The Final Shoot

I never thought there would be anybody who would want to shoot me. Amber was the pretty one. With her statuesque height, thin frame, and naturally crimson hair, she was a photographer’s dream. While my dorm roommate had every girl’s ideal job, at least I was the one who had a car. This resulted in me driving her to a lot of fashion shoots. Every time I dropped her off I had a mini fantasy that one of the photographers would be struck by my beauty and want me to model for them. That never happened.

One morning, I drove Amber to a photo shoot and she didn’t come home that night. Or the next night. Worried, I went back to the photographer’s house. When I got out of my car, I decided to throw some trash into the garbage bin he had out. Before I closed the lid, I noticed that all of the outfits I’d help Amber carry were thrown away. I shuddered.

While I could think of reasons for this, I still felt uncomfortable. Peaking in a window, I saw the man leaving his house out a back door. I’m not sure what possessed me to follow him, but I did. Staying a good distance behind the man, I kept my steps light. Hesitantly, we continued into the woods. My sneakiness continued until I found Amber. Decked out in a fancy gown, sparkling bracelets on her wrists, with a noose around her neck. As I screamed, he laughed.

“I knew that you would be back for your friend,” the man told me as he pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at me.

“What do you want from me?” I managed to choke out in between rapid breaths.

“Walk that way,” he said pointing to my left, “If you try to run away, I’ll shoot you.”

Shaking, I began to walk. Eventually, I came to a clearing. There were lights and cameras set up. Following directions, I went and stood in the light.

“Amber photographed beautifully. You may think she’s gone now, but the images I took of her will last forever. There’s something enchanting about death. When I saw you, I knew that I needed to capture you in my images. You won’t be dead. My photographs will keep you alive.”

The man pointed his gun at me and pulled the trigger. I never thought there would be anybody who would want to shoot me.