A Nameless Homicide

         Beneath the gnarled branches of a secluded wood lay a young woman, naked and bleeding. Her hollow eyes were devoid of emotion, her sanity laying in tatters at her feet and seeming to be blown away with each gentle breath of wind. "There is nothing at the end of the rainbow, only the realization that all men are liars and thieves as the last innocent dream from childhood is shredded before your very eyes," that man had once said, his voice cold and distant at that moment.
         At the time she had only smiled and hugged him, her frail arms wrapping around him as though something as pitiful as a child's hug and smile could heal such a dark person of their mental ailments. He had smiled back at her, though his smile was strained and his eyes were unreadable. Such complex emotions could not be understood by a mere child who had known only love and compassion, such deep eyes would send the poor girl to the brink of madness if she should look too long and unravel the secrets hidden behind those brown orbs.
         He had loved her, she couldn't doubt that even now, but his love had been that of a madman; it would soon kill her. The girl had grown into a woman and blossomed into a beautiful songbird before the eyes of a hungry fox, her plain features breathtaking to the man who had a great knowledge of the playful and inquisitive personality that surfaced with every smile and laugh. There had always been a suspicion of his feeling for the child, though it had been accepted seeing as he did not begin to act on them until she had reached the later stages of puberty and began to take on the refined personality of an experienced woman rather than a fledgling with the body of an adult.
         She had been scared of him for a short time due to his violent tendencies as she began to accept his offers of courtship; any glance or smile directed to another man, whether for politeness or appreciation for a job well done, would send him over the edge and he would strike the young woman repeatedly. Tears would fall freely as he realized what had occurred and he would apologize and shower her with affection and gifts. She would smile and accept his apologies, pushing the events to the back of her mind and moving on in the cycle.
The time had come for her to move on however; she began to tire of their relationship and his unpredictable mood swings and began to seek the companionship of other men, severing their ties. He was furious with her and would often appear at her home, always demanding that she return to him. The young woman would not bend however and he began to appear less and less until finally the visits ceased altogether. She thought that perhaps he had disappeared permanently, unaware that he was always watching her, always dreaming of what he would do to punish her for pushing him away.