Prologue
The setting sun cast marvelous shadows on the horizon, turning bare trees into sinister silhouettes, and rounded hills into elegant outlines. The clouds floated away, leaving the full magnificence of colours to engulf the sky. Warm oranges, deep reds and the tiniest trace of pink turned the sky into an artists’ canvas.
The setting sun was something Marcus liked to watch each night. The delicate shades inspired him, made him want to work harder. Well, sometimes. Most days he would see the sky and an idea would spring into his mind. The minute the sun had vanished and the colours faded to black, Marcus would be inside his house, digging out a canvas and some paintbrushes, ready to create a masterpiece.
Other days, Marcus was completely unimaginative. He would see the sky and nothing more than a thought of “Hey, that’s pretty!” would drift into his mind. Most artists were constantly looking for inspiration – Marcus had to wait for inspiration to come to him.
Tonight was one of those nights. He’d eaten dinner with his wife and while she was clearing up, he’d seen the colours appearing through the window. His wife, who had no interest in art, had sighed irritably and shooed him out of the kitchen. Marcus had pulled on his old wool coat and taken a seat on the porch steps, hoping to be enthused.
To no avail. Marcus had finally admitted defeat when a harsh wind began to blow leaves across the yard and chilled him to the bone. The sun had been gone for a while now, but sometimes, his ideas took a while to surface.
Not tonight though.
Marcus pulled his coat tighter around him as he went back indoors, where he could hear the fire crackling away merrily. Smiling, he went into the living room, where he saw his wife’s back to him, her blonde hair falling down her back.
And then a knife cut through her throat and she fell limply to the floor, revealing the hard faced man sitting lower on the seat.
Too shocked to form words, Marcus stood motionless, his eyes staring blankly at his wife’s lifeless body. His eyes bulged and tears pooled in them. He opened his mouth and gasped, but he couldn’t seem to utter a single word.
Confused and sorrowful, Marcus turned to the man in front of him. He had a square jaw and a scar on his cheek, cutting from his eye to the bottom of his nose. His eyes were hazel and bloodshot, dark circles giving him the appearance of a demented panda.
“Remember me?” he spoke in a raspy drawl, a voice which Marcus would recognize anywhere. It was the memory of this voice that unlocked his vocal chords.
“Y…you killed her! You k…killed Jenna!” His voice broke as the tears began sliding down his cheeks.
“You tell no-one. Got it?” the man snarled. Marcus nodded numbly, knowing that he could never reveal the killer of his wife. The consequences would be too extreme.
“Good.” The hard faced man wiped the blade of his knife clean and tucked it into his belt. Then he hurried from the room, his tread silent on the threadbare carpet.
Marcus turned to the fragile body of Jenna Carlisle and sobbed.
Tonight was just the beginning.
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