Tina inched through the unfamiliar cemetery gates. She couldn’t remember the last time she had visited her mother’s grave. Tina and her mother weren’t on speaking terms when she was alive. After her mother had passed, Tina had avoided visiting the gravestone. Freshly cut grass and the distant hum of traffic, didn’t shake her suspicion of being watched.
A stalker had been tailing her for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment. He slunk behind a nearby tree with a maniacal grin on his face.
She knelt by the gravestone and muttered words. “Sorry…I should…rest…love…”
The stalker couldn’t decipher her speech, but he considered that these were her last words and allowed her the self expression.
When Tina stood up, she glimpsed someone out of the corner of her eye. “Who’s there?” she called out, her voice cracked.
The stalker lunged towards her. A glint of desire in his eyes. She tried to run, but he tackled her to the ground. Tina struggled under his weight. She screamed for help.
The stalker clamped a hand over her mouth, cutting off her cries. His grip was craftsman strong. Tina’s world went black.
The stalker savored his rush of adrenaline from his fresh kill. He stood up and gazed at Tina’s lifeless body. He saved her from the mediocre life she lived. He stated, “You’re welcome.”
A twinge of disappointment overroad his rush. The hunt was over.
Prompts
Initial: She had visited her mother’s grave in what felt like an eternity. Use sensory details of her visit. Write this as a psychological thriller. Include the perspective of a stalker. The protagonist is named Tina. Use active voice. Avoid verbosity. Describe the headstone.
Added: good but add dialogue. Add rain. add flowers stomped by the stalker.
Initial Response
Tina’s heart pounded as she made her way through the cemetery gates. She couldn’t remember the last time she had visited her mother’s grave, but it felt like an eternity. The air was thick with the scent of freshly cut grass and the distant hum of traffic, but Tina couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Unbeknownst to her, a stalker had been tailing her for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment to make his move. As she approached her mother’s plot, he slunk behind a nearby tree, watching her every move with a maniacal grin on his face.
Tina’s gaze fell upon the headstone, which was weathered and worn from years of exposure to the elements. The words on it were barely legible, but she could make out her mother’s name and the dates of her birth and death. She knelt down beside the grave, tears welling up in her eyes as memories flooded her mind.
Meanwhile, the stalker crept closer, his footsteps muffled by the soft grass. He relished in the thrill of the hunt, knowing that Tina was completely unaware of his presence. His eyes flicked from Tina to the headstone, taking in every detail with a sickening sense of glee.
As Tina stood up to leave, she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see the stalker lunging towards her, a glint of madness in his eyes. Her heart raced as she tried to run, but he was too quick. He tackled her to the ground, pinning her down with his full weight.
Tina screamed for help, but the stalker clamped a hand over her mouth, cutting off her cries for help. She struggled to break free, but his grip was too strong. As he leaned in for the kill, Tina’s world went black.
The stalker grinned triumphantly, savoring the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He stood up, dusting himself off as he gazed down at Tina’s lifeless body. He knew he had just claimed his latest victim, but he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment. The hunt was over, and he would have to find a new target to stalk and kill.