"I don't know what you're talking about." Johnny said nervously as
he sipped on the art-house wine.
"So you didn't try to kill Devi that night?" Tenna demanded.
"No. I wouldn't..." Johnny bit his lip. "I liked Devi. I just wouldn't kiss her."
"You're saying she made it all up because you hurt her feelings? Why wouldn't you kiss her? Are you gay?"
Johnny rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, "That is so ignorantly stupid. Why do people say things like that? You don't kiss a girl so you're gay? And what would be wrong with that, anyway?"
"Shit, I'm kidding." Tenna eyed the artist carefully. "What about that time she called and heard guns and screams at your house."
"That was the television." Johnny said solemnly, annoyedly looking ahead of him, and not at Tenna.
"That wasn't you killing people?"
"No, that was me being killed." He snapped back semi-sarcastically. "Now shouldn't you be looking for her? I have an art show to do."
"Oh, yes, yes," Tenna yelled at him as he walked away, "go back to your precious little art fags. The wonders of stick-figure drawings! It's SO symbolic! Johnny, come back! You give my life meaning! You are the answer to my world!!" Just then she noticed suspicious whispers and approaching guards, so she yipped defiantly and scattered out of the room.
~~~~~~~~
Johnny huddled in the corner whispering to himself. "The art of genius is enriched by such madness," a passerby excused him to a group of tourists, and they left him alone. School children on field trips were not as kind. When they got too close, he hissed at them and pawed his face as if to hide.
"This is nothing to be preoccupied with." A voice told him. He looked around, but the dull children around him only stared. "Devi is irrelevant. You have a life now."
Johnny looked up slowly, realizing the voice was coming from a painting. He hesitantly rose from his corner, and wandered slowly pass the frames, dreading the ones holding dboy and mr.eff.
Fortunately, they were quiet, their hideous faces mere black and white paint etched on a board. The voice was coming from their neighbor, an extravagant masterpiece of the wondrous noodle boy, stretched high among all his glory.
"You have me, Johnny," Happy Noodle Boy told him, a smile stretched upon his mad face.
"Shit." Johnny glared, "Now I know that's not you. You aren't supposed to make sense. You're the part of me that doesn't give a shit, that loves anarchy."
"Of course I am. But that doesn't mean I'm totally ignorant or insane. Meticulous insanity is much more calculated than that. You have a chance to totally fuck up the world, Johnny, and that way is through me."
"God, stop talking. you're making me sick." Johnny sank to the ground below his creation.
"You can't get rid of me, Johnny. I am you at your lowest point. I was with you all those years horribly mutilating people. I am the part of you who hates human beings. Everyone. And that includes Devi."
"I'm not like you - I'm not YOU, anymore." Johnny seethed, "I am BETTER now."
"What? You think you belong here, with these circus freaks?"
"I am better. All better."
"You've a chance to fuck it up from the inside."
"All better."
"Imagine, not just killing losers at fast food joints, but the snobs at the art gallery."
"You're not a part of me anymore."
"You DREW me, didn't you?" Happy Noodle Boy leered down on Johnny. "I escaped through you. Now, go to the cafeteria and get a knife. Or did you bring one with you? I bet you did. I know you. You haven't given it up entirely. You're too used to that life."
Slowly, Johnny drew a small hooked knife from his boots, which were hidden under his nice slacks. "Yessss...." Happy Noodle Boy hissed. Johnny looked at the knife, and could barely see his reflection cut throughout it. Then a shadow replaced him.
He looked up and almost screamed at the small child, about to make it his first victim. But then he recognized the face, and little Squee glaringly whispered, "I heard it."
Johnny dropped the knife and Squee, looking uncomfortably brave, took it and hissed at him, "I heard the picture. You're a bad man." Then the child ran away through the crowd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Devi rocked back and forth in the white room. Ironically she admired the strait jacket, the kind people would buy at the store if it were black. Buckles and leather and all sorts of nifty shit, only it wasn't so great when it locked you. Plus it was white, and white was just not cool, Devi mocked those people. The trendy kinds. Alas, it was all just stupid anyhow. She shouldn't have tried to attack the police. Or the medical assistants. She had calmed down just in time to avoid being drugged.
"This is so fucked up." She whispered to herself in amazement. "Johnny is loose, and I'm here." She fought the jacket again, more to get out her anger than to actually free herself. "I am going to kill him." As she said it, an eerie peace settled about her. Her eyes finally rested on one spot, and she froze. "Yes."
She wasn't actually going crazy, she had just found the answer to her problems. Johnny was where everything had gone wrong. Johnny had been the one at which point her life had totally gone down.
All she had to do was kill the killer, and she would be free.
Sickness listened to her thoughts with a smile.
"So you didn't try to kill Devi that night?" Tenna demanded.
"No. I wouldn't..." Johnny bit his lip. "I liked Devi. I just wouldn't kiss her."
"You're saying she made it all up because you hurt her feelings? Why wouldn't you kiss her? Are you gay?"
Johnny rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, "That is so ignorantly stupid. Why do people say things like that? You don't kiss a girl so you're gay? And what would be wrong with that, anyway?"
"Shit, I'm kidding." Tenna eyed the artist carefully. "What about that time she called and heard guns and screams at your house."
"That was the television." Johnny said solemnly, annoyedly looking ahead of him, and not at Tenna.
"That wasn't you killing people?"
"No, that was me being killed." He snapped back semi-sarcastically. "Now shouldn't you be looking for her? I have an art show to do."
"Oh, yes, yes," Tenna yelled at him as he walked away, "go back to your precious little art fags. The wonders of stick-figure drawings! It's SO symbolic! Johnny, come back! You give my life meaning! You are the answer to my world!!" Just then she noticed suspicious whispers and approaching guards, so she yipped defiantly and scattered out of the room.
~~~~~~~~
Johnny huddled in the corner whispering to himself. "The art of genius is enriched by such madness," a passerby excused him to a group of tourists, and they left him alone. School children on field trips were not as kind. When they got too close, he hissed at them and pawed his face as if to hide.
"This is nothing to be preoccupied with." A voice told him. He looked around, but the dull children around him only stared. "Devi is irrelevant. You have a life now."
Johnny looked up slowly, realizing the voice was coming from a painting. He hesitantly rose from his corner, and wandered slowly pass the frames, dreading the ones holding dboy and mr.eff.
Fortunately, they were quiet, their hideous faces mere black and white paint etched on a board. The voice was coming from their neighbor, an extravagant masterpiece of the wondrous noodle boy, stretched high among all his glory.
"You have me, Johnny," Happy Noodle Boy told him, a smile stretched upon his mad face.
"Shit." Johnny glared, "Now I know that's not you. You aren't supposed to make sense. You're the part of me that doesn't give a shit, that loves anarchy."
"Of course I am. But that doesn't mean I'm totally ignorant or insane. Meticulous insanity is much more calculated than that. You have a chance to totally fuck up the world, Johnny, and that way is through me."
"God, stop talking. you're making me sick." Johnny sank to the ground below his creation.
"You can't get rid of me, Johnny. I am you at your lowest point. I was with you all those years horribly mutilating people. I am the part of you who hates human beings. Everyone. And that includes Devi."
"I'm not like you - I'm not YOU, anymore." Johnny seethed, "I am BETTER now."
"What? You think you belong here, with these circus freaks?"
"I am better. All better."
"You've a chance to fuck it up from the inside."
"All better."
"Imagine, not just killing losers at fast food joints, but the snobs at the art gallery."
"You're not a part of me anymore."
"You DREW me, didn't you?" Happy Noodle Boy leered down on Johnny. "I escaped through you. Now, go to the cafeteria and get a knife. Or did you bring one with you? I bet you did. I know you. You haven't given it up entirely. You're too used to that life."
Slowly, Johnny drew a small hooked knife from his boots, which were hidden under his nice slacks. "Yessss...." Happy Noodle Boy hissed. Johnny looked at the knife, and could barely see his reflection cut throughout it. Then a shadow replaced him.
He looked up and almost screamed at the small child, about to make it his first victim. But then he recognized the face, and little Squee glaringly whispered, "I heard it."
Johnny dropped the knife and Squee, looking uncomfortably brave, took it and hissed at him, "I heard the picture. You're a bad man." Then the child ran away through the crowd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Devi rocked back and forth in the white room. Ironically she admired the strait jacket, the kind people would buy at the store if it were black. Buckles and leather and all sorts of nifty shit, only it wasn't so great when it locked you. Plus it was white, and white was just not cool, Devi mocked those people. The trendy kinds. Alas, it was all just stupid anyhow. She shouldn't have tried to attack the police. Or the medical assistants. She had calmed down just in time to avoid being drugged.
"This is so fucked up." She whispered to herself in amazement. "Johnny is loose, and I'm here." She fought the jacket again, more to get out her anger than to actually free herself. "I am going to kill him." As she said it, an eerie peace settled about her. Her eyes finally rested on one spot, and she froze. "Yes."
She wasn't actually going crazy, she had just found the answer to her problems. Johnny was where everything had gone wrong. Johnny had been the one at which point her life had totally gone down.
All she had to do was kill the killer, and she would be free.
Sickness listened to her thoughts with a smile.