The Killer Among Us

Chapter 48

One day left

Jacob

Ian Brooks. That was the only name I knew of the faceless demon that plagued my life, robbing me of everything that I cared about. Now he wanted to take the last thing I had, my own life. Up until then, he was skilled at concealing his identity, nothing but a wandering shadow, a quiet whisper in the night. Then, I followed a lead on a hunch, expecting nothing at all of it, and yet, in a fraction of a moment everything changed.

Suddenly the evil was unmasked, caught red handed, and I was finally one step ahead of him. At last, the broken pieces of clues were put together, creating a clear picture of the demon's face. Still, I felt impotent and completely foolish. The name that stared back at me on that aged, dusty page unleashed a number of emotions in me; excitement, anticipation, anxiety. The strongest one of them, however, was the crippling feeling of being useless, naive, stupid even.

How could I have missed all the signs, the signs that were so obvious, looking back? How could I have trusted someone so blindly, not only with my life but with the life of my own sister?

The day was coming to a close and my wits were at a dead end. Even with this information, there was nothing I could do. Not without putting Aria in jeopardy. I was too tired, too exhausted, to fight. So, I simply continued with the plan at hand, feeling the same level of anxiety about my imminent death as before. Getting back up after already giving up was too hard for me anyway. At least that's what I told myself.

Instead of trying, I continued down the path that led to my death, the path that was designed for me and me alone.

At the end of that path stood Devil's Bridge, a notorious place known by most residents of the rainy Carlisle. What looked like a simple bridge in the middle of a dense forest to most people, looked to me like a scene cut out from a nightmare.

As I approached the bridge, thick fog blurring my vision and adding to my fear, the legend surrounding Devil's Bridge played through my mind again. On dark and gloomy days my father used to casually tell me the story, saying that at that very bridge, the devil was tricked by a hunter, thus giving it its name.

The hunter's beloved horse had run away and crossed the river without him, but the currents were too strong, too dangerous, for the hunter to pass. In his desperation he called out to the devil, begging for his help. When the devil heard his desperate cries, he offered him a deal, promising to build him a bridge if he allowed the devil to take the life of the first living thing that passed over the bridge. The hunter accepted the deal reluctantly and went to sleep. On the next morning he found a bridge, just like the devil had promised him. But the hunter didn't want to fulfill his end of the deal and so he threw a piece of meat over to the other side, causing his dog to run after the meat. The dog died and the hunter simply walked over the devil's bridge and rode away on his horse. To this day, legend says that the devil was so embarrassed that he was tricked by a human that he never set foot in Carlisle ever again.

That evening, I knew that story was about to change. The devil himself had stooped down hell and wandered to his bridge, ready to finally take the life of the hunter, changing the legend at last. This time, he would not be tricked. This time, the hunter needed to lay down his life and fulfill his end of the deal.

In order to save my beloved sister, I needed to give myself over to The Solemn Serpent. That is what I told myself as I dragged my body closer and closer to the bridge.

The eerie fog that drowned the forest in a misty blur seemed to hold a tension that was indescribable. The shadows of the forest clinged to me and I searched for glowing eyes in the distance, watching me, feeding off my anxiety. In my chest, my heart beat rapidly. Maybe it knew that these were its last few beats, the last rhythm it could play, before the final silence of death took over.

A sort of emptiness came over me, unlike anything I had ever expected. Whilst I knew I wasn't dying a hero, I had hoped, prayed, that the numbing anxiety would fade, at least in my last moments.

Instead, every step hurt. Every inch my body moved closer to the bridge, I felt the aching darkness suffocating me. My soul cried out, begged to anyone that might be listening, to receive comfort, to receive peace. Still, my prayers were left unanswered.

"Was this what my Dad felt like in his last few moments?" I wondered. Slowly but surely, a faint whimper of doubts rose inside of me. It must have been only a few minutes that I walked through the forest, the wind howling against my ears, but to me it felt like hours, like the whole world came to a stop to witness my end.

Suddenly, there in the far distance, I saw the bridge, illuminated by the dim moonlight. It stood victorious, like a monument of hell, waiting to give me over to death. It sang to me in chants of war, drawing me in, luring me to come closer.

I closed my eyes and focused on Aria. "To love is to sacrifice", I repeated to myself over and over again. There and then, I decided to shift my focus, not on my imminent death but on the beautiful life Aria gets to live because of my sacrifice.

So, I approached the bridge, having nothing to offer but my own life, and when I finally reached it, its darkness clung to my heart. A few moments passed and nothing had happened. I simply stood alone and waited for The Serpent to eventually slither its way to me.

Then, from the other side of the bridge, a figure emerged from the shadows, tall and triumphant. His broad shoulders and prowess appeared beastly, like a monster woven together with evil.

Slowly, he approached me, his steps careful and precise. His body language screamed confidence, making a shiver run down my spine. I could only imagine how horrible his victims must have felt when he awoke them from their sleep, looming over them dauntlessly.

Even the forest seemed to cower in fear of him but I already knew the face under his mask, so I simply stood and waited, using up the last of my bravery. The blissful sting of betrayal that arose in me as I thought back to the name that was now ingrained in my mind, the name that I read on the record the day before, numbed my fear slightly.

Then, when he was stalking closer, a beam of moonlight illuminated his face, confirming the betrayal, like a knife in my back. A small smirk appeared on his face as he took in the sight of me. I thought back to all the times we had talked before, the feeling of trust that was attested in my mind, and I felt like a complete and utter fool.

The man that stood before me wasn't the man I was supposed to trust. No, this man was a stranger.

"Jacob," he snickered, savouring every bit of agony that he caused me.

He stood only a few feet away from me but I knew there was no turning back anymore. I was captured, his grip on me unbreakable. The poison green of his eyes stared me down, waiting for me to respond.

With a makeshift confidence in my voice, I uttered his name, "Detective Burke."

Detective Isaac Burke. It rolled off my tongue so easily, making all the pieces fall in line. Ian Brooks became Isaac Burke, just like Jacob Thomson had become Jesse Todd.