Who's there?" she called timidly. The sound of amused laughter flooded out from the shadows in reply and a low, silky male voice followed, filled with equal amusement.

"Rose," The voice spoke softly. It was seductive and deep, sounding out her name with sadistic pleasure. "How...sweet." he added.

Rose backed away from the shadowed man as he stepped closer to the light. "H-how do you know my name? Who are you!" she demanded fearfully. The man stepped slowly from the shadows, revealing his marked face, and laughed cruelly.

"I...am your deepest fear, your most paralyzing nightmare..." he intoned. "I am sheer terror, the ultimate predator and the last thing you'll ever see. Alive. "He raised his right hand and spread his fingers, the dim light glinting off the white mask. "But you can call me Angel. Angel of Death," he smirked. Rose turned and ran, the sight of that mask and the look in his eyes sending her survival instincts into overdrive.

Rose's hurried footfalls echoed all around her as she ran, her heart pounding fiercely in her ears. That ungodly voice, echoed from somewhere behind her, urging her onward. She ran for her life, knowing that if she stopped he would catch her and steal it away, literally steal her very soul. She didn't know how she knew this, but she knew it was true.

She turned corner after corner, losing her way and came to a dead end. And that's when she heard his voice, taunting her, mocking her attempts to escape.

"You can run and you can hide, but I'll still find you." he whispered in that deep, silky voice; a sound she now came to identify as the voice of a demon out for blood. She stopped running and glanced around frantically, searching for the source of the voice. It had sounded so close, almost as if...as if it were inside her head. She turned to try running the other way and bumped into something. She gave a shriek and stumbled back when she realized what she had bumped into. The horrified teenager stared with mouth agape as the man who called himself 'Angel of Death" stood before her, grinning devilishly. Rose backed away in silent terror, but he quickly followed. She turned to try to climb the wall, when he gabbed her and spun her around and pinned her up against the wall. Sensing her end was near, and did what she always did when nervous or frightened; she talked.

"Y-you don't really wanna hurt me, do you?" she stuttered pathetically.

"Mm, but, I do." he growled.

"B-but. You--" She stuttered and for the first time, she was speechless. What could she possibly say to that? What could she say to someone who wanted her dead that wouldn't get her killed even faster? Unable to think straight, she tried to stall him for as long as she could.

"That's a n-nice, um..mask...thingy." she stuttered and groaned inwardly. Flattery? She was so stupid!

The look on his face showed that it was the wrong thing to say.

She tensed and inhaled sharply as her back pressed against the cold concrete of the wall behind her. She glanced about frantically for an escape, but found none. She stared on in terror as he slowly advanced upon her, trapping her in.

"Please, don't hurt me. I-I'll do whatever you want." she begged and pressed back against the cold wall in a desperate attempt to put as much distance between them as possible, despite the obvious futility of it.

"I'm sure you will." he growled in reply and ran a hand over his unmasked side of his face. "And I know exactly what I want." A vile, lecherous grin slowly spread across his features as his thoughts wandered delightedly through the gutters of his mind.

He continued his advance at a slow, unhurried pace as he flexed his hands in anticipation. He had something very special planned for her, something very special, indeed. She had rust-red hair, gently curving figure, warm honeydew skin, and deep violet eyes with a leaping, flickering flame hidden in their dark depths. Some people could get lost in those eyes, but not him. He'd ravage every dark corner in those eyes until that leaping; flickering flame was reduced to cold embers. He laughed softly at this. Her eyes were beautiful and full of life, but soon they'd only be empty, shiny baubles. Beautiful on the outside, but empty and lifeless on the inside.

Pressing both hands against the wall on either side of her head, the man chuckled low in his throat as he gazed into those sweet violet eyes, watching that flickering flame. Rose's breathing was harsh and rapid as she stared into his cold and insane eyes, straight into his demon soul. He was so close now that she could almost taste the sickening aura of death that seemed to follow him. She shut her eyes tightly and turned her head away, trying to breathe and force herself to wake.

He was somewhat annoyed when she broke the stare and growled softly. But, instead of turning violent, he removed his left hand from the wall and gently stroked her cheek, trying to calm and falsely reassure her.

Rose cringed and drew away at his touch. She suppressed a shudder as he swept a strand of hair behind her ear. Even though he was being so gentle, she knew it wouldn't last. It was only to tease her and trick her into letting her guard down. It wasn't in his nature to be gentle. He was eventually going to kill her, no matter how much she tried to escape. This thought tore a sudden sob from her throat, followed closely by a soft whimper as her eyes flooded with tears that spilled down her cheeks in long, salty rivers.

The man stroked her hair as she cried, suddenly overcome with power and lust. He inched closer, bridging the tiny gap between them, and pressed roughly against her rigid body. He gripped her chin firmly and turned her head to face him. He was done with being overly gentle. It was time to get a little rough.

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Erik wound the lasso up and smirked at the still form on the ground. He glanced at his watch. Ashley gave it to him. Ashley. Erik started walking home. It was 12:00. Let's see if she is still up. If not, well, she soon will be. Erik's cold cruel, insane laughter echoed in the now silent alley.