Prologue:
It was cold and looked like it was raining outside. The perfect type of weather to just stay in bed. But unfortunately, it was school day.
So the boy laying on his bed, lazily forced himself to get up after he heard his alarm beeping. He scratched his head while sitting down on his bed before he checked his window. Great, rainy day. He thought as he saw the heavy rain outside.
He stood up from his bed and stretched himself a bit in the middle of the room.
The room was pretty decorated. It has a lot of posters and graffiti paintings on the wall alongside nice furniture. Although the room was somewhat small, it had a lot of things in it. The bed was next to the wall besides the only window in the room that shows the neighbors home. In front of the bed, there's a TV with several video game consoles below it. At the other wall there's a desk with a very complex computer on it, and some things on it's drawers like his digital camera and other devices. Above it there was a shelf with action figures in it. In the end of the room, there was the door but besides it on the left, there was a wardrobe while on the right, there was a bookshelf. The bookshelf was very organized with several books and comic books on it. The other end of the room, right under the window, there was an black and white electric guitar behind a black amplifier.
The boy was not doing simple stretches, he was actually doing yoga. He does twenty minutes of it, every morning. When he finishes, he walks out of his room into a small corridor. The corridor wae simple, just a narrow corridor with flower wallpaper, three doors and a staircase. The door on the left side of the staircase was the door that led to his room, the door on the middle led to the bathroom and the door on the right leads to the other room. He walked towards the bathroom passing through the portraits on the wall.
He entered the bathroom, a very clean and normal looking bathroom. He took off his shirt and underwear and entered the shower for a quick wash. A three minute warn shower was enough for him. He dried himself with a towel before walking towards the sink again. He looked at his face at mirror for a second.
The mirror showed his reflection. He was a thirteen year old kid. A very handsome boy. His name was Joshua, Joshua Reese. He looked at his pale face in the mirror, mostly to check his eyes. His eyes were mismatched, his left eye was sapphire blue but his right eye was emerald green. It was very noticeable, which is why he has his jet black hair in a emo hair cut that covers his right eye with his bangs. But as a result, everyone thinks he's a emo. Not that he cares anyway.
Joshua put his underwear back on then leaves the bathroom to walk back to his room. He opened his wardrobe to get some clothes. I'm going generic today. He thought as he picked a pair of blue jeans, white hi-tops, a black T-shirt and a white hoodie. After getting dressed, he walked to his desk to pickup his phote which was besides the keyboard. He checks it to see a message on it.
Lydia: My place or school?
Joshua: Your place.
Lydia: Fuck
When he finished replying the messages, he put his phone on his pocket and grabbed his messager bag that was hanging on the desk's chair before he left the room to walk downstairs. While he was on the middle of the steps, he sense the smell of eggs and bacon. The smell gets stronger when he fully when he completely goes downstairs.
The first floor of the house was simple. There was a living room with a couch, a little table on the front, and a TV. There was also a bookshelf besides the three windows that showed the street. Joshua looked at the window a bit. The rain is getting weaker but doesn't look like it's going to stop. He observed as he saw the rain drops at the window.
"Joshua, Breakfast is ready." He heard someone calling him from the kitchen.
"Coming." He replied before turning around and walking past the dinner table.
Joshua then made his way to the kitchen. It was a normal kitchen with a sink, a fridge, an oven and a microwave.
"Good morning Alma." He greeted the old lady that was cooking. The old lady is named Alma. She's a fifth nine years old woman with grey hair, a frail looking posture and light brown eyes. Her face only has a few wrinkles on it.
Joshua obeyed her and sat down on the table to eat his breakfast. The bacon was nice and crispy and the scrambled eggs were well cooked.
Alma then left the kitchen and went to the living room, then she picked the remote control and turned the TV on. The news was on. "Another body was found at Archdale Street this morning when a man was doing a daily jogging and noticed an body laying on the entrance of an apartment complex. The man was identified as Jordan Maryland, a thirty-five years old restaurant owner. According to the police, the cause of the death was blood lost, and apparently the killer drained all of the victim's blood from his body. Although the authorities are still investigating, some witnesses claimed that this is another murder from the-" Before the news reporter could finish what he was saying, Alma changed the channel.
Joshua then finished his breakfast and climbed up the stairs to brush his teeth. After he got that done with, he went downstairs and walked to the door. "I'm going now." He told her as he grabbed an Umbrella.
"Have a nice day." She told him before changing the channel one more time.
Rain makes this city look even grimmer. Joshua thought as he walked down the street. Not that he was mistaking. He lived in a city called Stranding Haven, which can be described as "A mixture of all the worst parts that a city can have."
I wonder, when this place was being built, did they expected to be like this?
He walked pass several buildings and stores, some were decent, some looked like they're going to fall apart any second. He didn't really payed any attention to them, he focused on the music that he was hearing on his earphones.
She's saying that's okay
Hey baby do what you please
I have the stuff that you want
I am the thing that you need
She looked me deep in the eyes
She touchin' me so to start
She says there's no turnin' back
She trapped me in her heart
He listens closely to the lyrics of the song, until he finally arrives at his destination. A pawn shop called Purple Tiger Pawnshop. It was a small place, with a few things on display on the front window, it was also the place where Joshua got his electric guitar.
It said closed on the front door's sign. But Joshua entered either way since the door was open. On the inside, there was a lot of things on display. Musical instruments hanging on the walls, cheap jewelry on the counter and some old televisions on shelves. There was a backroom where the more expensive objects were and a staircase that led to the second floor. He walked past the shelves and the counter to reach the stairs.
The reason why he came to this pawnshop, was because his best friend lived in the apartment above it.
At the top of the staircase, there was a wooden door, which Joshua opened and entered. The first thing you see when you enter the apartment, is the living room. It had an old Tv, that was from the shop, a small table separating the tv from the couch. The couch was red and had a few stains on it, alcohol and food stains. There was a mattress on top of the couch, because someone sleeps in there.
The kitchen was was separated from the living room by a counter. It had a oven and a fridge and a microwave. The sink was filled with dirty dishes.
There was a small corridor with two doors at the opposite end of each wall. One led to the bathroom while the other led to the only room. On the walls, there was a few family photos. There was a family of four on them, a father, a mother, a son and a daughter.
The father was a plain looking man with pouty lips, a small nose, short wavy light brown hair and dark eyes.
The mother was an attractive woman with straight blond hair and sea green eyes and a very beautiful smile.
The son was the spitting image of the Father but with his mother's hair and smile.
The girl on the other looked just like her mother but with some of the father's features. She had long wavy golden blond hair, sea green eyes, pouty lips, a small nose.
Joshua only knows two of the people in this photo. Because the other two are dead.
He reached the end of the corridor and knocked on the door on the left. "Hey! Are you ready to go?"
"Hold on," He heard from the other side of the door. "Almost ready."
"You texted me forty minutes ago and you still not ready? " Joshua asked.
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the girl from the photo. She was shirtless, wearing a black bra, dark blue jeans and black hi tops. "Can't find my fucking hoodie."
Her name is Lydia Bertrand and she's Joshua's best friend. Her appearance is somewhat similar with photo but with a few differences, such as the fact that she was older now. Her hair is shorter with blue tips and she's skinner as well.
"Can't you use that brown jacket?" Joshua asked while looking at Lydia's bra. Nice bra. He thought.
"It teared when Mom and I went out last night." She answered the first question then turned around and walked back to her room.
The room was a mess, with clothes on the floor and junk on top of an drawer that is close to the window. It was kind of a bland room with nothing really standing out, except for the mess.
"I'm gonna use the bathroom." Joshua spoke before before reaching to the door.
"Can I copy your homework?" Lydia asked as she tossed her clothes around looking for her hoodie.
"Fine," Joshua opened his messager bag and grabbed his math homework. "You already know what to do." Which was answer a few of the questions wrong since everyone knows that she sucks at math.
Joshua then entered the bathroom. The bathroom was small and just looked like a dirtier version of the bathroom on his home. He used the toilet to take a leak before going to the sink to wash his hands. But as he does it, he notices something in the mirror.
He turned around and walked towards the empty space besides the shower and he saw something on the ground. Seriously? He thought as he saw that hoodie that Lydia was looking for.
It was a oversized black pullover hoodie with blue sleeves that matched with the blue tips on Lydia's hair.
Joshua grabbed and went to her room. "Looking for this?"
"Where the fuck was it?" She asked as she grabbed from my hand and quickly put it on. The hoodie reached down to her thighs. It definitely looked cool on her.
"It was besides the shower." He spoke before picking his homework and putting back on his bag.
"Ah shit, I took it off and tossed there yesterday, I remember now." She replied as she put the hood on her head. "Let's get going before Terry and Erika notice our absence." She said as she grabbed her backpack.
The two friends then left the apartment with Lydia locking her door. The two walked down the stairs. And Joshua finally decided to ask something that was on his mind. "Where's your mom?" She's usually working at this hour and she wasn't at the apartment either.
"Fuck if I know." Lydia spoke while lifting her shoulders. "She got a new fuck buddy." Her mom was pretty promiscuous.
"Another one? After what happened last time?"
"I don't give a fuck anyway, at least it gets her off my ass." Lydia replied to him. "Can we go? The rain doesn't look like is gonna get any better."
"Yeah." He opened his umbrella.
The two then left the store with Lydia locking it behind them. Then they shared the umbrella as they walk to school.
The two friends walked their way to school while sharing the umbrella. They mostly talked about Lydia and her mother going out for dinner the day before and the food taking half an hour to arrive.
"Was it even good?" Joshua asked.
"Nope, it tasted like rubber." Lydia commented. "I wanted to eat pizza but she insisted in trying a new place." She complained. "Then it turns out that the owner was murdered."
That called Joshua's attention. "Wait... You went to the murdered guy's restaurant?" He asked.
"Yup, and it's pretty fucked up." She replied. "It was kind of a mess in there, when the waiter came to apologize about the food taking too long. He said that neither the manager or the main cook showed up that day." She explained, giving a pretty obvious impression that she was a little disturbed by that.
Joshua then decided to change the subject. "So you eat the rubber tasting dish?"
"Fuck no." She was quick to reply.
Whatever either of them was going to say next, was interrupted by their arrival at the school.
The school they go to was absolutely nothing special. Is basically every generic school that you see on a movie or tv show. The only thing that stands out, to be honest, is the statue at the front. A headless statue that appears to be wearing a robe and holding a spear. No one knows whose statues it is or how it lost it's head.
The two made their way to the entrance, where everyone else was entering.
"Hey look." Lydia told him while pointing at the road.
They see a police car arriving. They instantly reconized the car. "Hold on." He told her before he walked closer towards the police car. He sees two people coming out of the back seat.
"Hey guys." Joshua greeted them.
"Sup Homie." The first one to get out of the car was Joshua's other best friend, Terrence Higgins. He's black, tall and lanky with a long face, a high forehead, a broad nose and dark brown eyes with mini dark brown afro hair. He's wearing baggy dark blue jeans, a green windbreaker and red and black basketball shoes.
"H-Hi J-Josh." The second one to get out of the car was Joshua's third and last best friend, Erika Graham. She's a ginger girl with red curly hair that reaches her shoulder blades, gray eyes, milky skin with a spray of freckles. She's slightly overweight but not really fat and wears glasses. She's wearing a beige dress with a gray cardigan today.
Joshua was quick to share his umbrella with the two.
"Have a good day sweetie." Erika's father was sitting on the passager seat. His name was Eddie Graham. He's a ginger with a noticeable receding hairline and a really nice mustache, a big man with broad shoulders, but he's fat but not on obese levels yet. "Is good to see you Joshua."
"Likewise Mr. Graham."
"Bye T, don't get your ass into trouble." Sitting on the drive's seat was Terrence's uncle. Sean Higgins. He looked a lot like Terrence but he was bald with a thick beard and brighter eyes. "You too J, don't get your ass into any fights today."
"Easier said than done, mine and Terry's asses are painfully obvious targets." Joshua jokingly replied.
"You could solve that by cutting that gay ass haircut of yours, Terry on the other hand... there's no fixing that lanky ass of his." He kept on joking.
"Your ass is as lanky as mine." Terry finally spoke up in frustration.
"Alright, enough of this talk. Especially in front of Erika." Eddie put an end to it as Erika was just standing there. "Off to class now." He told the three.
"By-bye da-daddy." Erika stuttered at her father while waving.
The two then drive away in the police car, and the three friends walk to the entrance of the school. Lydia was still standing at the entrance. "Hey." Lydia greeted.
"H-hi." Erika stuttered with a smile.
"Sup Lyd." Terry gave her a thumbs up.
"Don't fucking call me that T." Lydia replied in anger. "Cute dress Erika."
"Th-Thanks." Erika replied.
Their coversation was interrupted by the the bell, signaling the start of the class.
The classes passed by quickly, mostly due to one of the teachers not showing for the day class.
They had math class which they delivered their homeworks. Joshua was the only one on the class to get an A. Lydia and Terry got an C, while Erika got an B. The rest of the class was basically composed of the teacher saying a bunch things that none of them could understand because of his really annoying voice distracting everyone.
Afterwords, they had literature class. A lackluster class as always. To Joshua, the only thing worthwhile about the class, is the teacher. A very attractive woman with black curly hair, light brown eyes and a curvy figure.
Then it was lunch time. The four sat on their usual table and enjoyed sandwiches that Erika made for them.
"So, what's with your uncle telling us not to get into any fight today about?" Joshua asked, as Terry and him haven't been getting into any fights lately.
"Ah, I was doing some ring shots yesterday and Jermaine and his buddies showed up and wanted to play with my ball." Terry explained. "When I said no, the motherfucker got pissed and wanted to throw hands."
"And let me guess, he beat the shit out of you?" Lydia asked while smirking.
"Fuck no! We didn't even got to throw down, Mrs. Carnny showed up and scare everyone off." Terry replied before bitting on the sandwich.
"You're lucky, Jermaine is all bark and no bite but his friends would jump you on the spot." Joshua added. They met a bunch of people that got jumped by them. All got really injured. "They probably gonna try it later."
"Have by back then," Terry said to Joshua. "You do that Kung fu shit you do on his buddies while I beat Jermaine's ass."
It's not Kung fu. Joshua thought but he didn't want to explain to Terry again. He bites the sandwich and enjoys the taste. "It's great as always." He praised her.
"Th-Thanks." Erika replied with her cheeks getting a little red.
She made an different sandwich to each one of them. Lydia was a grilled cheese sandwich, that she adores. Terry was a tuna sandwich that he always devoured. Joshua was a roast beef sandwich.
"Are you guys gonna do something after class?" Joshua asked.
"I have swimming class today." Lydia replied while she drank a box of milk.
"I need to stay home to receive some packages for my grandmother." Terrence replied while drinking a orange juice box with straw.
"I H-H-Ha-Have B-B-Ballet classes." Erika stuttered to respond.
"Okay, do you guys wanna hang out tomorrow." Joshua asked his friends.
"Totally." Lydia replied while Terry gave him an thumbs up and Erika just nodded.
After lunch, they left school earlier due to the teacher being absent for the last class of the day.
Lydia and Terry just ran to their destinations due to the rain. But Joshua decided to walk Erika to her destination with his umbrella to make sure she didn't got wet. He would have offered his other friends too but Erika was the furthest one.
"Th-Thanks f-for wa-walking me." Erika thanked him.
"It's no problem." He replied. She's grabbing my arm a little tight. Joshua couldn't help but notice.
Erika used to be bullied a lot because of her stuttering. The bully only ended when she became friends with Joshua and Lydia. Since no one had the courage to mess with them. She didn't have any friends before them either. Which causes her to be a little clingy towards them.
It didn't took very long for them to get on their destination. It was a two floor building, the first floor was a martial arts school, while the second was an arts school.
The Martial arts school is called Lion's Fist. It's a very interesting place.
The second is an art's school called Black Rose. It's basically a school that teaches music, dance and acting.
Both of them enter together. On the inside, there's a staircase that leads to the second floor. "B-bye J-Josh." Erika tells him.
"Bye Erika." Joshua said back.
She gives him a shy kiss on the cheek before climbing the staircase.
Joshua turns around to leave until he hears something. "Yo! Reese!" He turns around to see who was calling him. It was one of the strongest there, a boy name Travis .
"What?" Joshua lazily responds.
Travis walked towards him. He has fair skin, chestnut brown hair in a messy haircut and large and expressive blue eyes. "It's about time you and me had a rematch." He tells him in an confident tone.
Joshua was actually an student in the Lion's Fist. Some people in there actually say that Joshua is the golden boy of the academy, since he's considered one of the best fighters. He himself thinks it's an exaggeration, but he did beat people that were older , bigger and more experienced than him. Travis actually being one of them, as he was fifteen and Joshua was just thirteen.
"I have other things to do today, but if you still wanna go for it at monday-" Joshua was answering him but he got interrupted.
"Fine! Monday it is, an striking only match." He told him in an determined voice.
"Okay, see you at Monday." Joshua told him before turning around and passing through the door.
Joshua's next destination was the furthest one so far. He had to walk eight blocks to get there. The particular block that he stopped on it, was definitely the worst. He could see some drug dealers, selling to junkies at the end of the street.
Luckily, Joshua had no business there. It was the sixth house on the block that was his destination. A beat down two floors house with broken windows, corroded walls and a beat down 1978 Cadillac Seville in front of the garage.
There was no one on the street because of the rain, besides the drug dealers and the junkies. So Joshua entered the house easily without being noticed. He put on rubber gloves that were on his bag.
It looked just as bad on the inside then it was on the outside. The Living room was completely empty with the only thing standing there, was the dirt. He walked until the door besides the staircase. Which led to the basement, he descends the staircase.
Once he reached the bottom, he turned on the lights.
"Good evening." Joshua said.
"Mmmmmm!" In the middle of the basement, there was a man, completely tied to a chair wearing nothing but his underwear. He was completely covered in blood and had his mouth completely sewed.
"They found your brother's corpse sooner than I expected." Joshua told him as he started to take off his white hoodie and shoes. "They probably asking themselves, why exactly did I drain all of his blood?" He then put on a rain coat and boots that were on top of the table besides the staircase. "I doubt that they gonna guess that I just did that to cover his brother with it." Then he picked up an scalpel from the table. "Oh, well." Joshua then approached the man and started cut him.
"MMMMMMMMMMMM!" The man tried to scream in agony but his sewed mouth didn't allow him to.
Joshua Reese had a few secrets. One of them was, he was a serial killer. But not the usual type. He only kills people who have committed an terrible act that deserves punishment.
The man that he was currently torturing is called Paul Maryland. He murdered his own wife with the help of his brother because she won the full custody of their daughter. Her body was found an week ago by Erika's father and Terrence's uncle during their investigation. Joshua heard about the case and did some digging. He planted an camera on the restaurant that the two worked and heard the two confessing.
He could have delivered then to the police. But, he just thought that what he did was too drastic and going to prison wasn't punishment enough.
"MMMMMMMMMMM!" He yelled as Joshua sliced his skin with the scalpel.
Sewing his mouth really payed off. He thought as he kept on cutting him. "Alright, this is gonna hurt like fucking hell and I hope you feel every single inch of the pain." Joshua told him with a smile.
His eyes widened after Joshua said that and before he could say anything else. Joshua pulled the skin of his forearm which removed from the body.
"NMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" He tried to scream in agony as a response from having the sking if his forearm, removed from his body.
Joshua tossed the skin into the ground. "This is called Flaying. Is a method of torture or execution, depending on how much of the skin is removed." Joshua explained. "Which in this case is both," Joshua then removed his emo hair from his right eye, revealing his mismatched eyes accompanied by a sinister smile. "But we still had a lot of skin to flay, I wonder if they gonna reconize you without a coroner's help."
The man's eyes start to tear up in fear.
"Good, cry. Your daughter cried a lot when she discovered that she will never see her mommy again." Joshua responded before picking up a phone and showing him an video.
"You fucking killed her and made me help you hide the fucking body."
"Quiet! Are you fucking trying to screw us up!"
"You screw us up, the mother of your fucking daughter!"
Joshua showed him the video that he filmed. Where he acted both surprised and shocked. "I already sent the video to the police, using your brother's phone." He explained before smashing the phone into the ground. "So take the fucking express for the after life knowing that your daughter will know what you did."
Before the man could have any other reaction, Joshua started to cut him again.
It was quicker than I expected. Joshua thought as he made his way back to his home.
As he walked, his phone started to vibrate.
Lydia: Can I sleep at your house tonight?
Joshua: Why, what happened?
Lydia: Mom's new boyfriend is sleeping here.
Joshua: Shit, alright.
Joshua responded her messages.
It didn't took long for him to arrive at home. "Alma, I'm home." He called as he took off his shoes at the entrance.
"I'm in the living room." Alma responded.
Joshua moved to the living room where Alma was sitting on the couch watching Tv. "Lydia is going to sleep here tonight."
"Again? She should just grab her things and move here already." Alma wasn't exaggerating, Lydia does sleep there often.
"Her mom got a new boyfriend." Joshua explained.
"Already? Can't that woman wash that cunt of hers with cold water and stop finding cocks to shove it on it." Alma commented, as Lydia did told her about the men that her mother dates.
Alma then changes the channel.
The door bell then rings. Joshua quickly moved to answer it. Which to no surprise, it was his friend Lydia.
"Hey." Lydia greeted him.
"Hey." Joshua greeted back before he stepped out of the way and let her pass.
"Good night Alma." She greeted Alma.
"Hello Lydia, so, is the guy at least attractive? " Alma asked.
"He's tall, muscular and has a beard. Looks wise, it's improvement over the last asshole." Lydia replied. "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving." She asked.
"There's some chicken in the oven." She told her. "I made a plate of vegetables for you, eat it with the chicken." She told Joshua, who just nodded in response.
After eating dinner, both Joshua and Lydia went to his room.
"Was swimming class any good?" Joshua asked as he took off his jeans.
"Nah, same shit as always." Lydia replied as she took off her hoodie.
"Did you have fun in the locker room at least." He grabbed a gray shirt and gave it to her.
"Yup, the new girl there has big tities." She put the shirt on.
"Lucky bitch." Joshua then put on a white shirt and layed on his bed.
"I could sneak you there again." She then took off her pants revealing her purple panties.
"Nah, too risky." He was almost caught last time.
"Wimp." She responded as she picked up the controllers.
Joshua then turned on the television. And Lydia turned on his Neo Geo console before laying on the bed besides him. The two then started to play the game, Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
They played for hours until both fell asleep.