Jeff Rewrite Contest

Margaret yawned as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Peter, her husband, was still upstairs in bed. Sleep had not come easy for her. Her son was once again exhibiting disturbing behavior. Dr. Patel had told them Jeff was suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Margaret couldn’t believe it, because Jeff was only eight-years-old. Dr. Patel had even gone as far as to suggest that he should be committed. Margaret took a sip of coffee and sighed. It was a problem…

“Hi, Mommy,” said a small voice behind her. She jumped, slopping coffee down her front. Cursing under her breath, she turned to face her eldest son. Jeff stood there in his green plaid pajamas, looking sweet and innocent, just like an eight-year-old boy should.

“H-hi, sweety,” Margaret stammered. “Sleep well?” Jeff just stood there, staring at her. He had his father’s brown eyes, except they were so dark they were almost black. They were very chilling, and the way he stared at her with them was extremely unsettling. Margaret took a step forward. ‘Honey?” she urged.

“Hello, Mommy.” Margaret stepped back, terrified. Oh, no, she thought. Not again! A change had come over the child. His voice was suddenly rougher, deeper. No child alive ever spoke in a voice like that. His sweet, smooth face had come alive with a manic, twisted smile. He took a step closer to her. “I wanna play you with, Mommy,” he said.

“Jeff…Jeff, snap out of it! You’re Jeff. Jeff sweety, not-not whoever this is,” she pleaded. The child continued to advance upon her. “Peter! Peter, get down here! Now!” Margaret screamed. Jeff just laughed, and continued to move toward his mother.

The ice cream vendor handed Annie her change. “Thank you,” she said. The vendor passed over the two chocolate ice cream cones she had purchased. She carried the cones over to a nearby park bench where her boyfriend sat waiting. “Here,” she said, handing him one of the cones.

“Thanks, babe,” said Jeff with a smile. Annie sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a while, slurping the ice cream cones and observing their fellow park-goers. Their eyes fell upon a young couple a few yards away. The woman was pushing their toddling daughter on the baby swing. The girl was smiling and laughing, a look of pure joy on her little face. Annie smiled.

“Do you think that will be us one of these days?” she asked Jeff.  She looked lovingly into his dark eyes, the eyes that unnerved almost everyone who met him. But they didn’t scare Annie. No, his eyes were her favorite features. She looked at him expectantly; he didn’t answer immediately.

“I suppose,” he said finally.

“You don’t sound so sure,” she pouted. She put her arm around his shoulder and kissed his cheek. Jeff smiled slightly. Her kisses were electrifying.
“It’s just, we’re sixteen. We have a ways to go before we’re at that stage,” he said. “Besides, you and I may end up going to separate colleges. Sometimes that effectively ends even the strongest relationships.”

“Jeffrey Woods, are you breaking up with me?” Annie said in mock surprise.

“Shut up,” Jeff laughed pulling her closer to him. Her beautiful auburn hair smelled faintly of lilac. Although the park was full of people, it felt as though Jeff and Annie were the only two people in the whole world. As he held her to him, his thoughts began to wander to a time before he had even met Annie. A dark time when his parents had betrayed him…

“Mom! Mom, where are they taking me?” Jeff cried. A man in a white uniform was attempting to fit a straight jacket on the boy, who was on the floor, squirming. Another man was attempting to restrain him. Dr. Patel and two police officers stood in the background observing the scene.

“Baby, it’s going to be alright, these nice men are going to take you somewhere to get better,” Margaret sobbed.

“Don’t fight them, son! They’re not going to hurt you, I promise!” Peter cried. “It will be alright, I promise!” Jeff began to sob and kick.

 “Mommy, don’t let them take me! Please!” he cried. Margaret just stood there, white faced and staring, tears running down her cheeks. His father was crying as well. He seemed unable to look at his son. The men in the white suits finally managed to fit the restraining jacket on him. As the men hoisted Jeff to his feet, a young boy sprinted into the kitchen. His eyes fell upon Jeff and the men.

“Jeff? What’s going on? Where are they taking you?” he asked Margaret, his eyes wide and fearful.

“Go back upstairs, Liu,” she pleaded. “Your brother’s gonna be fine!” Jeff glared at his mother. No. No I am not, he thought. And neither are you, Mommy. And then, he felt it. The other Jeff was beginning to surface. He could feel him bubbling just below his fear and confusion. A rage and hatred that was not his own broke the surface of his conscience, turning him into the monster his family so feared.

“I hate you!” he roared, spit flying from his mouth. “You can’t do this to me! You’ll pay for this, you bitch!” Margaret sobbed harder than ever. Peter just stood there, horrified. Liu recoiled as though he had been slapped. He was still screaming as the men dragged him from the kitchen to the van waiting outside.

“Jeff? Jeff, you in there?”

Jeff snapped back to the present. “What?” he asked.

“I said, are you in there?” Annie said. “You sort of spaced out there for a minute.” She was looking at him with some concern.

“Yeah…sorry about that,” he muttered. He checked his watch. ‘‘Oh, shit. Mom wanted me to help her bring in groceries when she got home. I got to go, babe,” he said. Annie frowned. “We can meet up later,” Jeff said, seeing the frown. “I promise,’’ he added.

“Ok,” Annie said, smiling. They locked their lips in a tender kiss. Then Annie stood up, mussed Jeff’s hair, and departed.  Jeff stood up and headed in the direction of his house. She’s perfect, he thought, licking his ice cream cone. He remembered well the day he met her, nearly six years ago.

He had just been released from Victoria Street Asylum. His mother was still wary of him, as was his father. His brother Liu was about the only person who could stand to be in the room with him longer than ten minutes.  Jeff had returned to school. He had worked extensively with a tutor the last eight months he was institutionalized, so he had caught up enough in his studies. He was allowed to enter fifth grade on schedule. His classmates were afraid of him. They all knew he was mentally unstable and had attacked his mother. Jeff was labeled a freak. Annie had just moved to the area. She was seated next to him in class. Jeff thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life, with her auburn hair and bright blue eyes. She had no idea of his past, so she didn’t look down at him like the other kids did.

“Hi, I’m Annie,” she said. Jeff had tried to respond, but his tongue seized up. Annie just smiled. Her smile sent a chill up his spine. Never before had he felt something like this. After a while, though, Jeff opened up. It turned out they had a lot in common. They liked a lot of the same movies and books. She also enjoyed much of the same music.  In no time at all, Jeff and Annie were best friends. His classmates attempted to sabotage their friendship at every turn. They used to tell stories about Jeff’s mental state, trying to unnerve her. And at long last the story of his institutionalization reached Annie’s ears. But to his amazement and immense relief, she decided to remain friends with him. As far as she was concerned, Jeff’s past was just that: the past. He had been rehabilitated and was no longer showing signs of violence; that was good enough for her. She had come to care for him deeply.

Over time, Jeff began to see Annie as more than a friend. As they neared their high school years, Jeff noticed more than ever that Annie was a beautiful girl. He had always appreciated this, but it was now somehow different. However, before he could share his feelings with her, she began dating another boy in their class. This led to brief estrangement between the two. Then one day Annie realized that she also had feelings for Jeff, and her current boyfriend was abusing her, so she broke up with the boy. She admitted her feelings for him finally, and the two reconciled. They began dating the previous year.

Jeff turned up Dale Street, lost in his own recollections. Just as he reached his driveway, a jeering voice called to him from the opposite sidewalk.

“Hey, Woods! Get your pussy ass over here!” Jeff turned. He rolled his eyes. It was Randy Forrester, one of Jeff’s worst enemies and Annie’s ex-boyfriend. He kept walking. He had had such a nice day; Randy wasn’t about to ruin it. Unfortunately, Randy was not content to let him enter his driveway unchallenged. He ran across the road, coming to a halt behind Jeff. He grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

“I thought I told you to stay away from Annie,” he growled.

“She can see whoever she wants. She’s not with you anymore,” Jeff snarled.

Randy seized the front of his shirt. “You stole her from me. We were in love, and we were getting along just fine. I have no idea what she sees in a freak like you!” he spat.

“It’s been a year, Randy, get over it already,” Jeff said. “Besides, you two were never ‘in love.’ You abused her, raped her, and disrespected her. She deserved better and she knew it. That’s why she is with me and not you.” He pulled himself from his assailant’s grasp and made to enter his driveway. Before he had taken more than two steps he found himself laying facedown on the sidewalk.

“Don’t you turn your back on me, Woods!” Randy bellowed from overhead. As Jeff lay upon the sidewalk, he felt it. That urge to cause real harm. The rage that was not entirely his own was starting to boil. He hadn’t felt it in nearly seven years. Fight it, he thought desperately. Don’t give in. He slowly rolled onto his back. He gazed up into Randy’s sneering face. “Get up,” the boy snarled. Jeff smiled.

“Your wish is my command,” he laughed, and got slowly to his feet. To his relief, some of the rage was starting to ebb away. He moved forward so that he and Randy were face-to-face. “Annie is mine, Forrester. She loves me more than words can express, and I feel the same way about her. So I’m going to give you a warning: stay away from Annie.” And with that, he turned and walked to the driveway, leaving Randy to stare stupidly after him.

As Jeff neared the front porch, the front door opened and Liu stepped out. “Hey, Jeff, Mom wants to know what we want for din-Jeff, look out!” Jeff wheeled around. A fist was coming directly for his nose, almost in slow motion. He ducked, and the fist sailed over him. He straightened himself up, and then sunk his fist into Randy’s stomach. He doubled over, swearing. He retaliated with an uppercut to Jeff’s jaw. His head snapped back. Liu Ran down the front steps to join the fray.

“Aw shit, Liu, get back in the house!” Jeff yelled. Liu continued toward the assailant. As he drew back his fist to punch Randy’s face, the boy grabbed his arm in mid-swing, and threw him hard to the sidewalk. There he lay, stunned. Jeff bellowed in rage and punched Randy in his mouth. As several of the boy’s teeth sprayed from his mouth, Jeff felt it once again. And this time, he could not control it. He didn’t even attempt it. Before he even knew what happened, Randy was lying at his feet, his face bloody and swollen, his arms held in front of him, beseeching his opponent to cease his assault. “Jeff! Jeff! Hey!” someone cried beside him. He ignored it and continued to stare at the bloody boy on the sidewalk. “JEFF! LOOK AT ME!” This wailing keen of an order brought him from his reverie. He looked to his right and saw his mother standing there. For a split second, he was visited by a reckless desire to smash her face in, too. It must have shown on her face, for her eyes widened in terror. He stared at her another few moments, into her soft green eyes, the eyes that so often gazed upon him in contempt. “Sweety, relax, please,” she said softly, pleadingly. He nodded dumbly, his bloodlust still not quite calmed.

Margaret walked over to Liu and helped him up. “Are you all right?” she whispered. Liu nodded. She hugged him close to her and turned to her eldest son. “In the house, now. The Gleesons just called the police. You better have a damn good reason for this,” she snapped. Jeff scowled and walked up the steps to the porch. Randy slowly heaved himself from the sidewalk, whimpering. “An ambulance is coming,” Margaret said, “to check you out.” Randy nodded. “You can wait for them on the steps.” She then steered Liu into the house and shut the door with a snap.

Jeff sat at the island in the kitchen, lost in his thoughts. He did not mean to lose control like he did, but his hatred for Randy had finally consumed him. For a solid year Jeff had to put up with Randy’s constant remarks and taunting.  Letting go of Annie was not easy for him. He shook his head. For the first time in years he gave in to the “other Jeff.” If the police didn’t believe he was physically provoked, there was a strong possibility he was going back to the asylum. He shuddered. The horror of that place…

The nurses pulled Jeff down the narrow hallway. He was once again wearing the straight jacket, and he was screaming for all he was worth. Dinner was being served, and Jeff had leaped upon the food server, and began to bite at the man’s neck. It was his third episode in four days, and Dr. Carville had decided it was time for another shock treatment. “Please, it wasn’t me! It was the other guy! Let me go, please!” Jeff cried. As usual, his cries fell upon deaf ears, and the nurses continued to drag him towards the operating room. The nurses heaved him through the door, and strapped him to the table. Jeff was sobbing at this point.

“You carried him here by yourselves?” asked Dr. Carville, who was near the electroconvulsive machine.

“Yeah,” said the nurse to Jeff’s left. “We’re a little short on gurneys at the moment.”

Dr. Carville snorted. The nurse to Jeff’s right inserted a mouth guard to prevent him from biting his tongue. The doctor moved forward and placed the electrodes on his temples. He returned to the machine. Jeff began to howl through the mouthpiece. The nurses sighed. It’s the same song, second verse. The nurse to his right leaned in and whispered gently, “Shh, it will all be over soon.” She nodded to Dr. Carville, and he flipped the switch.

He was lying on the floor, looking up at Liu’s concerned face. “You okay, bro?” Liu asked nervously.

“I guess so…what happened?” Jeff murmured.

“You looked like you were having a seizure or something,” Liu said.

Great, another flashback, he thought. “I’m okay. Must’ve dozed of…” He got to his feet. He could hear his mother talking to Sheriff Morton on the porch. Given his history of severe mental illness, the police may not believe the attack was provoked, which put him in a very difficult position. Randy would certainly make it sound like he was attacked out of the blue. Jeff could be on his way to the asylum that very night.

But to his great relief, Morton believed his story. Randy had an extensive criminal record, with a history of violence. However, after his interrogation of Jeff, he told Margaret to keep a closer eye on him. Margaret agreed, and the sheriff departed. Meanwhile, an ambulance bearing Randy was pulling out of the driveway. Margaret returned to the kitchen.

“You need to watch yours-“ she began, but an irate Jeff cut her off.

“I don’t need a lecture, Mom,” he sneered. “I already know you can’t wait to send my ass back to Victoria Street.”

“I- no! That’s not true,” she cried.

“Save it, Mother. I know you’re ashamed of me. The only reason you keep me around is because it’s what Dad wanted. Other than that, you couldn’t care less about me,” he snarled. He turned on his heel and slammed out of the kitchen.

“Jeff, wait!” Margaret cried.

Jeff went into his bedroom and threw himself on the bed, seething. He was relieved he got off so easy with the police, but he was very angry. He was so tired of his mother’s fervent looks of fear when she thought he wasn’t looking. She claimed to love him, yet ever since his return she regarded him as a time bomb, waiting for him to explode. She could scarcely even look him in the eye. His father, Peter, on the other hand, behaved a bit more warmly toward him. He would take Jeff fishing, throw a football with him, and go to the movies with him. Liu would come along frequently. The three were a family all their own. Then two years ago, Peter was diagnosed with brain cancer. He passed away five months later. His death left a stain on Jeff.

 As he lay on his deathbed, Peter made Margaret promise to take care of Jeff and to keep him out of the asylum. The boy was present during this exchange, and he remembered his mother making the promise. But there was no mistaking Margaret’s grudging tone. She was doing this for her dying husband, not the son she just swore to look after.  And he hated her for it. He knew she had no love for him.

A gentle knock on the door jerked him from his tortured thoughts. “Screw off, Mom,” he said flatly.

“Now, Jeffrey, that’s no way to talk to your mother,” came a mocking, high-pitched voice from the other side of the door. Jeff chuckled in spite of himself. Liu could be such a crack-up at times. He slid off the bed and crossed the room and opened the door.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Jeff. “I wish I hadn’t lost control like that, but when he tossed you on the ground I retaliated, and I sort of…you know…” he finished lamely. Liu just nodded. He was the only one besides Annie who wasn’t scared or repulsed by him. Jeff could always talk to him. The two brothers loved each other very much, and it destroyed Liu when Jeff went into the asylum. Their parents never told him exactly why his brother was sent there, but when he got older the two boys discussed the situation.

Liu knew Jeff hadn’t meant to attack their mother. Jeff explained his disorder to his brother, who at this point was old enough to understand mental illness. After two years of extensive treatment from Dr. Carville, and subsequent evaluation from Dr. Patel, he was finally cleared for discharge. The treatments had for the most part achieved their desired effect, although the “other Jeff” still lurked in his subconscious, waiting to be awakened, as was the case today.

“Hey, you wanna go out and throw the football around?” Liu asked. “For old times sake?”

“Sure but we can’t be too long, I have to meet up with Annie later,” said Jeff. His brother nodded and the two boys exited the bedroom.

Over the next several months, Jeff had no further outbursts, and he had no contact with Randy. They generally tried to avoid each other during school hours, and Randy was reluctant to attack him again. It wasn’t until early spring that something happened.

It was dusk and the park had emptied except for Jeff and Annie, who were sitting on a bench. They were so engrossed in their own conversation that they failed to notice they were being silently observed. Three boys were crouched behind a bush behind the bench. None of them moved, but continued to watch the couple.

“It’s so pretty here,” Annie sighed. Jeff nodded. He too her hand, and she put her head on his shoulder. Jeff released her hand and placed his arm around her shoulder. He lived for moments like these with her. She could always make him forget his troubles like nobody else could. Tonight, it was just the two of them. “I love you,” she murmured. Jeff smiled.

“I love you, too.”

“Awe, isn’t that sweet…” said a voice behind them. Jeff and Annie whipped around. Randy Forester stood there, smirking. He was flanked by two large, brutish boys.  Really, you pussy, you had to bring Troy and Keith? he thought. Troy Miller and Keith Cassel were friends of Randy’s and had often joined him in tormenting Jeff.

“What do you want Forrester?” he snarled. The other laughed.

“I want my girl. Also, you are going to pay for knocking my teeth out and fucking my face up. I was also put on probation ‘cause of you,” he snarled.

“You started it, motherfucker. It’s not my fault Annie loves me more than she loves you!” Jeff shouted. WHAM! He was lying on the ground. He had been backhanded.

“Lets go, Annie,” Randy said, grabbing her arm.

“No! Let go of me, Randy!”

Jeff scrambled to his feet and attempted to pull Annie away. Randy pulled her toward him, and suddenly the boys were locked in a tug-of-war with each other. “No, no please, stop! Let go!” she cried. But the struggled continued. “Guys, come on, stop!”

“No, bitch, you’re coming with me! Now!” Randy bellowed.

“Let go of her, Randy!” Jeff shouted. He gave a mighty pull, and she slid out of Randy’s grasp, flew from Jeff’s hands, hit the corner of the park bench, and lay still.

“Nice going, asshole,” snarled Randy as he bent to check her. He rolled Annie onto her side. As he examined her head, he gasped. “She’s…dead,” he murmured.

“What?” Jeff said sharply. He bent next to her. There was a gash on her right temple, which was steadily oozing blood. Her eyes were still opened, but Jeff knew she could no longer see him. She had hit the corner of the bench in just the right way that she was killed instantly. He continued to gaze at her lifeless form. The world had stopped. It was over. His love, his Annie, was gone. He couldn’t take it. This couldn’t be, this was just some sick joke someone cooked up.  It had to be. She was one of the few people who had accepted him for who he was, so there was no possible way for her to have been taken from him so suddenly, so violently. No, there was no plausible explanation for this.

“Annie…”

“You’ll pay for this, Woods!” said a voice next to him.

No, that wasn’t right. It was just Jeff alone with Annie’s corpse for all eternity. How could someone be speaking to him? Then a searing pain at the corner of his lips rudely jerked him back to reality. Randy had him by his shirtfront, and was holding a switchblade to his throat. “You’re dead, mother-“ he began. It happened very fast. Jeff grabbed his arm and twisted behind his back, bringing the boy to the ground. The knife fell from his other hand. Don’t fight it, said a voice in his head. Just give in to me. Jeff nodded to the inner voice. He scooped up the knife with his other hand. Pulling Randy’s head back, he drew the knife quickly across his throat. Blood came out of the wound in spurts and the boy began to choke and gargle.

Jeff shoved him roughly to the ground, where he lay in his own pooling blood. Troy attempted to seize him from behind. Jeff snarled and plunged the knife into his assailant’s leg multiple times. He released him, and Jeff whipped around and began ramming the knife into his ribs. Troy screamed and cried as Keith attempted to pry the boy off him.

It was exhilarating. Each time he felt the knife hit bone, Jeff laughed with joy. Murder gave him a complete sense of rapture. This was the first time in his life that he was truly happy. Sure, he believed his life with Annie was happy, but this…this was the only true solution to his self-loathing. This was the only solution in dealing with all the people who looked down on him for his illness. He marveled that it took him so long to submit to his dark side. As he continued to ram the knife into Troy’s ribs, Jeff realized what he should have known all along: the “other Jeff” was the true Jeff. Perhaps on some level, he did know it. This was his true self, his true calling. Jeffrey Woods was a murderer.

At long last, he released Troy’s mutilated shell, and it fell to the ground. He had stabbed the entire upper torso to a pulp.  Jeff turned around, to where Keith stood stupidly, having abandoned his futile attempt to save his friend. He laughed and stabbed Keith in the heart one, two, three times. The sound of the knife breaking flesh sent pleasant shivers down his spine. Yes, there was only one way for him to live, and that was by ending the lives of others. Jeff looked directly into Keith’s eyes. He wanted to see their light go out. At the second stab, the knife had pierced Keith’s heart, and his face went blank, the eyes continuing to stare unseeingly at his killer. The third stab was redundant, but Jeff did not care. He could have stayed there all night stabbing him until he was utterly unrecognizable. He was having so much fun.

But now was not the time. The screaming of his victims would have attracted attention. He needed to be out of there before the police came. Jeff turned his back on his victims, took one last look at Annie, and left. A part of him still felt grief over her death, but that would pass in time. He just needed more victims. What he had to do now was to find a quiet place to lay low and plan his next move. He discovered Randy’s truck parked several feet from the bench where he sat with Annie a million years ago. He got into it, pulled apart the ignition, hotwired it, and drove away from the park. The police would surely go looking for the truck once Randy’s body was identified. He would ditch the truck once he was a good distance from town. He would hitch a ride to a nearby town, where he knew of a back alley surgeon that he met at Victoria Street Asylum. The man had been released, and Jeff knew of the location of his lab from newspaper reports he had read. The man had been locked away for some nasty experiments he had performed on children years ago. He had been “rehabilitated” and released. But there were rumors he had secretly began practicing “medicine” again.

Jeff looked in the rearview mirror. Randy had cut open the right corner of his mouth. Blood was still gently dripping from the wound. He smiled. As he did, the wound opened further, revealing more of his teeth. He knew now what he wanted the surgeon to do. He didn’t want him to heal it, but enhance it. Afterwards, he would lay low for a while, then make his next move. But after he recovered from the surgery and mad his plans, there was one thing he needed to do before continuing with his new life. He needed to say goodbye to his dear mother…

Two months had passed since the gruesome murders in the park. Margaret was devastated. Jeff, her Jeff, was responsible. All that treatment, all the long months he had spent in the asylum did absolutely nothing. Her son had become the thing she had long feared he would become. She loved him deeply, even if he didn’t realize it. The police had an all points bulletin out for him. Liu was horrified. He missed his brother, but at the same time was terrified of ever crossing paths with him again.

Liu had gone to bed, and Margaret was up making a cup of tea. She started at a sound from the living room. It sounded as though the front door had opened and closed. “Hello?” she called nervously. She listened hard for sounds of footsteps or any other indication of an intruder. There were no sounds. She shook her head. She was just being paranoid. After she finished making the tea she would go and lock the door. She poured herself a large cup of boiling water and inserted a tea bag. Turning around, she took a sip of the hot liquid. She looked up and saw a man standing before her. The sudden appearance of this man caused her to scream and drop the teacup. It shattered, dousing her ankles in scalding hot tea. But the visage of the man before her distracted her from the burning liquid.

He was wearing a white mask that accentuated the blackness of his eyes. It covered his whole face, save for his mouth. The mouth was the worst part of his appearance. It was much wider than a normal person’s mouth; it seemed to be frozen in a perpetual smile. Margaret stared at it, petrified. Her eyes then traveled large breadknife in his hands. She then looked into his eyes. There was something familiar about them. They reminded her vaguely of deceased husband’s eyes, only darker. She gasped. It couldn’t be…

“What’s the matter, Mother?” the man sneered. “Don’t you recognize your own son?”

Margaret let out a bloodcurdling scream. Jeff roared with laughter. “What happened to your face?!” she cried.

“You like it? I think it’s an improvement, myself,” Jeff said. When Margaret continue to stare at him, Jeff lifted the switchblade. “Do you love me, Mommy?” he said in a child-like voice, a voice dripping with mock innocence.

“Of course, honey,” Margaret said softly.

“LIAR!” Jeff bellowed. He reached over with one hand and flipped over the kitchen table. Margaret cowered. “You loved me so much you sent me to that fucking asylum, where I had to endure electricity being pumped through my brain every other day, and all the other crazies staring at me, and the dumbass fucking nurses, and Dr. Carville’s constant bullshit!” he roared. “You say you love me? Well then, let me show you how much I love you,” he said, and advanced on his mother.

Margaret screamed and seized the teakettle. She smashed it over his face. Jeff howled as the boiling water touched those parts of his face not covered by the mask. “BITCH!” he roared as Margaret pushed passed him and ran toward the stairs. After he took a moment to recover, he grabbed the breadknife from the cutlery drawer. The hell with the switch, he thought. I can do so much more with this!

He tore up the stairs. His mother was in her bedroom. A loud scraping sound told him she was attempting to block the door with her dresser. “I wanna play with you, Mommy!” he crooned. “Come out Mommy, I wuv you!” A strangled cry emanated from the room, followed by louder scraping. At the sound of Jeff’s voice, she had doubled her efforts to block the door. Jeff kicked the door hard when he reached it. It flew open. Margaret had managed to get a corner of the dresser in front of the door.  It fell to the floor with a deafening crash. Jeff slowly approached his mother.

“Jeff, sweety, please, I love you! Honey, you have to listen to- OH GOD! GET AWAY!” she cried as Jeff raised the knife. Be plunged it into her calve, and began to stab the leg repeatedly. “NO! STOP! THAT HURTS! LIU, RUN! CALL 911!” she screamed. Jeff laughed maniacally. He began to slash at her stomach. The white sheets were now stained scarlet. Jeff was at peace with himself. This was right thing to do. It felt so good to be killing the bitch that pretended to love him all these years. He hadn’t killed in two months, not since breaking the surgeon’s neck upon completion of the surgery. That had been mostly out of necessity, to cover his tracks until he was prepared to kill his mother.

Margaret was sobbing. Jeff had ceased his assault on her. Blood spatters coated the walls and ceiling. A steady dripping sound as the blood ran off the sheets and Margaret’s shuddering breaths were the only sounds. Her torso was mutilated as Troy’s had been, yet she lived still.

“Jeff…” she whispered. “I am sorry for how I treated…” Her eyes rolled slowly into the back of her head, and the lids slid closed over them. Jeff stared remorselessly at his mother’s body. Sorry, was she? No, she wasn’t. She was only sorry because Jeff had finally exacted his revenge. He exited the room and made for the stairs. He was almost to kitchen when it occurred to him that there was still one more warm body left.

He dashed back up the stairs. Liu could not live. He had loved his brother, but he could not let him go. He may attempt to seek revenge on Jeff.  Liu had loved him, so there was some regret, but it needed to be done. He was a liability. Nothing could stand in the way of Jeff’s new happiness.

He barged into his brothers’ room, knife held high. Liu had not run at his mother’s cries, nor had he called 911. He lay in his bed, petrified. “Who are you?” he murmured.

“I’m sorry Liu, you have to die. I have found a new calling, and you can’t live to stand against me. Hope you understand.”

Liu’s eyes widened. “Jeff?” he whispered in disbelief. Jeff moved silently to the boy’s bed. Liu began to scream and kick, but Jeff held him steady. He bent toward his brother’s ear.

“Shh. It will all be over soon.” He raised the knife.

THWACK! Blood sprayed Jeff’s mask and ceiling. THWACK! Liu was flopping around, grabbing at a wound in his throat. THWACK! Jeff plunged the knife into Liu’s chest, killing him. He hauled himself off his brother’s corpse. He was out of breath. Killing him was more fun than he had expected. He grabbed a shirt from the closet and rubbed it in his brother’s wounds. He daubed three letters on the walls: JTK

He then proceeded downstairs and grabbed the phone. Now was the time to announce himself to the world. Giddy with excitement, he dialed.

“911 what’s your emergency?”

“Yes, I’d like to report a double murder.”

“Okay, what’s the address, sir?”

“13 Dale Street in Maytown, New Jersey.”
“Are you alone? Is anyone with you?”

“The perp is still on the premises.”

“Are you someplace safe, sir?”

Jeff laughed. “Oh, I am quite safe, I assure you. You, see, I am the perp.” Dead silence. Finally, the operator spoke.

“What is your name sir?” she asked shakily.

“My initials are J-T-K,” he replied.

“And what do those stand for?”

“Jeff the Killer!” he shouted. He started to laugh uncontrollably. He threw the phone on the floor, and walked away from it.

“Sir? Sir?” the operator cried, but Jeff could no longer hear her. Still laughing, Jeff exited the house, eager to inflict his horror upon the world.