The breath in my throat hitched and my hands silently grasped over my mouth.

"I know you're here, I have been watching you... Waiting for you."

The man chuckled loudly, the creepy half human tone always managed to cause my hairs to stand on end.

A metallic clang echoed from downstairs and I huddled into the dark dusty corner of the upstairs attic even tighter. How did he get in here? How did he even find me? My mind was filled with one million thoughts and the regret from my past rushed in again. My face was wet with silent tears, as they had been so many times before.

I've changed my name, changed my appearance, done my best to stay off of his radar.

Moving countries, entire lives, even families to escape a mistake a made when I was a child. Nothing I did could hide myself from him, because he was after my soul. My life.

Me and this strange man met eyes on a dark street when I was but a child, and from then, he's been after me. Not ever physically, but mentally. It's the worst torture. The amount of people I've hurt and things I've ruined running from this man would disgust any regular person. The sacrifices, lethal sacrifices, had grown too big. Feeding him souls in my stead. I got lazy.

I hear the metallic clang again. Likely from the sharp single blades where one's hands should be clanging about on the walls and appliances of the home. I heard them clanking and scraping up the stairs one by one until the ladder to the attic was pulled open. I could hear his wet and dripping breath as if every other sound stopped and he croaked again.

"Delicious."

Then he appeared at the opening of the attic, looking directly at me with his white glowing eyes. The drool dripped from his splayed tooth ridden mouth and his sword like hands gripped into the wood allowing him to crawl towards me. I could feel his warm breath increase as he stabbed right through my chest.

"Finally."

His voice only echoed in my mind as I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, impaling myself fully. I couldn't tell who was speaking but it's that last thing I hear:

"In a way, this was a happy ending for the both of us."