Moonlight shadow
Rans P.O.V.

It was a long night, but I couldn't sleep knowing Shinichi was awake. He was sitting down one floor in our living room and watching TV. I knew he was waiting for a report on the serial killer who had been up for a few days. Shinichi had observed his behavior and found out that he always showed up at certain times to kill. And today was such a day, he knew it too, although he wasn't one hundred percent sure. Maybe the serial killer wouldn't come today. I hoped so. And since Shinichi hadn't discovered a pattern in the places anyway, he preferred to stay at home and wait for something to be reported on the live news. Then by then he would have spared his strength and be able to leave immediately to catch the serial killer. I went down our stairs into the living room. The television was off. Shinichi was standing next to our sofa. One look in his face said it all. "He came," I whispered. "Yes," Shinichi replied curtly. “I'll go now.” The serial killer had already shot twelve police officers while they were fleeing. The same thing could happen to Shinichi, especially if he didn't try to stop him with the police, but intercept him as he was going to. "No ..." I said. “No, Shinichi, stay here!” Shinichi turned to me and looked at me lovingly, but sadly. “I'm sorry, Ran.” Nobody had ever pronounced my name so tenderly before, I just couldn't anymore. I started to cry. Shinichi looked at me in dismay. He came up to me, hugged me and stroked my head. I buried my face in his jacket and sobbed, "He's going to kill you ...!" "Maybe he will," Shinichi said. "But even if I did, I might have stopped him with it." "And you're dead." "Better just me than many other people," Shinichi explained gently. I saw it. Maybe it was right that way. But I didn't know the other people and I didn't want Shinichi to die. I know those were mean thoughts, but I'm sure many would think that way. And whether I thought justly or not, I didn't care at the moment. I loved Shinichi. "I'm sorry, Ran," Shinichi said quietly. “But I have to go now.” He broke the hug and left our house. He closed our front door and left me alone. I shivered as tears ran down my cheeks. I looked out the window. I saw Shinichi running as a black figure in front of the large silver and white disk of the full moon. I didn't know what to do. It was so quiet in our house. I knew it was often so quiet. But only now did I become aware of the silence. It meant Shinichi wasn't there. And she made it clear to me once again that he might die this hour today.I couldn't stand the silence! I was completely desperate and I started singing. I didn't know why either, it just came out of me, a deeply sad song that I didn't even know myself, but whose beauty touched me. And this song made me clear in my head again. I wouldn't just leave Shinichi to this killer. I didn't put on a hat, scarf, gloves, or even a jacket, even though the temperature outside was sub-zero. I didn't close the front door behind me. I just started running. I didn't even know where, I just let my instincts carry me. The night was dark, blacker than ever, and I was as good as blind. I also froze and wondered why I didn't freeze from the cold. But I ran and ran. And suddenly I heard a shot. And immediately afterwards an outcry. From Shinichi's voice. I stopped in horror and tried to make out something. I looked straight ahead, straight into the huge full moon. In front of the full moon I saw the silhouette of Shinichi, who was still standing upright, but who found it visibly difficult to stand. He pressed his right hand to his chest and even without having been there, I knew that he had met Shinichi. He- another silhouette. I saw that the man was standing about ten feet from Shinichi. And I saw the silhouette of a rifle. I wanted to keep walking. If I had stood next to Shinichi now, I would throw myself in front of him. I would give my life if I could save him with it. But I could not. I was paralyzed. "Sorry, snoop!" Said the serial killer. He then shot Shinichi four more times. And Shinichi didn't scream. He went to the ground completely still and lay there motionless. I screamed for that. I couldn't help it. I screamed loud and hard. No! That couldn't be true. I told him so, but he came anyway. But he couldn't die! Not Shinichi! Shinichi! He turned his face in my direction. "Ran ..." he whispered weakly. The serial killer, who had heard me but not classified as a threat because I made no move to stop him and could not possibly have seen his face in the darkness and was now on the run, stopped and turned to Shinichi. "Aren't you dead yet, you snoop ?!" he scolded. Then he shot a sixth time. As if in slow motion, the bullet entered Shinichi's body. There was no dramatic music as in movies. Not even the wind rustled. Shinichi died quietly and unseen by anyone but me. And finally I started running. I saw Shinichi's dead, bleeding body lying in front of me. That was the worst thing I had ever seen in my life. I knew if the police were there they would stop me, but they weren't there.And so I ran up to Shinichi, buried my face in his jacket again and sobbed silently. Mute tears ran down my cheeks and I cried and cried and couldn't stop. It wasn't a spectacular and dramatic death, it was an inconspicuous death. Shinichi died quietly and unseen by anyone but me.