„Hey listen, I can… I can _help_ you, okay!“

I lowered my voice in an attempt to both appear calmer than I was and actually _become_ calmer, as I tried to discreetly distance myself more from the woman in front of me and instead get closer to the door.

„No you can‘t“, she sneered, stepping closer.

In her hand she held a small knife - loosely, as her fingers were continuously twitching, so much so that I was afraid she would cut herself any second.

The knife was completely clean, but it didn’t need to be bloody to intimidate me. I was already intimidated enough by the disfigured corpse lying next to her, positioned carefully on two red towels in the middle of the kitchen. Wether it was a woman or a man? I could not tell.

Nevertheless, a clean knife and a corpse have a by far more intimidating effect than a bloody knife.

She took another step and then she abruptly stopped, still leaving more than enough space between us to not pose an immediate threat to me. I myself had not brought weapons when I came to visit my colleague in her small apartment, as I had not expected to need any.

She had only recently joined the firm I worked for, and I had immediately taken a liking to her. She was funny, always having clever remarks and quotes ready. A kind neighbour who had just gotten groceries had let me into the house, and making my way to the apartment I got increasingly elated. At least until I actually got there.

When I had arrived at the apartment, the front door had been left wide open, making me feel somewhat queasy and nervous, so I had taken out my phone, prepared to call 911

Hesitantly, I had called her name, and then again.

When no one had answered me I went inside.

That was when I had seen her.

That was when the wind had pushed the door shut.

And that was how I found myself being threatened with a knife for the first time in my life.

Still, I was sure she was just afraid of me. She must have had killed that person by accident. Maybe she had run them over with her car. Yeah. That fit. The corpse definitly _looked_ like it had been run over by a car. That must be it.

I really wanted to believe that, yet the look in her eyes and her threatening posture were trying to convince me otherwise.

She was smiling now, tilting her head slightly to the side. If it were not for the knife and dead body, she would have looked like she had just asked me if I wanted a cup of tea and was waiting for my answer.

„You know“, she continued, a dangerous look in her eyes, like she was stalking her prey, „even if you _could_ help me, I wouldn‘t want you to.“

„-Listen you _have_ to turn yourself in. It was an accident, if you turn yourself in you can still continue with your life!“

As I urged her to go to the police she was becoming increasingly more irritated, angry even.

By the time I was finished she had taken a few more steps towards me. She raised her arm - the one with the knife - and pointed it directly at my face. I was really getting afraid now, frantically trying to get away from her until I stood with my back to the door. She came even closer until the knife was so close to my throat that I could not see it anymore.

„Accident?“, she laughed and smiled wickedly at me, „I‘ve been doing this for years, hun.“

I froze.

„You what…?“

My voice was barely a whisper, but she still heard it. She seemed to absorb my fear and disbelief like others would absorb the laughter of a loved one.

„That‘s right.“, she, too, whispered now. „It‘s really a shame that you came here today, I actually quite liked working with you.“

„Then continue working with me?“

„Ha!“

I was trying even harder to get away from her now, squirming and trying to push her away, but the more I moved the more the knife dug into my skin.

She looked me in the eyes once more and it was then that I knew I would die there.

„I really wish I could“, she said.

Then there was pain and then darkness and then nothing.