Should I go in? Should I call the police? No, I should just suck it up, and go in.

All these thoughts came rushing through my mind, I came to seek revenge. I’m not leaving without it. I stepped in. The door creaked, the air was thick, it’s dusty, the walls are made of wood, and everything looks as if it were a century old. I can’t believe that I’m actually here. How is it possible that I’m inside the house of the person who killed my little sister two years ago?!”

The day of my little sister’s funeral, I made a promise -- no, a vow. As I stood there, over her casket, I saw her little face. My heart broke, and my throat was beginning to swell up. The color of her face was faded, and her lips were chapped with no color. At one point in her life, her cheeks were rosy red, but now they have become a gloomy gray. She wore the dress that she went missing with. The red polka-dotted dress seemed so upset now, it’s as if her smile brought the little dress to life. As I was leaving, I turned to her and said,

“Annie, I promise I will find the person who did this to you, I promise.”

My mom had begun to worry, she signed me up to go to a therapist on a weekly basis. I guess I couldn’t blame her. I was deprived from sleep. I constantly woke up crying from my dreams. My under eyes were extremely purple which began to flush out all the color from my face. Aunts, uncles, peers, they all tried to help, and everyday I would hear the same thing,

“ I know what you’re going through.” It’s as if they thought by just saying those words, they would make the problem disappear.

One foggy Saturday I was watching the news, and the news reporter stated that there was a 14- year-old girl who was found dead in an alley. I was fed up with hearing the same report over and over! I was full of rage, and all I wanted to do was punch a pillow. At least that’s what my therapist suggested I do when I get mad. I made the decision that same day. I was going to put a stop to all this killing! I stopped believing that the police would find this twisted, and clearly psychologically ill murderer! I told myself,

“ Oscar, today is the day that you fulfill your promise to Annie!”

I began by going to the police department by asking for any information they had about the person who killed Annie. I didn’t mention anything to the police about me trying to get find this guy because I knew how they would react. They’d probably tell me how it’s dangerous and I don’t know what I was getting myself into. Therefore, I didn’t share my motives. I simply walked in, asked for papers, and walked out.


I have to admit, the adrenaline in my veins was pumping like crazy! I felt a chill go through my spine as soon as I ripped open the big, yellowish envelope they gave me. The envelope contained all the women he killed, but there were too many to count. I was suddenly overwhelmed, but then I quickly reminded myself that I was doing this for Annie. Most of his information was here, the only thing they didn’t have was his name, birth date, and picture. The picture was roughly sketched. Therefore, they had barely captured his true image, but I remember his appearance. How could I forget? I saw him the day he took Annie.

Once I had all the information, I began to think. I’d stop at a library everyday after school. I started asking questions to people, and I eventually came across someone peculiar. I knocked on her door, and she answered with a great smile. She let me in right away, and her house was very welcoming.. She was old, and looked very fragile with gray hair and wrinkled skin, but yet managed to smile. As soon as I gave her the envelope, she saw the sketch of the man and dropped everything on the floor.

“ Are you okay, ma’am?” I was getting scared, and I could tell she was driven by shock. It was enough to convince me that she knew something. After a few minutes she began to react. I asked if she had recognized him. She glared at me with her eyes as if she knew this man. I asked her again, “ Do you recognize him?” She nodded her head, “yes”, but still nothing came out of her mouth. I began to shoot out questions, “ What’s his name?” “ How do you know him?” “ Is he dangerous?” From the look on her face, I knew that she was overwhelmed. I stopped abruptly, then silence followed. I gave her time to think.

She said to me, “ This is my son.” I was shocked. I wanted to shout every hateful thing that her son made my family go through! I wanted to start by yelling at her, and telling her that her son had killed and raped my little sister! I wanted to tell her how she was only eight, and yet her son decided to take her from an amusement park! Because of her son, my parents divorced, and now I can’t even sleep! But of course, I held in my personal thoughts. I knew she would get upset, so I just stayed silent and waited for her. “His name is Joe -- Joe Frost,” she said. I asked her, “ What happened to him?” She took a heavy gulp, “ I don't know.” She wasn't talking much, and I began to get impatient. “ What, do you mean you don't know!” I asked with fury. She looked at me and said “ He left the house when he was a young man, and never came back.” Suddenly, I saw the sadness in her eyes. As I was leaving her house, she stopped me. She grabbed my arm , and said, “ The last time I saw him was when he was out in a field 5 miles away--he was making a shed.” I looked at her and said, “ Thank you for your time.”

I thought about the last information she gave me, it was useless. For all I know, the last time she saw Joe may have been years ago. At least I knew his name-- Joe Frost. That night I told myself that I’d go to the library on Sunday to do a little research on the notorious Joe. I was exhausted after a long day. Therefore, I went to sleep. I wanted to get my rest for the next day (Sunday).

I woke up great that Sunday morning, it has been a long time since I’ve gotten that much sleep. After breakfast, I told my mom I was going to the library, and I’d be back by dinner. I headed toward the library. By the end of the day, I found nothing. I searched all day, but there was nothing about Joe Frost. I left early and started wandering around town. I came across a strange looking field, it was abandoned, and it looked so gloomy, I’d even say it was scary. My mind bursted with thoughts, but then a plausible thought came to me. The old lady that I visited yesterday said Joe had been working on a shed. I took a few steps closer to examine the field. Bingo! I saw the timeworn shed. Suddenly, I felt a knot in my stomach, and my heart was pumping blood at an abnormal rate. I felt as if I had lost control of my body. Now I’m here, opening the creaky door of the shed. Spider webs and rats ran across the floor. I was now more fearful than ever! I was going down his stairs, and I saw his living space. Everything seemed out of order, but then, I saw her! His next victim.

She’s sitting there in front of me. She has brown long hair, tall, thin, and clear blue eyes. She was in a different room, the room had a table filled with tools. Then, in the middle of the room, she’s there. She’s all tied up to an old chair, her mouth taped shut. I begin to approach her, and take the tape off her mouth. She begins to scream, yell , and kick everywhere. I told her to calm down and I immediately cover her mouth with my hand. She confirmed with a nod, so I took my hand off her mouth and untied her from the chair. She’s beautiful, I could stare at her all day. I immediately snap out of the daze I was in.

I ask her what her name is, “Mikayla, my name is Mikayla,” she says to me. She tells me that she was abducted from a movie theater, while waiting for her mom to pick her up. I ruefully interrupt her and tell her we have to leave now, we didn’t know when Joe would be back. As we are exiting the shed, a car came up our way! It was him! Joe was back! We’re running-- sprinting, but still we’re silent. We stop behind a tree, gasping for air. Joe is inside the house now! Within five seconds he’s outside of the house yelling! Mikayla and I are shaking with fear. We’re sprinting, I never knew I could run so fast! Still, Joe is faster, he’s gaining up on us! I scream out at Mikayla to keep running, I needed to hold him off. I can’t let him hurt another girl again! I feel a sharp pain in my back, I see blood, he stabbed me with a knife! I fall to the ground, screaming in pain. I hear footsteps running away, then I here Mikayla come back as soon as he leaves.

I wake up, I’m in the hospital, my mom’s next to me along with police officers. I’m confused. I begin to ask “ What’s going on?” They don’t say anything, they all just stare at me. The doctor told me I was stabbed, and passed out. I then interrupt and say, “ Does this mean you got Joe?” With a smile the doctor tells me the police officers arrested him as soon as Mikayla called the police.

A faint smile started to make its way to my face. I had forgotten about Mikayla, but now I turn to my mom and say, “ I did it mom, I fulfilled my promise to Annie!” My mother begins to bawl, I know she’s not crying, because of sadness, she’s crying because of happiness! Maybe my life won’t be so bad now. Now, that I know Joe will be where he belongs; in jail...

After I was released from the hospital, my life went a whole different direction.“ Life is great!” “ I finally caught him, I feel so relieved, and I bet Annie is really proud of me, too!” “ I’m proud of you too, Oscar!” says my therapist. I’m so happy; I feel as if a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders! As I leave my therapist’s room, I head on home. I keep thinking about Mikayla, I wonder whatever happened to her. Maybe I’ll see her around some day, I think to myself. So, as I’m walking around my neighborhood, I see Mikayla in the distance. I fix my hair, and check my breath. She greets me with a smile and says “Hey”. The conversation went on all night, until finally I had to go back to my house.

As I walk in with a smile my mom asks, “ Well, do you want to tell me what that smile is all about?” We sit down and I begin to tell her everything about Mikayla, and how we have a date this Friday. She says she’s very happy to hear that I’m falling in love. I smile at her , and I kiss her on the cheek and wish her a goodnight. As I head upstairs to my room, I blast up the music, close my eyes, take a deep breathe, and thank God for giving me this great day.

I woke up this morning with a smile, I keep repeating the conversation Mikayla and me had last night, in my head. All of a sudden, the phone rings, I ignore it, thinking it’s probably something really stupid. I continue thinking about Mikayla. After a few minutes, the phone rings again, I pick up this time with frustration, and what I hear stuns me, it was the police, Joe was gone, he escaped! I’m furious and upset at the same time, this means that he’s out there probably already picking his next victim. Unexpectedly, I hear a sound, It’s coming from behind me. At that point I turn around. My heart stops, and my mind is blown. I find Joe with a shiny revolver, his finger on the trigger, and he’s pointing the gun straight to my head...