A cold wind brushed against Dusk Shroud's exposed cheek as he slowly reached for an arrow. Bathed in darkness, he shifted his stance ever so slightly, so as not to fall off the balcony which he was so precariously perched on. Glancing down into the bright streets of the bustling city below, Dusk once again located his target. He notched his poison arrow, preparing to make the kill. The victim wasn't a particularly important person, simply another human being to murder for enjoyment. Ever so slowly, Dusk Shroud pulled the bow string back, tilting the bow slightly so as to keep the arrow from slipping. Once the string was taut, Dusk let go of it, smiling as he did. He enjoyed murdering his victims, though it wasn't always that way. If that week had never happened...





o Matthew,o his mother's voice called. o Matthew, where are you going?o


o I'm just going to head to the archery course, the one near Halwood Park. My friends are going to meet me there.o


o You do love archery, don't you? Well then, I guess it's okay, but come home soon. I have a gift for you when you get back.o


Giving his mother a light hug, Matthew turned and went out the door. The archery course was quite a ways away, at least by foot, so he picked up the pace. Occasionally sparing a glance to the side, Matthew passed the people he had known all his life... Accept for the man walking down the other side of the street. Matthew paused and looked at him as he walked hurriedly away. Something just wasn't right about that man...


Maybe I should head back, Matthew thought. It seemed important that he should, but he had been looking forward to going to the course for a while now...



Deciding that he was just imagining things, Matthew turned and continued down the sidewalk.


Blood. There was blood everywhere. Tears began rolling down Matthew's face at the sight. Spatters of crimson dripped from the counter onto the floor, where a pool of it gathered around his mother's lifeless body. Not caring for his clothing, Matthew knelt down next to her body and wept. How long he did was a mystery. It could have been hours or mere minutes. When he finally found himself unable to cry anymore, he stood up. Turning around, his eyes drifted across the table. Sitting on top of it was a black bow, a note attached to it with a ribbon. Slowly walking over, Matthew opened the note.


Dear Matthew,


I hope you enjoy this gift. When I saw it, I couldn't help but think of you.









Matthew's tears began anew. Clenching his fists he swore his revenge on the person who did this to his mother. Grabbing his mother's last gift to him, Matthew walked out the door, giving one last glance at his mother's lifeless body...





Dusk Shroud grinned as the arrow sank firmly into its target's chest. It had all started out as revenge, yes... but he soon discovered that he enjoyed it too much to stop. So, he honed his skills further and began to take his victim's from the city. It had been... hard, at first. At one point, he had almost gotten caught, but then he discovered a special skill that he had gained along the way. After all of the killing he had done, the souls of those he murdered could act as a sort of invisibility cloak, enabling him to stay unseen for a time. Using this skill he continued to murder with his poison arrows from afar, and when necessary, with his knives for close range. All of this led him to where he was today, crouching on a balcony, looking at the people crowding around his victim's body. They would see him soon enough, though. Knowing this, he turned invisible and made his way down from the balcony and through the streets, searching for his next victim...

Amazing story made by BeccaKiwi!