A Day Not Forgotten

A Day Not Forgotten

      I stood there, looking into the eyes of the man I had just shot. I'd seen him, countless times before now, always smiling at me, watching as I had blindly ignored his presence. I could only imagine that he thought me a fool, blinded by the case I was so determined to solve. 

      I had been working day and night, often skipping meals and even sleep itself, to find the murderer who was currently stalking the streets. It hurt me, mostly because I had lost my wife to similar circumstances, and I got involved emotionally. Her killer was never found, and that was something I was not going to let happen to these young women.

      The killer left many clues, one of which had led me to a diner where he presumably would often eat at. I quickly found myself going to that very diner every day, and to no avail, I was unable to find the man, and several more women were lost to his monstrous clutches. 

      I was puzzled, unable to solve the task on my own, so I asked my brother for help, something I probably shouldn't have done now that I think back upon my actions. He was supportive though, offering his advice, and even meeting me at the diner every day as we discussed case notes. The murderer however, never showed. 

      Every day, more and more women would begin to die, which only increased my determination to find the man who would so ruthlessly kill an innocent woman. That's what they were, innocent. They were all young, defenseless, and inexperienced to what life had to offer. How could I not want him to be brought to justice? To be finally stopped, preventing any other family from going through the same situation? 

      I began to see more and more similarities to my wife's case as this one dragged on. There happened to be a killing on the same day as the one's made when she had died, causing me to think maybe, maybe there was something more to it. 

      I stopped going to the diner, I stopped going into work, I stopped doing everything. Everything, except for solving this case. I would compare the murders to the ones that had plagued the city before, and they matched up. It was odd how close they were because even to the slightest detail, they happened to be the same.

      The day of my wife's murder edged closer and closer, and upon the anniversary of the eve of her death, I knew where the killer would strike next. I got prepared, arriving to that spot that caused me so much pain before, prepared to stop the man who was slowly killing me. I was finally going to arrest the man who had caused me, and so many others the pain and suffering of losing a loved one.

      I awaited in the shadows, waiting for some kind of sign or showing of trouble. Around midnight there was screaming. I jumped out of my vehicle, which I had taken extreme caution to keep hidden from sight, and rushed to the sound of screaming and torture. 

      I yelled, ordering for the man stop as I drew my gun and pointed it at the him. He was tall, encased by darkness, and told me in a deep dark voice: "Put your gun on the ground, I'll let her go."

      I kept my stance, and he stood there, arm around the girl and ready to slit her throat with a large military issued combat knife. I told him to stop, that it was over and that he was going down not only for these murders, but for those that happened years ago when my wife was taken from me.

      He only laughed, standing there and began to make a motion to slit her throat, clearly not caring about what had happened to him from then on. In a quick reaction, I shot him, right between the eyes. The girl screamed, crying so hard I couldn't tell what she was saying. 

      I had to know what the face of such a cold man looked like, so I took a quick glance. I had never felt so foolish, deceived, or even like a failure in my life. I had never expected that morning, that the man I would take down that very day, would look so familiar, yet so different. I then knew, I'd never forget that day I had killed my very own brother.