The Bodies in the Woods

"You want to see Travis?"

My hands fidgeted with each other, palms growing sweatier. The way the man looked down at me was shocking, dark brown eyes filled with horror yet expression stoic. His black suit stood out from the white background, like a drop of blood in a clear puddle.

No sound filled the hallway. Light streamed in through the wide windows. It was a particularly beautiful day, flowers blooming, sun shining, and not a singular cloud in the sky. Children ran throughout the streets with joy filling their hearts. The receptionist, previously loud and rather demanding, had fallen silent in the time that the guide arrived.

He began to make his way down the narrowing path. I followed him swiftly, my heels clicking against the tile. We did not converse much for the first few minutes. Instead, the sound of footsteps replaced our speaking. Yet, as the two of us reached the top of the second stairway, he began to tell me about the subject.

"He's a monster. Almost like a wild animal. Two of his victims had their veins torn out. The eldest was left without his rib cage. When I saw the photos, I-... it's the worst thing I've ever seen."

"But why did he do it?" I asked him, looking up to meet his gaze.

The man let out a long, almost shaky sigh, "No one knows."

Our journey did not last long after this conversation. The long hallway we reached was much darker. Even the walls were painted black. At the end, I could see the entrance to a cell. There appeared to be no one inside. I looked up at the man. He ignored my confused expression and continued on.

Soon, we had reached the door. The man worked on unlocking the many locks. I tried to speak. As soon as my mouth opened, he finished the last lock. He opened the door for me. I took a step in, and heard a loud slam, then turned to see it closed behind me. He gave me a nod.

I looked around the cell. There was a rather clean bed, red blankets and a fluffed up pillow, with a teddy bear placed neatly placed on top. On the opposite end of the room, there was a small table with two chairs. Yet one thing caught me off guard: a television set with a gaming console. Only one controller was set down in front of it; the other on top of the console, charging.

My feet carried me to the table. Six crayons were surrounding a paper, placed perfectly centered. I lifted up the paper and looked at it closely. In the faintest red, I read two words: "behind you!"

Out of instinct alone, I turned around, my heart stopping when I spotted the boy in front of me. Blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and covered in freckles. All he wore was a baggy jumpsuit and socks. A large, goofy grin covered his face, giggling at my straightened stance. This was none other than Travis Conagher, the notorious child murderer.

"You're Lillian." He said. "I scared you. I scare everyone I meet."

"Oh, honey, that's not true! I bet you make lots of people happy when they find you!" I bent down on one knee, smiling at him. His grin vanished. Eyes that were once filled with childlike cheer had seemed to empty immediately. For a moment, I looked over towards the man, whose serious expression had been replaced with fear.

Travis took a large step closer. Now I had to look up to get a full view of him. "I don't lie. When the police asked me if I killed them, I told the truth. That's why you're here. To discover the truth yourself."

The boy I was talking to was not a true boy. There was no child inside of him. Even with his short stature, and youthful appearance, anyone could see the inner man. No, not a man. A creature.

"I killed them. All seven. In order, too, from youngest to oldest. Did he tell you about the girl? Penny? My mother always told me to respect women, so I went the easiest on her. She was asleep when I ripped out her jugular. And you wanna know why they couldn't find her kidneys? You really wanna know?

I forcefully nodded. He let out another giggle. For a moment, there was silence. Then, he grabbed my shoulder, and let his voice fall into a whisper.

"Spencer ate them. I made him."

My blood ran cold. This time, he laughed a bit, before climbing up on his bed. He grabbed the stuffed animal and put a finger gun to it's head. After a few moments, he made a fake shooting noise, and threw the teddy bear into the wall. He stood up on the mattress again.

"They found the bodies a month later, and then me after another month. Thank God for that, right? The cabin I was staying in sucked! All the homeowners gave me were fruits and vegetables. I wanted to kill them, but hey, it's not like I could get food myself."

He jumped off the bed, almost falling over he laughed so hard. I didn't know why he was laughing. I don't think I wanted to.

"I don't regret it, really. They were my only friends, but I don't mind. I'm pretty sure they were going to tell on me for stealing from my parents that one time. Couldn't let that happen. This was the only way to shut them up." Travis grinned in my direction. The childlike joy in his eyes had returned. "Anyway, you gotta go, right? Your watch says it's eight PM, on the dot. Judging by your wedding ring, you have a lover to return to, and your kids - I can see a picture of them in your purse, they're adorable - probably miss you too. But feel free to come back any time. Though you probably won't; I told you everything you needed to know."

I stood back up. My throat had turned dry, and I was unable to speak. The man, noting my fear, opened up the door. Without looking back, I made my way out. The door slammed behind us.

It's been ten years since that visit. Travis is eighteen, and still living in that cell. I never returned. My coworkers who have patients in that mental hospital still tell me about him. Like how he's been doing perfectly on all of the quizzes he gets (which, according to some people, he begs for). They're all shocked by it. I'm not.

My retiring party was hours ago, and now I'm laying in bed, next to my husband. There aren't any cars driving past the window like usual. It's pitch black. For some reason, I can't fall asleep. Usually I pass out right away. Perhaps it's all the excitement. After all, I am rather excited about retiring, spending my days relaxing.

"Honey, can I turn on the light and read a bit?" I quietly ask.

There's a groan from my husband. Taking that as a yes, I turn the lamp on my side on. Yet my book is not there. Oh, I left it in the living room! I give my lover a quick kiss on the forehead, then pull on my slippers, and head out to the living room.

Something catches my eye: someone is sitting on the couch. They have blonde hair, freckles on the visible part of their face. I take a step closer. The person perks up, and looks towards me. A large grin grows on his face with blue eyes sparkling.

"Do you wanna be like Penny too?"