Victims Anonymous

Prompt: In 500 words or less, write a short story beginning with the prompt in bold below:
___________________________

A strange sound echoed through the alleyway. It seemed to emanate from the back of the abandoned building. At first Todd assumed it was the wind playing tricks on him, a combination of whispering leaves and the muted howls of the city. It was none of his business really. He was a certified chicken by his peers, the goofy quiet guy that sat in class like a zombie without saying much. He was the one with the zits, the nerd, and the most uninteresting person in the world.

/Help me...somebody...please.../

He should just walk away. Ignore what 'right' forced him to do. It was not his concern. He had enough problems to deal with.

/...help.../

He cursed as lead-heavy feet changed their course and walked towards the crumbling structure with gaping black holes for windows. A section seemed to have collapsed overnight, a mishmash of termite-infested boards and age finally wearing it down. When a foot stepped on the red handbag, his stomach gave a sick lurch. This was a popular hangout for daredevil teens. Cigarette butts, graffiti with 'Danny Rulez!' in bright neon colors, empty beer bottles and cans decorated the once proud home of Morehead Textiles. It was silent tonight, though. Except for -

/...somebody.../

He held the bag and swung it gently, noticing the pale arm with strips of blood running down like a stream, forming a thick red pool. The fingers moved - scritch scratch on the ground - as if searching for something. When he stooped to look closely, he could see her head was at an odd angle, twisted with the force of the roof's collapse. Her once blond hair was a rich maroon, clumped and tangled in some places - not very pretty anymore.

Blue eyes rolled around in their sockets, filling with relief for a moment before a flicker of recognition and then pure terror replaced it.

"No," she gurgled, making a weak attempt at turning away. "Not you...no."

"Yes," Todd whispered with a warm smile, reaching out to caress her forehead, before wrapping his cold fingers around the slender neck. Pity he had to end it this way. He thought the weak boards would have finished her off completely. Damn.

He worked quickly, efficiently, pulling away the boards before dragging her lifeless body into the underground basement yet to be discovered by the Board of Public Safety. Propping her gently against the wall, he eyed his growing collection. Five bodies of young girls and counting. Tomorrow it would make the headlines. Yet Another Popular High School Teen Missing.

All it seemed to take was a promise of sex and drugs and they'd come running, never questioning who would send them such emails in the first place.

Cheap bitches, he thought while sharpening his scalpel to begin his work. In a week, it would be that girl in gym who called him a loser. But until then, he'd continue to perfect his invisible role, biding his time until the next victim came out to play.



Word Count: 500