Mercy's Debt

SEVENTEEN



The killer’s body stiffened from within the darkness of the apartment.

Could it be?

Yes.

The bitch was finally home.

The wait for Mercy had made for a tedious evening, but the perseverance was about to pay off.

It had gone on long enough. She must die like the others.

On the other side of the door, Liz turned and waved at Carl. He was such a lovely man, waiting for her the way that he was. Both he and Robert were very sweet- true old school gentleman.

She glanced up at the porch light and frowned. The damn bulb was out. Something was always breaking in their apartment. First it was the dishwasher, then the screen over her bedroom window had fallen apart just last week; it looked like it had been clawed to shreds by a feral cat. Perhaps if they hadn’t used such cheap materials when they built the place…

She cussed, dropping her key ring. It took her a minute to find it within the dimness of the porch. Luckily, her neighbor’s living room lamp was on, which gave her the tiniest bit of light to find the thing.

Poor Carl. She wondered if he ever got sick of always having to wait around for people.

After a few attempts, she eventually got the key to make contact with the lock. She opened the door, and turned back to wave at Carl. He waved in return and pulled away from the apartment.

Liz stepped into the blackness and closed the door behind her, running her hand along the wall to locate the light switch. She found it and flipped it up, scowling when the room remained dark.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered, contemplating the possibility of a power outage. But then she remembered the bright lamp next door.

Something stirred within the darkness.

She blinked, her eyes straining to adjust.

Another movement.

Liz held her breath. She stepped back near the door as quietly as she could, her hand patting along the wall as she desperately tried to locate the handle.

A solid force slammed her from the side, causing her spine to make small popping noises as she pitched through the air. Her head hit the hardwood floor with a jolt, momentarily knocking her senseless.

The force had paralleled being hit by a car- at least that was how she imagined it would feel. But that was illogical; she was indoors. She rubbed her scalp, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Something hard wrapped around her neck and hauled her to her feet- a crowbar maybe? No, it was an arm. And arm stronger and more solid than any she’d ever felt.

She threw her head back and thrashed her legs.

You’ve got to fight Liz, she mutely commanded. You’ve got to fight to the death!

But her neck began to burn so much and she was so very sleepy all of a sudden. Her attacker had thrown acid on her... Or had she been stabbed?

The grip around her neck tightened, and she did the only thing that she could think to do before she lost consciousness completely: bite.

She sunk her teeth into the arm of her unseen attacker, clenching her jaw down as hard as her teeth would allow. Her mouth filled up with blood and she gagged. But, still, she did not let go, not even as the revolting coppery liquid flowed down her throat.

The grip on her neck loosened, and she was able to distance herself far enough away to snap her elbow back, making contact with the assailant’s face. The intruder stumbled, providing her with enough time to run out the front door.

She tripped on the way out, flinging an arm against the door to regain control of her unsteady limbs. Her mouth fell open in horror; her hand had left behind a bloody stripe. She touched her neck, feeling a sticky wetness beneath her fingers.

She staggered forward, making it as far as the edge of the porch before dizzily falling to her knees. It was too late. She’d lost so much blood.

She flopped forward, her face splashing down into a murky puddle of mud.

Elizabeth Lori Miller exhaled her final breath; her heart pumped its final beat.

The killer fled from the apartment, pausing to kick Mercy’s wretched human body over to savor the sight of her disgusting dead face.

No! It couldn’t be.

Who was this?

It was the wrong girl!

There was not much to do now other than run.

Mercy would have to die another night...