Rewrite Round 1: gah! Still cringing. Ok, I can do this!

Original A/N: Hey! Another chappy! A shout out to my roommate Keli for helping me with human anatomy part to make this as realistic as possible. She has taken numerous human anatomy and physiology courses in high school and college, so I believed her qualifications to be more than adequate.

...I'm glad we are close enough to have these conversations...

Told you guys I would make this as realistic as possible! I'll have a transcript of the conversation at the end so you can read it without spoilers!

Let's play ball!

Dani awoke the next night well rested. She was starting to like this 'staying up at night' deal. She grabbed a pack of smokes and went outside.

She should have looked up on the rooftop.

Someone on the roof was watching her intently. The figure reared back their arm, threw a projectile at her, and upon impact...water splashed everywhere all over the top of her head. She gasped, and looked up to the sights of none other than Jeff the Killer rolling around laughing at her. Another water balloon headed her way and hit her square in the chest.

BEN's head popped up.

"I told you – payback!" Jeff laughed.

"Aw, fuck you!" Dani said as she looked down at herself. Another water balloon was hurled her way, and she managed to catch it without it breaking.

"Shit, shit! Abandon ship!" Jeff yelled.

"You are gonna get it Jeffery!" Dani yelled. She ran along the wall of the house following the boys. She saw them turn the corner on the roof. She reared back, and let the blue balloon fly, hitting BEN's leg, but it didn't even break.

"Dammit!" She cursed. That's when the coughing began. Uncontrollable coughs emitted from her throat, and eventually blood made its way to the grass beneath her.

"Shit Dani."

Dani didn't hear Jeff approach.

"I'll get Slender." BEN said.

"No, she'll be alright, right Dani?" Jeff said, implying her next words should be 'yes, I'll be fine.'

Dani nodded between coughs. It subsided soon enough, and Dani was left exhausted.

"Help an old woman in, Jeff." Dani said with a laugh.

He complied, but not without commenting, "Old? Yeah right. You're only...wait, how old are you?"

Dani chuckled to herself as they went inside. "I'm 24."

"Figured. Old woman." Jeff laughed. BEN got a towel since she was soaked and had laid it on the couch. Jeff sat her down and left for the kitchen to get her a drink. Dani looked up and saw BEN start up a game on an old Nintendo 64.

"Damn. I haven't seen one of those in God knows how long! What game are you playing?"

"You know the answer, Dani." BEN replied with a smirk.

Dani shook her head. "Why would I know that?"

"...you don't read articles on the internet?" BEN replied, confused. "Does a username 'jadusable' ring a bell?"

Dani shook her head again. "Patients weren't allowed internet access period. What's your story, BEN?"

"All you need to know about jadusable was that I used him to get my name out there. It's no fun getting no credit. I came to him in a Nintendo 64 game cartridge of Majora's Mask. That was how I traveled until I discovered I could travel through the internet."

"Ah, so you are playing Legend of Zelda. I remember playing that as a kid. That's why you take the form of Link?"

"Yup. I like it though. They are really comfortable clothes."

"You need to get out more." Dani said. "If you want your name out there, you need headlines."

"True." BEN conceded. "But who believes a guy that says the ghost of Link is after him? People on the internet tend to at least know my name, and I'm content with that."

"You after anyone now?" Dani asked with a grin.

"Not currently, but I've been considering it for a while. My cartridge is out there somewhere, but it hasn't neared any routers, so I don't know where it is. When someone finds it though, I'll know." He said.

Jeff walked in with a glass of cola for Dani. "Here, drink this."

"Thanks!" She said, right before she greedily drank the soda. She turned to Jeff.

"Hey, Jeff, why did Jane leave?"

He grinned a bit before leading her into his room. He pointed to a picture of a dead couple taken with a Polaroid camera. "Apparently I killed Jane's parents when she was a toddler, and she blew up over it after finding this picture on the wall. I thought it was no big deal, it's not like she missed them. She's been looking for my head on a stake now after she cooled down, but eh. I'm not worried."

"Dude. I think I see my mom up there." Dani said rather slowly.

"What? I so didn't plan that. Well. Awkward." Jeff said, surprised.

"I'm so fucking with you. My mom's alive and well." She said, snickering.

She reached up and pulled down a Polaroid of a dead man. "This, however, was my scumbag of a father. Great execution by the way." The man had been disemboweled by some sort of penetrating trauma. Probably Jeff's knife.

"You think?"

"The man deserved it. Laid hands on my mother multiple times. I'd like to check on her once our names get off every major news station, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

A searing pain ripped through her abdomen, nearly sending her to the ground. She did drop to one knee. "Damn." She grimaced. "What did you guys do, turn up the heat?"

"More or less." Jeff replied.

"Perfect." She said sarcastically. Dani wasn't exactly used to having pain; rather she was used to dealing it out. "It'll be like this all the way to the end, won't it?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." He replied.

She picked herself up. "I'm going to try and sleep this one out. Or at least hide until it's done." She said. She dragged herself towards the door and murmured, "I don't want you guys to see me in this pathetic state."

Twenty four hours passed, and no one had seen Dani – that didn't mean no one heard her. Screams with simultaneous laughter would emanate from the room down the hall. Furniture was heard being moved. Banging on the walls. And the scratching. Constant scratching.

Every noise from that room stopped around 2 o'clock in the morning, two days after Jeff and Dani's escape. The noises had nearly taken over the house, so that when they did stop, everyone knew, and breathed a sigh of relief. Jeff, EJ, and Toby were in the living room when the sounds stop, and turned when they heard footsteps from the hall.

In walked Dani, changed. Her hair was sticking up every-which way, but was a deeper shade of red than it was before; her eyes went from hazel to a dirty shade of yellow, and the scars from the acid accident turned from white to black. The clothes she borrowed were a mess; the hoodie wasn't on her, the sweatpants torn in some places, and the grey t-shirt was somehow ripped to be sleeveless.

"Rough night?" Jeff asked.

"Don't...talk so loud..." Dani murmured, her head hurting. She looked and sounded as if she had a hangover. She flopped on one end of the couch like any other normal day. She looked down at herself. "Sorry about the clothes."

"No problem." He said, glued to the television report about him once again.

Slender walked in. "Ah. I see everything progressed smoothly?"

"You could say that." Dani said. "What now?"

"Whatever you wish. You may want to go out and kill. Or you can stay here – up to you."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Dani said. "I can already feel an itch."

"I'm going too – it's been a bit." Toby said, standing.

"Oh, hey, I pick you up some clothes while you were out." Jeff said, tossing Dani a bag of clothes.

"Awesome! Thanks."

Dani went to her room and put on some black cargo pants, which were a bit loose, but wearable. She went to put on a shirt but it was too small. They were all too small – she put the grey sleeveless back on.

Out she came with her saw attached at her hip.

"I see you like my shirt?" Jeff said cockily.

"You underestimated my size, and while flattered, I cannot fit into a small." Dani said.

"Damn. My bad!" Jeff told her.

As she turned, she noticed Jeff slip EJ a $10 bill.

"You are terrible at betting, Jeffery. I'm too used to loose clothing. Try again later!" She sang as she walked out the door, Toby on her heels.

"Who do have in mind, Dani?" Toby asked her.

"Oh, I dunno. I tend to find couples. The first non-personal single kill I had was the acid assassination. What about yourself?"

"Anyone I don't like. All of my initial kills were personal." Toby said.

"That must be a long list." Dani grinned.

"It is. I'll never be bored!" Toby said, a smile evident in his voice.

"What do you use?" Dani asked.

Toby pulled out double hatchets. "These."

"Hell yes, Team Shed Tools!"

The two high-fived as they entered into the quiet neighborhood.

"You get first pick, Toby. Where you wanna go?"

He swept the neighborhood and then pointed to a white picturesque vinyl house. "That one."

"You want me to sit this round out?" Dani asked. "I'd be more than happy to take the next!"

"Nah, you can sit back and watch the magic with the couple, but I'll need assistance with any others in there." Toby said, running at the house, Dani close behind. He ran around back, and tried the back door, and it was unlocked.

"Jeff always likes to break in – he doesn't bother checking the doors." Toby said.

Inside they went, and they looked around. Toby walked to the dining room and looked at the table, them waved Dani over.

"Look," He whispered. "Four chairs, and crumbs at each. What does that tell you?"

"Four occupants." Dani said in the same hushed tone.

"Yep. Look a little closer." Toby said.

Dani inspected each place at the table. "One place has a bit more crumbs at it than the others. Two parents, a teen, and a child?"

"Exactly. Very good. Always check the place out so you don't miss anyone. Come on."

He walked around the house silently and they came across a door covered in bad drawings. "Kid." Toby whispered to her.

Another door had the name 'Emily' in painted letters on it. "Teen." Toby said, and they kept going. There was a plain door at the end of the hall. "Parents." Toby said, a smile could yet again be heard, even in his hushed voice. His neck started twitching in anticipation as he pushed the door open, thankful it didn't squeak so he may have the element of surprise. Dani stood in the doorway as he crept in to the foot of their bed.

The woman awoke first, more preoccupied with Dani in the doorway than the figure at the foot of her bed twirling his hatchets in circles at his sides. When she shook her husband awake, Toby used the low footboard as a step to gather the momentum needed to embed both hatches into the skulls of the man and woman. A satisfying crack rang through the room, and thick red blood mixed with cerebral spinal fluid macabrely danced out of the wounds. Dani grew a wicked grin as she heard the teen get out of bed. She ran silently to stand by the teen's door and began to wait for her to emerge. The girl Emily, who looked about 16, crept out of her room. She had no idea what was coming. Dani snatched her hair with a vice grip and pushed the girl to her knees. As the girl clawed at the hand, the saw met her neck unforgivingly, and ripped through the jugular as Dani gave it a quick and forceful push and pull. "Its too little, too late," Dani cackled, and Emily's lifeless body hit the hardwood floor with a thump. Dani turned to see a sight she'd hoped not to see. It was what looked to be a four year old boy in the doorway.

"Mummy? I had a bad dream."

Dani froze, trying to keep her face from contorting to disgust. Children. Children. She hated children. Though she didn't kill them, it didn't mean she liked them. She loathed them. Despised them. Animalistic creatures, they were.

"Toby." She called, eyes fixated of the boy. "What are we doing with this one?"

The child ran up to Dani and hugged her, but not without a flinch from the woman. "Mummy...I had a bad, bad dream."

"Hey little man!" Toby said. "Since you had a bad dream, I have a surprise for you!"

"Really? What? What?" The child squealed, running to Toby to Dani's relief. "Come on, hop on my back, and I'll show you."

"Okay!" the boy complied, and the three left for the House.

"Toby, you didn't tell me the surprise?" Dani said, trying her hardest to play along.

"What is it, what is it?" The boy said.

"It's a very slender surprise." Toby said.

Dani got the hint. "Oh my, little man, you're gonna love this!"

"What, what?"

"You'll see!"

The House came into view, and they were soon inside. "Alright, the surprise is right up ahead, come on!" The two went down the hall, and Dani sat in the living room where Jeff, EJ, Hoodie, and Masky were.

All four heard Toby come in the living room, empty handed.

"Whelp, my job is done." Toby said, flopping on a love seat.

"How'd you handle the kid so well?" Dani asked.

Toby laughed. "I could tell you were uncomfortable. I never had a problem with kids. Why don't you like them?" He asked her.

"They're animalistic, disgusting creatures." She spat.

"You were a kid once." Toby countered.

"And I was disgusting."

"Seriously, why not?"

She sighed. "I'm not going to explain any further."

"Why not? It's just us." Toby pressed.

Dani shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Toby said, pushing harder now.

Dani pursed her lips, and then mumbled something.

"What?" Toby asked.

"I'm infertile. There, I said it; I hate what I can't have. I'm going to bed. Good night."

Ouchy, right? I liked it – it explains the motives behind her attacking couples and hating kids.

So, here was our psycho conversation if you wish to read it:

Me: Sooo...I'm going to ask you a question that's going to sound half creepy, and half psychopathic...but I swear I'm not a serial killer, I'm a writer!

Keli: Ohh kayy...What?

Me: Hypothetically...if one were to take a full swing with a hand saw at the back of another's neck with the teeth facing the target area, what would be the damage?

Keli: Swing, like stop upon impact, or follow through?

Me: Follow through, like baseball. *Insert swinging motion* Would it be enough to cut through the vertebrae of the spine?

Keli: No, I don't believe so; it's pretty tough to do that because of the cartilage, even with an axe or something.

Me: What about the front?

Keli: Nah, there's still a lot of cartilage in there.

Me: Okay...what about the side? Like where the jugular is?

Keli: It wouldn't cut into the neck far – saws need like a strong push-pull movement to get anywhere, but it is possible to sever the jugular if that happens.

Me: Alright thanks! *Resumes typing*

Keli: ...

Me: ...

Keli: ...did we just have that conversation?

Me: Yep!

Keli: We probably know all this 'cause we think about this a lot.

Me: Bingo!

She deals with a lot from me, so how about a round of applause!

Lemme know what you like, and if I got anything wrong, let me know.

Until next time, sweet people!

-Akemi