The rain pelts the pavement as I walk home. My collar turned up against the chill. Suddenly, I hear a scream in the alley beside me. I stop and listen. It comes again, muffled. Curiosity compels me to look. Walking closer, I peer into the shadows. There, in the light of a flickering street lamp: A woman's body on the ground, unmoving. And over her, a man in a dark coat. Time seems to slow as I take in the scene. Clutched in his gloved hand, a blade. He raises it high, then brings it down again. I gasp, unable to look away from the horror. The woman's dress darkens, blood spreading. The man looks up, spotting me. We lock eyes in a moment of frozen tension. Then, in a few long strides, he's upon me. I stumble back, heart leaping into my throat. "You shouldn't have seen that," he growls menacingly. I turn to run, but he grabs me from behind. His grip tightens, cutting off my breath. "Don't struggle," he hisses, pulling me closer. I try to scream, but no sound comes out. The man's breathing is heavy in my ear. "Are you ready to join her?" he asks, voice dripping with malice. My fight or flight response kicks in. I claw and kick desperately, trying to escape. But his hold only gets stronger. I hear the sound of the blade being drawn once more. A cold flash of steel in the dim light. This is it, I think, my vision blurring. This is how I die, in the middle of nowhere...