The light shone bright in my eyes as I squinted to see. I didn’t know where I was and I began to get a really bad feeling. I felt myself in a chair and a table in front of me. Where was I? Who brought me here? Why is the light shining on me like a movie star?
” I know you had something to do with this just spit it out” yelled an angry voice from across the pitch black room. As I looked around all I could see was the glow from the light. I heard voices mumbling between themselves as if I just robbed someone for precious jewels. The light grew closer to my face as I lifted my hand to block the light. “Tell me what happened” yelled the angry voice as a silhouette slammed it’s hand down on the table.
“I don’t remember anything” I pleaded as I tried my best to think. The lights flashed on and I saw two men standing there staring at me as if I was a midnight snack. They were ready for me to confess.
“I don’t know what you want from me but I had nothing to do with it” I pleaded as I tried to ease the tension in the room.
I turned my head to get a good look at the two men and noticed they were quite different looking to be cops. There was a tall slinky man with a mustache that seemed out of place. He seemed like a nervous man as he clutched his hands tightly together. I could see the beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. The other man was short and stocky. He had a big bald spot on the top of his head but he had a comb over as if it wasn’t noticeable. As he walked closer to the table I could see he held a handful of files and papers. He slammed them on the table and gave me a blank stare, I stared back into his piercing brown eyes.
“Listen, Stacey it’s in your best interest if you told us everything from the beginning” he said as he pulled a chair closer to mine and took a seat. He click on the recorder and begin to speak. “Its’ the morning of March, 13, 2004, On the case of Stacy Hartford”. I slid my head into my hands and took a deep breath.
It all started to come back to me like it happened yesterday. I could see everything clearly and remembered everything as if I was living it at that exact moment. It was the first day of my new job for the year. I had made big changes and was looking forward to the change, it came with many promises. I wish I knew what I knew now back then. My new coworker Tracey seemed like the nicest woman I've ever met. She was a pleasant woman with kindness in her heart. She wore a big smile and loves to laugh. Working with her was sure to be a good thing I hoped. The day started off good as we went on our normal routine for work. We did the normal things delivery drivers do, went door to do on what seemed like an endless journey.
We got back to the job site, parked the truck and made our way towards our cars. As I drove off something seemed wrong. As I looked through the rear view mirror I can see her following me on the highway towards my house. I panicked but didn’t break a sweat there had to be a logical reason for this I thought to myself. I kept my composure in the car and just continued onwards towards my house. As we got closer to where I lived I saw her turn into the apartment complex that was down the street. As I got home I found it to be weird that she lived so close to me. I tried to get it out my mind as I walked into my house.
As I entered my house my phone began to ring, I rushed into the door and began to franticly search my pockets for my cell phone.
“Hey Danielle” I said as I dropped my keys on the table.
“Hey Stacey, How was your first day?” she asked while ignoring all the noise in the background.
I began to walk towards my kitchen to grab me something to eat. My stomach felt as if I haven’t eaten in two years and I needed to feast for days to come.
“It was good I guess, I met a really lovely woman today on the job” I said as I opened my refrigerator. I looked inside and nothing looked appealing.
“I hope you keep it Stacey, I really do you’ve been cooped up inside for to many years you need to get out” she said as if she was lecturing me like some fair haired child.
I slammed the fridge door closed and rose my head, I'm sure she heard the burst of air I gave like an angry bull.
“How can I want to go out anywhere after what happened” I said as I clicked the end button.
“How dare she even try to tell me how to live my life” I thought as I searched my kitchen.
“Ms Hartford can you move onto more facts” said the stocky man. I didn’t care much about saying his name I didn’t want to know it. I didn’t want to be stuck in this room for endless hours with these two men. I knew the only way to get out is to tell it all, tell all the horrible things I have done.
I sat up in my chair and ran my fingers through my hair, I looked him straight in his eyes and he showed no emotion no symphony.
“Do you know what it’s like to be a crazy person?” I asked out loud trying not to look at anyone.
“A crazy person?” they said out loud in unison as if they misunderstood what I said.
I looked them in their face and they looked back with blank stares.
“Yes, a crazy person, A person who commits horrible crimes but are not in the right state of mind when they are doing it to stop” I explained as they just listened to every word.
“All of this I have done and I couldn’t stop it. It’s like I'm someone else and I need help” I pleaded as I slowly began to lay my head on the table.
“Ms Hartford lets start from the beginning” Said the nervous man. I looked up at him and noticed his tag read “Thomas” a normal name for a guy like him.
“Tell us about John Williams” said the stocky man as he pushed a picture of John over to me.
I chuckled a bit as I thought of John. I began to smile in a way that I never have before it felt good when I had these thoughts. It feels so warm inside when I hear this voice whisper things to me. This voice tells me good things and gives me good memories. It keeps me company when no one else can.
“John was fun but he took the longest to die” I said as officer Thomas grabbed a chair to prepare for this.
“John was one of those guys who was always so nosey so I had to kill him” I said as I tried to remember everything.
It was one of those days when I was just home sitting in the darkness where no one can see or hurt me. I heard my phone ringing but I didn’t care to answer it I just wanted to be left alone. I just sat there and thought to myself. What have I become? What is going to happen to me?
“He’s coming Stacey” said a voice in the room. I stood up and looked around but there was no one there I knew there wasn’t and I wasn’t crazy. I sat back down and began to think to myself again.
“Stacey he’s coming and you need to protect yourself” said the voice. Only this time the voice seemed so close. I could feel it inside of me when it spoke, It felt like it was a part of me in a way. I jumped up and headed to my kitchen, I stood in the middle of the floor and looked around.
“We like knives, gives everything a personal touch when we get them” said the voice. I walked over to the counters and felt for the draws. When I found the right one I felt inside until my hands felt the knives. When I felt one that felt good and big I grabbed it and shut the draw. As I shut the draw I heard a car pull up to my house and a car door slam.
“Stacey, Stacey you okay in there” Shouted john as he gotten closer to my door. I quickly ran to the room and sat back into the darkness. I heard the pounding on the door and him calling my name.
“When he comes in you have to kill him” said the voice. I looked around and thought about what the voice just said to me. The front door burst open and I didn’t know what was going on.
“Stacey you in here?” shouted John as he tried to find me.
“I’m in here John” I shouted back. I was so lost inside I didn’t know what I was doing in this moment.
“Jesus Stacey way to scare me” he said as he got closer the my room.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone? I thought something happened to you” he said as he came to the doorway.
“No, I'm fine I'm just sitting here. I didn’t want to be bothered by anything sorry John” I explained to only his silhouette.
“Well, your going to have to come out sometime, I'm getting tired of this now.” He said as his silhouette shifted position.
“You been in here for 3 years now your going to go crazy. Look come with me right now you need this” he said as he gotten closer to me.
“Kill him it’s the only way. You’ll like it” said the voice. I pondered it over for the few seconds I had left to think.
He reached and grabbed my arm and tried pulling me up off the floor.
“No!” I shouted and lunged my knife into him. When I felt the knife go into his flesh it felt so good. It’s a feeling like no other and you will never experience this unless you do it. He let go and gasped for air, I heard him take a step back and just as he tried to go back I lunged at him again. I stabbed him four more times in the stomach and he fell to the ground. He lay there gagging on his blood and spit as he began to die. After about 5 minutes he didn’t make any noise he just lay there motionless. I stood up and clicked on the light to see what I have done. I saw all the blood and I liked it, I laughed out loud as if I won a game of chess in a tournament I was happier than ever. I stood over him and just looked upon him for at least an hour before I decided to move. I went to the window and realized his car was still there and I didn’t think much of it at the time. Didn’t cross my mind to do anything about it.
I went to my basement door and opened it wide enough to fit the two of us. Luckily John wasn’t a big guy but rather petite and slinky like. I went back into my room and grabbed his arms and slowly began to drag him to the basement. When I got him to the stairs I thought to pick him up and bring him down because it seemed like the right thing to do.
“Don’t pick him up. As much as he brought you down in life you want to pick him up” the voice said in a frustrated voice. When I thought about it, it was right. All the times he tried to force me to do things I hated. I turned him around so I had his feet in my hands. Better for the grip I suppose. As I began to drag him down the steps I could hear his head thudding against the steps and it didn’t phase me. I kept going and on the last step I gave him a lil tug to make the thud harder. I dragged him into the darkest corner in the room where I knew no light ever gone to.
“Mr Williams was your friend for many years and you disposed of him like a piece of trash” said the slinky man in an angry yet depressed voice. I stared at him as the words he spoke had no sound. I tried to listen but I heard no words. I only saw his mouth moving making motions I never seen before.
“They’re going to lock us away. Away where we can’t help the world” Said the voice in a whisper. I glanced down as I tried to listen to it speak but it was too late. I kept my composure as I lifted my head to face them again. In this moment I never felt so lonely, it reminds me of years ago when things all went wrong.
“Please lets continue” officer Thomas said as I just stare with a blank face. No emotions, no remorse, I felt as if I myself did good things. I protected myself from harm and I'll protect myself any other time it happens. I glanced over at the Slinky cops shirt to catch his name, his tag read “ Barnes” it seemed like a fitting name for such an outspoken forward man.
Officer Barnes slowly opens the folder and pulls out a picture of Tracey Daniels and slides it towards me on the table.
“Do you know who this is” he asked as he pointed to the picture. I looked down at the pictured and just stared.
“She was fun, I remember cutting her flesh and feeling the warm blood drip down my arms and hands. It felt so good” I blurted out as I thought of how the blood felt running down my arms.
“You stabbed her one hundred and forty-eight times. Why so much?” asked officer Thomas.
“She deserved every minute of it” I said as I tried to look the other way.
She deserved everything I gave her. Tracey was always the good girl, always getting great things in life. She stumbled upon my house and thought it was empty, it was the perfect time to kill her. No one knew where she was or who was with her.
“If you didn’t find her in my basement no one would know where she was” I said as I grinned in their faces.
It was like a morbid fantasy playing in my head but I didn’t want it to stop. I loved this feeling.
“Locking me away is the only way I can stop” I pleaded as I wanted the questions to stop.
“We plan on doing that” officer Barnes blurted out in an uproar. What you did in these past months are horrendous. I’ve never met anyone who did what you did. He sat there blurting out words I didn’t care about. His lips just kept moving but no words would come out.
“Lets move on” said officer Thomas as he pulled out the last picture. He pushed it over to me and I just stare at it.
“Do you know who this is” asked officer Thomas.
I didn’t know who he was, I just sat there and staring at the picture.
“You dismembered his body and burned his limbs.” Said officer barnes.
In that moment it all came back to me, I remembered every horrible thing I did that night to that guy. He was the reason everyone found out. I sat there staring still and as I stare I felt anger began to boil.
“He’s the fun one” I said as they stare back at me.
“He’s the reason I'm sitting here right now” I said as I looked down. I pulled my head up and looked at the two men, They just sat there with no words to say. Just looking back at me as if no one ever been in this very chair before.
“Your here because of your friend finding what you do to people” Said officer barnes as he stood up from his chair. He paced the room for about two minutes and sat back down.
“One person can make everything turn to shit” I thought to myself as I tried to figure out who knew what I was doing. I couldn’t think of anyone, everyone I knew was dead or were they. Just as I tired to look down officer Barnes pulled out one last picture.
“Do you know this man Ms Hartford?” asked officer Barnes as he slid the picture across the table. I lightly gasped as I saw his face.
“Larry” I said in an angered voice. I grabbed the picture and balled it up. I couldn’t stand looking at his face. Officer Barnes grabbed the picture and looked at me.
“This man is the only survivor from your reign of horror” Officer Barnes said as he uncrumbled the picture.
“He’s dead I saw the lifelessness in his eyes before I put him in the basement” I said calmly as he stared. I knew for sure he was dead no one could survive what he went through.
“I slit his throat and stabbed him eleven times I doubt he’s alive” I said as I stared back into his deep blue eyes.
Officer Barnes began to laugh and it seemed awkward he would do something like that.
“Your feeble attempt failed Ms Hartford” He said as he stood up again.
“He’s in ICU in the hospital he didn’t die from what you did. He lost a lot of blood but he still escaped your hell house” He explained as he walked over to the water cooler in the room. I blankly stared at him while he spoke. The words were clear as day as if I was born to hear him say those words to me.
“He survived” Screamed the voice inside. It angered me, I slammed my hands on the table ad gave an angry grunt.
“He should be dead” I screamed at the officers as they stare at me as if I was a wild animal needing to be tamed.
“Everyone needs to die in this world” I shouted as I began to get out my seat.
“Please sit down Ms Hartford” asked officer Thomas but I didn’t listen I stood up and walked towards them.
“They don’t know what you have” said the voice as I got closer to the edge of the table.
“Do it and make us happy” It screamed in my head. I gave out a wild laugh as I stood at the edge of the table. I raised my arm and pulled the knife from out my sleeve.
“I’ve had this the whole time you stupid people do you know what I can do” I shouted as they looked at the bloody knife in shock. I lunged for officer Thomas and before I knew it I was stabbing him uncontrollably.
“Stop Ms Hartford or I'll have to use force” shouted officer Barnes as he reached for his gun. All I cared about was the screams of my victims they pleased me. I stood up and faced officer Barnes, He was standing there holding a gun towards me shaking with fear.
“You don’t have to do this Ms Hartford, We could help you” he pleaded as he began to look down at his bloody partner on the floor grasping his neck.
“No one can help me you fool this is just who I am” I said as I raised the knife. I lunged for him and he shot his gun. I heard three shots before I knew what happened. I looked around and I was lying on the floor. I felt a rush of cold and numbness from within.
“You failed me” said the voice as it slowly faded away. I think I'm going to die on this cold lonely floor.
“All I did was protect myself from the harm of life” I said as I began to lose the life inside of me.
I felt the life draining from me with every breath I took. Officer Barnes walked over and leaned in to face me.
“I didn’t want to do that, We could have helped you get better but I had to protect myself. He explained as he held my hand.
“Welcome to my world” was the last thing I said before I lost my life.
Looking down on the situation I can see where I went wrong. Such tragedy happened in my life withdrew me from the world. Seeing things now I wish I could start over. Maybe in another life in another time I'll have my chance. For now my chance has come and gone, No one will understand my story but others will follow in my footsteps.
