Prompt 5: Monsters

She sat underneath the gaze of a pair of eyes and a blinding light slightly swinging up on the ceiling. The room was still dark and empty. The ticking of the clock hanging upon the wall pierces the silence. The young woman looked up at the pair of eyes belonging to a man with a badge. He wanted answers, but his questions would only be answered by silence. Intimidating the girl was useless.

The man sighs and asks once more, "Why? Why did you kill your father?"

Silence. His patience was at his limit, and he couldn't hold his anger in much longer. The girl, on the other hand, seemed calm and relaxed. But within her eyes, she is lifeless. All hope and joy that filled her eyes was drained away.

"How?" She finally spoke. The man was confused by the one word question. He waited patiently for her to continue on the question. She smiled, and this made the man jump back in surprise.

"Is she insane?" he thought to himself.

She rose to her feet and walked up to what seemed to be a giant mirror, but she was well aware that behind it were other fighters of the law listening to all that would be said and heard. Looking at the mirror, she asks, "How do you destroy a monster without becoming one?"

This confused the man. The sudden question was out of the ordinary, but then he got an idea. His thoughts traveled to her question as a riddle.

Imagining it as asking him how he would destroy the monster which represented the young girl, he responded with a smirk, "Lock them up for the rest of their life for the sins that they committed," the girl's smile faded as she looked at the man, "Do you hate the thought of being locked away?"

She shook her head and looked back at the mirror, "No, for you are wrong."

"And how is that?" he asked.

"First," she began, "you misunderstood my question. It seems that in your eyes I am the monster yet I did not wish to become one."

He leaned onto the table, "If you didn't want to become one, then why did you kill your father?"

She thought for a moment and her body shivered. The man could sense that she was nervous and afraid. The lump in the girl's throat was strong for it would not let her speak the sins. But even so, she conquered and answered with a question once more.

"Tell me. If someone beats their love and offspring to the point that blood splatters and no hope is left for them to live on a normal life, are they considered monsters?"

The man was taken back. This girl was certainly a mysterious one, but he must answer for he can feel that he his closer to the answer.

He cleared his throat, "Well, yes, of course they are. They deserve to be locked up." His eyes widened as he catches sight of tears rolling down the girl's face.

"You only locked up the monster," she wiped up the tears, "How could that possibly destroy them?"

He dared to walk up to this girl who was already labeled as a murderer. His only job at this point was to try to get her to plead guilty, but now his choice has changed. He sensed something odd and he could only guess. Her riddles were becoming more clear.

He places his hands on her shoulders, "The time that they spend locked away will give them no choice but to think about the sins they have done. All we can do is to make them see what they did wrong; therefor, the one who can truly destroy the monster is the monster themselves," He brought her into a hug, "Now, let me ask you. The 'someone' who hurt the ones they are to treasure was your father, wasn't it?"

Tears began to soak his shirt as she mumbled a "yes". She pulled way and took five steps back with her hands hid behind her back. Silence came in once again. Waiting to hear more, the man was about to speak once more till the girl interrupted.

She smiled at him, "Thank you."

"'Thank you' for what?" he asked. He wasn't so sure what she could possibly thank him for.

"Thank you, for clearing my view. You answered my question, and now I know what to do. You said that a monster can only destroy themselves," she pulled out a gun. The man was shocked and realized that it was his gun. Looking at his belt, where his gun should be held was gone. At first he thought she was going to kill him, but then the situation changed. The gun was pointing at her own head.

"Wait! Let's talk some more! I know it's hard, but we can possibly prove that what you did was self defense!" He stammered. Fear arose quickly as more tears flowed down the girl's face.

"No, it is not the situation I am in to bring me to this state. It is what has been cleared that has brought me to this decision. Killing a monster will make you a monster no matter what. There is no way to prevent from becoming one once you take the monster's life. And as you said, a monster can only destroy itself. Killing my father, the monster, made me into one. To destroy this monster, me, I must take it or another monster will be created," she smiled at him with eyes that are no longer lifeless, but with joy and peace, "Thank you, and I am sorry."

The door was unlocked and others came in when the girl's finger pulled the trigger. Her body fell as others ran up to her. Within seconds, her eyelids became heavy, and the life left her body. All the man could do was stand in shock. Tears now fell from his eyes.

He thought with sadness, "Foolish girl, you're wrong. Now you have made me into a monster."

Author's Note

Short story specially written for a prompt contest. I chose prompt 5 which I had to write a story based on the question, "How do you kill a monster without becoming one?"