The Unlikely Victim

Lucy returns to the one place she swore she'd never return to, the place where one of her parent's were killed. But who was the murderer?

Lucy wasn’t sure what compelled her to go back to that dark dreary place, the only place that had ever leaked with sadness and despair, that made her feel sadness beyond anything she had ever experienced before. The only thing she did know was that this was the very last place she’d seen his face, and heard his voice. This was the place where the man she’d known her whole life died.

 

There was a part of her that would always miss her father, but she knew he was gone, and the thought of him ever coming back was impossible, still, the thought of her father being in her life again filled her with hope, and she always wondered if she would see him again.

 

She stood in a court yard. The stone ground beneath her feet was cold, as was the wind which was gently blowing her long black hair behind her. It was dark there too; the only light was coming from the full moon which hung low in the sky. She shivered and pulled her coat tightly around her. It was eerie being back there.

 

That place was filled with echoes of the past. She remembered the night she was there, as a little girl. She remembered it as if it were yesterday. She had been so excited when her father woke her in the middle of the night. He had told her they were going on an adventure. She was only seven at the time, so she didn’t question it. He was her father after all and back then she practically worshipped him.

 

She wished now that she hadn’t been so naive. She should have seen that look in his eyes, the one she can distinctly remember now. It was wild, frantic even, but she hadn’t noticed that. Not then anyway. She’d just slipped on her shoes and grabbed her teddy bear, letting her father hurry her out of her home.

 

She recalled how long they drove for. It seemed like hours, and the whole time she just stared out the window, up at the stars in the distant sky. While her father restlessly shifted in his seat.

 

She was a little curious when they finally reached their destination. There was no one around, and the only thing resembling shelter was a court yard, made of stone that had tonnes of ivy growing off it. She remembered thinking how beautiful it looked that night, and how it was lit only by the pale white glow from the moon.

 

It had looked like something you would see in pictures. Her father’s voice had been anxious that night, and she could still hear his desperate attempts at getting Lucy to stay in the car. She ended up staying there, just long enough until he was out of sight. Then, as silently as she could, she followed.

 

The next time she saw him he was cloaked with shadows, and was shifting restlessly from foot to foot. Lucy hid, of course. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be there, but she couldn’t help herself. She took shelter behind a seat made out of stone, peering over the top and waiting for her father to do something.

 

It wasn’t long until another figure came into view, but this one was hooded so Lucy couldn’t make out their face. She honestly had no idea what her father was doing here, meeting someone, but she didn’t reveal to them that she was there. She was silent, something which she deeply regretted later. What if she had said something, announced her presence? Would things be different now?

 

Although she could see them, she couldn’t hear a word they were saying. She could still recall how frustrated that had made her. All she wanted was to know what was going on, and who the hooded figure was, but she wasn’t close enough to hear a peep. After what felt like hours they started to move, but Lucy could no longer tell who was who.

 

To her they looked like two silhouettes, dancing in the shadows. She eventually realised what they were really doing, and she felt stupid that she hadn’t figured it out sooner. They were fighting. Not physically yet, but Lucy knew where this was heading.

 

Soon though she could hear the unmistakable sound of skin on skin contact, and she realised with a fright that they were in the midst of a battle. Soon, the weakest fell. The smaller silhouette fell to the ground, the moon light hitting there lifeless face.

 

Emerald green eyes stared straight at Lucy, eyes that she immediately recognised. Those were the same eyes she had seen in the mirror everyday of her life. Horror was the only thing Lucy could feel, everything else was just completely numb. She felt as though she was frozen in fear over the realisation of what had just happened.

 

Suddenly the monster that had killed her parent stepped into the light, instantly locking eyes with Lucy. Her father’s face was a mask of regret, guilt and sadness. His expression as he looked down at his former wife and Lucy’s mother would have been devastating if Lucy hadn’t just watched her father, the man who had raised her, kill her mother in cold blood.

 

She quickly shook off the thoughts of that night. She hated dwelling on the past, but it’s like she just couldn’t move on and she still couldn’t believe what her own father had done. That was the last time she had seen her father. Lucy knew that even though it was only her mother who had actually died that night to her it would always be like her father died there too. Her father was a monster, a soulless killer and no matter what happened in her life she would always remember that.

Author's Note

If there is any grammer issues I'm deeply sorry for the inconvenience, but please feel free to share what you think of the dialouge! Critisism is always welcomed!

Reviews

Nice twist! I think this story could be made even better if you clarified a couple of things. For instance, what exactly is Lucy doing there? What happened to her after her father left? You've described this memory of the past vividly, yet we don't get to know who Lucy really is. Perhaps you should develop her character a little more. Just a suggestion!