Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-28462129-20160515030655

This investigation happened over two years. He didn’t really have a name, no friends and never spoke to anyone, he was a mystery, an unknown to the outside world. He came from an abusive family, his father was vicious to both him and his mother, he was bullied at school, alone, always alone. From an early age he showed signs of solitude, always standing apart from the crowd. At the age of 7 he had killed his first animal, the neighbour’s cat went missing one day and they found it in his bedroom pinned to his wall. At the age of 10 he had stabbed the school yard bully, with a pencil, “The bully just didn’t know when to stop and got what he deserved,” those were his words. At the age of 16 he disappeared, no one knew where he was or what he did, until now. How do I know this, I found his story, he left it behind at a crime scene, he wanted me to know him, the nomad, the one I could never catch.

Friday 18th February 2005 The voices, they won’t stop, why do they keep tormenting me, they won’t leave me alone. The doctors said I had depression, schizophrenia and suffered from violent outbursts, but what would they know. He shouldn’t have done it, why did he have to annoy me that stupid, stupid man. I couldn’t stop myself, the rock was there, the rage inside me wouldn’t go, the voices. Then before I knew it I was bashing his head in until I couldn’t recognise his face anymore, that stupid man, why did he have to talk to me. Why do they always have to talk to me, so many dead.

But my break finally came there was a witness, I couldn’t believe that there was an actual live witness. I got the call at 2am, I grabbed my gun and badge and hurried down to the crime scene. She was a young girl, about 18, looked like she was from the streets, her face was distraught, so innocent. I was listening to her recount of what she saw. “A man, he was huge, about 6-foot-tall, I couldn’t see his face it was covered with some sort of mask, a gas mask? He, he grabbed a rock and hit him, he wouldn’t stop hitting that poor old man, he just asked for money and he hit him, over and over again, he wouldn’t stop. He dragged the body into a van and drove off.” The blood was everywhere, there had to be some clues that I could follow, I had to catch him. This mysterious suspect in a gas mask thought killing people was fun. Twelve months had passed and I still wasn’t closer to finding him. He left a trail of odd behaviour, there were reports of people waking up with an individual in a gas mask watching them as they slept, sometimes he would flee and sometimes some weren’t so lucky. Where did he hide out, why was he killing so many? I had to delve further into his world, into his mind. I kept reading.

Friday 17th February 2006 I was in all of the newspapers, the man in the gas mask, The Gas Mask Murderer. Ha, they will never find me, I am too good for the apparent Major Case Squad and Special Victims Unit. I never left any evidence, I didn’t want them to find me, I am so confused, I feel such remorse yet the voices tell me to “Keep doing it, have some fun!” It was so easy to clear my tracks, lie low in my city hideout. I had to be careful, I don’t know why but I always brought the bodies here, to this abandoned warehouse. The smell is getting too bad now, people will notice, I have to do something. The voices…. “Stop telling me what to do!”

There was a report of a fire, I don’t know why but I had to investigate it, my instincts kicked in. It was an abandoned warehouse, not much was left except rubble. But then I saw it, a leather bound book, another diary maybe. I opened it and couldn’t believe my eyes.

The first page had a picture of a man holding a machete, I couldn’t see his face it was hidden by a mask, a gas mask! There were eyes in the photo, I didn’t understand why they were there. It was his, this must have belonged to him. I examined the picture further. So many questions entered my mind, why did he hide his face, why did he leave this behind, was he dead, this nightmare over?

Saturday 25th February 2006 Finally, I was able to get rid of the smell, those bodies long gone. I am so tired, so sick of this, it needs to stop. I want to be caught, my mind hurts all the time, HELP ME! I must leave this where you can find it, find me, I can see you Detective Masters, can you see me?

I look up and there he is, The Gas Mask Murderer; I reach for my gun, but I’m not fast enough. He’s running towards me with his machete….. 