Copycat

“And the Purge starts in… three minutes!” I click off the TV and turn to my friend Macy.

“Let’s go.” She says, giving me a fanged grin. We both fling our bags over our shoulders and go to meet my boyfriend Malakai. He’s waiting for us on the street corner. The government does the Purge once a year. It’s me and Macy’s favorite bonding time. All crimes are legal for twelve hours. See, we had a problem with over population a few decades ago. The Government looked into it, and found that the number one death cause in the world was murder. So they set up the purge, and sure enough, death rates rocketed. Things started to go normal again.

See, some people like to do things like rob banks and make bucks. Ha. Only in rich neighborhoods honey. In our streets, all our little psycho’s are released. I won’t tell you that doesn’t include me and Macy, cause it does. But think about it. Can you imagine? Free for all killing, enough to satisfy your blood lust for the entire year. Kept me in check, so we don’t get the stick from the Govs.

See, when you in prison, Purge don’t happen. And the Govs. handing out capital punishment to anyone who comes their way. Being dead ain’t near as fun as killing. Me, Malakai, and Macy set out for our neighborhood rounds. I had someone special in mind I wanted to get this year, but she wouldn’t be arriving back in the neighborhood till eleven thirty so I had to be quick.

“Tonya?” Macy asks.

“Yeah?”

“You nailing Petunia this year?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. We meet back up ‘leven fifty nine, ‘kay?”

We always met up so that we didn’t have any time to spare. We didn’t wanna have to kill each other. People like us, we sometime get out of control. Petunia was a middle aged woman who fed us half the year and housed us the other. She taught me how to kill. She’s the only one we don’t kill on rounds. Don’t say nothing for the little psych’s she be training for next years purge. Nobody get past us yet. And everybody Petunia train before us: yeah they dead or gone.

It’s usually me who cleans up Petunia’s place. That usually takes two hours or so. Then I keep going on my normal route. Malakai and Macy have their own. None of our paths cross. We like each other a bit too much for that. So I hang by Petunia’s place and do my thing. By the time I finish the rest of my route, it's almost eleven. Shucks, better get over Teresa's place. See her dad this cop who think he's the best. She this little brat that we hate like a dog. So far, her dad been able to protect her from our rapidly growing visits. But not tonight. He wrapped up in something else. Yeah, Malakai's nailing him. He probably dead already. Ha ha. I practically dance round to Teresa's house, just as her limo pulls up to her mansion. Only mansion in the slums. It’s surrounded by picture perfect pear trees. She had it built her specially to show off. She hops out of her car and waves her driver off. Oh yeah. She doesn't even see me until I’m practically right on top o’ her. She backs into the wall.

“Oh please, please, I’m too young to die! Please, I’ve know you, you won’t do this, right… uhh…”

“Don’t remember my name?!” I let out a manic laugh. “I’ll play a Rumplestilzkin! Guess my name, I’ll let you live!!”

“Sarah?”

“Guess one!”

“Oh… Um…!” She’s scrambling. I love it when they beg. “It starts with a T… Thea?”

I grinned and advanced again. “Tessa! Oh, Tonya! I guessed it! I guessed it, leave me alone!”
“Only three guesses honey! It’s how the game’s played.”

“Oh no no no! Please no!” The last thing she screamed was “DADDY!!!” Into the night air. Nobody heard her. I hear my friends rushing up behind me.

“Oh, Tonya… what did you do?” Malakai asks softly. What? Why are they so freaked out? Were they becoming soft hearted little freaks?! Then I saw that Macy was holding out her watch to me. I heard police cars arriving somewhere in the back of my head as my attention focused on the watch. 12:01. I felt someone grab my hands and handcuff them behind my back. I feel myself losing control of my mind. I let out a maniacal laugh. Oh well, she was worth it! Worth it worth it! Hahahahaha! Worth it! Oh well, I guess it’s time to die!