A Father's Love

When Johnny sets out to make his father proud by continuing his work, an unlikely figure intervenes.

Johnny sits on his workbench, washing away the remnants of blood and DNA. A woman lies next to him, staring into nothingness as her body enters the first stage of rigor mortis. He looks disdainfully at the body; if she had stopped screaming he would've finished his project efficiently.

"Well, on to the next one." Johnny muses, rising from his bench and walking towards his work tools. He tried to mirror every tool his father used in his Bloody Face days. His only shortcoming was that he didn't know how any of them worked.

His little knowledge of the medical or biology lead to many failures and a high body count but he didn't care. A small casualty to make his father proud, Johnny tells himself. As he's working out the kinks of his latest project, he feels an eerie chill slither down his spine.

"Pathetic." A male voice hisses.

Johnny whips his head around, checking his surroundings. Silence.

Has his paranoia got the better of him?

"Pathetic," the voice hisses louder, making Johnny jolt. He shoots up from his workbench, knife in hand, adrenaline pumping in his veins. Whoever is here doesn't sound too friendly.

"Show yourself!" He barks. Heart pumping in his veins, he paces everywhere in his corridor, knife gripped so tight his knuckles are straining against his flesh. He notices the atmosphere get colder, notices his lights get dimmer. What's happening? He backs slowly, only to collide into a mass of solid flesh. Turning around, the sight almost makes him turn white.

There, towering over him like a giant, is Bloody Face. His mask looks more sinister as the flesh is going through stages of decomposition. when Bloody Face rips off his mask, Johnny sees Dr. Oliver Thredson.

His father.

"I am very, very, very, disappointed in you," Oliver snarls, his teeth bared. Johnny, used to the happy and proud visions of his father, is taken aback. What has he done to make him upset?

"Dad," he begins, "I've been doing your work to honor-"

Oliver backhands him so hard Johnny falls to the floor.

"I am ready to kill you myself," he picks Johnny up and slams him on his work table. Unhygienic medical tools poke into Johnny's back, making him squirm. Oliver's dark, soulless eyes bore into Johnny's brown ones, filling him with fear. For the first time in over thirty years, he's scared.

"You are an embarrassment. You try to copy my work and you do it horribly. Look at this!" Johnny's face is pushed to his right. He sees his victim's empty eyes greet him.

"Terrible misuse of the scalpel, inconsistent incisions, misuse of anesthetics and restraints, and you cut too much into the flesh that you sliced her femoral artery. She died within minutes because you were too stupid to learn basic biology!"

"I just wanted to make you proud-"

"You made me disappointed in you. You are a high-school drop-out who's a junkie and a shameless woman-beater. You, with a 9th grade education, try to do the work of an accomplished doctor? Pathetic. Your kills are a mess; I've never seen such sloppiness in my life! You should feel ashamed to try to match my caliber!" Oliver's spit is in his face.

"You don't have a job, you don't have a proper education, and you expect me to be proud of you? How stupid are you?" He releases Johnny, who picks himself up and stares at his father.

"I didn't want this life for you. I wanted you to be the exact opposite of me. I wanted you to have a normal life, a life that I never had." Oliver looks at the floor, remembering the promise he made to his son all those years ago.

"When your mother was pregnant with you, I made a promise to myself to leave my Bloody Face days behind. I wanted to hold you in my arms and watch you grow into something more. Something better." He places his hand on Johnny's cheek.

"It's not too late to become something better, Johnny."

"What do you want me to do, Dad?" Johnny replies, his voice croaking. He looks to his father, searching for his approval.

After a moment of silence, Oliver finally speaks.

"Leave this behind you. Destroy all of the evidence, incinerate the bodies, and wipe your home clean from top to bottom. Then I want you to go back to school and get an education. Live a normal life, get married, have kids, and leave everything behind." He smiles at Johnny.

"I can't believe you're all grown up. You look just like your mother." When tears stream down Oliver's face, Johnny breaks down crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just...I need..."

He feels his father hug his shivering form. He relays his anger, confusion, hurt, and loneliness through his wails and sobs.

"I know, son. I know."


5 Years Later

Lana is sitting in her home, sipping wine and reading the latest reviews about her new release of Maniac. She tried to market it with new details and writings but so far it's not selling like it used to back in the 70s. She's meeting with a newfound fan who could give valued critiques to make it sell. Her girlfriend is off at a conference in Japan and her publicity is fading with her age. So far, she feels lonely. But, at least her expensive wine and chocolate would give her good company.

Soft jazz plays in the background, the fire in the fireplace crackling, and the cozy atmosphere helps Lana relax and unwind. When there's a knock on the door, she puts down her glass and rushes to answer it.

On the other side of the door is a man, dressed like he's a somebody. It would make Lana seem eager to see him, but something sets her on edge. The way he looks at her, the way he approaches her, the way he smiles at her, sets her on edge.

"Hello, Ms. Winters. I'm Johnny Morgan. We have a lot to talk about."

He closes the door with a soft click.