Chapter 5
Iwait in the shadows outside the ivy-covered brick wall of the girls” dormitory, concealed by the darkness of night. The moon hangs high above me, and it provides just enough light for me to make out the silhouettes of the surrounding buildings. A light breeze rustles the leaves of the tall oak trees that line the walkway leading up to the dorm. It”s quiet out, most students already tucked away in their rooms at this late hour.
My eyes remain fixed on the third window from the left on the second floor, where I know Andrei will soon emerge. That pathetic worm thinks he can do as he pleases, sneaking around behind his girlfriend”s back, thinking no one notices his late-night visits here after she”s fallen asleep. He disgusts me. Not just for his disloyalty, but for daring to lay his hands on my Sara. I warned him, warned all of them, what the consequences would be. Yet they refused to heed my words.
The sound of a window sliding open turns my attention back to the dorm. Speak of the devil. There”s a quiet thud as Andrei”s feet hit the ground after climbing out. He pauses for a moment, peering around cautiously. I press myself further into the shadows, becoming one with them. After a few seconds, he seems satisfied no one has seen him and starts heading across the lawn towards the path out of here. Towards me.
My fingers curl tighter around the hilt of the knife in my pocket, anticipating the moment I can draw it and fulfill my promise. Patience, I tell myself. I want him to get closer first, to see the whites of his eyes when he realizes it”s his turn. Then I let him pass.
I trail him silently, years of training allowing me to match his footsteps precisely, so he doesn”t detect my presence. Thirty feet away. Twenty feet. Ten. Now.
In one swift motion, I grab him from behind, one hand clamped over his mouth muffling his startled cry, the other bringing the knife to his exposed throat. I feel his body tense against mine, reacting on instinct to the threat, but it”s too late. My blade opens his neck in one clean slice before he can even attempt to struggle. Warm blood spills over my hand as I hold him against me, lowering us both to the ground. He gurgles wetly, hands clutching at his throat in vain to try and stop the bleeding. I merely watch impassively as the light fades from his eyes, as he drowns in his own blood. It doesn”t take long.
I leave him there, face down on the grass, the dark stain spreading out from beneath him barely visible in the dim light.
Satisfied, I calmly walk away, blending into the night. No one sees me as I make my way back to the frat house, the blood drying on my hands the only evidence of what I”ve done. The house is dark when I return, the others have already turned in for the night. Good. No one needs to know about this but me… well maybe Ivan. No one gets me like he does.
I go to my room to clean up before getting some rest myself. The water turns pink as I wash Andrei”s blood down the drain. A just end for someone who thought they could take what”s mine. I protect what”s mine at any cost.