Friendly Neighborhood Psycho

"Please…please… I have kids!"

"Shhhh Karen. You agreed to the rules."

"If I hadn't you would have killed me!"

"True, True. However, you lost so now you die."

Snicker-Snack.

The blade cut through the moonlight. Momentarily blinding Karen. That was all he needed. A few seconds of negligence. He shot forward and plunged the blade deep into her chest.

Her eyes filled with shock, as she screamed. She began to pound his chest with her fist. He looked into her eyes, unbothered by her protest.

"You shouldn't have been such a monumental bitch, Karen! Thought it was funny did you?" He twisted the blade, eliciting a loud whimper.

Hot tears rolled slowly down her cheeks.

He laughed as they reached his hands.

"Tears! Tears! Oh, you fucking Ice Queen! Who knew you could even cry! You made him cry when you embarrassed him so fully."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Who! Who! You don't even remember?! You ruined his life with your filthy, sticky, lies! You thought it was so fucking funny! You guffawed, you chortled, and oh you even slapped your knee!" He tore the blade from her chest and stabbed her in the knee.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh"

"Well now it's someone else's turn to laugh. Now you are the joke! You are the clown! Your life has been ruined!!!!!"

Then he ripped the blade out and began plunging it again and again and again into her. Each new thrust called forth another howl of laughter from him and a weak whimper from her. Then the whimpers became gurgles, and the gurgles became silent.

Soon the only sound was the wet sound of the blade sliding in and out.

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Daniel shot straight up in bed. His bedclothes in a sweaty tangle all about him. Sheets clung to him much like the fragments of his dream. As reality set in the pieces evaporated like so much smoke. However, the terror of it all was still fresh. The fact that the details became harder to recall only exasperated his panic.

His mouth and nose were dry. Each breath drawn through flared nostrils threatened to draw blood.

"Water, water." He said aloud but almost as if he was far away.

He went to get up and tumbled to the floor. Slowly clambering to his feet, Daniel freed himself from his possessive top sheet and shakily made it to the kitchen.

He slowly slurped down the cool water. Relishing each gulp more than the last as it seemed to drown his fear.

"It seemed so real." He said as he placed the glass down on his counter.

He tried to shake the knot of apprehension in his stomach but it refused to let him go.

His alarm began to screech loudly, jerking him rudely out of his fugue.

"I have to get in the shower!"

The steam weaved itself through Daniel. A deep-seated sigh escaped his lips as the tension melted away.

"Sor-"

Daniel stopped mid-lather, and focused his hearing. There was nothing. He went to start again, and this time it came a little clearer. Clearer and closer.

"Sssssoooorrryyyy"

"Hello! Who's there!?" He demanded

He blinked the suds out of his eyes and spun around. There, composed entirely out of steam was a woman. Daniel blinked several times, trying desperately to dismiss the delusion. It had the exact opposite outcome. Every blink brought her into sharper focus.

It was the woman from his dream. Her body was littered with knife holes. Her hair wild, and her eyes bulged from crying. She reached out to him through the steam.

"Forgive me Daniel! Forgive me!"

He pressed himself against the edge of the tub. The water handle dug into his lower back.

"Forgive you for what, Karen! Leave me be! You aren't real! You aren't real!"

"Daniel it's terrible here! I am in so much pain. Please forgive me so I can be released!"

Daniel covered his face with his hands and began to sob softly.

"Begone!"

"You chickenshit! You killed me and now you can't look at me!"

A smell of rot began to fill the bathroom. It became so strong, he started to gag.

"Release me! Release me, or I will claw your eyes out!"

He could feel the bite of her nails as she ripped through his skin.

"Stop!"

"Release me!"

"Stop now!"

"Release me now!"

She began to rend with even more fervor. All the while howling like some mad beast.

I am going to die. He thought.

I am going to die in my fucking bathtub. Killed by something out of a dream. A better death for a nutter he couldn't conjure up.

No, my dear boy. Another voice in his head spoke.

No, we are not gonna die here!

Daniel's hands dropped slowly. He locked eyes with Karen, steam rolled off her now mostly corporeal body. She had a wicked grin splayed across her face.

"Hello, there sunshine! Look at those beautiful brown eyes. I think I'll take them."

She sprung forward, nails extended, cackling wildly.

Daniel felt some force within him roar up his throat.

"Fuck off Karen!"

She stopped mid lunge, confused.

"You lied about me. Made me think I was crazy. Made my family think I was crazy.”

“ I-i-i”

“Shut up you creature, nothing you could say could take away all the tests, all the needle jabs, all the agony, I endured due to your lies.”

She began to cower to the opposite end of the bathtub.

“Begone you treacherous worm. Whatever hell you are going through, I promise it is not enough!”

Her chest began to hitch, and her breathing quickened. A scream tore through her body as she exploded into a black mist and funneled herself down the drain.

The room began to spin and I felt my legs give underneath me.