Witness
He watched the killer bury another man in the backyard. The boy still hadn’t gotten used to the sight. He stabbed at the dirt with the rusted spade until the pile had dissipated and the hole could be flattened over. The spot would look fresh for a while, but rain and time would eventually cover the blemish.
The boy looked on through the pushed down blinds of his bedroom window, feeling the specks of dust clinging to his fingertip and watching the pane fog with his tiny breaths. After a final pat of the fresh soil, the killer threw down the spade and wiped his forehead with the leather of his sleeve. The night had been frigid, but his body radiated with fire and vigor. He looked up at the moon shining overhead, soaking in its warm embrace for a short moment before quickly turning around and locking eyes with the boy. The killer smiled, then eased his way through the back door of the house.
The boy jumped away from the window in a panic. He dove back under his quilt and pulled it up just high enough so he could still watch as the monster approached. The killer’s boots thumped in an even rhythm — first across the kitchen’s linoleum, then the hardwood by the front door. The boots stopped at the base of the staircase, and for a moment, the boy could hear his heart throbbing between his ears.
The killer continued his inevitable journey, booming his way upwards — one step at a time. The boots grew louder and louder until the ominous figure stood silently at the end of the hallway. The boy’s body recoiled and he squeezed his eyes tightly as the killer cut his way through the opaque air. He stopped abruptly with his head pressed against the open crack of the bedroom door. The man watched the child patiently, his heavy breaths reverberating throughout the house. “Go back to sleep.”
The boy nodded his head nervously, his eyes still shut tight. The killer lingered a few moments longer, inhaling the fear that he had grown to love before shutting the bedroom door. The boy listened to the steps fade into the distance, followed by another door creaking open. He heard the boots shuffle their way inside before the lock clicked behind them.
Then he did as he was told.
