The hospital room was hauntingly silent. Every so often, the dripping of an IV would disrupt the quietness of the room. It was fairly limited, having just one hospital bed and two chairs. A Person pulled one of the chairs up beside the bed, taking a seat.
Lying there, a young frail woman. She looked to only be in her early forties, with flowing dark hair reaching down her back. She was ill, it was clear from the darkened circles under her amber colored eyes. They seemed to be the only sure sign of life left in her, but they too were growing dim.
The Person next to her reached out, taking her feeble hand. She looked up at the Person, giving them a warm smile. That happiness, that small bit... It made her seem less sickly.
"Another day closer to graduation. I was wanting to throw you a party... How does that sound? Maybe after we get out of here."
She began to cough violently after she spoke. Her breathing was uneven and she had to wait and catch her breath before speaking again. The Person got up from the chair, lying down beside the woman. They caressed her head as they pulled her towards them, embracing her in a hug.
"I'm fine, I'm fine... I was just a bit over excited, seeing you fully grown. No matter what, I know you'll do good things. I know you'll make me..."
There was silence again, she spoke not another word. That warm smile was still there, it was reassuring. She closed her eyes slowly as the heart monitor started to alarm. It's piercing sound, continuously blaring. The Person held her tightly, their cries falling deaf from the chaos around them.
____
Daniel abruptly sat up in bed, his body drenched in cold sweat. His breathing was out of control, with tears emanating in the corners of his eyes. He takes the blanket that was covering him, tossing it off the bed. Taking hold of his knees, he pulls them closer to his chest.
"Why... Why the same damn dream... Why!"
Below him, he heard a loud thumping. It was followed by muffled swearing and shouting. He rolled his eyes, knowing it had to be his blind neighbor, Ms. Hearts.
He looked over at the clock on his nightstand, it read 5:48 AM. He leaned back on the bed, rubbing his eyes. He knew it wouldn't be long before he had to wake up anyway. That dream, no! That nightmare. One that had been terrifying him over and over. The ill woman's face, those loud noises.
They all seemed too real and that disturbed Daniel, more than anything.
The phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was awfully early. He couldn't think of anyone who would contact him at this time, making it very strange. He reached over to his nightstand, picking up the corded phone.
"Hello?"
"Daniel! How are ya?"
The voice was familiar. Raspy, with a deep tone. A voice you'd hear from a veteran smoker.
"Oh, Mr. Brooks..."
"Now I realize the time, but I need you to wake your ass up! How soon can you be down here kid?"
"Um... Give me twenty minutes."
"Great! I have a big project for you."
With that the man hung up the phone. The last thing he said caught Daniel's attention. Saying it in this rather "giddy" like tone. This was the same man that yelled and threatened to kick his ass just last night. It led him to believe that maybe they had a new assignment, possibly a controversial one.
With that, the boy stumbled from bed and over to his closet. The thought struck him, he wouldn't be able to have breakfast. Maybe he'd take Haley up on that offer of having breakfast together after the meeting.
____
Haley was already at work, typing away at something. She was a gifted writer, but she would always skip words sometimes. Not realizing how fast she was really typing, until she looked back. Clear as day... There it would be, a sentence that needed the word "the" or "and".
"Oh no! I forgot to add some words... I should type a bit slower, but it's such a habit."
She grabbed the paper, wading it up and throwing it in the wastebasket. A ding from the elevator door caught her attention. Daniel walked off the elevator, being a bit overdressed as he normally was. Haley's whole persona changed instantly. She wasn't concentrated and serious about her work, but rather acted more like a child on christmas day.
"Good morning Daniel!"
She said, waving to him with enthusiasm in her voice. Daniel gave a slight nod to her, looking down to notice another tan coat had been draped over his chair. It was definitely the one he had left behind. He sighed, taking and sitting his shoulder bag on his desk.
"Good morning to you as well, Haley. I'm guessing you got the call early this morning as well?"
"Yes! I heard about a new project! Hopefully we're working together on it."
"Yes, I'd like no one else to lead my interviews. You're very social, friendly, and you have an understanding for others."
He really found it to be a great talent, one he knew he couldn't achieve. He was too antisocial and when approaching others, he would become anxious and paranoid. He had good reason, considering he seemed to always find himself in misunderstandings.
"D-Do you really mean that Daniel..?"
She looked away from Daniel instinctively, holding a hand to her now blushing face. She wasn't like this with others, just Daniel. Getting this type of recognition was a bit of a change for her, and she had no complaints.
"Of course! Great work deserves consideration."
As he was about to take his seat, Mr. Brooks walked out from his office. He took off his glasses and motioned for the both of them to step inside his office. He had this weird excited smirk on his face, something very off putting. Daniel held the door Haley, letting her enter first as he followed behind her. As they were taking their seats, Mr. Brooks positioned the television for them to see. He turned it on, flipping it over to the local news station.
There, in front of everyone in the room... Breaking news of another female body found in Central Park. Daniel felt his heart in his throat. The collar of his suit suddenly became uncomfortable. The body belonged to the same girl, Elizabeth. One of the many girls that Daniel had killed.
"The body of the young woman was found face down. She had washed up on the embankment where park visitors saw the body and reported it to authorities. Reports are saying that the woman's face is indistinguishable from the beating she had suffered."
Daniel said nothing, he just sat there. In the back of his mind he thought, did others before him... Did they take pride in their "work"? Flourishing over what they did? Maybe Daniel was the only one to not take so much pride in his "work". It was something he felt was needed, not just some sport for psychopathic entertainment. His attention then turned back to the television, hearing the reporter asking a man about some Laughter he had heard. The man happened to be present in the park at around the time of the murder.
"I was out here near the pond, just feeding the pigeons. I like to do that at night, not many people running around screaming and scaring the birds. You know, the large population in this park during the day is causing these beautiful creatures anxiety!"
"I see... Um, you had mentioned hearing what you suspected to be the killer."
"Oh yeah, I heard this weird lunatic like laughter. It frightened the flock of pigeons I was feeding! This is what I was saying! We are harming these incredible creatures of flight!"
The man cut back to the reporters in the main news room. Mr. Brooks switched off the television, looking up and taking the cigar from his mouth. That look of excitement on the older man's face was still present.
"I present to you, your new assignment!"
"Mr. Brooks, we aren't calling..."
"Yes, we are Haley! Central Park Serial Killer! I want this everywhere!"
"I'm sorry, but won't this cause a panic..?"
"Of course! It'll be talked about, spread around! We aren't only helping ourselves, but also warning the public of this unhinged monster."
"The person does seem like a threat. From what the investigators had said, it was a brutal killing... It's sickening to think about."
Daniel listened to the two of them, conversing over how "sick" this killer was. Those terms they were using; monster, sick, brutal... It made Daniel feel they were talking about cryptic creatures. True monsters that destroyed the lives of innocent young women.
He couldn't understand why they'd be talking like this, considering Elizabeth had done terrible things. If they could have only witnessed the true sick individual she was. Daniel had protected himself, defended himself from feeling that hurt again. A phantom pain from long ago, one he wished to keep dead.
____
Doobie Residents
Huntington, New York
August 8, 1980
It was like this many nights. Alone, up by himself reading one of the many books his mother read to him. She had read them, but they never got to finish them. He wanted to finish them and find out how their stories ended. He held the flashlight in his mouth, reading and then turning to the next page.
The door to his room was cracked a bit. There was no light in the hallway, but down stairs the living room and kitchen lights were on. It sent a barely visible dim ray into the dark room. He heard female laughter, one that wasn't his mother's. It didn't really sound like anyone he knew, making him a bit curious.
The young boy softly stepped over to his door, opening it slowly and stepping out into the hallway. The voice became a bit more clear as he reached the stairs. He walked down them, making sure to not step on any of the loose creaky boards. He could fully hear what the woman was saying now. Looking through the stair railing, he saw a younger woman. She was blonde, which wasn't the color of his mother's hair. This woman was a complete stranger to him.
She sat with Daniel's father on the couch, but she was sitting in his father's lap. She had a bottle in one of her hands, the other was caressing his father's chest. She was being clumsy, leaning over to one side too much and almost completely falling off the couch. His father's arms were wrapped around the women, one of his hands gripping the woman from behind. He started kissing her, but it was more than what he saw from when his mother and father kissed.
"Danny... Let's not do it on the couch."
"Where do you want to do it? On the floor? If I'm going to fuck, I'm going to be comfortable. Now shut up and strip."
Daniel didn't understand any of this. The woman began taking her clothes off, continuing to kiss his father. His father was doing things with this woman, a complete stranger. He was kissing another person while his mother was away at work. What was his father doing? Was he trying to replace Daniel's mother?
Daniel began feeling angry, but he was also sad and he didn't understand why. His father couldn't do this, it was wrong. He slowly made his way back up stairs, hearing his father and the woman shouting. They weren't arguing, Daniel knew that.
"Fuck Danny! You're so good!"
"Tell me how much you love it, you fucking whore."
"I fucking love it! I love you Danny, so much!"
Daniel stopped, hearing what the woman had said. She just told his father she loved him. That was something his mother and father would say to each other, giving each other a kiss. He knew what that meant, to love a person. He knew she wanted to be with his father. Tears welled in the boy's eye, streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks. He continued up the stairs, softly sobbing. He covered his mouth and tried to control his crying till he reached his room.
____
"Daniel..? Are you okay?"
Daniel looked up to see Haley beside him, trying to get his attention. He gave her a slight nod.
"I'm just... I'm a bit disturbed by the murder. May I be excused for a moment? I just need to take this all in."
His boss nodded, motioning for him to step out. With that he took his leave, closing the office door behind him. He walked over to the elevator, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt a bit. He watched the elevator doors close, seeing his reflection staring back at him. It took a double take before he knew he wasn't looking at himself, but rather his father. That devilish smile, one that Daniel couldn't forget to this day.
He closed his eyes tightly, hiding from the man till he heard the elevator doors open. He ran from the elevator, running outside and around the left side of the building. There was a narrow alleyway, one that led to an old basketball court. It hadn't been unoccupied for years, since The Journal was built here back in 1990.
Daniel came here at times, especially when things with his job got rough. It was a sanctuary for him to just forget everything and get a hold of himself. Off to the left side of the court was an old park bench. It had names of children carved into it, hearts with the initials of lovers from long ago. He sat down, taking a deep collective sigh.
"You aren't the monster! You're nothing like him Daniel. You were protecting yourself! If anybody is a monster, it was her! Those lies, all those times she told someone she cared, but really she was just saying that!"
He buried his face in his hands, starting to feel the weight of the situation. In a sense, the words "Monster" and "Sick" didn't bother him as much as ending up like his father. He wasn't like him though, he would stride to be himself. A normal person. His father was a monster, a disgusting waste of human life.
Those women he was with, they were just like Elizabeth and the others. Seeking out pleasure for themselves without a single concern of possibly ruining a person's life. It was clear, society seen him as a monster. Those actions are what qualified him as a monster. Therefore, he'd have to keep his life a secret. Cover up those sick acts with a normal persona.
"Doobie! Y-You Bastard!"
Daniel slowly lifted his head, looking in front of him to see a young man. He was well dressed, wearing some sweater that bared a crest of sorts. He held a gun, holding it with just one hand. His aim did not waver, meaning he would kill the person before him without a single thought of remorse. Daniel took note of the man's face, as it did look familiar to him.
"Let me guess... You're Alex, right?"