Why? Why did you have to be so reckless? Now you’re stuck here with a psycho! Are you kidding, Ally? This is your idea of a blind date? I am never doing this again. __ __ “I’ll make you a deal,” says the masked psychopath, rolling up his grey sleeves. How can I trust him? “Tell me why I should let you go.” His proposition catches me off guard; he must just want some entertainment. I shake my head.

“Now, now,” he says coolly. “You do want to live, right? Then convince me.”

I remain still, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my submission. Now he is taken aback_._ He raises his eyebrow. He waits. I won't give in. After a while, he says, “Interesting. I’ll remember this, Willow. Next time. I’ll find you.”

He walks away, leaving me in silence. I should be relieved, thtabi just escaped death. But no. I feel terrified. _How did he know my name? _I realize, _I just did escape death. _

“Look, mate, you don’t wanna be doing this!”

“Why not, darling?”

“Look, whatever happened to make you…like this, that’s in the past now. Whatever happened I’ve probably been there as well! I’ve been in most situations like this surprisingly and although you don’t wanna admit it, we might have a lot in common.

You see, when I was younger, my dad would always send me up to my room at 7:00pm at night every night. Do you know why?”

“No why?”

“Well, I didn’t find out until 5 years ago but turns out he was killing people in the basement,in one much like this one in the sense that the tools were the same, the layout and the careful selecting of each tool for each job. He only did this organisation because he thought it kept him under the radar. I cant tell you how wrong he was when 3 weeks later, the Charlies popperd round and came banging on our front door. I wish you’ve met him. He coulda talked a little sense into ya. Not through torture he wont like that, my dad. But he then realised soon enough that the way you get your name out there in the big bad world is the way you do things. Like himself for example, he always used the back of an hammer, and possibly a butcher’s knife or meat cleaver but they never worked well for him. Do you know why? Cuz 6 other murderers already built their name up by doing that same thing! He knew he was never getting nowhere.

Think about it, how many people might have used your same technique before you,eh? Two or three maybe? I don’t know. But saying who my father was, and how he treated us lot growing up, maybe just maybe I could help you instead?

I do have a lot of brains in me head you know. Although it may come as a little shock. Ha ha.

And can I tell you another secret? I’ve killed over 60,500 people. And do you know why? Cuz it’s part of me job description.

Now just think careful about whether or not me joining yas is a good idea but personally I’d be happy to work with you”

“Wait! Alright! Fine, if you insist.”

“Alright if YOU insist. Lesson one: thanks for falling for me”… “Catch ya later big guy” 😉😘

“You have family, right? So do I. You want to kill me, right? So do I. I also have feelings, don’t you? How do you feel if you want to kill me right now? Would it make you happy? Would you gain something from it?” I say holding my hands up as if to surrender, but talking to a killer is the greatest distraction.

“It would certainly make my life easier, because it would mean you’re no longer in my way,” they reply coldly.

“What am I in the way of? Your future? Because if you kill me right now, you’ll get caught, you’ll go to prison, I would have ruined your future. But if you don’t kill me right now, it means you still have a future with loads of opportunities to come your way. You will be successful, killing me won’t help you to get there.”

“You have two more minutes to convince me not to kill you, so choose your next words wisely,” they say and I feel my heartbeat rising, knowing the end is coming way too soon. I need more time.

“You have two minutes to think this through,” I say trying to twist their words against them. “Two minutes to change your future. You kill me, prison happens. You don’t kill me, you still have a future. What do you want? I know I want a future, I want to grow old with my love, have a family, and be successful in a job that makes me happy. Do you not want that too? A future that you deserve.” I still have my hands up and I notice the figure in front of me become hesitant, as they loosen the grip on the rifle in their hands. _Think this through. _While this person questions their actions, I try to look for a way out of this room where there is only one lightbulb lighting the room. But there is no escape route, nothing. Now, I try to see the face of who this stranger belongs to without walking forwards, but the lighting in the room isn’t helping. I can only see their shadow.

“No,” they say with their voice weakened. It sounds hurt, like I have struck a nerve with my words. “You’ve ran out of time,” they continue and back into their cold embrace, making me wish the ground could swallow me whole. “You tried to convince me, but no. It didn’t work. Maybe try again in your next life.”

They become hesitant again, as if they don’t really want to shoot me with their rifle. Maybe they’re a human after all, with feelings. They know if they kill me, they will lose their humanity. I wait for the sound of the trigger, but nothing. There is stillness in this room. I have used five minutes to convince this stranger not to kill me, and now I am waiting for my death to loom upon me,

“I’m waiting for you to kill me, are you not going to do it?” I say getting impatient. “Just kill me already!”

“No,” they say. _No, _shocks me. “5 minutes. You have 5 minutes to escape before I change my mind.” I stand frozen because I feel physically stunned, that I can escape. So I run against the walls trying to find a door, a way out of this room where I can live that future I dreamt since I was child. This stranger will also be allowed the future because they let me go.

I stop when I feel something poking out from the wall, cold metal against my skin. _A doorknob? _I twist it around and the door unlocks. But I also hear a trigger clicking and I stand frozen in shock.

“Your 5 minutes is over. You tried to convince me not to kill you. You failed. You tried to escape this room. You failed. And I may have just manipulated the time as well, because in fact I actually gave you a minute, not five. Any last words?”

I have none, as I feel my body fall to the ground. I feel as if all my problems and weights have been lifted. I am light as a feather flowing through the wind, flowing for five minutes before I am consumed by darkness all together. And I can feel my own soul drift from my body, like a star dying from the night sky, before my skin turns into a frozen blue. I know there is blood pouring out from my lifeless body, and the last thing I remember is their giggle at my dead body which lingers in my soul for eternity, not for 5 minutes.

Before you kill me, I want to know one thing. Why? Did you have some traumatic childhood? Or are you just a pathetic little being who wants to take a life just to feel something?

I don’t believe you’re doing this for no reason. You’re doing it to be heard. So go on. Talk to me. Tell me your life, your pain and your heartbreak. I will listen.

And after that, go ahead; kill me. If that is what you want after I have heard your story, then sure. But then the only person in the world who understands you, will be gone. And that will be on you.

His eyes opened wide. I could see his pupils have become an empty abyss. He sneered at me and made an animalistic sound as if he was ready to attack. I had to think fast or this is goig to be my last day on this big blue marble. I run to the door and realize the door is locked and knocked like my life depended on it, oh yeah it does.

I turned back to see the man standing across from me and I was on my own and I am going to have to talk my way out of here. Being his therapit I realized I am the only one that really understands this psychopaths thoughts so I slowed my breath and began to talk soothingly to him.

“Listen John I undesrand how frustrated you must be hearing about your mother testifying against you” I told him in my calmes voice, “How can you possibly undertand how I feel at this moment?” he respsonded.

I began to formulate an answer when he lunged towards me. _Oh shit the cuffs had broken off the table, how come I let the guard leave the room _I thought to myself. “My mother told my teachers I had cheated in school.” I told him. At this he stopped and looked at me, “She did?” he asked with look of a bewilderment that could be seen in how he raised his eyebrows and twisted his face.

I knew at that moment that I’m getting somewhere. “Yeah, I was fucking pissed. That bitch ratted me out and all I could think about was strangling her.” I said through gritted teeth. John looked at me and sat back down and relaxed back into the chair he had just about flown out of just minutes ago.

“Man if I could just get a hold of my mother and make her shut the fuck up.” John said. I knew at this moment he was just puddy in my hands and then that is when I sat back down across from him feeling much more relaxed. I leaned in close and tell him that I have a secret. He leans in close and I whisper into his ear “You know what I killed her the very night she ratted me out.” and then leaned back in my chair and told him “You can’t tell anyone John. We aren’t very much different, you just haven’t had the opportunity to kil. your mother just yet, but she is outside and I can help you with that.”

John smiled at me and I knocked on the door again. This time the guard came and opened it up and let me out of the small room. When I was outside I breathed a huge sigh of relief and told the guard to take the prisoner back to his cell. I never returned to the prison and assigned that psychopath a new therapist.

The door slams, and a lock clicks. My head snaps up, I’m not expecting anyone. A figure with a knife is staring at me. I freeze.

"You have five minutes to prove you’re worthy of living. Go."

I stand up. I feel the tears streaming down my face. I can’t think, I can’t breathe, I can’t do this. I look into its eyes. "C’mon, we don’t have all day. If I’m getting bored, I might just kill you now." it says, twirling its knife. "No!" I yell, voice shaking. "I’m 15. I’m not even 16 yet. I haven’t lived life. I haven’t learned how to drive, and I’m not even an adult. I haven’t experienced anything!" It looks up at me. "Okay. Go on." "My name—my name is Sophia. I have a younger sister, Eva. She’s 12. I have an older brother, Matt. He’s turning 20 soon. I have a family." My voice quivers with every word, I can barely breathe between my words. I pause, to try and breathe. "A minute left. Make it worth it, or..say bye!" fuck. "I’m so young. I’m someone’s daughter! I’m someone’s older sister and I’m someone’s younger sister. I haven’t gotten to experience love yet. I’m a person. Please, I’M A PERSON!"

I think that individual found joy in hearing people plead for their lives, cause all my efforts were in vain.

“You have 5 minutes, starting now.” Growled the tall masked man infront of me. I couldn’t believe I locked myself in my room with him. What do I do, why the hell did I run upstairs instead of to the back door when I had the chance? Why is he giving me 5 minutes to convince him not to kill me? What the hell is going on? My brain felt like scattered puzzle pieces as I searched for something to say, but I froze in panic.

“H-How?!” I cried whilst shaking with fear. My hands trembling and breath shakey. I even quickly glanced around my room for valuables to offer. For half a second I was scared he wanted me to offer up myself. While my mind raced a thousand miles a minute, he spoke.

“How?” He repeated my question. “Why do you deserve to live. What makes you special enough to breathe the air the innocent breathe. I want you to tell me what makes your miserable life worth existing. Convince me, and you live. 4 and half minutes.” He spat my time limit out like a slur. I froze in panic once more. Why is he doing this? What’s happening, I don’t understand.

“Please, my son is only 2, he needs me. Please don’t take me from him I’m not ready to go yet. I don’t want to die please leave me alone. I haven’t even seen your face, I’ll has nothing to give the cops, I won’t even call them!” I spouted out anything I could think of to beg him to leave me alone. My eyes started to water and I started hyperventilating.

“You have a son?” He asked inquisitively. I nodded my head, my breathing still too erratic to answer. “Do you deserve to be his mom?” I stared confused for a second.

“What?”

“Do you. Deserve. To be. His. Mom. Are you worthy of parenting him. Is he safe with you. Is he happy with you. Does he matter. Or are you a worthless excuse for a parent. 4 minutes.”

“I- I- I try to be a good mom! It’s hard with such an high energy child, but he’s a good smart little boy. He’s sweet and funny and he loves so much and so hard. He’s my miracle.” I said, trying to calm myself. Then before I could blink the masked man had me pushed against my closet door, his knife to my throat in a flash.

“That’s not what I asked you.” He growled. My eyes widened and I yelped like a dog out of fear. “I- I- yes? Yes! I deserve to be his mom. I love him and no one can protect him like I can! I’m a good mom, I’m a good mom!” I kept crying that I was a good mom, my eyes squeezed shut waiting for the final blow. But it never came.

I only realized the masked man had left when my rotating fan blew air near me and I was cold, his body wasn’t blocking it anymore. I stood frozen in place pressed against my closet door for a few more minutes before I slowly began to inspect the entirety of the house. The masked man and vanished without a trace, as fast as he’d shown up. I was almost convinced I’d made him up. I thought about calling the police but what I said before was true, I had no way of catching this guy. He wore gloves, had a mask, he didn’t have a recognizable voice, there was no way to chase him. They’d just tell me to lock my doors and call if he came back.

To be sure, when I was brave enough and had a weapons, I ventured outside to check around the house. No footprints, no nothing, it’s as if the man was never here. Now I really felt like I’d just imagined it all. When I went back inside, I collapsed on the floor and cried. I made a mental note to call my therapist when I’d relaxed. Then I called my sons father to check on them. I broke down and told him to lock all the windows and doors and explained what had just happened to me. He told me to call the police anyways, maybe they’d have someone spend the night here. I was more worried about there with him having our son for the weekend.

He never showed though. I waited by the phone all night to see if the man ever came, to get a call that my son and ex were dead. Instead I got the call that everything was fine and our son would be home with me in a few hours like normal. I was paranoid the rest of the week, but nothing happened. He never came back. He never finished the job. I guess I convinced him not to kill me after all.

Hey there, I know you're feeling a lot right now, and I can't even begin to imagine what's going through your mind. But I want you to know that I'm here to listen and understand. You see, everyone has their struggles, and sometimes it feels like no one gets it. Maybe this moment is meant to be a turning point for both of us.

Life, with all its pain, also comes with hope. I believe in second chances, in the possibility of change and finding new purposes. By letting me go, you’re not just sparing my life; you’re opening a door to new possibilities for yourself too. Imagine what we could create from this moment of understanding—a chance to build something positive out of something so frightening.

Let's find a way to transform this energy, perhaps into something healing or creative. If you let me walk out, I promise you, I won’t ever forget your bravery in choosing a different path today. We're both human, after all, filled with potential. What do you say? Can we consider turning this into the beginning of something new?

“Give me a good reason not to kill you right here, right now.” The masked man said to me, holding a knife to my throat. “Wh ha fisnfksdksofekdkfns” i tried to say around the gag in my mouth. I maneuvered my hands trying to free them discreetly as I have many times before. he pulled the rag down, off my face, “Hurry up. You have five minutes.” He barked at me harshly. “Well…” I started to say, but then my toes up hands were free and grabbing the knife I had hidden in a secret pocket of my jeans for situations like this. “Because my kill list is much greater than that of yours.” I finally answered and held the knife to his throat, drawing blood. He loudly gulped and held his hands up i surrender. “Okay, okay, I won’t kill you, just let me leave.” He exclaimed, with a hint of worry in his voice. I chuckled, “yeah right, I don’t let anyone who sees me like this leave, and i mean anyone.” Tears started rolling down his cheeks as I pressed the knife further into his neck, but a second after, the sobbing changed into a maniacal laugh. I looked at the man, my brow furrowing, before he easily moved my weapon away from his bleeding neck and pressed it against mine. I gasped in fake shock, standing up and walking to the opposite side of the room. “Rule number one of kidnapping. Always tie up your victims feet. Rule number two you may ask? Be sneaky and spontaneous.” I remarked, looking towards his feet I was able to quickly tie. “Damn it. Fine you win. Kill me. I hate my life anyways.” The masked man sighed. “Gladly.” I exclaimed with joy as I walked over to him and stabbed my knife into his chest, killing him instantaneously. “And cut!” The director of the movie called out as me and my co-star walked off set laughing.

“I-I’m telling you sir, there is absolutely no reason for you to have taken me here and are-“ I pause as a dark smile cracks across his face. His voice is deep and gravely. “Are what?” He questions, taking a step forward. I back away and slam my back into a wall. My heart thumps in my throat and I let out a small whimper. “And.. try and kill me.” I say, not meeting his eyes. Another step forward. “Well, Elliot,” he snarls, and outstretches a long dagger-like claw towards me. I shiver. “Why shouldn’t I kill you? Your family is already gone, and I’ve already gotten half of this world disintegrated into dust.” He snaps his fingers and a cloud of dark red ashes fall to the ground slowly. “You have nothing to live for. Why should you?” How does he know my name? I internally freak out, but I know showing terror will only convince him that I’m a weak piece of work for him to prey on. I stutter, at a loss for words. I look him in the eyes and notice the murderous blue shine of these eyes. The eyes that once a mother cooed over. The ones that have been infected with the sight of carnage. And yet, the same ones that a young child carries with joy. “Well?” He growls. “Any answer?” I look at my shoes. The man lets out a deep sigh. “Okay, you got five minutes. If you can’t convince me otherwise why I should let you live, then you’re mine.” My thoughts burn through my head as I blink. I meet his eyes once more. I just stare at him with a blank gaze, as my brain racks through reason after reason. “Well, for one, my friends. I have them at home. What if I die here? They will have to be left behind.” I inhale deeply, knowing this next part will either go down in a good way, or possibly my death. “Don’t you miss your friends?” Even as I tread lightly, I see his fist curl. A gentle growl escapes his throat. “I don’t miss my friends.” He turns his head slightly to the left. “After all, they should be the ones missing me. Though it’s my faul-“ He clears his throat and this time his shadowed eyes meet mine with such a force I can’t look away. “It’s their own fault. Not mine.” He mouths words I can’t understand, as if it were a part of the sentence that he paused at. “Why don’t you miss them?” I question. He takes another step towards me. I can feel his breath. Ew. He doesn’t respond, just his eyes still piercing my head. “Why don’t you miss them?” Now I don’t lay against the wall; I stand up. It makes him feel a lot closer then he is. The man stares at me, his expression now blank. “I don’t miss them. I don’t have any reason to.” His dark eyes slide above my head, as if there were something there. “I don’t have a reason to miss them, not when he was the one that put that gun to my head. I told him to fire if he wasn’t a coward. I didn’t think he would. And yet he did. Why should I miss him? Hawk was a horrible man. But his charm could blow away the crimes as a wind carries sand.” I feel some sort of empathy pass over me, but then I remember who this man even was. I stand up straight and look at him. “What else?” He exhales and turns his head to the side. He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. But he does anyway. “Then there was another man. While Hawk had the gun to my head, he stood there dying of laughter. I don’t see why. It was no laughing matter. Especially when I had known him for four years. That man was my best friend. And yet he found me being on the rink of death the funniest thing ever.” He stares at the floor. “Then we have Fritz. The sweetest thing ever to exist. But I don’t know why he did what he did. Fritz would, like Hawk, lure people in with his beauty. And he worked for Hawk. So. Hawk taught him all of the things that a gently boy like Fritz should never have known for his age. He was just an eighth grader. Never should have had to know how to hang someone, how to make the traps he made. And yet he was taught.” The man sighs. I stare at him, perplexed. “If he shot you, how are you still here?” I ask. He eyes me for a moment more. “I was Hawk.” I blink. I can’t comprehend how. Then I remember. Hawk had those dark blue eyes that glinted even in the utter darkness, the ones that glittered with the thirst of murder. The ones turned psycho after his mother died and couldn’t give him her affection. “It’s you. You’re Hawk. The murderer that I thought was a legend.” I say, my eyes wide as I meet his. “Yes. I’m not dead yet. Though I wish I had been multiple times. But that’s not the point.” He flicks his eyes to my wrist and notices the time. I was hoping he forgot. “Wait.” Hawk says. I take a deep breath of the icy cold air. “I’m not going to kill you. You were the one person that listened to me. The one that didn’t take off. The one who understood.” Hawk examines one of his claws. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Hawk!” I sniff. He rolls his eyes and mutters something. “Now go, Elliot. Do not tell anybody about this. If you do, I’ll have no choice but to take these claws down your damn throat.” He pulls his hand down and it goes limp at his side. I nod. “I won’t. Thank you.” I leave the room, and spin around right before I leave. Those eyes. They aren’t filled with sorrow anymore. They seem. Joyful.