The End of Innocence

Then it finally happened. A noise startled both Alex and Sophia, that they looked up. The sound was a soft creaking of the wooden floorboards, followed by an eerie silence that seemed to suffocate them. They exchanged a terrified glance, their eyes scanning the room frantically for any sign of movement. That's when someone swung an extremely sharp samurai sword, striking both their arched necks with precision. The blade sliced through their skin and muscle with ease, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Alex and Sophia didn't have time to process what just happened as red lining formed on their necks and they both began to lose consciousness. They tried to scream, but their voices were muffled and weak, barely audible over the sound of their own ragged breathing. The world around them began to blur and distort, like a painting smeared by a wet brush. Sophia's eyes were fixed on Alex's, and she saw the same shock and terror reflected back at her. They both knew that they were dying, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. As the darkness closed in around them, Sophia felt a sense of numbness wash over her. She tried to move, to flail her arms or legs, but her body felt heavy and unresponsive. Alex's hand slipped from hers, and she felt herself falling, falling into a void of nothingness. Seconds later, their heads rolled off their torso, coming to a stop on the floor with a soft thud. The room was silent once again, except for the sound of the samurai sword, still clutched in the hand of their killer. The blade gleamed in the dim light, covered in the blood of its victims. The killer stood there, frozen in place, as if savoring the moment of triumph. The air was thick with the smell of blood and death, and the only sound was the heavy breathing of the killer. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything was still. The killer vanished into the shadows, leaving behind two lifeless bodies, their innocence lost forever. The room was left in darkness, the only light coming from the faint glow of Sophia's phone, still open to the email that had foretold their demise. The words "You'll never escape" seemed to mock them now, as they lay there, cold and dead, their bodies a testament to the killer's precision and cruelty.