For Anna

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The candle was fine, you see, for she was in a part of the forest that few wandered far enough to encounter, and if they did happen across the cabin, the candle would be the least of her worries.

It had all been so easy. Horrifyingly easy, she might admit, if she were to stop and let herself think about it. She’d given her phone to a friend, asking them to use it over the next few days, checking in at various cafes and restaurants in the city so that she might have a chance at creating an alibi. It pays to have friends who owe you favors, and it pays to have friends who would choose you over honesty.

She never imagined that she would find herself here, but she wasn’t surprised. You must understand, of course, that Lilith was not a bad person. She loved people very deeply, perhaps more than she should, and that love sometimes drove her to extremes - extremes that were necessary if she wanted to ensure the safety and happiness of those she cared most about. We are all capable of going to great lengths for the ones we love, but anything that you or I could dream up can scarcely compare to the fierce loyalty Lilith had for Anna. She was ready to set the world on fire if it made Anna happy.

Love can be a beautiful thing, but I’m sure you know what they say about “too much of a good thing”. Lilith had a…knack for loving people. From the outside, it seemed as though she were the perfect friend, the most dedicated partner, the most devoted family member. But within the depths of her heart, she’d allow love to root too deeply into the essence of her being, and when love goes too deep, it becomes something else. A love that cannot be reached by the sun or tended by normal means might appear to flourish, but the bits buried beneath the surface will start to decay - slowly enough, at first, that it’s hard to tell what’s happening until it’s too late. Love becomes obsession, and obsession can blind people to reality. And in that cabin, lit by a single candle, a small rowboat in a vast ocean of the forest’s darkness, Lilith forgot how to love. But it was okay, surely it was okay, because it was all for Anna. For Anna.

She tied the monster tightly with wire that she ensured would cut sharply into the securely bound wrists, and shoved a gag far into the mouth that had dared to speak a victim’s name. When she was sure the beast would neither escape nor cry out, she stepped back into a corner, arms crossed, studying the figure in front of her while she waited for the sedative to wear off. She cocked her head in an almost feline manner, examining the monster that most would likely fail to see as a monster. And, objectively, she understood. After all, few would look at the small, middle-aged woman on the floor and see the malice, the cruelty that Lilith knew ran through her veins. For Anna.

All humans have the capacity for violence, even in its extremes, but to kill without reason will strip anyone of their right to call themselves human. When Eloise Simons plunged her knife into the neck of Anna’s mother, as far as Lilith was concerned, she’d forfeited her right to a long and happy life. This, she told herself as she shifted the knife in her hand, watching it catch the light of the candle flame, would not be without reason. This was justice. Payback, even, for all of the nights Anna had spent awake, fearing the dark and fearing solitude, because she’d been the one to find her mother’s body and stand trial against her killer. The jury had called it manslaughter and decided that eight years in prison was substantial retribution for ending the life of one and subsequently destroying the life of another. Lilith begged to differ. When Eloise got out, Anna began to fear for her own life, wondering if the monster who’d murdered her mother would come back one day to end her bloodline once and for all. But, little did Anna know, Lilith would never allow that to happen. No, Eloise would have to get through her first. She was dead set on only allowing one of them to walk out of the cabin that night. It was alright, you remember, because it would not be a reckless, thoughtless death lacking reason, no, Eloise had to die. Lilith wouldn’t allow for even the slightest chance of her endangering Anna - not now, not ever, ever, ever again. Eloise was going to die, and Lilith was going to kill her. For Anna.

Eloise began to stir. Lilith remained in the shadows. Eloise grunted, blinking groggily and slowly shaking her head back and forth, wincing at the pain that shot through it when she did so. She started to choke on the gag, and after a few horrible retching sounds, she managed to shift it away from her cracked lips.

“H-hello?” Eloise whispered hoarsely. “Is…is there anyone there?” She peered into the darkness, flicking her eyes to the candle, not comprehending what she was seeing, or why she was bound. As the sedative continued to wear off, she began to feel the sharp aches in her wrists, and the pain in her head compounded. She shook her head again and began struggling against the bonds that held her in place, fear finally taking its place at the front of her mind.

“Hey!” She cried out. “What the hell is going on? Where am I?” She violently twisted her limbs, trying to loosen the wire but only succeeding in cutting herself more deeply. It was then that she glimpsed the small, sharp glint of the knife in Lilith's hand and perceived the silhouette of Lilith in the corner. She started to panic.

“Who the hell are you?! What do you want? Is it money you’re after? Where is this place? Where have you taken me? What’s this all about? Let me go!” She screamed.

“Anna,” Lilith said quietly. Eloise froze.

“What did you say?” she asked.

“Anna,” Lilith repeated.

“Look, my name’s not Anna. You have the wrong woman. I don’t know who you are, or what you want, but you need to let me go.” She was babbling. This wasn’t what Lilith had expected. A flint-eyed killer, sure. A psychotic narcissist who thought they could manipulate their way out of the situation, sure. But Eloise seemed…normal. That wouldn’t do. If she started thinking of the murderer as human, if she allowed it another shred of perceived humanity, she might not be able to finish what she’d started. For Anna.

“I know,” she murmured. The creature’s babbling ceased. “I know,” she continued, “everything. I know where you live. I know where you get your morning tea, and how many sugar cubes you put in it. I know where you bought your new car. I know where you stabbed Laura Fields, and I know where you left her to die. I know everything about you, everything you’ve ever done. I know your past. I know your present.” She smiled, and a harsh shudder ran through the monster as the dim candle light reflected off of her teeth. “I know your future, and it’s quite short. I could tell you anything you might want to know. Would you like to know how it ends? I’m afraid it’s not very interesting.” She stepped closer to the thing on the floor, and though it began to scream, writhing to get away from her, all Lilith heard was the gentle pit-pat-pit-pattering of her feet across the dusty wooden floor. As she drew nearer to it, she grabbed ahold of its ankle, yanking it closer to her. For Anna.

She did not hear the monster pleading for its life, begging for forgiveness, and offering her the world in exchange for its life. Lilith was beyond a place of hearing anything but the way Anna had cried when she’d discovered that her mother’s killer had been let out of prison. Never, never, never would Anna feel that despair, that fear again. For Anna.

All that entered her mind was how fragile human forms are. How thin like paper our skin, how soft as raw chicken our bodies, how snappable like thin wooden branches our bones. On our own, we are defenseless against predators who have the upper hand. Like Anna’s mother, who’d never suspected she’d need to defend herself in the first place. For Anna.

Yes, yes, for Anna, my dear children. This is all for Anna, remember. Over and over again, she plunged the knife into the soft flesh of the demon who’d ripped apart Anna’s life, even after the thing was long dead. Then, she proceeded to stand and stomp on all of its bones, relishing the cracking, crunching sounds of crushing Anna’s fears. Finally, she took the knife and began hacking away at the rest of the carcass, stripping away its pelt with glee, cutting off bits of meat and tossing them about like the confetti of the macabre. She cackled wildly, joyfully. Anna was free! She was now free of the fear, of the dread, of the painful injustice of her mother’s death. It was fixed, and would be better now. All for Anna. For Anna.

A twig snapped outside. Lilith whipped her head around, staring with wide eyes at the gaping window and the darkness beyond. Was she about to be caught? Surely anyone outside would understand the…well…somewhat messy scene before them. Surely, yes, surely once she explained the situation, made them realize why that accursed thing had to die, they would exalt her for her display of love, of devotion. For Anna.

She stood, dropping the glittering ruby knife and ignoring the bright flags of violence coloring her hands. She strode casually to the cabin door, throwing it open and declaring, “Friends! I bid you come join me in celebration! For the evil beast is dead, and we shall suffer from it no longer!” She began to laugh hysterically, casting her gaze around for an audience that would surely be grinning as well. Only, there was no one there.

I know what you’re thinking. Oh, well, it’s a forest, isn’t it? A deep forest, if I heard you correctly. There are bound to be wild animals all about. Squirrels, foxes, deer, maybe even an odd wolf or two. Yes, my friends, you would be correct. That is, if this was like the forests you so often find yourselves wandering in. But the wood was more akin to the things that exist only on the fringes of our memories and in the filmy shadows of our dreams.

There was something odd about the forest, Lilith thought as she squinted at the tall shadows of the surrounding trees, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. I’ll tell you, since we are on the outskirts of this story, and cannot alter the events of it simply by observing omnisciently. There was no birdsong in this forest. Not a single peep from any wild creature at all, ever since Lilith had dragged Eloise there in the first place. But she did not realize this. Perhaps that’s why she did what she did next, not understanding the inherent dangers of a silent forest. Or, perhaps she did, and simply did not care.

She stepped outside of the cabin, cracking a few twigs of her own beneath her feet.

“Hello?” She called out loudly. “Is there anyone there?”

“Lilith?” A response came echoing out of the dark.

“Anna?” She responded incredulously, wandering into the shadows in the direction the voice had come from. “How did you find me? Why are you here?” Branches brushed past her face as she pushed deeper into the trees. The thought that she wouldn’t be able to see whatever was calling her didn’t cross her mind. It was Anna. She had to find Anna.

“Lilith,” the voice called again, coming from some distance away to her right.

“Anna!” She cried out joyfully, crashing through the brush in the direction she thought was correct. “You’ll never guess what good news I have!” The branches seemed to be entangling themselves more deeply in her clothes and hair than they had before. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore!” No response came to this. The night seemed to press around more closely, and she became very aware of just how alone she was.

“Anna?” She asked, slowing her pace and listening carefully. Nothing. “Anna, I did it for you. No one else would do it. Not even the courts would keep you safe. But I did, Anna! I did! I kept you safe.” Her tone was becoming wilder, more hysterical. She looked quickly around, and realized with a sinking feeling that she could no longer tell which way she’d come from, or which way she was going. She was lost. It was her turn to panic, and she did.

“Anna! Come on, this isn’t funny. Aren’t you happy? You don’t have to be afraid anymore. There won’t be any monsters in the dark anymore, no more nightmares in the shadows! You can rest easy once more, all because I love you! It’s all because I love you!” She cried.

“Lilith!” A voice like the rustle of dry leaves whispered right into her ear, so close she thought she could feel the heat of the breath behind it. Or, perhaps it was cold. A scent of rotting meat pervaded the air. “Lilith, Lilith, Lilith,” it continued, though when she reached out to the sound, her fingers met nothing but dry scraping branches.

“I did it all for you!” She shrieked. For you echoed loudly in the night, though not a bird stirred, and there was no one around to hear the long scream that followed.

If anyone happened across the dilapidated cabin after that night, as the police eventually would when they sent out a search party for Lilith Brownfield, they would find nothing but creaky wooden floorboards that were perhaps a bit darker than they should’ve been, and a curious waxy substance on one of the window frames. It was almost as if a candle had been placed there.