The Diary

Introduction

Case File #42E: Murder of Detective John Smith

To- Detective Karen Snowe
From- Sgt. Williams


Contained within the following pages are several selected entries from Detective John Smith's diary.  These selected entries have been chosen due to a connection between each other.  I've looked these entries over, again and again, and still cannot draw a significant conclusion as to who killed Smith.  I'm hoping you can.  You know more about John than I do, seeing as how the two of you have been friends since childhood.  I'm counting on you Detective Snowe.

Walter: Streetside at a small park.  Date: 8/20/08

I don't know why, but there's something about this boy that I don't like.  Let me describe him: he's slender, a brunette, and has these unnaturally red eyes.  He's wearing a sold black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, a faded pair of blue jeans, and boots (this struck me as odd, considering it's June).  He's leaning up against the side of a building, looking around as if waiting for someone.  I glance at my watch then at the sky.  I notice dark clouds moving in (I hope it doesn't rain.  The weatherman said it would be a clear and sunny day).  I look back towards the boy and see him walking towards an old man struggling with a suitcase.  He says something to the old man, and then reaches for his suitcase.  "Thief!" cries the old man, and the boy jumps backwards and holds up his hands.

-boy= "Uggh, this is what I get for wanting to help"
-old man= "You should be thankful!  I may have just saved yer life!"
-boy= "What are you talking about?"
-old man= "This be the city where no good deed goes unpunished.  If ya was to help me, ya prob'ly would've wound up dead."
-boy= "And you honestly believe that?"
-old man= "Come and sit with me boy.  Let me explain somethin' to ya, about this city."

He walks over to a park bench and sits down, then gestures for the boy to sit down next to him.  The boy sits down and turns to the old man.

-boy= "What about this city?"
-old man= "In this city, the good folk are always the first to die…"
-boy= "So?"
-old man= "So, I think the city itself kills 'em!  I don't believe in "innocent bystanders"!  If someone gets shot by a "stray" bullet, it's because the city told the bullet to kill that person."

I start to feel raindrops hitting my forehead (stupid fucking weatherman…)

-boy= "Uh huh… and how exactly does the city know who to kill?"
-old man= "Because it's run by the devil!  An' he's got eyes everywhere!"
-boy= "You realize everything you just said sounds insane, right?"
-old man= "Fine, don't believe me.  But know this, I…"
-boy= "I never said I didn't believe you.  As a matter of fact, you're quite right about certain things, Mr. Miller"
-old man= "How do you know my name boy?"
-boy= "I've known your name since you moved here.  Since the first time you set foot in this city, Walter"
-Walter= "But I've never seen you before!"
-boy= "Forget it Walter.  Let's get back to our original conversation.  As I told you before, you are right about certain things.  For example, there really are no innocent bystanders.  All deaths are planned."

The boy leaned in close to Walter, and whispered something to him.  I have no idea what he said, but whatever it was, it made Walter's eyes widen in shock.  I begin to hear thunder, and the rain is getting heavier by the minute.  The boy stands up and begins walking away

-boy= "Unfortunately Walter, I must be going.  I hope you have a wonderful day."

Walter jumps to his feet and throws a rock at the boy's head, but the boy moves out of its way before it can hit him.  "Don't you dare walk away from me, you bastard!  I'll reveal who you truly are!!" screamed Walter.  This managed to get the attention of everyone within earshot.  A grin spreads across the boy's face (I don't like that grin.  It's fucking creepy).  Walter begins yelling to the onlookers.

-Walter= "All of you, listen to me!  That man is…"

Still grinning, the boy snaps his fingers and out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning strikes Walter.  Walter isn't dead however, and tries to continue with what he was saying, but never has a chance to, as four more bolts of lightning strike him, one after the other.  The lightning is so bright; I'm forced to shield my eyes.  When I open them again, Walter is dead and all that's left of him is ashes.  The boy however, is nowhere to be found!  ("Where the fuck did he go?!  And why is the fucking sun out now?!  What happened to the storm?!")

... ... .. .. ..

Otto: Streetside.  Date: 8/25/08

Currently, I'm hiding in the shadows of an alley, watching Otto.  Otto is an old friend of mine, and had called me via payphone, asking me to "watch" him (he was very vague).  Let me tell you a little about him.  He is a bum, plain and simple.  He wasn't always like this.  He used to be an upstanding citizen.  That all changed however, when his parents were brutally murdered.  That day, I had been called to investigate their murder, no more than two hours after chatting with Otto.  I remember watching him go from happy and smiling to broken and crying on his knees when he saw the crime scene.  Ever since then, his life fell apart.  He lost his job and never got another.  He had been checked into the hospital three times for alcohol poisoning.  He's been in lockup twenty times for drunken misconduct charges as well as being in mental health clinics several times for posttraumatic stress disorder.  Now he lives on the street in a cardboard box.  When I arrived here, three well known, local thugs were talking to Otto (well, only the one in the middle was talking).

-Thug= "… and you'll just use it for beer you bum!"
-Otto= "Get outta here and leave me the fuck alone!"
-Thug- "Or what? Huh, what the fuck are you gonna do?!"

I watch as the middle thug grabs Otto's change cup and laughs.  Otto starts to stand, but is stopped when thug on the right kicks him hard in the chest, sending Otto back down to the sidewalk.  At this point, I thought about arresting the two of them, but decided not to blow my cover yet.  I've wanted to get those three assholes behind bars for a couple years now, and I want them in there for longer than a theft sentence.

-Otto= "Give it back!  It's not yours!"
-Thug= "Ha!  No way you rank bastard!  I'm doing your fucking liver a favor!"
-Otto= "Gimme back my fucking money!!"

I shiver as a very cold breeze moves through the alley, giving my skin goosebumps.

-Thug= "You know, for a smelly old bum, you sure are fucking greedy!"
-Otto= "Greedy?  GREEDY?!"

I watch in disbelief as I see Otto's eyes suddenly change from blue to a bright red.  As I'm wondering how that could even be possible, a voice suddenly speaks in my head.

-Voice= "Detective, watch this…"

My attention is brought back to Otto when I hear screaming.  I look in horror as Otto's shadow grows behind him, changing itself to the shadow of some monster (only way to describe it), and then decapitated the two thugs on the left and right side!  The voice speaks in my head again.

-Voice= "If you think that's exciting detective, you ain't seen nothing yet!"

I hear another scream and look up to see the shadow grab the remaining thug, lift him into the air, and literally tear him in half.  I quickly snap back to reality and draw my gun.  I charge at Otto.

-Me= "Otto!  Get on the fucking ground!  You're under arrest!!"
-Voice= "Uh uh uh detective…"

An incredibly bright light appears around me, blinding me.  I hear a screaming wail and am suddenly thrown backwards, into the alley.  When my vision returns, Otto is nowhere to be found, neither are the bodies of the three dead thugs.  I notice a note lying on the ground next to me.  It simply reads:

DO NOT PURSUE ME COP!

-your friend ☺

… … … .. .. ..

An Odd Exchange: My home.  Date: 8/30/08

I had a very odd conversation with a strange girlscout this morning (I didn't even know that we had girlscouts in this city).  I woke up to a knocking at my apartment door.  "I'm sleeping, go away!" I yell, but the knocking continues.  I reluctantly get up and walk over to the door.  When I open it, I am greeted by a young girl in a girlscout's uniform.

-Me= "Can I help you?"
-Girl= "Hi sir.  I'm here to sell you some…"
-Me= "Cookies?  Sorry but I'm not interested."
-Girl= "Teehee!  No, not cookies.  Advice."
-Me= "Advice?"
-Girl= "Yes sir.  Advice."

She smiles at me, but it doesn't look like a genuine smile.  It looks sort of evil.  I don't like it at all.

-Me= "Cookies, advice, drugs; it doesn't matter what you're selling.  I'm still not interes…"
-Girl= "Stop pursuing him detective.  No good comes out of it."

And just like that, I'm very interested.

-Me= "What did you just say?!"
-Girl= "Stop pursuing him.  Forget everything you've seen.  He knows you watched him.  He told you once not to interfere with him.  I'm only here to make sure you listened."
-Me= "WHO IS HE?!  YOU HAD BETTER TALK!"
-Girl= "He is he and that is what he forever will be.  So listen to me and ignore what you see or he will bring and end to thee.  Teehee!"
-Me= "Who the fuck…"
-Girl= "Bye detective!  Teeheehee!"
-Me= "Fucking son of a…"

Out of nowhere, I am surrounded once again, by that blinding light.  This time however, it simply fades away after a few seconds.  Just as I thought, the girl is nowhere to be found.  I look into the hall and see a man in a suit walking towards me.

-Me= "Which way did that girl go?!"
-Man= "What girl?"
-Me= "The one that was talking to me!  The one who left when that light appeared!"
-Man= "Light?  Buddy are you feeling ok?"
-Me= "The blinding white light!"
-Man= "Maybe you should lie down for a while."
-Me= "Yeah, maybe I should.  Sorry to bother you."
-Man= "Take it easy buddy."
-Me= "Yeah, you too."

After he turns the corner, I return to my apartment.  I sit on the bed, put my head in my hands, and think to myself "What the fuck is going on here?"

… … … … .. .. ..

Tequan: Random apartment.  Date: 9/14/08

Currently, I'm located in a random apartment in a sleazy fucking hotel.  I've been told to spy on this man called Tequan.  We suspect he's involved in dealing to locals.  I still have yet to gather conclusive evidence, but I have learned he visits a certain apartment frequently, to have sex with local prostitutes.  We bugged the room with both audio and video surveillance.  Unfortunately, our video surveillance encountered technical problems.  So now all I have to go by is audio.  I can hear that he's returned, and he's got another woman (it's a whore, no doubt in my mind).

-Tequan= "…'s right girl, a full twelve inches.  Haha!"
-Hooker= "Mmm.  I just love a man who be packin'."
-Tequan= "Hehe.  Aight, this our room.  Ya know, I fucked a bitch look jus' like ya here last week."
-Hooker= "Yeah?  Was she good?"
-Tequan= "She was shy an' shit at first, but I got the bitch to loosen up.  Hoe even let me tie her ass up."
-Hooker= "She was kinky?"
-Tequan= "Fuck yeah!"
-Hooker= "How kinky are you?"
-Tequan= "Hehehe, what you got in mind girl?"
-Hooker= "Think you'd let me tie you to the bed?  Do it, and I'll take care of you real well."
-Tequan= "Aight girl, but afterwards I tie yo ass to the bed, an' fuck ya til I'm tired, fo' no charge.  We got a deal?"
-Hooker= "Mmm, deal.  Get up on that bed."
-Tequan= "Aight girl.  Get yo ass up here and have ya way with me."
-Hooker= "You look good enough to eat, honey, and I do plan to eat you.  But first I want you to know something about that girl you fucked here last week.  You didn't get her to loosen up, you fucking raped her!  She didn't want to do what you asked, so you fucking hit her, tied her up, and had your fucking way with her!"
-Tequan= "Bitch, how you know dat shit?!"

After hearing this, I'm interested.  If I can get him booked on a rape charge, I could get him put away for much longer than I could for a dealing charge.  I pour myself a glass of coffee and raise the volume on my headphones.  Now I begin to listen intently.

-Tequan= "Bitch!  Untie me!  NOW!"
-Hooker= "Not until you admit you raped her you fucking pig!"
-Tequan= "I SAID FUCKING UNTIE ME, YOU HOE!!  How da fuck you even know this shit?!  What was you, fucking spying on me?!"
-Hooker= "Please, I have better shit to do than spy on you!"
-Tequan= "Then what?!  Do you know the bitch?!"
-Hooker= "Never met her in my life."
-Tequan= "THEN HOW THE FUCK YOU KNOW THIS SHIT?!"
-Hooker= "You couldn't even control your own urges to stop yourself from sexually assaulting her!"
-Tequan= "Let me outta this fucking shit!  And what the fuck is up wit' yo eyes?!"

As soon as I heard that, I jolt forward and spill coffee on myself.  Now I'm VERY interested.  Suddenly I hear Tequan scream through my headphones, causing me to jump and spill more coffee on myself.  I put the mug down and jump to my feet.  I grab my gun and bolt from my room.  I rush to his room and kick the door open.  What greets me, is a sight that will haunt me forever.  Tequan's body is shackled to the bed, and he had no skin.  It was as if his skin was just taken off like a jacket.  There was no blood anywhere other than on the bed, around his body.  His face was frozen in a state of agony, and he was dead (I can't even imagine how bad it would've been if he were still alive).  I needed to find the girl he was with.  The room was empty and had no windows, meaning she must have left through another exit.  I ran to the lobby and approached the clerk.

-Me= "Did you see a woman run through here, covered in blood and maybe holding something?"
-Clerk= "Could you maybe be a little more descriptive?"
-Me= "I don't know what she looks like, but I know she came in with this man"

I showed him a photo of Tequan and what he said next, deeply disturbed me.

-Clerk= "I saw him come in.  Checked him in myself, but he was alone.  I've been here all day, and haven't seen a single woman walk in at all today."

I questioned the rest of the people in the lobby and none of them remember a woman leave recently.  Nobody heard Tequan's scream either.  I just don't get it.  How could someone rip a mans skin off?  And how can they then just vanish?

… … … … .. .. ..

Answering Machine: My home.  Date: 9/14/08

Just when I think my day couldn't get any odder…

I return home after stopping at a bar for a few drinks (I needed something to get the image of Tequan's dead corpse out of my head), and find 128 new messages on my answering machine.  I have a feeling that listening to them is a bad idea, but I push the button on my machine anyway.  As I suspected, I was right.  Every message says the same thing, in the voices of little children (when did my life become a fucking Freddy Krueger movie?!).

"He is he and that is what he forever will be.  So listen to me and ignore what you see or he will bring an end to thee."

I listened to that fucking poem over and over.  It was every message up until message number 66.  This one was different, but it still gave me the creeps.  It seemed to be a warning put together out of a bunch of different sound clips.  To me, this message was the worst one by far.

" "I have a dream, that" "one day" "we will" "fall into chaos".  "There will be" "anarchy" "in da' streets".  "I promise that I will" "rise to power" "and I will" "show you" "the meaning of pain".

The message ended by playing a very warped, distorted version of "Jesus loves the little children".  Too drunk to stay awake anymore, I go to bed and pray that the messages were just a figment of my imagination, and that they won't be there when I wake up in the morning.

I wake up the next morning and immediately go to my answering machine.  I'm horrified to see that I wasn't imagining it.  All the messages are still there.  Not caring about my hangover, I grab my coat and my keys, and then head to the bar.  I need another fucking drink.


… … … … .. .. ..

Wilson: Multiple locations throughout the city.  Date: 9/18/08

I've been following Wilson for two days now, and I think I can honestly say he makes me sick.  I'll explain why: Wilson is faking being crippled.  He has a woman who follows him everywhere, to help him with everything.  I honestly feel sorry for her.  He is constantly making her feel bad and is constantly taking advantage of her generosity.  Wilson is fucking unbelievable!  He's getting paid disability for an injury he doesn't have, and even tells people that he's a war veteran just to get sympathy.  I'm not following him for a police investigation.  I just want to expose his fucking lies, mostly for the woman.  I'm currently in an apartment belonging to a close friend of mine, in a building across the street.  His name is Mike Harrow.  We became friends about two years ago after I saved his little brother, Jack, from a couple thugs who were robbing him at gunpoint.  Mike is actually the one who told me about Wilson, and is helping me to reveal him for who he really is.

-Mike= "They home yet?"
-Me= "Nope, not yet.  Let me ask you something, how did you find out about Wilson's secret?"
-Mike= "Well, I was kinda spying on his apartment"
-Me= "Why?"
-Mike= "No reason…"
-Me= "Mike?"
-Mike= "Fine, I like that girl that's always with him, so I watched her a few times"
-Me= "Ha!  You little pervert!"
-Mike= "Man, shut up!"
-Me= "How's Jack doing?"
-Mike= "He's fine.  He got accepted to NYU."
-Me= "Really?  That's great."
-Mike= "How's Karen?  Did you tell her how you feel about her yet?"
-Me= "No, no I didn't…"
-Mike= "Come on man.  You need to tell her already.  This is why you're still alone.  You need to make a move already."
-Me= "What am I supposed to do?  Just walk up to her and tell her flat out, that I…"
-Mike= "They're back!"

Sure enough, Wilson and the woman had just walked into his apartment.  I told Mike to bring me my headphones and began listening.

-Woman= "Okay, you just sit there, and I'll get you something to eat.  What do you feel like having today?"
-Wilson= "I'm kinda in the mood for soup.  Do you think you could make me some?"
-Woman= "Ummm…"

I watch as she looks through the cabinets.  Mike offers me a cup of coffee.  "Thanks" I say and take a sip.  "No problem man" is his reply.

-Woman= "Oh, here we are.  Yeah I can get you soup.  You've got some right here.  How's chicken noodle sound to you?"
-Wilson= "Well, I like homemade soup better.  Plus the last time you made me soup from a can, it tasted very bland.  Do you think you can make me some from scratch?"
-Woman= "I don't have all the ingredients to make it though.  If you want, I'll make the canned soup and just add some spices to make it less bland?"
-Wilson= "No, nevermind.  It's fine if you make the canned soup.  I've gone my whole life not getting what I want, so I'm used to it.
-Woman= "No, I'm sorry.  I'll just run to the store quick, and get the ingredients.  I'll be right back ok.
-Wilson= "Make sure you get only quality ingredients.  The last meal you made gave me heartburn for hours.  And don't take too long."

I turn to Mike and take another sip of my coffee.  I notice he already finished his.

-Me= "The asshole's got her going to the store even though she doesn't want to, and didn't even fucking thank her."
-Mike= "Fuck!  I just wanna kick his ass!"
-Me= "Don't do that.  I really don't feel like having to arrest you Mike."
-Mike= "I wouldn't do that.  I can't put Jack through it.  I'd never let him grow up knowing his brother is in prison for life."
-Me= "Hey, do me a favor.  Come over here and watch the apartment.  I need to go use your bathroom quick."
-Mike= "No problem."
-Me= "Thanks.  Let me know if anything interesting happens, ok?"
-Mike= "Sure."

I'm in the bathroom no longer than five minutes, when Mike knocks on the door and tell me that Wilson's in his kitchen, making himself a fucking sandwich.  I get out of the bathroom two minutes later and Mike tells me that Wilson called her and told her to hurry home, so she could turn the television on for him.

-Me= "That son of a bitch!"
-Mike= "I cannot fucking wait til you blow his fucking scam open!  I fucking hate that guy!"
-Me= "Me either."

Twenty minutes pass, and Wilson gets up to turn on the TV himself.  Just as he gets to his TV, the woman returns.

-Me= "Mike!  He's walking to turn on the TV and she's back.  She's gonna catch him!"
-Mike= "Finally!  Sorry asshole, no more free ride for you!  Haha!"
-Me= "You've got to be fucking kidding me!!"
-Mike= "What?"
-Me= "He fucking heard her open the door and dropped to the fucking ground, as if hurt!"

As she walked into the apartment, she gasped at the sight of Wilson, lying on the floor acting as if in pain.  She quickly put down her bags and rushed to help him up.

-Woman= "Oh my goodness!  What happened?"
-Wilson= "You made me wait so long, that I decided to try and turn the television on by myself, and fell.  If you had just returned quicker, this probably wouldn't have happened."
-Woman= "I'm so sorry."

Mike turns to me, a look of confusion on his face.  "What's wrong?" I ask him.  "I think her eyes just … well… just changed color.  But how is that even possible?".  Immediately after he said this, I hear the voice inside my head once again "Heh".  I quickly rip my headphones off and bolt out of Mike's apartment.  I sprint across the street, and into the other building.  I locate Wilson's apartment and kick in his door.  What I see, I once again, cannot believe.  The woman's entire right arm had become a… well… it had become a spear made of flesh.  The bone was running along its edge, and appeared sharpened into a blade.  Her hand was fingerless and her fingers had combined to form a sharp tipped spear.  Her elbow was gone.  The whole arm was one solid bone.  Wilson's head had been impaled by this arm.  I move my hand to draw my gun, but before I can even get it out of its holster, she bellows at me "QUIT INTERFERING DETECTIVE!!!".  When she yells that, I am violently thrown backwards, and slam into a wall, hard enough to make me lose consciousness.  When I come to, Wilson's corpse is gone, as is the woman.  The floor is spotless, with no trace of blood.  I get up and head back to Mike's apartment, and when I get there, I find him shaking.

-Me= "Mike?  Are you ok?"
-Mike= "She… her arm… his head…"
-Me= "Mike, relax.  It'll be alright…"

I tried to bring him out of this state for over an hour, but he wouldn't come out of his trance.  I had no choice; I brought him to a psychiatric hospital for his own safety.  I really hope he gets better soon, for his and Jack's sake.


… … … … .. .. ..

Jen: Pennytonn estate and Jen's apartment.  Date: 9/21/08.

I honestly don't know why I'm spying on this woman.  It's almost as if I'm being drawn to her.  Her name is Jen Pennytonn.  If you recognize the last name, it's most likely because you've heard of her sister, Jill.  That's right, Jill Pennytonn; the model.  When I first began watching Jen, I noticed that she had a kind of animosity towards her sister.  While Jill is a successful model, Jen is an accountant.  From what I've seen, it seems as if Jen may be jealous of her sister.  I'm currently in an unmarked black surveillance van.  Officer Henning set up several hidden cameras inside of Pennytonn estate at my request.  The Pennytonn's grew up middle class until Jill made it big as a model.  Jill then bought her parents the house they live in now, as well as several luxury cars.  Jen knocks on the door and is greeted by her mother, Teresa Pennytonn.

-Teresa= "Jennifer!  How lovely to see you again.  Please come join us dear.  Jillian was just telling us about her trip to Paris."
-Jen= "Greeeaaat."

I switch video from the front door, to the dining room; I switch the audio as well.  Inside the dining room, about a dozen, well dressed, people are sitting down and eating.  I grab a soda (all out of coffee) and sit back and observe.  I switch audio while Jill is in the middle of a joke.

-Jill= "… and so it's not a special kind of cheese, he says.  It's just that we're too cheap to throw it away just because it has mold!"

(Everybody laughs in that "I'm rich and that makes me better and more sophisticated than you" laugh)

-Jill= "Sister!  How are you dear?"
-Jen= "I'm fine, I guess."
-Jill= "So dear, tell us, what's new in the world of… uhh, I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten, what is it that you do?"

I don't know if Jill had said that just to tick Jen off, but the look Jen gave her made me shiver.  Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Jen assaulted her right now.

-Jen= "Accounting"
-Jill= "Oh right, accounting."
-Jen= "Well, something funny did happen the other day.  My boss walked in with this hero from a nearby Italian restaurant, and I said…"
-Jill= "Oh!  Speaking of Italian, did I tell you that I'm going to Venice, Italy, in two weeks?"
(Jen sighs)
-Teresa= "Get out!  I can't believe it!  You're so lucky!  I would just love to go there!  I hear Venice is absolutely beautiful this time of year."
-Jen= "May I be excused?"
-Teresa= "Huh?  Oh, yeah sure dear."

Jen gets up and leaves the room.  I notice though, that she seemed to take something out of her back pocket, and sprinkle it on Jill's food.  Jill didn't even notice it, and continued to eat.  I watched as Jen left, then noticed that Jill was clutching her stomach and looked like she was going to be sick.  Her condition continued to get worse.

-Teresa= "Jillian?  Honey, what's wrong?"
-Jill= "I don't know.  It's… uggh… I just… uggh… don't feel well."

Teresa gets up from her chair and walks over to Jill, just as Jen walks back into the room.  Jen looks as if she is concerned, but I have a feeling her concern is an act.

-Teresa= "Jen!  Something's wrong with Jillian!"
-Jen= "What's wrong?"
-Teresa= "I don't know.  She's just not feeling well."
-Jen= "Jill, are you ok?"
-Jill= "I just don't feel well."
-Jen= "Maybe I should take you home?"

Jill's condition is continuing to worsen rapidly.  Now she can barely keep herself standing and she is breathing heavily.

-Teresa= "Yes, that may be best."
-Jen= "Jill, I'm gonna take you home, ok?"
-Jill= "Uh huh."
-Jen= "Come on.  Let's get her into my car."

I switch audio and video to the driveway, and see Jen and Teresa dragging Jill to Jen's car.  Jill's just limply hanging onto them.  It reminds me of a group of frat guys, carrying a drunken friend.  They put her into Jen's car.

-Teresa= "Are you certain she'll be alright?"
-Jen= "Yes.  Don't worry mother, I'll take care of her."
-Teresa= "Alright.  It was nice seeing you again dear.  Take care of yourself."
-Jen= "You too mother."

Teresa goes back into the house, and I hear Jen say, "Don't worry about a thing mother.  I'll take care of her real well".  I have a really bad feeling about this.  I decide to follow Jen's car for about twenty minutes, until she arrives at her apartment building.  I wait until she enters the building, then I get out of the van and walk inside.  I see Jen and Jill get into an elevator, and I decide to follow them by taking the stairs.  I make it to the 14^th floor, just as Jen enters her apartment.  She places a "do not disturb" sign on her door, and then closes it.  I'm wondering how the hell I'll be able to keep watch on her, when I realize that I've been here before.  A few months ago, a man named Ralph Hendrikson had secretly installed cameras in every apartment, so he could spy on women.  We were never able to prove it was him who put the cameras there, so he never got charged.  I bring up his apartment number in my mind, and hope that he's still living here.  I run to apartment 116, and kick in the door.  To my relief, Ralphie is still living here and he's in the middle of watching his camera feeds.  Startled, he tries to hide what he was doing.

-Me= "Touch that computer and I'll kick your fucking ass Ralphie!"
-Ralph= "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
-Me= "Shut up and get lost Ralphie!"
-Ralph= "You can't just kick my fucking door in!  That's breaking and entering!  It's illegal!!"
-Me= "And what you're doing isn't?!  Listen to me asshole, I could take your ass to jail right now if I wanted to, but I need to see into a certain apartment, so I'm willing to forget I even saw you and let you go.  Now get out of here Ralphie!"
-Ralph= "Whoa whoa whoa!  You can't just kick me outta my own…"
-Me= "Ralphie, I swear, if you're still in this fucking building by the time I'm done, the next thing you open your eyes to, will be the inside of a police lockup!!"
-Ralph= "Alright!  Alright!  Shit!  I'm going!  I'm going!"

He finally leaves and I turn my attention to his computer screen, and find the camera view for room 142.  I realize I missed a lot, seeing as how Jill is now tied to a chair and Jen is holding a knife to her throat, and screaming at her (Dammit Ralphie!  You couldn't just fucking leave when I told you too!).  I turn up the volume and begin listening.

-Jen= "… and you're just sooooo popular!  Leading such a wonderful fucking life!  Always bragging about it; I'm going to Venice, I went to Paris, blah blah blah!  You always had to be better than me!  You had to outdo me!  Always had to be the first in everything!  Well guess what, you're gonna be the first at another thing today!  You'll be the first one to go to fucking hell!"

Knowing in my mind, what was about to happen, I rush to Jen's apartment and burst through the door.  I see I'm too late; Jill is dead.  Her throat had been slit.  I look to my right, and see Jen sobbing in the corner.

-Me= "Jennifer Pennytonn, you are under arrest for the murder of your sister!  You have the right to remain silent.  Anything you say…"
-Jen= "I know my rights.  Just cuff me."

I cuff Jen, and then walk over to Jill's body.  I crouch down and close her eyes.  When I begin to stand, Jill's eyes open.  I, of course, close them once again, only to have them open again.  This happens four times before her eyes remain closed.  I stay, waiting for them to open.  When they don't, I get back to my feet.  Suddenly Jill's eyes fly open again, but this time they're not their usual hazel color.  They're bright red.  "SHIT!!" I exclaim, as I stumble backwards.  I stare, as she breaks free of the rope that bound her, as if it were made of paper.  She is making this awful raspy breathing sound, which sends chills down my spine.  She stands up and turns to Jen.

-Jill= "You fucking pussy!  You have enough guts to kill me, your own fucking sister, but not enough to stand up to a single fucking cop?!  By the way sister, what the fuck did I ever do to you, that would justify killing me?!"
-Jen= "I… but… how… I…"
-Jill= "No answer?  It doesn't matter!  I tell you what dear sister, YOU can be the first one of us to go to hell!!"

I watch in disbelief as fleshy tendrils shoot from the gash in Jill's neck.  These tendrils impale themselves throughout Jen's body, and then lift her screaming body into the air.  Jill screeches and turns to me, still holding Jen with the tendrils.  In a wheezing, gurgling voice, she yells at me "And you detective!  STOP INTERFERING!!!".  She then throws Jen at me, with amazing strength.  Jen collides with me, causing me to fall backwards and slam my head on a sink (it's a small apartment).  This impact is enough to make me instantly lose consciousness.  When I awaken, I can feel the throbbing in the back of my head.  I open my eyes and see Jen's corpse laying on me.  "AHH!" I exclaim, and quickly shove her body off of me.  Once my breathing slows, I take a look around the room and notice that Jill's body is nowhere to be found.  I look back over at Jen's body, and see that it's gone too.  I honestly can't say I didn't expect that.

Jen and Jill.  A modern day Cain and Abel, with a fucking twist.  I need a fucking drink.


… … … … .. .. ..

Paul: A local diner.  Date: 9/29/08

I never expected to have an odd day when I woke up this morning, but my luck is shit, so here's what happened:

I'm at Shelly's Diner (It's one of my favorite places to eat, because of its calm atmosphere.  It has a kind of old world charm, so it's a nice change of pace from the city).  I'm waiting for my lunch to be delivered to my table (it's my favorite table, right next to the window) and reading today's newspaper, when Paul comes bursting through the door, waving a pistol around and screaming "GET OUT!  EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT!!".  Paul is a regular here at Shelly's, though I'm sure many wish he wasn't.  He's always demanding more food, sometimes eating the entire diner out of food.  When this happens, he begins yelling at the cooks, demanding they "stop sitting on their fucking asses and make him some motherfucking food".  In a nutshell, he is the definition of a fat slob.

He fires the pistol once into the air, and everyone rushes out of the diner, everyone except me.  Hiding behind my table, I watch as he runs through the doors to the kitchen.  I wait a few seconds then draw my gun and follow him into the kitchen.  As soon as I enter the kitchen, I step on something that squishes beneath my feet.  I look down and realize maggots are all over the floor.  This strikes me as odd, considering that Shelly's is usually very clean place.  I look up and see Paul, and realize that he is the source of the maggots.  He's kneeling on the floor, in a pile of squirming maggots, shoveling food into his mouth.  However, whenever the food reaches his mouth, it instantly becomes a handful of maggots.  He looks up at me, terror in his eyes and screams "HE WON'T LET ME EAT!  HE WON'T LET ME FUCKING EAT!!"

-Me= "Who?  Who won't let you eat?"
-Paul= "Retri… uggh… Ret… ughh… Retri…"

He screams in horrible pain and clutches his stomach, and I watch as something inside of his gut tries to push through (alien?).  He looks up at me, and sobbing, says "help me…".  Paul lets out a scream that's so loud; I have to cover my ears.  I watch, horrified, as his stomach literally tears itself open.  What crawls out can only be described as a monster.  This thing looked like an anorexic version of Paul.  Its ribs were protruding and it had distended arms and hands, that ended in huge claws.  It had the same face as Paul, but had bright red eyes and dagger-like teeth.  Its body ended at its stomach, leaving its intestines hanging out of its body.  It used them as makeshift legs (think of a monkey swinging through the trees or an octopus crawling along the seafloor.  As it emerges from Paul's gut, it lets out a shrieking roar that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.  It crawls over to Paul's face and shrieks "I'M HUNGRY!!".  Horrified, Paul stammers "No... no please...".  I react in an instant, and fire two bullets into the creature's head.  Unfazed, it turns to face me and I realize just how fucking ugly this thing truly is.  Its mouth is turned in a hideous snarl, and it has drool pouring from it.  Suddenly it lashes out with it's small intestine and wraps it around my throat.  Choking, I'm lifted about five feet into the air, and then flung into the wall behind me.  On the floor, dazed and coughing, I watch as the creature turns its attention back to Paul.  Though I cannot see, I can hear Paul's screams as the creature begins to devour him, making these horrid sounds.  Within seconds, Paul's body is reduced to just his left foot, then that too is gone.  Groggily, I get to my feet, and see the creature slip out of the backdoor and into the alley behind Shelly's.  I grab my gun and follow it out.  I manage to catch it in the alley, trying to escape into the window of a nearby building.  Thinking quickly, I unload the rest of my clip into the back of it's skull, but once again, to no effect.  It shrieks it's roar again, causing windows to break, car alarms to go off, and lights to flicker.  Suddenly my head begins to feel as if it's being crushed, and a sense of vertigo washes over me.  I crash to the ground and smash my head on the concrete floor of the alley.  I begin to lose consciousness, when I hear the creature say "I'm warning you, detective.  Interfere again, and you die!", then I pass out.

      When I finally wake up, it's night and it's raining.  I'm starting to think about checking myself into a mental hospital, but before I do that, I think I'll start a tab at the bar, because I need another fucking drink...


... ... ... ... .. .. ..

Suspended: Times Square.  Date: 9/29/08

         Suspended!  This is what I fucking get when I try to explain all the weird shit that's been happening to me!  If he wasn't the fucking Sergeant, I'd rip him a new one!  "Don't think of it as being suspended pal.  Think of it as taking a much needed vacation" he says.  Know what I say?  I say FUCK YOU!! (I didn't actually say that.  I'm angry, not stupid).  I'm walking through Times Square on my way home (I'm too angry to drive), and I start noticing everyone staring at me.  As if that wasn't enough to alarm me, I realize out of the corner of my eyes, that their eyes are turning red and they get an angry look on their faces, when they notice me walking by.  I'm far too angry to care, so I ignore them all and begin walking faster (I'm in no mood to deal with this shit).  Not looking where I'm going, I walk into a rather large black man.  This man is built like a linebacker, and is easily seven feet tall.  He reaches out and helps me to my feet, and I realize that although his eyes are red, his face looks sad instead of angry.

-Me= "Sorry... and thank you..."
-Man= "Listen to me playa.  I know you want to help people, but you need to think about your own safety.  Stop interfering with him detective."
-Me= "Who is he?"
-Man= "Someone who doesn't want to hurt you, but will if you continue to get in his way."
-Me= "I want a name."
-Man= "Just do your job detective, and let him do his."
-Me= "Do my job?  I am doing my job.  It's my job to make sure justice prevails.  It's my job to punish those who commit acts of injustice..."
-Man= "As is his..."
-Me= "Are you..."
-Man= "You cannot stop him.  Just accept it and stop interfering detective, for your own safety."

He turns his head to his left and nods, then turns back to me.

-Man= "I'm sorry I have to do this to you detective."
-Me= "Do what?"

         As soon as I said that, I see his right fist coming at me.  Too late to avoid it, I simply let it connect with the left side of my head (I had no other options).  The impact is so strong; I drop like a rock, to the sidewalk.  I manage to keep myself semiconscious, and feel him dragging me.  He drags my limp body to a nearby alley, then gets to his feet and begins walking away.  Suddenly he stops in his tracks, and begins holding his head (as if he had a severe headache) and grunting (as if he were struggling with someone in a fight).  He turns to face me and I can see his eyes changing color rapidly between brown and red.  He says something to me, but in my dazed state I can't make out what he said.

-Me= "What?"
-Man= "Tis... uggh...dame wiz... uggh...wet.. tribute.. shun..."

        It is still very distorted, so I don't have a clue as to what he really said.  After he said this, I lose consciousness.  When I wake up, the sun is just starting to rise, and all I can think is "Shit!  I slept in a fucking alley all damn night!".  I stand up and notice quite a number of change scattered around me (greeeaaat, not only did I sleep in an alley, but a number of people seemed to think I was homeless).  Honestly, I wish they had left me liquor instead of change, because I once again need a fucking drink, uggh...


... ... ... ... .. .. ..

Simon: Simon's apartment.  Date: 11/8/08

          I'm finally done with my suspension, and am already on a surveillance assignment.  The person I'm watching is a man named Simon Mills.  This man has been under police surveillance for five years due to each of his three ex-wives getting assaulted after they divorced him.  He's currently on wife number four, and I'm here to make sure nothing happens to her.  Simon should've been in jail five years ago, but due to a lack of definitive evidence, he walked free.  In the beginning, we just sent an officer to his house to check on things, but recently bruises have been appearing on his wife, so now I watch him.  We had hired the help of an exterminator, who was supposed to gas out the entire building, to place hidden camera and audio equipment in his apartment.  I'm in the apartment directly above him, sitting alone and watching his wife (I don't know her name.  Karen does, but I always forget even though I remember it's a simple name) as I wait for Simon to arrive home.  I switch to the camera aimed at his door, pour myself a cup of coffee and wait.  Just as I bring the cup to my lips, Simon walks into his apartment and slams the door, startling me and causing me to spill coffee all over myself (ugggh not again!).  Instantly I can tell that he is once again in a bad mood (the only reason I know this, is from the testimony of his neighbors).

-Wife= "Honey, is that you?"
-Simon= "Who the fuck else would it be?!"
-Wife= "Sorry, I was just making sure."
-Simon= "Sure what?!  That it wasn't some street bum who beat me, raped me, slit my throat, took everything I had and just so happened to know where my fucking apartment was?!  Seriously, how fucking stupid can you be?!
-Wife= "Sorry.  So how was your day?"
-Simon= "How was my day?  HOW WAS MY DAY?!  I'll tell you how my fucking day was!  IT SUCKED!  JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER FUCKING DAY!!  SHIT!  YOU REALLY ARE A FUCKING IDIOT, AREN'T YOU!!"
-Wife= "COULD YOU STOP FUCKING CALLING ME AN IDIOT, YOU ASSHOLE!!"
-Simon= "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME, BITCH?!
-Wife= "I CALLED YOU AN ASSHOLE!  BECAUSE YOU'RE ACTING LIKE ONE!!"
-Simon= "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!  YOU FUCKING WHORE!!"

           I watch as he backhands her across her face, and immediately jump to my feet, and rush down the stairs to Simon's apartment.  I kick in the door and enter his apartment just in time to see Simon smash his wife's skull in with a hammer.  There is a sickening crunching sound and then her eyes roll back in her head and she drops, limply to the floor, blood pouring from her head.  "Drop it you fucking scumbag!" I scream at him.  He turns to me and throws the hammer directly at my face, but I mange to dodge it and slam my left fist into his chest, knocking the air out of him.  As he's stunned, I sweep kick his legs out from under him and he crashes to the ground.  In an instant, I have my gun aimed for his head.  Suddenly I hear a gurgling/bubbling sound coming from behind me.  I quickly turn around, and am face to face with Simon's wife.  She looks like something from a horror movie.  Blood is pouring from her mouth, nose, eyes, and from the wound Simon inflicted on her with the hammer.  This last one is gushing blood like a volcano.  Her eyes roll back to the front of her head, and I see they're red.  I'm frozen in shock at this sight.  I don't notice Simon getting to his feet, and creeping up behind me with a pot.  I'm brought back to my senses when I hear Simon walk up behind me, but it's too late.  Before I can turn around, he brings the pot down on the back of my head and I fall to the floor.  A sudden gush of blood from his wife's head lands on the right leg of my jeans and begins to sizzle.  I start feeling a burning sensation on my leg and realize her blood is like acid.  Thinking quickly, I pull myself out of my jeans (yes, now I'm in my boxers.  Fucking wonderful…) and watch as her blood dissolves a hole through them.  I look at the spot on my leg that her blood was over, and see that the hair on that one spot is gone.  I realize that if I had been even one second too late, it would've dissolved my leg to the bone.

I hear Simon scream, and bring my attention back to him.  He's holding the right side of his face and screaming in pain.  I'm horrified as I see the reason for his screams.  He moves his hands from his face, and I see that half his face has been reduced to bone.  It's a sight I'll never forget.  It will be burned into my mind forever.  He takes a step forward and slips into a puddle of the acidic blood and when he tries to get up, his flesh begins dripping off of him.  The last thing he says is "Oh God please help me", before he falls face first into the puddle and is completely dissolved, leaving only his bones behind.  I'm still on the floor, leaning up against a wall when his wife turns to face me, makes a few more gurgling sounds, then stares at me.  Out of nowhere my head begins to pound and I begin to experience tunnel vision.  Not long after I get these sensations, I lose consciousness.  When I finally awaken, I'm shaking and am scared out of my mind due to the dream I had while I was unconscious.  It was so bad, I don't even care that neither Simon nor his wife, are still here…



… … … … .. .. ..

A Horrific Nightmare: The darkest depths of my mind.  Date: 11/8/08

This is the dream I had while I was unconscious on Simon's apartment floor:

I'm in near total darkness, and can hear moaning and crying coming from all around me.  It starts getting a little brighter and I can see that I'm on a metal walkway littered with bones.  The walkway is suspended just over a huge mob of people, whose faces are twisted in agony and suffering.  It is these people that are the source of the moaning and crying that I can hear.  I begin to walk cautiously forward and stub my toe on a skull (what happened to my shoes?), and it hurts.  Just then a horrible thought enters my mind; if dreams cannot hurt you, this can't be a dream.  This thought leads to an even worse thought; am I in hell?!  Just as this thought enters my mind, I hear a voice in front of me.  "No, you're not in hell detective.  Not yet anyway." It says, and I recognize that voice as the one that kept taunting me.  "Where are you?!  Come out and face me you fucking coward!  I'll kill you right here, right now!!" I scream into the darkness.  I begin saying something else, but am stopped when I feel something grab at my ankle.  I quickly turn around and reach for my gun when I notice my gun is gone as well.  I look down and see a bony hand grabbing my ankle.  The hand belongs to an elderly man who looks like a skeleton wearing human skin that hangs off of it's body.  He literally had zero muscle.  His face looked no better.  His eyes were sunk deep into his face and he wore a look of terrible sorrow.  His skin was wrinkled and bruised all over.  He looked up at me and began to speak.

-Elder= "Run!  Run while you can!"
-Me= "NO!  I'm going to kill him!"
-Elder= "You can't kill him!  He can only be killed by himself!  Just run!
-Me= "I said no!"
-Elder= "Please just ru…"

His face suddenly twists into a look of panic and he begins to scream "GET IT OFF!  GET IT OFF!  NO!  NO!  GET IT OFF OF ME!  PLEASE!  HELP ME!  OH GOD PLEASE!  AHHHHHH!!!"

I look down at his body and see a black tar-like substance moving up his body.  He continues to scream and I notice the sounds of crying from the others intensifying.  As the tar covers his face, he says one last thing: "I'm sorry…" then the tar covers him completely.  There is a sizzling sound from the tar and then a muffled scream that is cut short.  The tar recedes, leaving nothing left of the elderly man.  Suddenly the voice begins to speak again.

-Voice= "Don't you just hate that detective?  When somebody keeps talking, even though all you want is for them to shut the fuck up!
-Me= "FUCKING SHOW YOURSELF!!"

It begins to get even brighter and I finally see him, the source of the voice, sitting in a chair made out of bones.  His body is pitch black and has no detail.  He has no nose, no sex, no ears, and no clothing.  He has eyes of a red so vivid, it's almost unnatural and he wears a content smile on his face.  His body seems to be made of pitch-black smoke, as I can see wisps of the black substance that makes up his body, coming off of him.

-Me= "YOU!!  What did you do to him you bastard?!"
-Shadow man= "I simply silenced him detective.  He was so very talkative."
-Me= "What are you?!"
-Shadow man= "Oh a little of this, a little of that…"
-Me= "QUIT SPEAKING IN RIDDLES!!"
-Shadow man= "Hehehehehehehe.  Why don't you ask what's really on your mind detective…"
-Me= "And what would that be?"
-Shadow man= "You're wondering if you're going to die here detective.  Hehehe…"

Right then, I notice something move on the ground.  I realize that it's a shadow originating from him.

-Me= "Get your fucking shadow shit away from me!"
-Shadow man= "Hehehehehe so you noticed.  Well then no, you're not going to die here detective.  No, I think I'll kill you later, but not just yet.  Hehehehehehehehehe"
-Me= "Not if you die first!"
-Shadow man= "Heh.  You could never kill me detective.  I had warned you not to pursue me, yet you still did.  I will see to your death detective.  You can be sure of that.  Now, our business is done."

After he says this, the tar-like substance quickly rises up and surrounds me and I'm engulfed by darkness.  Next thing I know, I'm falling into a black hole of screaming, crying faces.  It's awful.  I wake screaming and shaking.  This is getting worse by the hour, and I forgot to pack beer money (not that it even matters, seeing as how I still don't have pants).  Fucking wonderful…



… … … … .. .. ..

---

A few days later, Detective Smith disappeared.  Approximately twenty-one days after his disappearance, a body was found in an alley near his apartment building.  DNA testing identified it as Detective John Smith, though other tests returned inconclusive.  The cause of death appeared to be suicide, but due to his psychological profile showing no indication that Smith was a suicide risk, it is currently being investigated as a murder.