Each step he took, he grew closer and closer to her. Passing booth by booth. I prayed he was going to pass by her, and he did. He stopped in front of the booth behind her. He just stood there motionless. I looked at Sandra and she looked up at me. Our eyes locked and she scooted out of the booth and rose to her feet. Her face looked so sad. The man standing behind her turned around and looked at her. She had no clue the darkness was standing behind her. I watched him lean forward and smell her hair. For a minute rage replaced my fear but dissipated when his eyes looked at mine and there was that grin again. The moment of anticipation slowed down time. I saw his bony hand holding the knife rise. It had a steel blade and a black handle. That means nothing to me now but at the time, it was the most important object to me. Her death was slow and made it all that more painful to the both of us. I watched the first thrust disappear out of view behind her back and her body jerked and became stiff. I leaned forward and started running towards her. Why did my frozen body have to wait till now to begin working again. It still wasn’t fast enough. I remember that moment when I ran as fast as I could but was moving at such a slow pace. I couldn’t help it. My legs felt like they were wrapped in weights. I reached for her but was no where near. With the second and third thrust I watched her body go limp and the skinny man became covered with blood. There was blood everywhere. She fell forward. The entire time her eyes had never left me, it was the only way she could still hold onto me. I was beginning to move faster but it still wasn’t helping. Each blow she took I felt. Her body hit the ground soft. She still had life. She was suffering so much. I had no tears; I had nothing, just a will to save her; end her pain. The man did not stop when she was fallen. He got to his knees and started stabbing her broken body. He was truly insane, he looked up at me grinning as he did his work. Sandra did not speak while she died. I just herd brief grunts when the blade entered her back and was pulled out. I had finally reached them and the sole of my foot fell upon his face. I called upon all my body’s power to put everything into that kick. All my rage, fear and sadness peaked in that kick. I did not feel the impact at all, I just saw him fall onto his back. His eyes closed, his nose bloody and his mouth grinning. I was drawn in by that mouth, it was filled with so much mystery and it also spelled out so many things. When I think of that guy I feel nothing. I don’t know what his purpose was even. It was what he represented which I understood the most.
I rolled Sandra over and held her head in my hands. She looked up at me and spoke no words. I said nothing either. We both were aware of what was happening and we just watched. She closed her eyes and the last breath she had escaped her lips. I could not function. My mind went blank, my body froze up again and I felt nothing. I looked around at all the blood on the floor and I saw the flower lying in it. She must have knocked it over when she fell. Its color blended in with the blood. I only noticed it because of the stem. It was so helpless without thorns. My memory goes blank at that point until it picks up again. I’m not sure when but I think it’s a few days later. I’m holding something soft and cold in my hand. It’s thin and smooth and no thorns prick my hand.
