Mercy's Debt

PREFACE


Los Angeles, California

June 10, 1924



The killer glowered down at the two lovers, enraged by the adoration they so visibly shared.

Hand-in-hand, the happy couple ambled down the embankment towards the isolated beach, murmuring to each other tenderly. When they reached the sand, the woman stopped to kick off her heels. She plucked a seashell from the glittering powder at her feet and placed the circular object in the man’s palm. He held it up to the light for examination: a sand dollar.

The moon highlighted the nebulous water before them as he pulled his mistress in close for a kiss. She whispered softly into his ear- a declaration of her love, perhaps- and he muttered back into hers. She tossed back her head and giggled, throwing her arms around his strong neck. Tucking a flyaway strand of her auburn hair behind her ear, he gazed into her face earnestly, emotion stamped on his every feature. She nestled her face against his touch, running her lips over his individual fingers.

They embraced again, longer, closer, and he gently kissed her on both cheeks before breaking away. He produced a small box from his pocket, kneeled down on one knee, and presented his sweetheart with a ring. Her hands fluttered to her delicate Cupid’s bow mouth and she let out an exited squeal, incensing the killer to the point of madness.

The man nervously asked her a question, to which she enthusiastically nodded her head, choked with such emotion that she couldn’t quite speak. He slid the ring on her finger and held her close as she wept happily in his arms. She stared into his eyes wordlessly as he thumbed away the tears from her cheeks.

Toying with the flimsy ribbons on her beaded dress, he slid the spaghetti-thin straps off of her shoulders. Her dress fell to her waist and rested softly against the slight arc of her hips. She eased the dress lower, all the way down to her lean ankles, exposing her naked flesh to him.

He bared his fangs to her wickedly, a vampire’s approach to exhibiting lust. She grinned coquettishly in return, undaunted by his bizarrely romantic gesture. She was amused; she was a mouthwatering, warm-blooded human, but he wouldn’t dare bite her.

He stroked her skin, caressed the subtle curves of her body. She frantically undressed him until he, too, was bare. They made love noisily and carelessly on the sand, sharing a chuckle as they endeavored to use his tuxedo as a scant blanket. They held each other silently after they finished, staring up at the stars in a haze of post-coital bliss.

Jumping up suddenly, the woman skipped onto the wet sand. She hesitated on the edge of the shoreline, dipping a toe into the sea. She shivered fiercely, yet strolled back to her lover and pulled him near the water. He resisted playfully, but ultimately acquiesced after a few moments of her relentless pleading.

He drove into the ocean fearlessly; she waded in scarcely up to her knees. He lunged towards her and she took a step back, shaking her finger at him. Ignoring her warning, he scooped her up into his muscular arms, tossing her deep into the surf. She came up for air, her breath creating small puffs of steam, and splashed him in faux anger. He picked her up once again, and pitched her back into the crashing waves.

The killer shrank behind the craggy dunes, impatiently waiting for an ideal moment to pounce.

Time had run out. The girl had to die.

Tonight.

The woman held out her arm, pointed to the diamond bracelet on her thin wrist, and gestured in the direction of the shore. The man nodded and wiggled his eyebrows at her, teasing her to hurry back. The woman smiled over her shoulder and trotted to where their clothes were scattered along the beach. She unhinged her bracelet and set it down on top of her dress, momentarily distracted by the engagement ring twinkling on her finger.

She gazed down at the diamond, marveling at its sparkle, and smiled lovingly in the man’s direction. She laughed softheartedly at the uninhibited way he frolicked in the waves; he reminded her of the days she’d spent at the ocean as a child.

Her lips turned down slightly as she ran a hand over her taut abdomen. She’d never have a baby of her own, but he was worth the sacrifice. Someday, when her hair started to grey, and her skin crinkled with the first signs of age, she would have to give up her mortality, too.

She didn’t mind. They were meant to be. He was her world just as she was his, and she’d stay by his side until the end of time.

With the woman distracted by her profound deliberations, the murderer crept up silently, and clamped a strong hand down on her arm. The woman spun around, the surprised smile vanishing rapidly from her lips. The twisted face before her did not belong to the sweet man she’d expected. This was not her love; he was tucked away safely in the sea.

This face was one she knew well, an evil face filled with hate and outrage.

The killer smiled menacingly.

“You,” the woman exhaled sharply, holding out a shaky finger. Fear scraped its fingers down her spine, gnawed at her heart, consumed her through her pores and down to her bones. She gawked helplessly at the ocean, her lips curling over her teeth in a grimace of despair.

The killer tore into her throat, her thick blood spilling onto the sand in a crimson downpour. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, yet the pain was over in a merciful instant; she permitted herself to let go, to relinquish her soul.

She spiraled towards the black abyss where Death awaited her, her lover too far away to hear her scream.