Killer

I arrived to the hospital within just a few minutes.  I had to get inside.  I had to know that Leonna was going to be okay.  I rushed from the car to the entrance of the emergency room and through the door.  I saw a nurse standing at the desk, and she looked familiar, she turned around with a worried look on her face.  Elisa!  I thought.  

Elisa was my cousin and one of my dear friends.  She was so beautiful; you could see her Sicilian decent by the tone of her skin which had a slight olive tint to it, and her dark brown hair which was gorgeous.  One of my favorite features of hers was her practically perfect smile, when she wore it, that is.  There she stood; the perfect person for me to talk to about Leonna's condition.  She was wearing blue scrubs, her ever-famous, loose, sideways-ponytail, and her squared, black-rimmed glasses.  She was gorgeous, even with the distraught look that she was wearing. 

"Elisa, hey where's Leonna?  How is she?"  I asked quickly.

"Well she's not good.  It seems from all the trauma, that she is having----complications.  I can't really give details, Ryan, you know that."  Elisa explained.  

It was as though when she looked at me she could see that something was wrong.  It was strange, Elisa and I always had such a powerful connection, it was as if she just knew when something was really wrong.  

"Look, I don't ask much about what's going on with you since the accident, and maybe I should.  But this is three of your friends admitted to the hospital now, and all in intensive care.  What's going on?"  Elisa looked more uneasy and uncomfortable now. 

"Can I see her?  I just have to know she is going to be okay."  The guilt was blatantly obvious in my tone, but I could not care less.  Elisa would see through any facade I could try to pass off anyways.  

"Yeah the doctors will be out in just a moment, they have to get her cleaned up."  She told me sounding aggravated.  I sat in the waiting area trying to clear my thoughts a little until I could get in to see my friend. 

       My pain was gone, that was the positive side to all of this, and I felt great.  Something inside of me felt accomplished and uncaring to Leonna's current situation.  It was like a darkness inside of me was whispering for me to try for more, to finish her off even!

I can't be blamed.  I thought to myself.  I CAN'T BE BLAMED!  My thoughts rumbled loudly in my head.  

I can have as much as I want, what could anyone prove?  My thoughts went on criminally.  

No, I won't become a monster.  I fought with myself silently.

But, truthfully it was a losing argument, I had already acted like a beast; preying on my friends the way I had. 

"You can go in and see her now, Ryan."  Elisa told me in a cold, hard, tone.  I stood up and my thoughts were still distant.  We walked past Alana's room, where she had been the previous night.  Her bed had already been cleared and she was probably moved to another section of the hospital.  

Elisa opened the door and let me in.  I walked slowly to Leonna's bed where she was crying.  

"Ryan, I -- I"  she stammered through her sentence.  Her sobs were louder than her words.  

"What, what's wrong Leonna?"  I asked earnestly.  

"I lost the baby, I wanted to tell you but---"   she couldn't continue, her sobs went on hysterically.  

"I--I'm so sorry!  I wish there was something I could do."  I told her.  No I didn't, I couldn't care less about it.  There was no reasonable excuse for her not telling me.  I was suppose to be one of her closest friends!  

"Why does everyone around you keep ending up in the hospital?!  Why does it seemed like people that are close to you only get hurt?!  I have been fine for a year and then you come along and --"  I had to stop her, was she kidding?  

"I came along?  What the hell do you mean, you bumped into me!  I was perfectly happy living my quiet life, so DON'T GIVE ME that BULLSHIT!!"  I was yelling now.  

Elisa came in the room at the elevated sound of the conversation.  

"You need to go Ryan!  She is trying to recover, you shouldn't be in here yelling at her.  It's time for you to go."  She said with an ugly tone.  

"You know what, you're right!  I didn't come here for this."  I said walking over to the door.  

"Ryan, No!  I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."  Leonna's tone came out sounding contrite. 

       Security guards were waiting at the nurses station and this was a bit astonishing to me.  

"You called security on me?  I can't believe you Elisa!"  I said as I started towards the entrance.  The guards started to approach me, "I can see myself out boys.  Don't worry, I hate this place as it is!"  

The ride home was frustrating.  

How could Leonna try to pin all of this on me?  I thought in silence.  Regardless of how guilty I really was, she couldn't have known that I really did have something to do with it.  

Anger coursed through me like the ferocity of a hundred burning fires.  So much so, that, my head throbbed as if tiny mallets were pounding at my temples.  How could Leonna accuse me of something so, seemingly, absurd?  How could my own cousin try to have me thrown out of the hospital?

That's fine I could make her forget it all anyways and that's just what I would do---while I was getting my next fix.  

I stopped off on the way home to get something to eat at the nearest fast-food joint.  I hurried though, it was already getting late in the afternoon and I would need to get ready for work as soon as I made it home. 

      *********************

       When I got to work, the parking lot was pretty full and they were probably busy inside.  I hurried in and went straight to the break room near the technicians desk to set my drink down for later.  There he was, Anthony, he sat still as his training video finished up.  He looked quite dapper and very attractive in his new work uniform, as he sat there trying to pay interest in the video.  He turned around and saw me standing in the doorway.  

"Hey!  You watching the video too?"  He asked jokingly.  I must have been staring again.  

"Oh, no!  I just umm-- I didn't realize you worked today."  I tried to answer quickly.

"Oh, yeah Mr. Garickson called me and said that I could come in and start training today."

"Oh, you mean Matt."

"Yeah--umm, so how long have you worked here?"

"A long time"  I answered quickly, and set my stuff down on the table behind him.  

"Okay?  So what do you want me to get started on?"  He asked me curiously.  

"I don't know, I don't deal with the training."  I told him briskly.  

"Oh, well Matt said that--"  I cut him off quickly.  

"I don't care what Matt said, I don't deal with the training."  Anthony wasn't looking at me anymore.  

"You will train him, Ryan."  Apparently Matt had been standing behind me.  I let out an aggravated sigh and rolled my eyes.  

"Okay man whatever.  Come out here so we can get started, I have a lot of work to get done."  I said with an attitude.  

Why was I acting like that, I didn't mind being around Anthony, in fact, this could have been the highlight of my day.

"Lose the attitude Ryan, or I'll just send you home"  Matt's voice came from around the corner as we made our way out to the service desk.  

"Whatever."  I grumbled. 

"Alright Anthony--"

"Tony is fine."  He smiled a bit coyly.

"Alright look, Anthony, what do you know about computers?"  I asked with a careless tone.  

"Well, I am actually great with computers, I have kinda always liked to take them apart and experiment.  I've built a few."  He explained to me sounding a bit excited and accomplished.  

"Great, well you can get started right away then.  The computers are marked with what needs to be done on all of them.  There are two over there that need motherboards and one that needs a reformat."  I said pointing to the floor in the corner.

How could I treat him like this?  I guess it was just a natural reaction to hiding how I really felt.  I figured the chances of him liking me were pretty thin, so what was the point?  

"So where are you from?"  He asked as he started to work on one of the computers.  

"Boston."  I said as I got to work on some department paperwork. 

"Boston, nice!  I'm from New York City myself--" 

"Look I'm not much for this small talk, just get your work done!"  He looked at my in disgust.  

"Look we're gonna be working together, just figured I would get to know you.  You don't have to be such an a*s!"  He said defensively.  

I worked diligently for a while and thought about him---of course.  He didn't have to be so nice because it was killing me being so mean.  I wanted to know him, and here I was blowing him off.  I glanced over at him to see that he wasn't doing anything wrong.  

Look at him with his fresh cut, all lined-up and stuff.  I thought to myself. 

"Look I don't mean to be--" 

"Just get your work done.  Isn't that what you said?"  He replied cutting me off quickly.  The rest of the night was quiet, we both worked on separate tasks, and he did pretty well for his first day.  

I walked out to my car after work and noticed Anthony standing at the car beside mine with the hood up.  Of course.  I clicked my remote to unlock my car, and walked over.  

"Hey Ryan, look do you think you could jump me?"  He asked sounding bitter.  

HA!  My mind was in all the wrong places.  

"I guess that won't be a problem.  Do you have the cables?"  I asked.  

"Ha, No.  I was sorta hoping you did though?"  His statement was more of a question.  

I popped my trunk and grabbed the jumper-cables.  

"Here hook them up."  I tossed the cables to Anthony.  After a few minutes his car started right up, he drove a silver Honda Accord maybe an '01 version.  I disconnected the cables and closed my hood.  

"Keep the cables."  I told him and got in my car.  

"What?  No.  Are you sure?"  He asked.  I closed my door and pulled off. 

       I was headed to Alana's house, surely she would be home by now, it had been more than twenty-four hours.  It didn't take long to get to her house from work, she lived all of ten minutes away.

I rang the doorbell, and to my surprise, Travis answered.

"Hey, Ryan.  Come in."  He said dully.  He must have been really worried to come all the way home.  

"It's good to see you man!"  I told him as I sat down on the sofa.  

"Yeah, you too."  His tone sounded more questionable.  He didn't sound very thrilled to see me.  

"Where's Alana?"  I asked curiously.  

"She's sleeping in the bedroom, they gave her some medication."  He was standing right in front of me now.  My mind was running, what was wrong with him?  He seemed so off, and where was the coffee-table?  I spotted the table quickly, it was pushed off into the corner of the room.  This was getting more and more eerie by the moment. 

"So Ryan, what's been going on with you?"

"Nothing, what do you mean?" 

"Well Alana tells me that you did this to her."

"What?!  How could I have given her a stroke?  I was at work"

"Well she says that you claim to be able to manipulate people's minds." 

"That's interesting.  Ha."

"Are you telling me that; what she is saying isn't true?"

"Travis, come on man.  Listen to yourself."

"Answer my question, is it true or not?"

"No, the idea is just absurd."

"LIAR!"  Travis threw his fist to swing a punch, but I caught him by the wrist.  

"You made a big mistake doing that"  I told him grinning and standing up slowly.  

He struggled to break free, but it was too late.  My mind was already starting to merge into his, and his life was pouring out into me.  

"Oh, don't move.  The struggle will just make it worse I'm sure."  I told him half snickering.  

"What--are--you!?"  He asked pausing between his words.

"Your best friend, isn't that right?"  I told him, I was outside of myself.  This wasn't me, it couldn't be, I had to try to stop myself.  It was as though I was watching it all, but not in control, like an outsider looking in.  

"NO!  You're a monster!"  He half-yelled.  

A devilish laugh crept out of me.  I forced forward images, random thoughts that I created just to hurt him.  Alana kissing me, softly---passionately.  My hands slowly slid up her shirt.  We were in the break-room at work.  

"Stop it, Ryan!"  He said weakly.  

Slowly I removed her shirt and tossed it aside.  There were soft sounds of enjoyment and I continued undressing Alana. 

"How does it feel, seeing your best-friend undress your wife?"  I asked him wickedly.  

The images went on and I created each one, improvising, as I forced them forward.  I started to unhook her bra, she slowly unbuttoned my shirt as I did and tossed it over near hers.  My kisses moved lower, slowly, as I unstrapped her bra and began to caress her breasts with my lips.  She moaned lightly and I lifted her off the floor and threw her onto the break table.  

"How do you like it Travis?"  I asked again.  He dropped to his knees and begged.  

"Please, Ryan.  Please stop this."  I looked at him, he was pathetic, and completely mine in that moment.  The images changed, now it was time for him to feel pain.  

"Here I am suffering, trying to figure out what's wrong with me.  AND WHERE ARE YOU?"  Flashes of him with another woman rushed through.  

She was beautiful, skinny and blonde but that's all I could seem to make-out, it was in the dark.  

"What's this?  You CHEATED ON HER!?"  They were having sex in the back of a car.  

"Who's Kim?!"  I yelled loudly, not caring about who could hear me.  Maybe Alana would wake up and come out, but that wouldn't matter, she wouldn't remember if she did.  I pushed forward more images.   

        I had to show him pain, the image was of Alana.  She stood over him while he laid in bed and she slowly drove a knife through his chest and into his heart.  Travis yelped in pain aloud.  

"That's how she would feel if she knew what you did to her!"

My eyes began to roll to the back of my head, I could feel myself convulse from the overdose of energy but I didn't release him.  Travis fell to the floor, this time, completely.  

"Please, I can't breathe."  He begged for me to release him, but his words were a waste of air.  

"You're pathetic!"  I said to him. 
"Go----to---hell!"  He said gasping for air.  

"Tell me something Travis,"  I said looking him directly in the eyes.  

"How does it feel to look your best friend in the eyes and know I'll be the last person you'll ever see?"  He spit at me, but it was useless.  

I dropped his arm and it fell to his chest.  He sighed his last breath and his head fell to the side.  I stood there for a moment and looked at him, I wanted to wait.  I wanted to be sure that there was no saving him.  I felt no remorse, in fact I couldn't feel any emotion towards him except superiority.  

It didn't matter that he was taller or stronger than me.  It didn't matter that he had government training to defend himself against me.  It was all useless.  I could practically make him dance.

        There was no 911 call, no EMS to come save the day.  No.  Instead, I walked out the front door completely uncaring and, I left.  I didn't care if Alana found him lying dead on the living room floor, I didn't care if it was most horrid thing she would ever see.  It wouldn't last long whatever the case.  

There were no raging thoughts tonight.  I was so intoxicated by Travis' full life force, I still felt his mind intertwined with mine.  I could still feel him shuddering with pain beneath me.  I could still feel his breathing and chest pounding as if it were my own. 

        I was high on life---literally.  I could hardly see straight, two people in one day, it was fantastic.  I felt like I had enough energy to run around the whole world.  I couldn't be stopped.  There was no fighting me, and it wouldn't matter if anyone had tried, they would lose.  

No one could know that I had these powers, no one!  I didn't care what happened, I didn't care that I had just become everything I didn't want to be.  But what was the point in hiding from it, I was exactly that---a monster, a vicious creature feeding on people's thoughts.  Not only was I a monster, now, I was a killer.  And still, I wanted more. 

Reviews

[Kaylor Mason]

He's definitely changing into something darker. I like the part where Travis was also fooling around--it gave a bit of justification to Ryan's actions (not much, but enough to relish a little sweet revenge)