Chapter 1: The First Day
September 22, 2031.
05:00 AM.
"IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP! TIME TO WAKE UP! TIME TO WAKE UP! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP YOU WILL BE SHOCKED IN TEN SECONDS!" I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock screaming at me. I rub my eyes as I sit up to turn the blasted thing off. As my eyes focus I see my bedroom come back. My bed sits on an ornate black oak frame. Attached to the bed frame is a bookcase, and desk. The room is decorated with several of my own drawings; apples, a self portrait, and the portrait that I made of my aunt. The walls are painted to look like the nighttime sky.
It is the first day that I will be teaching at Winchester High School. I swing my feet over the bed, and slowly stand up. I walk towards my bathroom, and take a nice hot shower. The bathroom has a grey marble bathtub, and a built in waterproof stereo system. I grab the clothes that I put out and arranged before going to bed, and put them on. I walk over to the mirror, and I look at my young, slender figure. The man staring back at me has messy dark brown hair, brown eyes, plump pink lips, and a square jaw. I comb my hair, and go to the kitchen.
"A.L.E.S.S., I want a double chocolate fudge cappuccino, to go." I tell the automated listening electric serving system. A travel mug comes out of the wall, followed by a nozzle from the ceiling. A frothy brown liquid flows from the nozzle and into the mug. I grab the now steaming mug from the counter, grab my briefcase, put on my fleece jacket, and walk to my black hover car Impala.
"Where do you want to go today, sir?"
"Let’s go to Winchester High School, D.W."
"Ok, right away, sir."
6:00AM
I walk through the front doors, and have A.L.E.S.S show me a map to my room. I walk down the hall toward the office. In the office I see a woman sitting at her desk. She has dark brown hair, brown eyes, slim glasses, and an inviting looking face. I look at the plaque sitting on her desk, which reads: Principal Miss A Spark. She looks up from her work, and greets me with a warm and inviting smile.
"Hello, I'm Annabell, but you may call me Ann. You must be the new teacher, Mister Darker, welcome to Winchester High!"
"Hello Ann. I'm Levi Darker. Thank you for the warm welcoming."
"Not a problem, Levi. I always greet everyone that walks in here with a smile and a great attitude; however I do tend to be kinda shy. I became principal of this school to help me overcome that shyness. I hope that you have a good time while you teach here. Now, you may want to get to your classroom, for school starts at eight o'clock, and it is now seven." I thank her, and wish her a good day before walking out of the office and down the hall. Room 210 is on the second floor of the building. It is a large and evenly arranged room, which is great for me, for I and my class will need that space.
8:00 AM
Students start to flow through the door of my classroom, and randomly sit in a desk. I can already tell which students are eager to learn new things by where they sit in the room. Those that love to learn sit closer to me, and those that will most likely give me trouble, sit in the very back of the room. As for the middle of the room, those that want to have fun while learning at the same time, sit there. I walk up to the front of the room with the attendance list, and wait for one minute before taking roll, that way the ‘stragglers’ can get to the room. Five students come bursting through the door. One of them, a tall young man looks at me and rolls his eyes. Not a good sign. He has short light brown hair, green eyes, and wears a leather jacket. I wait for him and the rest of the students to sit down before speaking.
"So, does anyone know where the fucking teacher is?" asks the tall, young man.
"No." A girl with blue hair answers.
"Hello, I'm Mister Darker, and I will be your new Art and Literature teacher. I am sorry to hear that my predecessor, Mister Lee has died." I look at the shock on the young man’s face as I announce who I am. I can already tell that this young man is going to cause a lot of problems for me and maybe for the class as well.
"I thought that you were a new student!" I look over to the back left corner desk. There, a teenage boy with white hair and ice blue eyes sits and looks back at me.
"That's fine and completely understandable, for I am young and fresh out of college. Now, if all of you could kindly stand up, and move to the wall in the front of the room. I am going to assign seats for the class in alphabetical order. This arrangement will help me become more familiar with your names and faces. If you prefer to be called by something other than the name on the list, please let me know, and I will write it in place of your name. Jamie Allen-."
"It’s James, not Jamie." He was a short, skinny boy with short, black hair, and hazel eyes and was standing toward the door. He was wearing dark blue jeans, black shoes, and a black t-shirt.
"Front left seat. Kallin Bradshaw.”
"It’s Kal!" The young man with the leather jacket snarls. Good, maybe this will help me get through to him.
"In the desk next to James, please. Kayleena Brentari, Sherman Cran, Liby Crent, Jane Dent.” The names get called out, and I finally reach the last one. "Jackson Krofrozenstein.”
"Please, call me Jack." I look at who sits in the back left corner desk. To my surprise it's the boy with white hair, and ice blue eyes. I go through the usual first day class orientation, and rules. I go over the rules on the Smartboard V6. I look in amazement as holographic screens pop out of the top of each desktop. Each image looks exactly like the face of the Smartboard V6. I write one of the rules on the board, and look at one of the holograms. The hologram now has the same exact thing that I wrote on the board. In the desk I can see three little buttons that say ‘Translate’ ‘Put in type’ and ‘Print’.
"Now, as a class, let’s read the rules aloud." Simultaneously the class reads the rules: "1. Students must ask to go to the bathroom or your locker unless it is an emergency. 2. You must come to class prepared. 3. You must be respectful of others, and their belongings. 4. Don't over criticize. 5. Have fun."
"Your first assignment is to write whatever you want to, and illustrate a scene from whatever you wrote. Who can tell me why the frog couldn't cross the road?"
"I ran him over." Kal blurts out.
"No, the frog couldn't cross the road, for his legs were on a plate in the restaurant next to him." The boys and some girls laugh, yet other girls say 'Ewe'.
"You must get a sketch book by March 29. If you don't have one, make one."
"Class is now over. Class is now over. Class is now over. If you don't get out of your desk, you will be shocked in ten seconds!" the intercom says.
9:00 PM
I get my clothes picked out and sit down to plan the lesson for next week. I took another shower, got in my pajamas, eat, and then went to bed.
10:00 PM
Two girls were walking down the street. "So, Jane what do you think of our new art and literature teacher, Mister Darker?" A girl with long blonde hair and deep, green eyes asked. Her friend, Jane, is taller than her, and has dyed blue hair. Her eyes were also green.
"Honestly, Liby, I think that Mister Darker is really nice, and I think that he will be an awesome teacher. He's also not that bad to look at. I think that the new kids, Jack and Kal, are gonna cause some problems for the class, and Mister Darker as well."
"Hahaha. You have a crush on Mister Darker! Hahahahaha!" Liby mocked.
"I do not!" Jane snapped.
"Yes you do!"
"Do not!"
SssssNAP.
The girls turned around quickly. "Liby, did you hear that?"
"Yes, I did."
"Is someone there?" Silence. "It was probably just a stray cat stepping on a branch." Liby and Jane continued to walk down the road.
CRaaaash.
Liby stopped and turned around. She sees a tall figure lurking in the shadows. "Is someone there? Do you need help?" Liby asked. No answer.
"Come on Liby, it's most likely that stupid cat again." Liby continued on her way down the street, getting that freaky feeling that she and Jane were being followed. A hand slammed over her mouth, and she tried to scream. Something hit her hard in the side of the head, and before she blacked out, she could feel her attacker dragging her away. "Come on Liby, it's nothing. There's nothing to be worried about. Now hurry up!" Jane looked behind her to look for her friend, but Liby was nowhere to be found. Jane yelled for her, but didn't get a response. She started to walk back the way that they had came from, only to be hit hard in the back of her head. She fell, landed face first into the concrete, and flipped over before she blacked out, Jane could see a figure lean over her, grab her wrists, and start to drag her away.
11:00 PM
Liby woke up and found herself chained and shackled to a wall. She looked at the room around her. She could tell that she was in a poorly lit room, somewhere deep underground. The basement was cold and dark. In front of her she could see two bowls filled with pieces of folded paper sitting on a metal table. Next to the bowls there was a knife, a chainsaw, and a torch. She looked down, and to her horror she could see what looked like dried blood on the floor below her.
"Uggggh, Where am I?" Liby listened to the voice, and looked to her left. There, chained to the wall, was Jane.
"Jane, what happened?"
"Liby! Where are we?
"I don't know. I was just walking behind you when someone slapped their hand over my mouth. I was then hit over the head, and I blacked out. I woke up to find myself here. What happened to you?"
"I was walking, and looked behind me to see that you weren't there. I yelled for you, and started to retrace our steps after I didn't get an answer. I was hit in the back of the head, and fell face first on the concrete. Before I blacked out, I could see someone standing over me. They grabbed my wrists, and started to drag me away. I then woke up here." Jane looked around the room, and in a dark corner to the right, she could see someone standing.
Chapter 2: The Dark Day
"Hello girls. I see that you are awake now. Do you want to play a game with me? The one that doesn't die first will be drugged, and set free." The figure stepped out of the shadows. The man was wearing a white jumpsuit, and a horrible Halloween mask and wig of a clown.
"Why, what do y-y-y-y-you want with us?" Jane stuttered.
"Like I said before, I want to play a game. One lives, one dies. One shall not escape, while one will survive."
"What are you going to do to us?" Liby asked the clown-faced man.
"The bowls on the table have many folded pieces of paper in them. In one bowl, the papers are labeled with body parts. The pieces of paper in the other bowl are labeled 'bleed' and 'cauterize' separately. I'll be drawing out of the bowls, and whatever body part is drawn will be cut off of your body. Then, I'll draw from the other bowl to decide if I should let the injury bleed, or have it cauterized. This game is purely a game of chance."
"You’re a monster!" Liby and Jane yelled in unison.
"To you, I may be a monster, but to me, I am a genius! Now, let's begin."
"Before we 'begin' could you please tell us your name? That way we know what to yell, or should we just call you Clownface?" Liby asked.
"Clownface, I like the sound of that! Now I know who to chop first!" Clownface reached into the bowl on his left, grabbed a piece of paper, and unfolded it. "And the winner is....the left thumb!" He announced. He walked over to the table that had the knife, chainsaw, and torch on it. He grabbed the knife, and then took his time approaching Liby.
"No, stay away from her, you fucking psycho!" Jane screamed, and thrashed in her bindings, desperately trying to free herself. Clownface continued to torment Liby.
"Please, don't do it. Just free us. We will never tell anyone where this place is, or what you look like." Liby pleaded.
"All the more reasons to have one of you die." Clownface said. He grabbed Liby's left arm, and held it against the wall. He took the knife and quickly chopped off Liby's thumb.
"AHHHHHHhhhhh!" Liby screamed in pain. Clownface then walked back to the table. There he fished a piece of paper from the other bowl. To his dismay, the paper said "Cauterize". Liby and Jane watched as he walked back to the other table. He put the knife down, grabbed the torch, lit it, and walked back to Liby.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhh!" Liby screamed as she felt the flames touch her skin, burning the skin around the area that was her thumb. Clownface smiled at the pain he was causing, yet he was disappointed that he had to cauterize Liby's first wound. He drew another piece of paper from the left bowl.
"Left ear. Excellent! Jane, this is going to hurt quite a lot." He grabbed the knife from the table, and walked toward Jane. Jane watched as Clownface got closer. She noticed that his hand was close enough to bite. When he was about to hold her head still, Jane bit his hand. She bit so hard that she could taste the warm, metallic and salty taste of blood.
"You little bitch! The next time that I have to cut something off, it will be my choice, and I'm going to make sure that it hurts! I'm also going to just let it bleed!"
"Breaking the rules now Clownface? And here I thought that we were playing a game." Liby said, unknowingly making Clownface even angrier. Clownface smacked Jane, grabbed her head, positioned the knife behind her ear, and pulled the knife around her ear. Jane screamed and writhed in agony, but that just made the pain worse. Her blood started to spray all over the place, staining Clownface's white jumpsuit red.
"Hahahahahahahaha. LOOK AT ALL THAT BLOOD! I think that you might be the one that is going to die. Let's see what fate has in store for you. Shall we?" Clownface unfolded another piece of paper, walked to the implement table, and grabbed the torch. Jane swallowed really hard, for she saw the pain that Liby went through while having her wound cauterized. Clownface lit the torch again, and brought it up to Jane's face. Jane could feel the heat touch her face, and it felt like the heat alone would burn her skin, which it did.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as the flames touched her cheek. She could smell the stink of burning flesh and hair around her. Clownface stood and laughed at how much pain he was causing for both of the girls. He drew the next piece of paper that he drew from the bowl, and frowned.
"What's wrong, is it something that won't cause much blood loss? Thank God!" Clownface turned the paper around, and Liby stared in horror at what it read; right leg.
"How about I let a coin decide on what I should use to cut off your leg? If it lands on heads I'll use the knife, but if it lands on tails I'll use the chainsaw. If it somehow lands on the side I'll let you keep your leg." Clownface fished a quarter from his pocket, balanced it on his thumb and finger, and flipped it. Liby watched as the coin turned in the air, and plummeted toward the floor. Clownface walked to where the coin landed on the floor, and bent down to pick it up. He put it back in his pocket, and walked over to the chainsaw.
"No, please don't do it. I'll-I'll-I'll help you butcher people! Jane and I can lure them here, and you can chain them up after drugging them! How does that sound?" Clownface stood and contemplated what Liby had offered.
"No, I'd rather kidnap and butcher people on my own. You know, you two are not my first victims. My first victim was a teacher. I think that his name started with an 'L', but I don't remember. Anyway, before he died he had pleaded with me just as you have. He suggested that he and I trap people down here, and play a game of chance. He is the person that invented the very game that we are playing at this moment, so you have him to thank!"
"You killed Mister L! I hated you before, but now I hate you even more!" Jane screamed at him. Clownface picked up the chainsaw and stepped over to Liby. He knelt down, as if he were going to propose to her, and started the chainsaw. Liby started to squirm in her bindings as the teeth slowly inched closer and closer toward her leg. She screamed and squirmed even more as the saw grabbed her silk blue dress, and started to bite into her flesh. As chunks of skin flew off, blood started to flow. Small chunks of bone started to be tossed up into the air, and even hit Jane, Liby, and Clownface. Some of the bone hit Jane in the face, and tore gaping wounds into her flesh. Finally, Liby's leg fell away, and landed in the pool of blood below. Clownface turned the chainsaw off, and put it down. He walked to the table, and grabbed a random piece of paper. As he started to unfold the paper a smile started to slowly break across his face.
"You sick and twisted bastard, I hope that you rot in prison, in the most uncomfortable conditions known to man!" Jane yelled at him.
"Just for that little outburst I'm going to have Liby choose what I chop off you next. She will also choose whether or not the wound is cauterized, or left to bleed." He picked up the bowl of body part marked papers in it, and held it under Liby's left hand. "Grab a piece of paper, honey."
"I'm not your honey, you sick and twisted asshole!" Clownface grabbed the knife, and held it to her neck.
"Choose, or I'll slit your damn throat!" Clownface demanded. Liby did as she was told, and held onto the paper as he took the bowl away. He took the paper from her, and unfolded it.
"Left arm, I'll need the chainsaw for this." Jane and Liby were shocked when Clownface walked away, and out of the basement. They could hear him moving around upstairs, and wondered what he was doing.
"Thank God, he left!" Jane said with enthusiasm. Immediately after she had said that, the basement door opened. Jane and Liby hoped that it was someone that came to rescue them, but, to their dismay, it was Clownface.
Clownface walked back toward them, and enjoyed the looks of pure terror on their faces, for they noticed that he had an ordinary saw in his hand. He stepped over to Jane, pushed her arm against the wall, and let the saw's teeth kiss her shoulder. Jane shivered when the cold and hungry teeth touched her skin. She grit her teeth as Clownface started to pull the saw across her skin. Slowly, Jane's skin started to rip away in bloody shreds. Clownface smiled more and more as Jane's screams got louder and louder, and continued to saw at her arm. Blood was now dripping from her arm, down her leg, and onto the floor. Clownface briefly frowned, for he hit bone. He sawed a little more to get past the cartilage. Jane could no longer scream, for her voice was so hoarse. Clownface put the saw down, grabbed her arm, and dislocated her shoulder to get the arm out of the socket. Clownface let the now dangling arm free of the shackles holding it up.
"Hello Jane!" Clownface mocked as he waved to Jane with her own hand.
"You sick freak," Liby yelled, "I hope that you burn in hell for a very, very long time!" Clownface got ready to position the other bowl under Liby's hand, and had her draw yet another piece of paper out. As Clownface started to unfold this one, Liby hoped that something would happen to stop this freak. She looked over at Jane, who was now slightly dangling freely away from the wall, and watched the blood flow from her shoulder like a little red waterfall. Luckily for Clownface, nothing happened, and he went to grab the torch. Jane tried to yell as the flames burned the leaking wound. Her skin was sizzling, and they could smell the aroma of cooked meat. When the wound was sufficiently cauterized Clownface put the torch away.
"Now, I'm going to let Jane pick the body part that will be lost. Jane, if you would please. You don't want to lose your right foot do you?"
"I'm so sorry, Liby, but I don't want to bleed from my ankle. Do you know how much blood I would lose?" Clownface positioned the bowl beneath Jane's right hand. Jane dug in, praying that she would grab something that wouldn't cause too much blood loss. "I have it." She told Clownface. Clownface pulled the bowl away, grabbed the paper from Jane, unfolded it, and smiled with joy. He turned the paper around and showed it to Jane. Jane's stomach sank, for the paper read 'right arm'. Clownface skipped his way to the table of tools, picked up the chainsaw, started it, and turned toward Liby.
"No! Please, no!" Liby's screams just encouraged Clownface for what he was about to do. He inched the chainsaw towards her shoulder. Pieces of flesh caught in the rapidly rotating chain, then, just as quickly, thrown through the air. Blood started to flow and grease the chain, making it easy for it to cut through bone. Liby's arm fell away, and landed in the pool of blood below. Jane was so horrified that she couldn't even scream, no matter how much she wanted to. Liby screamed and screamed in pain. Her blood was now flowing out of her body fast. She started to feel light headed, and her vision was diminishing. She turned her head, and looked at Jane. Liby tried to speak, but no sound came out. She was trying to tell Jane 'I'm glad that I was able to know you. Before I die, I just want to tell you that I love you. Goodbye, Jane. Make sure that this bastard burns in hell!' Somehow, Jane understood exactly what her friend wanted to say, and watched with a heavy heart as Liby died.
"I love you too." Jane starts to cry, but she then remembers that Clownface is still with her. "You son of a bitch! I hope that you die a horrible and painful death for what you have done!" Clownface went to a desk that was hidden in the shadows. There, he pulled out a bottle and a rag. He opened the bottle, and poured it onto the rag.
"What is that? What are you going to do to me now?" Jane asked in horror. She looked at Liby, who was now dangling at an angle, lifeless. "I have a feeling that I will soon be with you again, Liby."
"Don't worry, this is chloroform. It will make you unconscious just long enough for me to get you far away from this place." Clownface walked up to her, and held the wet rag to her face. Jane quickly became unconscious. Clownface undid the shackles holding her to the wall, and carried her upstairs. The sun was now beginning to rise. The room they walked into had a bed in the corner. The bed was covered in plastic, making cleanup fast and effortless. Clownface went to a cabinet in the bathroom, and removed several sterile bandages from a box. He went to where he had left Jane. He cleaned her injuries, and bandaged them. He then picked her up again, and applied more chloroform, for she was starting to stir. He placed her in the back of a pickup, went back inside, took off the mask and wig, and changed out of the jumpsuit.
When he was cleaned up, Clownface went back to the truck, started it, and drove three miles away from the house, back to the place that he had kidnapped Jane and Liby. He lifted Jane out of the truck, and placed her on the sidewalk. He then got back in the truck and drove away.
Chapter 3: Discoveries
Officer Ruby Umyu, a tall petite woman with dirty-blonde hair, was finishing writing up the reports from the night shift when the call came in. It was approximately 7:30 in the morning when a woman made a 911 call for the paramedics. It seems that she was walking to her work when she saw what she thought was a pile of rags on the sidewalk. As she got closer, however, she realized that it was really a little girl wrapped in medical bandages.
Five minutes after the call came in, Ruby and the paramedics were on the scene.
"So Miss..?" Ruby paused, for she forgot to ask the woman her name.
"Sknow, Ariana Sknow, but my friends call me Ari." She was a woman of whom stood at just over five feet, had long, beautiful blonde hair, and looked like she could be a model. Ari was wearing a white blouse, gray dress-pants, and black 3" heels. Ruby continued.
"What is your line of profession?"
"I'm a psychic." Ruby was skeptical in all things supernatural, yet she did believe in God. "May I see something of yours?" Ari politely inquired of Ruby. Ruby hesitated, but she eventually let Ari touch the silver and gold locket that her grandma left to her in her will. Ari held the locket and closed her eyes.
"I see a room. Something that starts with a 'W'. A man with dark hair." Ari paused, for she wasn't sure about the next image she saw. "There is a man or woman standing in a classroom." Ari stopped talking, and a horrified look appeared on her face. "I'm in a dark room now. The wall has multiple sets of shackles, and the floor looks like it is stained with.... I can't tell what the stain is now, as my vision is filling with the color red."
"Alright, give me my locket back now please. I don't know why I even let you hold it anyway!" Ruby practically scolded to Ari.
"Why not?" Ari inquired.
"Because I don't believe in 'psychics.'"
"Oh. Well that's fine, for I sensed that you soon will be a believer. Now, are there any other questions that you need to ask me?"
"Actually, there are. Did you see anything else out of the ordinary? Such as a new person, unmarked vehicles?"
"No." Ari responded.
"Ok. You may be on your way now." Ruby said with an obviously forced smile. Ruby started to make her way to where the girl was found. When she did arrive to the spot, Ruby saw that the girl had been replaced by a holographic image of blood-soaked bandages, a laser grid had also been laid out as an aid in the search for evidence. Ruby looked over at the road. There, she spotted something that someone had somehow missed; a skid mark. Ruby knew that most people now drove hover-cars, which were held in the air by four high pressured water jets.
"Who's the idiot that missed this?" Ruby muttered to herself. She then proceeded to silently curse whoever missed this possibly very crucial piece of evidence. Ruby pulled out a little blue and white box off of her belt. The device that she now held in her hand was a digital 3D scanner, which could scan evidence, store a digital image of it, and made it easier to view the evidence in a 3D model and could be viewed in 360 degrees. Ruby thought that she already knew what vehicle that the skid mark came from. From how the treads were designed, she was sure that it came from a Ford Raptor.
________________________________________________
March 24, 2031
Levi Darker stood in his kitchen, and looked outside. Through the flex-glass window he could see the Spider Mountains, which towered 40,000 feet at their highest peak. At the foot of the mountain range was a forest that was made of white evergreen, pine, and maple. Levi entered his living room. The room had columbian blue walls, white evergreen hardwood floors, a 80 inch high-def. Lio TV, and black leather furniture. An oak coffee table stood between the TV, and the couch. Next to the front door was a little touchscreen, which indicated that Levi had mail.
He checked the mailbox, and after sorting through bills and letters he had found that he had a newspaper delivered. The name of the paper was 'The Sanford Chronicles'! On the front page there was an article. Levi started to get a horrified expression on his face.
LITTLE GIRL FOUND BLOODY!
by Randy Burger
Early yesterday morning a girl was found bandaged and bloody on the side of the road. She was kidnapped March 22, and held captive until yesterday morning. While held captive she experienced a horrifying act; torture. After being tortured, the young woman was drugged, bandaged, and released. We were asked by the victim’s family not to reveal her identity. The victim said that she was walking home from a party, but was surprised and knocked unconscious.
She was walking home with a friend when they were attacked by an unknown man. “We woke up in a cold and dark room, but the thing that scared us the most had to be the tools that were on a table,” said the victim. Her captor was wearing a white jumpsuit, and wearing a clown mask, so she wasn’t able to see what he really looks like. "He told us that we were to choose what limb the other person would lose."
Around 7 A.M. Ariana Sknow was walking to start her day of work as a psychic. “At first I thought that she was a pile of rags discarded on the sidewalk. I was horrified when I realized that what I saw was a little girl.” Ariana said. A county-wide curfew has been set, and citizens are asked to stay inside during the night; only aloud out if coming home from work. If anyone has any other information, they are asked to call the Police-Tip-Line. We will have more details as this story unfolds.
As he read, Levi didn't want to think that someone could do that to two defenseless children. His eyes roll back into his head, and he collapses onto the floor. Levi could see two boys, students of his, hanging from a wall. One of his hands reached for a sword, picked it up, and decapitated one of the boys. After that Levi woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around the room. What the hell was that? A few hours later while he was watching the news, Levi found out that two boys were also kidnapped, and that one of them was beheaded at the exact time that he was having his first vision of horrific crimes that would continue.
Chapter 4: The Meeting
Levi sat in his study writing out his lesson plans for Monday when the phone rang. He let the answering machine answer for him.
“This is Levi Darker speaking. I’m sorry that you didn’t get a hold of me, but leave your name and message and then I’ll get back with you when I can.”
“Hi Levi! This is Ann…. Due to the tragic deaths of two of our students the school has decided to not have school in session on Monday. We decided to do this to give the families time to grieve together. Please call me if you have any questions.” Levi decided to call her back.
“Hello, Spark residence.”
“Hey Ann, this is Levi.”
“Oh, hello Levi. I take it you got my message.”
“I did. I was wondering if we’re going to be having a meeting on Monday?”
“A meeting? What for?”
“To discuss what we are going to do for the families of the deceased.”
“Now that you mention it that is a wonderful idea!”
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On Monday morning, Levi walked into the school, down the long, narrow hallway, and into the conference room. The room consisted of a large, round mahogany-oak table. Around the table sat Ann; the Physical Education teacher, Wilson Easton; the Computer teacher, Angela Woodsteel; Jonathan Woodsteel, the Math teacher; Markiss Five, Educator of English; Kira Sandstone, the History teacher; and Gregory Star, teacher of Sciences.
The room had light brown walls, a large window, and three lights that were solar and lunar powered. The seats were made of fine Egyptian cotton; dyed different shades and tones of green. Levi sat in the last open chair, next to Ann. She looked around the room.
“Now that we are all here,” She said. “Let’s get down to business.”
“Yeah, baby!” Wilson said. He is a man of a slight athletic build. His bronze hair was starting to thin out, despite the fact that he was only 23. His horn-tailed glasses made it seem like his light brown eyes were about to burst from their sockets.
“MISTER EASTON!” Ann yelled in the already seemingly small room. “One; I am not, nor never will be your baby! Two; that is highly inappropriate. Lastly; that’s not what we’re here for!” She paused to emphasize what she said. “As you all know, two of our students have tragically passed away at the hands of a maniac. We’re here to discuss what we, as a school, could possibly do to honor the lives of these two magnificent children.”
A petite woman wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and neon orange shoes accented with blue stripes decided to stand. A red and pink lotus was growing out of a human skull was tattooed onto her upper right arm. Hair like mahogany with a small cluster of blonde hair accented with a smaller stripe of purple on the left side of her head cascaded down to the small of her back. She decided to speak. Her voice flowed like velvet.
“I know that both of them enjoyed to run, so why don’t we do a mile long run around the track?”
“That is a good idea,” Levi said. “But I also think that we should ask their friends and families to gather pictures and cherished memories to put out along a certain route; maybe along the lake, somewhere remarkably beautiful.”
Ann looked over, and flashed a smile to Levi. “That is a spectacular idea Levi! She looked at the Psychology teacher. “Miss Carolina Qwagnon will be credited for the idea of the run, and Mister Levi Darker will be in charge of deciding the route and day of the event. I, however, will create a scholarship in honor of these two young souls. If you agree with this, please raise your hand.”
Everyone, except for Ann, Carolina, Levi, and Wilson hesitated on raising their hands, but everyone eventually unanimously agreed.
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Ruby sat at her silver bio-organic-steel desk. Her hair was ornately pulled back into a ornate ponytail. Chief L.G. Dixon had assigned her to the ‘Clownface’ case. She was busy attempting to find Clownface’s motive, or motives for abducting four defenseless teenagers and slaying two of them. The desk was cluttered with file, sticky-notes, a slot for the manipulative holographic computer screen, and other items. She noticed that Chief Dixon was walking toward her. Ruby’s uniform consisted of a light-blue blouse, black and gray pants with gold thread embroidery, and shiny black flat-heeled shoes.
Chief Lenardio Gregory Dixon was a man in his mid-fifties, his once red hair was now starting to go gray, and wrinkles were slowly spreading across his slightly tanned face. His green eyes sparkled with intelligence and caring, like two small emeralds. He stood at the height of 5’5”, and was losing his battle with weight control. A red-gray goatee and moustache sprouted from his face like weeds in a garden. His uniform was a dark blue dress-shirt, black pants with silver, gold, bronze, and blue stitching, and shined, lightly scuffed obsidian black shoes. His badge was gold, silver, and brass, unlike the other badges which were either made of gold bronze and brass, gold and brass, gold, bronze, silver, or brass. A gun holster hung from his waist. In the holster sat a gun that was styled to look like an 1835 Colt Paterson Revolver.
“Umyu! I just got off of the holographic tele-communicator with Annabell Spark. She has agreed to have an undercover officer pose as a teacher at Winchester High; I’ve decided that you are the best qualified personnel that can do this!”
“What will I be ‘teaching’ though?” She asked respectfully.
“Socialology.” He answered, slapped a file down onto her desk, and then walked away. Ruby started to unconsciously play with her badge. Her badge was made of silver and gold, had an intricate design, and a silver plate with her name on it.
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Levi, with assistance from A.L.E.S.S., was trying to decide the running route for the “Celebration of Life” event when it happened.
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Several days have passed since the first murder happened. Clownface now had two more captives chained to the wall. He had employed new ‘tools’ to his arsenal of torture devices; a drill, machete, swords, hatchet, and hand saw were now on the implement table.
The teen on the right had long, curly, dirty-blonde hair. His face was round, and his eyes were greenish-blue. He wore a light-yellow long-sleeved shirt, purple jeans, and brown sandals. The teenager next to him had shaggy black hair, a slender build, and broad shoulders. He had on a blue t-shirt, tan shorts, and white running shoes.
Clownface stood looking at the teens. They had foolishly ignored the curfew, somehow obtained alcohol, and were going to start a party. He laughed at their stupidity, grabbed a coin from his pocket, and flipped it. When he saw that it landed on tails, he walked over to the bowls, and grasped a piece of paper. When the paper was unfolded Clownface smiled deviously. He picked up the hatchet, walked to the left, and chopped off the teen’s left hand. Clownface frowned when he didn’t hear a scream. He looked down at the severed hand on the floor. Instead of blood leaking from it, oil slowly oozed out. Clownface knew right away that the hand was actually a cybernetic replacement, so he decided to chop off the other hand. Clownface looked as oil dripped from the right and left wrists.
“So, are you man, or machine?” Clownface asked. “Are you even human?”
“I’m a cyber-organic being, so I do have a heart.” The teen replied.
Clownface put the hatchet back on the table, and picked up the drill. He had placed a screw into the drill’s hold. The other teenager looked scared when Clownface drilled the screw into the heart of the other, and took it out. Blood started to flow out of him, and mingle with oil. The cyborg started to become ashen as blood and oil pumped out of him. Clownface lie down in the growing pool of blood, and started to roll around in it like a pig in mud. The cyborg died. Clownface stood up, and said a single word before slashing the other teenager in the abdomen with a katana.
“Excellent.”
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Levi stood up shakily in a cold sweat. In his soul, he knew that someone else had died at the hands of Clownface. He groaned when the doorbell rang, yet he answered the door. There he found a woman in a long, beautiful, flowing, white floral dress. Her hair was braided on one side. A group of red, yellow, and white tulips occupied a portion of her hair. She held a pan of some kind of pleasant smelling food in her arms. Levi liked what he saw.
“Hello, I’m your new neighbor. I just moved in, and felt like I should introduce myself.” She carefully outstretched her arm, and offered her left hand. She flashed him a brilliant smile. “Names Ariana Sknow, or Ari for short.”
Chapter 5: The Neighbor
March 24, 2031
Levi gently shook her hand, and told her his name. Ari took notice that he looked like a dying man.
“Are you alright? Would you like me to come back at some other time?” She asked Levi.
“No, no. Please, do come in.” He unobstructed the doorway, stretched an arm into the house, and let her inside. Ari stood in awe at how modern the living room looked. She found her way into the kitchen, and set the dish down on the countertop.
The kitchen in Levi’s house had dark blue walls, black marble countertops, red cedar-oak cabinets, and blue pine flooring. The sinks and faucets were made of gold, which has become extremely rare. An island could be raised or lowered in the center of the room. A red chestnut table stood in an alcove that was to the right surrounded by eight ornately designed aluminium chairs.
“You’ve got a very lovely home Levi!” Ari told him.
“Thanks Ariana. So, what delectable thing did you prepare for me?”
“Oh, I almost forgot! I made you my famous black cherry double fudge brownies!” She pulled the lid off of the tray; smiling as she spoke. Levi couldn’t help but drool and think of how deliciously right the name of these confectionery sweets sounded.
“That sounds so good!” He said.
“Oh, it is!”
“How long have you lived in Sanford Ariana?”
“I’ve always lived here, yet I moved because I had a vision that a new psychic would need my help.” This is when Levi realized that his new, beautiful neighbor was the psychic mentioned in ‘The Sanford Chronicles’.
“You’re the psychic that was in the news?”
“Yes, I am. It’s horrible that someone can actually do that to, well, anyone!”
“I completely agree with you. Stinks even more that the people being killed are my students.” Ari gasped at this.
“That’s horrible! No wonder you looked sick earlier.” She said.
“So, you said that you moved here to assist a new psychic? Do you know who you have to help?” Levi questioned.
“As a matter of fact, I just know that the person that I have to help is a teacher at Winchester High.” Ari answered.
Levi fell down into a trance-like state again. Something silver flashed through the vision quickly. He felt something warm on his skin, and then briefly saw flickering flames. When he came out of the trance he found that Ari had placed a cold wet cloth on his forehead. She just sat next to him, and then he was dumbfounded when she smiled.
“What?” He croaked out.
“I found out who I have to help…. You!” She said smiling.
“That’s what’s happening to me? I’m having psychic visions!” Levi said. Ari just sat there for a while with a pensive expression on her face.
“I believe so. When did you start having visions?” Ari asked. Levi explained how he came to have his first vision, and briefly told Ari what he saw without the gory details.
“Do you know of anyone else in your family that has psychic abilities?” She inquired of him. Levi had to sit and think for a moment.
“I have no clue. Why?”
“Sometimes it can be genetic. My grandmother and her grandfather were both mediums. The gift of clairvoyance is a hereditary trait in my family that usually skips a generation or two. For you, I’m guessing, the gift of being a psychic is new in your family.”
“How does one become a psychic then?”
“Sometimes, if one were to have a near death experience, they’ll come back with a rare connection to the other side.” Ari explained. She stood up, and went to the door. “If you’d like, I could teach you how to control your psychic abilities.” Levi opened the door for her.
“I don’t have to work on the weekends, so I’m open those days.” He told her.
“Alright, I’ll see you Saturdays and Sundays.” with that said, Ari left. Levi went back to the kitchen, cut out a brownie, and sat down to get back to what he was doing before Ari came over. He took a bite of the brownie.
“Whoa! These are incredible!”
Chapter 6: Bloodletting
March 2th, 2031
Clownface stood lurking in the shadows, watching his next victim, and anticipating his next move. Karrel Goldwater stood waiting for the bus to pick her up for school. Her skin was soft and warm like caramel. Her eyes, the color of a newly green leaf search for something more in life, but never find what they’re looking for. She wears a gray t-shirt, black sweatpants, dark blue eyeliner, light purple blush, blue lipstick, emerald earrings, and black and white converses. Her dark red dreadlocks are as snakes of solidifying lava flowing down her back.
Clownface stealthily strolled up behind her. He quickly wraps an arm around her, and covers her mouth as she starts to scream. He slams her head into the back of the cab.
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Clownface now had Karrel chained to the wall in the very basement that he had killed Liby in. Karrel was squirming in the shackles. Clownface took pleasure in watching the girl wiggle about, for he had jury-rigged the cuffs to tighten as the person in them moved about. The cuffs around Karrel’s wrists were now cutting off her circulation.
Karrel was the only one being held in Clownface’s basement of horrors, for Clownface wanted to do an experiment before giving this new treatment to his special guests.
Clownface had darts laying out on the implement table along with a bunsen burner. He had placed the bowl that had the ‘bleed’ and ‘cauterize’ papers in it on the table as well. The needles on the darts were 2” long, and were capable of leaving puncture wounds that are 1.5” in diameter.
“Whatever it is that you’re going to do to me, just get it over with.” Karrel finally said. Clownface managed to twist his mask into a smile. He had stitched the mask together, using the chunks of skin that he took from his previous victims, and painted it to make it look like the skin pieces were taken from several different clowns.
“As you wish, little one.” Clownface said. He picked up one of the darts, carefully aimed it at her, and then tossed it. The dart flew through the air, and sank nice and deep into her leg. Karrel let out a scream of pain, and Clownface relished in the fact that he caused her to scream. Clownface grabbed another dart, and held it to the lit bunsen burner until the needle was red. Once it was hot enough, Clownface threw it at Karrel. As soon as her nerve endings reacted, Karrel let out a loud, piercing scream.
“Why are you doing this?” Karrel asked, tears streaming down her face as rain. Clownface stood as stoic as a statue before her, watching the pathetic girl held in captivity squirm and cry. He smiled, becoming satisfied with his twisted, sick idea of having fun.
“Because t’is an enjoyable activity of mine!” He proceeded to dislodge the darts that he had impaled her with out of her body. Karrel’s blood started to flow out of the puncture wounds. With each removal, she involuntarily kringed. Karrel’s blood oozed out of the holes. She clattered about in her chains as Clownface approached her. He now held a hammer in his hand.
Clownface took the hammer, and took a swing at one of Karrel’s hands. The bones in her hand could be heard breaking. Some of them tore through her flesh. Karrel’s screams echoed throughout the basement. Clownface smiled, and shattered her other hand. Taking the hammer, Clownface smashes it into one of Karrel’s arms, breaking her bones.
As Karrel’s blood starts to leak from her wounds Clownface smiled. Clownface turns the hammer around so that the clawed side of it could be the side hitting Karrel. Karrel’s salty tears sting her wounds as they land.
Clownface smashes the hammer into Karrel’s thigh, tearing her flesh open. Clownface pulled the hammer free, and blood started to leak out. Karrel screamed out, and cried from the pain. Clownface pulls his arm back, and takes another swing at Karrel. The claws connect with Karrel’s thigh again.
This time Clownface yanks on the hammer, and leaves long, bloody red marks in Karrel’s leg. Karrel pulls and jerks her leg as Clownface pulls on the hammer, making her injuries much worse. She screams quite loudly, and Clownface smacks her.
“Don't you ever shut up!?” He asks of her. Karrel feels herself becoming lightheaded and dizzy. The pain wraps her up, and holds her down, making her beg for the end.
“Please, please end it.” Karrel says weakly. Clownface cups a hand around his ears, causing Karrel to repeat herself. Clownface smiles, raises his arm, and swings the hammer down, bashing Karrel’s skull inward. Blood and brain matter leak from the killing blow.
Dropping the hammer, Clownface pulls a key from his blood stained jumpsuit, and unshackles Karrel’s corpse. He throws her lifeless, bloody body over his shoulder, and carries her into a nearby room. Setting her down, Clownface opens up a freezer, picks Karrel up, and places her corpse inside.