Murder Of Choice (PG 12)

[Elentari]

A note on the story. People under 13 years of age should not read this, or get an adult/older person to read through it first. The contents is a little graphic (violence & forced intimacy). If you have a problem with the contents, do not hesitate to contact my by pm or e-mail and will get rid of the story, or password protect it so only those who have no problem with the content can still read it.

Don't kill me if you don't like the content!


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Prologue

Cold sweat ran down the lonely schoolgirl’s face. She turned her head sharply as a twig snapped behind her. He was coming. She knew it. Hearing footsteps now, she quickened her pace ‘til she was running faster than she thought possible of her weak, anorexic body. A rock, or a twig, or something else tripped her. She kept her balance, but he was gaining on her. Barely able to draw breath from exhaustion, the girl fell. A ghostly figure stepped out from the shadows, looking as though he had not been running, though he had. He stepped toward the girl a reached for her, but she crawled out of reach.

‘What do you want with me?’ she gasped.

Her assailant made no verbal reply, but, as if in answer, he pulled a length of rope and a kerchief from his long coat’s pocket. Grabbing her fiercely by the hair, he used the kerchief to gag her, stopping her cries for help. He tied it tight, causing it to cut into her flesh. The girl, tired though she was, lashed out at the man, kicking and punching. He seemed to feel no pain. Not once did he flinch at her desperate attacks. No, if anything he enjoyed it. Taking the rope now, he pulled her arms behind her and bound them together, tying the knots expertly in the dark. A knife glinted in the dark and the girl screamed at the sight of the cold blade. The man held it up high for a time to scare the girl, then laughed as he cut off the excess rope. With extreme care he twisted and knotted the rope ‘til it formed a noose, which he slipped over the girl’s head. He tightened it, then pulled the rope sharply, causing the girl to fall on him.

‘You’re a feisty one,’ he joked. He kissed her forcefully and pulled her closer to him, ripping open the first few buttons of her white shirt. Frozen with terror she could only stand there, unable to resist his strength. He caressed her cheek, smiling as she flinched. He kissed her as though there had once been some passion between them, and then he pushed her back, laughing madly as she hit the ground. He sat on the ground next to her, taking the rope in case she found the strength to run, and took pleasure in watching her terrified expression, the fear in her eyes. Holding her under the shoulders, he lifted her up onto a log under a tree. Standing on another log, he tied the trailing end of the noose to the branch so that there was no slack, and then jumped back to the ground.

‘Pity to waste such looks.’ With no more to say than that, he kicked away the log from under the girl’s feet, cursing as he heard the unmistakable sound of her neck snapping. Now she would not feel the pain he had wanted her to feel. No matter, he thought. Now no one else would be hurt by her.

[Elentari]

Chapter 1

Finally! The school bell rang, and at the sound every student at Kiellin High School made an attempt to be first out. Well, everyone except Elizabeth and her gang. As much as they wanted to leave, they weren’t going risk falling over or looking like idiots in front of the boys.

“So who’s your date for the dance Liz?”

“Yeah Liz, who’d you pick?”

Several of Liz’s friends bombarded her with questions about next week’s dance. Liz was extremely popular with the boys. In the last month alone she had dated, then dumped, no less than six of the schools most sort after boys. This was a common occurrence at Kiellin High, but even more so when it came to Liz. She had broken almost every boy’s heart, even if she didn’t date them. Some of the less popular boys had risked and failed at asking her out. One boy had even committed suicide, though it was not proven she was the cause (but most people thought so). He had been found in his room, hanging from his neck by a belt tied to his curtain rail.

Liz walked with her friends part of the way home, talking about make-up, celebrities and, of course, boys. For some time the subject was kept off the topic of the recent murder in their neighbourhood, but as it got darker, because of the short winter nights, and closer to where Liz walked by herself, the conversation shifted.

“Did you watch the news yesterday?” asked Fran.

“Yeah,” replied Liz.

“I can’t believe it happened so close to home!”

“Was it actually yesterday? Where?” asked Kate.

“No,” answered Fran. “It was two days ago. I’m not sure exactly where, but it was down there somewhere.” She pointed to the road ahead on their right.

“But that’s where you walk home Liz! It’s a good thing it happened on a Saturday, or it might have been you.”

“Why would anyone want to kill me?” Liz laughed. “It’s not like I’m in with the wrong crowd or anything.”

“Didn’t you hear?” said Fran. “All these murders, they’ve all been young women, around the age of sixteen and seventeen, that have been killed.”

“That’s our year!” shouted Kate, a little too loud. “Didn’t you notice that Jenny and Monique weren’t here last week.”

“But they haven’t been reported dead,” replied Liz. “We would have heard something.”

“Not if the parents didn’t want it to be public knowledge,” said Fran. “Besides, they aren’t all murders. Some have been kidnappings and muggings. I heard there’s been a few who’ve been raped too!”

“That’s just sick!” muttered Liz. “The victims must be traumatised.”

“They couldn’t be.” Fran breathed in sharply from the cold. “The ones who were raped were killed afterwards. The bodies had to be tested, you see. A post-mortem. They always test for things like rape now.”

“How would they be able to tell it was rape?” Kate asked, rather innocently.

“You really know nothing Kate!” laughed Fran. “The victims have curtain marks left on them if they’re raped.”

“Like what?” asked Liz.

“Well the attacker probably gropes them quite roughly, leaving marks like small bruises or something. They also test for sperm.”

Kate giggled.

“Oh you’re so immature Kate!” said Liz, giggling a bit herself. “I hear one was stripped naked before she was hanged.”

“Yeah,” replied Fran. “That was the last rape-murder case.”

They arrived at the crossroads where Liz parted ways with Fran and Kate. For a moment Liz was apprehensive about walking down the dark, lonely road, but then felt stupid.

“Hope I haven’t scared you too much Liz!” said Fran back to Liz as they walked in different directions.

“Me? Scared?” said Liz. “Not likely. I’m safe cause I can fight back. What else did you think those self-defence lessons were for?”

“See you tomorrow,” shouted Kate as she walked out of sight.

Liz turned back to her dark road. She was safe, wasn’t she? She began walking, though her pace was quicker than usual. Once she had walked a mile she began to relax. So what if there were no houses around. She had her mobile to use if she got into trouble. Her pace slowed as she decided she was worrying about nothing. Then came the sound she dreaded – a stick snapped.