Midnight Shadows

Schizophrenia. That's what the doctors prescribed. Side effects include hallucinations, illogical thoughts, and, apparently, strange behavior although I don’t believe I have any of those.

“My thoughts are perfectly logical,” I mumbled to myself as I strolled down the sidewalk, the sound of the boots clicking against it being drowned out by the boisterous group of people. Disdain made its way onto my face, a feeling I was familiar with.

I walked towards the Restaurant, The Wagner at the Battery. I opened the door, flicking my gaze quickly to my Rolex that encircled my right wrist. “7:49 p.m.” I recalled as I walked through the glass doors. I stood in front of the entrance as I adjusted my heavy black jacket.

The hostess glanced up, her brown eyes locking with mine. I stepped towards her as I placed a hand in my pocket. “I have a reservation for eight o’clock tonight.”

“What is the last name, sir?” She asked, locking eyes again as she grabbed a menu.

“Sir,” I thought to myself amusingly. It was so, proper, making me feel like the aristocrat I was.

“The last name is Silver.”

Her eyes shot up in surprise as she had not expected that I, Mark Silver, would be dining here tonight. “Right this way, Mr. Silver.” She mumbled as she stepped out from behind the counter and led me to my table. “Your waitress will be here shortly.”

I presented her with the ghost of a smile. The hostess shuffled away and I turned my attention to the menu instead. I was debating between the tenderloin or the pasta when a hand reached out in front of me and lit the candle.

Her nails were a soft lavender color as she pulled the lighter away, I glanced up to face my server. Fixing my gaze upon the waitress I noticed her cherry red lips that seemed perfectly painted. Her pretty black dress clung to her figure with matching Louis Vuitton red bottom heels.

“What can I get you to drink, Mr. Silver?” She questioned with a satin tongue.

“Heights Cabernet. 2013 preferably.”

She took out her notepad, scribbling it down in cursive handwriting. Using her left hand, she swept back a few pieces of her blonde hair that had fallen in her face.

“I will be right back with that, Sir. My name is Elaine if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Elaine.” I gave the blonde a smile as she turned to walk away, she shot me a smile. Her heels clattered against the dark wooden floors, pausing as she looked at me again.

The way she looked back at me made chills run down my spine. I didn’t like that. The more I thought about it, she did seem familiar. Too familiar.

Hours went by as I drank my wine and decided on the pasta after all. The live performer was singing now, making me be on my second bottle of wine. I was one of the few people still here at 11:45.

Elaine walked over, hands gliding over the spare seat that was in front of me. “Mind if I sit, Mr. Silver?” She asked, hazel eyes locking on mine.

“Not at all. Have a seat, Elaine.” She sat down and smiled at me. The ringing in my head told me she was next, she had to be. I couldn’t control it and as the ringing increased, I mumbled, “Can I get the check, please?”

She nodded, “I will be right back with it, Sir.” I couldn’t handle the ringing anymore so I fished my wallet out of pocket and grabbed out my credit card, placing it on the table. I drank more wine and as soon as my card was returned, I left. I walked out of the restaurant and breathed in the fresh air.

“Are you alright, Mr. Silver?” Elaine said from behind me. I jumped slightly before turning around to face her. She wrapped her red coat around her body tighter, eyes shining with concern.

“Perfectly-” then I stopped and realized what I could do, “actually, I am feeling very ill at the moment and light-headed. Could you potentially drop me off at my house?”

She seemed shocked but allowed me to ride in her Nissan Altima. The drive was silent after I gave her my address except for the radio that played in the background. It was pitch-black outside and raining. She pulled through the gate and in front of my mansion.

"Well, here you are.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled before I got out of the car, I lost control.

I blacked out.

I regained my consciousness as I was driving down a road in my pick-up truck covered in blood. Not mine, Elaine’s.

I looked at my GPS and saw I was headed to New City, again. I had a half an hour left out of the four-and-a-half-hour drive.

I had done it again. I cursed myself, hitting the steering wheel. I cursed and finished the drive, taking a dirt road into the woods. I pulled out a shovel and began digging as dirt flew onto my bloody fifty-thousand-dollar suit.

I grabbed the already dismembered pieces of her corpse and began to put it in the hole. Her blank face stared back at me as I now know who she reminded me of. My dead fiancé. My first Victim.

I disregarded that as I finished burying the body, finally. I turned around to head back to my truck when I stopped. Elaine stood beside my truck and stared me dead in the eyes. Blood spilling from her throat as her eyes maintained their glass effect from tears.

“You,” she began creeping towards me as she grabbed me by the neck and pushing me against the truck that wasn’t beside me a moment ago.

“Killed,” Elaine took out a steak knife bringing it to my neck as I did to her.

“Me.” The look of fury in her eyes could not be replaced as she slit my throat, leaving me gasping for air. I clutched my throat as blood spilled from it. I got in the truck, turning the key. As I continued to gasp for air, she disappeared. I sighed in relief as I removed my hand, the blood was gone.

I went in reverse and drove back on the same dirt road as before. After hours of torture, I made it back to my house. I stepped out of the truck and walked through my front door in nothing but my Rolex and boxers since I buried the clothes too.

I made it up the stairs and started a shower. The cold water feeling nice against my skin as I closed my eyes, taking in the frost that beat against my pale skin. I opened my eyes and Elaine stood in front of me causing me to scream. She began to forcefully bang my head against the shower wall as blood dripped down.

“You,” she pushed my head against the hard wall again.

“Will,” Elaine grabbed my razor and began eyeing it like a child would a new toy.

“Pay.” She dragged it against my body, leaving cuts in rows.

I cried out in pain as she continued until I opened my eyes again and she was gone and so were the razor cuts.

I stumbled out of the shower and covered myself in a robe only then to be held against a different wall by Elaine again, this time she had a fire stick, suffocating me. “Tell them.” She screamed at me, handing me a phone.

“Tell them what?” I yelled as she pressed the stick further, limiting my air more than before.

“Killer.” She spat at me as my neck began to bruise. The feeling of my soul leaving my body was nothing short of unpleasasnt.

I shakily unlocked the phone and went to the dial setting. “Tell who?”

“Police or die.”

I tapped the three numbers, dialing my doom. “NYPD. How can we help you?”

“This is Mark Silver.”

I hesitated and she only pressed it further in my neck, allowing me the bare minimum of air.

“I killed Elaine Gartner,” I confessed and suddenly, Elaine was gone.

Moments later, NYPD had me in handcuffs since I was charged for the murder of fourteen people including Elaine. I was being led out of the front door and placed in the cop car.

I glanced up at my beloved house one more time and there, in her black dress and red bottom heels, stood Elaine Gartner, smirking at me as the car drove away.