Tim The Killer

Red, sticky blood ran down my hands as I stared at my landlady, Beth, sprawled on my kitchen floor. She was dead. I killed her.

“Shit. Only two weeks and I already broke my promise.” Sighing, I grabbed the butcher knife from my knife rack and began to chop away at Beth’s body. I started with her feet – I always chop from the bottom up, a personal preference I suppose. 

Feeling the bones crack beneath the blade made me want to grind my teeth. I hated the sound of bones breaking. My thing was blood. That’s why I killed. To watch the blood ooze out of wounds. To feel the warm liquid on my hands, my arms, my face... My biggest fantasy was to bathe in a tub full of human blood. But I wasn’t supposed to have those fantasies anymore. I made a promise to someone very dear to me. I promised I wouldn’t kill anymore. I thought if I made it into a New Year’s resolution it would help me keep that promise. Obviously I was wrong.

It took me an hour to chop Beth up into pieces. After that I grabbed two large garbage bags and threw the pieces in. I saved her head for last.

“Well Beth, I guess this is goodbye. You used to be a decent landlady when I first moved in, but over the years, you just got older and crankier and honestly, I just lost my patience. On the bright side, you can stop dating all those old geezers.” I tossed Beth’s head in with the rest of her body and knotted the bag close, then put that bag inside the second bag and knotted that one as well. Setting the bag aside, I went to fetch my mop and bucket. This was too messy for my Swiffer. 

As I returned to the bloody floor I found myself mesmerized by the dark color contrasting my shiny white tiles. I couldn’t help myself; I crawled to the floor, and when I could feel Beth’s blood in between my fingers once more, I plopped down onto the bloody tiles. 

I laid there in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the smell and feel of blood until I could not be still any longer. Writhing on the floor, my entire body was covered in dark red liquid within minutes. 

This was heaven, this was the pleasure that I sought after my entire life. This moment, this feeling of euphoria. How could I think that I could give this up? This is what I live for.

Screw the promise.

(Only two weeks into the New Year had passed and Tim had already broken his first resolution: Don’t kill anyone. Write this scene. 500 words or less.)

1 Week Off Work = Creative juices galore!

My creativity juices flow out in its entirety as I take the week to write my YA paranormal series. It’s about a familiar named Tiffany who, after turning 17 discovers that she is a familiar with special shape shifting abilities and special powers. This series follows Tiffy and her journey into learning the rules of a familiar, honing her skills, finding a witch, and finding out some dark family secrets. Each day I write an entire book, so by the end of the week I have 7. I take the first one and polish it, send it to a publishing company and am offered a book contract. Once the first book publishes, it becomes a NY times best seller. I get another 3 book contract deal, and the following 3 books also get on the NY times best seller list. By this point, I’m making enough money and feel confident in my writing ability to quit my job. I eventually publish all 7 books and the series is made into a movie targeted toward children and pre-teens.

While the movie(s) are being filmed I write a few other YA books. They don’t do as well as the first series, but they still land on the NY best seller. After that, I unearth my erotic romance series, and self publish it under a different name. By day, I am Jennifer Santiago, YA author. By night, I am McKenzie Rose, erotic romance writer. I am my own boss, work my own hours, and I love it.

Quickie Little Vampe Story

It was Halloween, my favorite holiday. The year was 2014 and I was excited because I had plans for that night. My friend Kandise and I went to Field of Screams, an extravagant event with haunted houses, haunted hayrides, haunted asylums, the list goes on. As a fan of horror and the macabre, I was in my element. It was going to be a great night, I just knew it. I could feel it in my gut.

While Kandise and I waited in line, we began to talk to the guy that was in line behind us. I don’t remember who started talking to whom first – all I knew was that Robert had the most beautiful grey eyes I had ever seen and his voice vibrated throughout my body every time he spoke. He was originally from Massachusetts and had moved to Pennsylvania due to his job – he was a recruiter, although I don’t recall him mentioning what he was recruiting for.

Robert and I had a lot in common. We both grew up in New England states, both love the theater and dramatic things. We both loved the night and Halloween. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t smitten with the man I just met.

The three of us eventually made it to the front of the line and were lucky in that we were able to enter together. Robert decided to go through the attraction with Kandise and I, and I was delighted.

As we entered the dark woods, I was first to go in, and Kandise positioned herself in between Robert and myself. She needed a bit of a heads up when things would pop out so she wouldn’t accidentally punch a “monster” in the face. I understood that was why she did it, but I was pissed regardless, because I wanted to be near Robert. At first, everything was quiet – we walked by a few witches, and a few corpses, but nothing truly exciting was happening. As if reading my mind, Robert expressed his disappointment at that very moment.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” I couldn’t help but to say.

“Well, great minds think alike, Jen.” His words enveloped me and chills of excitement coursed through my body. God, could this guy be any hotter? Just as I turned my head to smile in his direction, I was jumped from both sides by a gang of crazed looking murderous clowns. One of them grabbed me by my arms and they startled a gasp from my surprised lips. The gasp quickly turned into laughter. Finally, the fun was about to start.

“Oh hell no!” Kandise said. “If anybody fucking grabs me, I’m sending them to the hospital.” I turned around to face Kandise, worry lines etched on my face.

“Uh, Kandise…” I started, but she immediately cut me off.

“No, Jen. I can’t do this. Not if they’re going to be touching me.” Just then, Robert swooped in and saved the day – err, night.

“I have a friend that works here, I’ll text him and tell him to come get you, and he can get you out through a side door.” Robert pulled out his phone and called his friend. After explaining the situation, he hung up and told us his friend would be here in a few minutes. “He said he isn’t far from us, to look out for Dracula.”

“Thanks.” Kandise and I said in unison.

Now, as her friend, what I should have done – what I would have done in any other circumstance was to leave with her and call it a night. Maybe find something else for us to do. But I wasn’t ready to leave Robert. I didn’t know how to flirt or how to give someone my number or ask them out, but I wanted to ask Robert out. I needed more time to get the courage to do so. So essentially, I asked Kandise if I could ditch her.

“Kandise, um, would you be mad if I went through without you? I know you’d be waiting in the truck, but I really want to do this. Please. You know how badly I love this stuff.” I gave her my best puppy dog look, knowing it wouldn’t work.

“Sure,” Kandise said with a smirk. “But only if Robert stays with you. I don’t care if this is fake, I’d feel better if you weren’t in here alone.”

My eyes bounced to Robert, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Of course I’ll stay with her. I was planning on it all along.” Robert’s smile both melted my insides and I was too giddy to contain my excitement.

“Yay.” I jumped up and quickly blushed. I was acting like a 10 year old in front of the hottest guy I had seen in a very long time – way to go Jen! But to my surprise Robert laughed and walked up to me. He was a few inches from me, completely invading my personal space and I didn’t mind one bit.

“I’m glad you’re as excited to spend time with me as I am to spend time with you.”

Oh lordy lordy lordy!

I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything. I just gave him a nervous laugh and tried to create some distance between us. Like I said, I wasn’t good at this sort of thing. But my reaction seemed to delight Robert, he just chuckled and grabbed hold of my hand.

Just then a tall guy wearing very impressive teeth and a cape walked up to us. It was Dracula. Time to say goodbye to Kandise and have some fun!

Yes, I know how totally messed up that sounded. I blame the hormones.

Robert and his friend just nodded to one another and then Dracula was ushering Kandise through a patch of trees.

“Have fun.” Kandise said, as she and Dracula disappeared.

Before I had a chance to respond, I felt a tug on my hand. Robert was pulling me and we resumed our walk through the haunted forest. Just like the first time, nothing exciting seemed to happen at first, and then, it was as if Robert and I were the only 2 humans in the woods and we were being attacked from all directions by all kinds of beasts. They were loud and in your face. They pulled at my clothes and my hair. In the distance I could hear screams, but I didn’t scream, I enjoyed it all. It was fake after all, and I was with Robert, whose hand never let go of mine. I tried to take it all in, all the costumes, all the sounds, it was overwhelming in a great way.

I saw Robert look back at me. “Are you ok?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m great!” We laughed, and Robert pulled me closer to him.

“You really like this stuff, huh?”

“I love it.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Vampires. But not like your buddy Dracula. I like when they seem more real. The cape and the super white face, it’s comical.”

Robert stopped midway through a clearing. “You like real vampires?”

“Well, I know they’re not real.” I said quickly, trying to get my point across. I didn’t want him to think I was wacko. “But…well, you know. I like when they portray vampires as unassuming at first, and then dangerous. Yeah, I find the idea of vampires romantic in a way, but it isn’t supposed to be pretty. They’re not supposed to sparkle. They’re supposed to take you by force, rip your throat out and ravage you as your warm blood trickles down your body. I find that hot.”

Robert didn’t say anything, and I was pretty sure I completely screwed up. I went on one of my crazy vampire tangents and now this guy, this perfect guy, would go from thinking I was quirky to downright nuts.

Before I could even muster anything to say, Robert pulled me so hard and fast I would have fallen on the ground if I hadn’t collided with his hard chest. The hand that was holding mine was now on the side of my neck.

“I would love to ravage you,” he practically growled, his lips lightly caressing mine before placing a hard kiss on my neck. “I wouldn’t rip your throat out though…” I could feel his teeth slightly gracing my neck and I it took all the will power I had not to drop to my knees in front of him. I couldn’t feel my knees. I couldn’t feel my legs at all, actually. But there were other things I could feel. Other body parts that were alive and humming.

“Would you like that, Jen?” Robert whispered in my ear. “Would you like me to ravage you.”

“Fuck, yes.” I thought I had said that in my head, but apparently I also said it out loud because a split second later I felt a sharp pain stabbing my neck. I didn’t scream, and I wasn’t frightened. The pain made my panties wet and a moan escaped my lips. I could feel Robert’s other hand wrap around my body. I could hear him drinking from my neck. I could feel my nipples harden against his chest and could feel him harden against my groin. I wished we were naked. That was the last thought I had before I blacked out.

***

When I awoke, I was alone. I was still in Field of Screams, though I was indoors. I don’t know how I knew I was still there, but I could feel it. I could also sense that it was late. I wanted to get up from the floor, but I didn’t have the energy.

I thought about Kandise. Wondered if she was still in the parking lot. Was she worried about me? Was she looking for me?

I reached into my jean pocket and pulled out my cell phone. The clock read 1:15 a.m. “Shit.” I dialed Kandise’s number. A second later, I heard her ringtone go off. I quickly sat up and looked around the room. A dim light engulfed the room in an eerie glow. Blood and body parts lay strewn about. No sign of Kandise.

I tried to stand up. I needed to find Kandise’s phone and then Kandise herself. But before I had the chance to stand up, I sensed I wasn’t alone anymore.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you. You’re very weak.” Robert emerged from the shadows. One look at him and all the events that led up to this moment came rushing back. My hand flew to my neck, where Robert had bitten me. As I felt the two puncture wounds on my neck, my eyes locked with Robert’s. My breath caught on an inhale – or maybe a gasp, I wasn’t sure. My mind was telling me I should be terrified. I tried to convince myself. But looking at Robert, knowing what he was, what he did, turned me on.

“I’m glad you’re not afraid,” Robert said.

“You can read my mind,” I said matter-of-factly.

“I can. You can too, if you want.”

“Am I - ”

“Not yet. I would never turn you by force. You have a choice, Jen. Human or vampire? But before you decide, listen to what I have to say. I know you feel it, this attraction between us, it isn’t normal. It’s like two magnets coming together. I can give you everything you desire. I can show you the world, give you powers beyond imagining. You’d be stronger, and faster. You’d have the ability to read people’s minds, and of course, you’d live forever. With me.”

“All you have to do,” continued Robert. “Is say yes. I’ve already drained you of a lot of blood – which by the way, was delicious.” Robert’s tongue quickly swept across his lips, his teeth glinting ever so slightly. “All you have to do is drink from me and from your first victim.”

“My first victim?”

Just then, Robert’s friend in the Dracula costume walks into the room, carrying Kandise’s body.

“Oh my god, did you kill her?” My question was barely a whisper.

Robert responded. “No. But to prove your loyalty to me, she will be your first victim.”

Some of the magic that I was feeling dissolved at his words. I couldn’t look away from Robert, but I wanted to. I wanted to look at Kandise, I wanted to save my friend. Tears pooled over my eyes and I had to blink to see again. I was not a murderer. I knew I would have to kill people, but I thought it would be strangers. I could maybe handle strangers. But friends?

I could see Robert reading my thoughts. He didn’t say anything though. We just stared at one another in silence. Him, begging me to chose him. Me, begging him to spare my friend. Neither one of us seemed to budge. On a sigh, Robert finally spoke. “I guess your lack of an answer means I should let you go. I’ll drop you off at the hospital, make sure you get a blood transplant – you need it. Then I’ll leave. Don’t worry, both you and your friend will be fine. I’m a man of my word. “

As Robert helped me to my feet, I threw myself at him. I hugged him with all the strength I had, which wasn’t much. I loved him. I would never let him go.

“I’ll do it.”

Turning Myself and Friends into Foods

1. Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I am a candy apple. I’m round, and have this hard outer coating. If you’ve never had one before, maybe you wouldn’t know that the hard coating is nothing but candy – sweet. And if you break through and get to the center, you get a juicy, delicious, good for you treat!

2. Kandise Bowser: My spicy mango grilled potato friend. When you first encounter Kandise, she looks a bit fried and hard around the edges. At closer glance, you’re engulfed in her chili powder – very spicy. But keep “chewing”, eventually you start to notice a sweet taste to Kandise. That’s the mango sneaking up on you. Once you’ve experienced her, you get used to her spicy personality because underneath all that fire lies a secret sweet potato. The more you experience it, the more you notice it.

3. Jeffrey Dorvil: A staple in my group. He’s white rice. Not very special at first glance, but an every day necessity. You get used to having him around, and when he’s gone, you miss him terribly. He goes with everything, ya know!

4. Ashley Pardo: This particular friend of mine likes to make noise. She likes the attention. She’s all colors and is sweet, but she’s more than that, she’s sassy. Ashley is a bag of Pop Rocks

5. Alyssa Vaquero is a box of grape and strawberry Nerds. Tiny, sweet, and with a crunch. Like Nerds, you like Alyssa the moment you first “try” her, and you never get tired of her. Forever sweet, forever colorful. Just looking at a box makes you smile.

My most memorable Halloween experience

It’s a little hard to pick just one. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, but I didn’t get many chances to celebrate it how I wanted to. There are a few key moments throughout the years that stand out in my mind.

I love when trick or treating happens on the 31^st. it is so bizarre a concept that different towns celebrate Halloween on different days. It takes the magic away. As a child, even if I wasn’t allowed to go out, I would see the kids. As early as 4 o 5 p.m., you could see kids in their costumes running around. But the magic always happened later. The sun would set, and it would get dark. The wind would pick up just slightly, blowing the leaves on the ground, and the streets would be filled with monster, clowns, fairies, all sorts of things. The sounds of kids, their laughter, their footsteps as they ran down the street, the words ‘Trick or Treat’, all carried throughout the neighborhood by that chilly wind. It was a different world. I wanted to sadly to be part of it.

I remember one year, I convinced my mom to take me trick or treating. I was so excited! I got dressed up as a witch – all in black. I even put fake nails on. I was ready, but my mom said it was too early. Kids began to knock on our door. We had candy, so I opened the door and gave them candy. It was the first year we had people knock on our door. I was excited, but anxious to get out there myself. Finally, after bugging my mom for what felt like an eternity, she relented. As we were leaving the house, I began to realize that we hadn’t had a trick or treater at our door for a while; and when I looked up and down my block, not a single soul was in sight. Only the wind with the leaves. It was too late. My mom walked me up and down the block – I guess to say that I at least got to dress up and parade around in my outfit. Then we went back home.

In middle school, I was old enough to go out on my own. That year was a fun year. I was in the 7^th grade and me, and my friends Ana L, Ana M, and Steven went trick or treating. I don’t remember what I dressed up as. It was either a witch or a vampire. I remember I was excited though. Finally, I would be part of the magic. We headed out and knocked on a few doors, and got candy. We even went into a bar and got candy from them as well. We passed so many kids. I didn’t even care about the candy. I was just in awe of all the costumes. After a while, Steven told us that he had heard that the skating rink had free ice skating with free skate rentals on Halloween, so we all decided to walk to Wonderland of Ice and check it out. Once there, it was confirmed by the long line of kids, that they indeed had free ice skating. We managed to get ice skates and got on the ice. I’m not a good ice skater, I learned that night, but I still had a great time. We eventually left the skating rink and knocked on a couple of more houses. It was getting late and Halloween was almost over for that year.

As I said goodbye to my friends, we talked about the idea of having a party next year. That idea was wonderful and so, the following year a bunch of us got together and threw a party at Steven’s garage. We decorated the garage and put a tap in the front to cover the entrance. It kept the wind out, and gave it a spookier feeling. We lit candles, and even got a few couches in there. It looked great. Once we got the stereo pumping, the party began. We danced and talked, and even played truth or dare. In the middle of our game, I saw a shadow on the other side of the tarp. It looked like a man with a chainsaw. I tried to tell everyone but it was too late. A split second later, we heard a chainsaw go off and a man lifted the tarp and came at us. We all screamed. It was Steven’s dad, wanting to get in on the fun. That was the best prank ever!

But my favorite Halloween memory didn’t actually happen on October 31^st. My freshman year of college, my roommate and some hall-mates all decided to go to Trail of Terror. A section of woods that is closed off and turned into a huge haunted house sort of thing. You go through mazes, cabins full of bloody body parts. Hands come from the walls and grab you, zombies pop out of the dark. You meet witches, and giant tree people. The little girl from the ring even came out of the well! It was the most fantastic Halloween experience of my life. I don’t even know how long we were walking around for – 30 or 40 minutes. It was long, and spooky, and perfect. I honestly don’t know what was the best part – watching the little girl crawl out of the well, cackling back at a witch, getting turned around in a moving maze where our entire group got separated…I don’t know. All I know is, there hadn’t been another Halloween experience that I’ve enjoyed more than Trail of Terror.