Maniac

• Rachael Foley
• Short Story
• 2008

She crept silently along the laboratory bench, keeping her blonde head out of view. Outside it was cold and dark, wind howled like screams and rain pounded on the doors, wanting to be invited in. The room was black and silent, every move that she made let off a sound that gave away her whereabouts as she tried to get out of the room.

“Come out, come out wherever you are.” A husky voice mumbled. “I will find you, no matter where you hide.”

Bridgette shivered at the thought, her body was damp with sweat and cold tears fell from her eyes. From where she was crouching she could see his shadow from the light of the moon. Although she hadn’t looked at him directly from what she had heard he was male, tall, strong and a deranged, psychopath.

Only a few meters away were a door leading out to the main corridor, the door was open; it would take her less than a second to run into it. But it could also take her less than a second to be caught. No matter how strong she was she knew that she wouldn’t be able to get away from him, not again. Her brained racked for a plan, but the only thing that she could focus on was the putrid smell that was coming from the man as she got closer and closer to her hiding place. Mocking the fact that he knew were she was and that he would get her. But even so he still liked to mess with her mind. That’s what he did to all of his victims, even if he didn’t kill them they would have turned insane from the torment. The last female victim wasn’t as lucky, Melissa, only sixteen years olds, body was found mangled in the store room at the only school in Teura. Three other murders had occurred in the same place in the last four months. Each was a young girl, blonde, beautiful and prone to a nauseating and bloodthirsty death.

Bridgette could remember as though it was yesterday when she found out about the first of the killings, she was sitting quietly in class, writing an essay about the First World War when a teacher abruptly ran into the room, out of breath. When she entered she strode straight across to the history teacher Mr. Tiyle and muttered something in his ear. As soon as she finished his face went white with shock and he looked as though he was about to throw up. His eyes were wide with fear but he still stood up and told them the disgusting news.

“Class,” he had said, “A dreadful thing has happened and I need everyone to stay calm. Melissa Daning’s body was found this morning in a store room, at this school. That is why the police have been going in and out of your classes. They need evidence to find out who murdered her.”

His voice droned on, but Bridgette’s, like everyone else, her mind was far away, in the land of shock. Questions swept through her mind, who did it, how did she die, what does the body look like, all were throbbing so hard that her brain ached in the effort to keep her head from exploding. A single tear ran down her face. She was in Home Economics with Melissa, she was the kindness, and gentlest person in the school, what sort of sick maniac would do such a thing. But now she knew, she was being stalked by that same maniac.

Her heart pounded against her ribs as the man continued to taunt her.

“Scarlet, no, Tiffany, no, Ellie, wait I’ve got it, Bridgette, sorry I sometimes get a little confused, there has been so many girls.”

His voice was a lot closer now she could hear every breath as he drew closer and closer. Above her was a neat row of chemicals in test tubes. She heard him pick one up and laugh, a cold, cruel laugh.

“Woops.” He cried.

The contents from the tube poured directly onto her head, she gasped in pain as the Perchloric Acid burned into her skull, eating away at the flesh. As she cowered in fear a resounding crash shook the room as the man swept his arm across the rest of the tubes and sent them flying into the floor, shattering them into tiny little pieces.

“Look Bridgy, that’s what I am going to do with your bones, but don’t worry, you won’t be dead at that stage. Not until I have had my fun.”

She couldn’t take it any longer, taking the chance she flung herself towards the door. As she was half way out a strong hand gripped the back of her long hair and pulled her. A chunk off hair ripped out of her skull as she sped towards the hallway door that led outside.

“Come back here.” He barked, his bloodshot eyes blaring.

But she was already out of the door and running towards the toilets, towards a locked room, were she could hide until the morning came. Outside was pitching black and bitterly cold, the wind whipped around her like a gale, her pajamas didn’t keep out the cold when she was soaked to the bone with rain. She heard the door slam from far behind her, so she kept running. A stitch was forming quickly at her side, and it made her think about the dinner that she had eaten less than two hours ago. That was before she received the threatening call that had changed her life. Only ten minutes after dinner her mobile phone had rung, followed by the speech about the death that would come to her family if she didn’t follow his orders. Shrouded in fear, the year ten student snuck out of the back door and slowly headed to her dreadful fate. And now she was here, running from a psycho serial killer, slowly turning insane.

She reached the toilets at least two hundred meters in front of him, without hesitation she swung open the bathroom door and quickly barricaded herself with in it. She turned quickly and looked into the mirror, taking in what she saw. Her hair was all over the place and her cloths were ripped and bloodied. She looked down at her hands and gasped, blood was all over them, the blood of her best friend. As she scrubbed into her hands with soap and water everything came flooding back.

When she had reached the deserted school at midnight she found a note saying ‘In Room 6’, the room of all the murders. When she reached it and pushed open the door she saw something that was worse than death. Lying motionless on the floor was a dark haired body; it was Narissa, her best friend. Its arms and legs were sprawled at awkward angles and blood had soaked and surrounded the body. Shakily she fell by its side and sobbed, they body had been distorted and gashes had been made all over the body. Slashed into her skin were the words ‘That was fun, your turn.’ Her eyes were lifeless and blank; at least that’s what the gouged balls looked as they lay beside her, revealing the hollowed sockets. Bridgette turned away and feeling bile rise in her throat ran from the scene, throwing up as she ran. She turned at a bend and fell to thee ground, a body stood in front of her shrouded by darkness, his face in shadow.

“Your turn.” It hissed.

Its hands wrapped around her neck as she was pushed up against the wall, her arms and legs flailed as she attempted blindly to free herself from him. In her hast a free leg made contact directly into his knee. A loud crack filled the air and he doubled over in pain. She leapt from his grasp and ran towards the science room.

A sudden noise brought her straight back down to earth, a banging at the door.

“You can’t hide in there for ever. No one can hear you scream. No one will save you. I will kill you.” He shouted.

She could hear his fingers fumbling with the lock, pulling at the hinges. Trying to find a way inside. Tears now streamed down her face. She didn’t want to die, but he would find a way in and she would be trapped, no escape.

“Leave me alone.” She screamed. “I haven’t done anything to you.”

“Maybe not, but you don’t deserve to live, none of you do. The voice told me, he took me to a far away place and told me to kill you all. I, I told him no, but he wouldn’t leave my head until I promised. None of them would leave my head, all the screaming and lying and shouting at me, I don’t like it.” He screamed in insanity. “If I put out the little red light that drums inside, everything will go away. I will be free, happy and free, happy and free, happy and free.”

He kept repeating the words for another couple of hours until it was beginning to get light outside. Then suddenly he stopped, all was silent and dead. She looked through the grated bottom of the door and saw nobody, he wasn’t in sight. Shaking her head she turned around to face the mirror and screamed in utter terror, the last noise she would ever make.