The sound of the doorbell ringing spread throughout the entirety of the Mizoguchi household.
*Thunk* "Ow!" Kyle had to force himself not to smile. His sister got a bit too excited sometimes.
"I'll get it!" Kyle said.
"Thank you," the muffled voice of his mother replied. Exiting his room, Kyle went to the entrance way and opened the front door.
Upon seeing who it was, he tried to keep the disappointment he felt from showing. From the following words, it appeared he failed.
"Expecting someone else?" Ainsley smirked.
Kyle averted his eyes. "Sorry."
"It's fine, I get it." He shrugged. Kyle wanted to say more, but before he could, a blur rushed past him.
"Aley!" His sister practically threw herself at him as she wrapped her arms around Ainsley.
She was always so happy to see him. Kyle didn't really see the appeal, and neither did Olive. Olive had even once said that Ainsley, "Always looked one moment away from reaching into his bag before letting loose," and while he would never say it out loud, Kyle had to agree.
Ainsley had a pair of bloody red eyes, perpetual dark bags, shoulder length dark hair, and had skin a color that wouldn't look out of place on a corpse. Not to mention his eyes and smile. They were eerie, always just a bit too wide to be normal.
A small frown appeared on Kyle's face. 'I shouldn't be thinking of Maps' friend like that.'
Because, while they had known each other since Maps for around five years, he was never their friend, only Maps's. And unless Ainsley was with her, he was otherwise alone.
Kyle, shaking his head, walked back into his room as Maps pulled Ainsley into hers.
'Where's Olive? I hope she's alright.' he wondered.
*****(Pagebreak)*****
That was about the greeting I expected from Kyle. Not that I could blame him. I had a very unfortunate appearance. I looked exactly like the kind of kid who would later grow up to become a Serial Killer. Maps was the weird one who saw the actual Serial Killer nine year old in her class and was like, "Hey, I want you to be my friend!"
'Of course, not that she knew.' While I thought this, Maps pulled me toward her room, yelling, "Aley's here, Mom!"
"Say hi to him for me!" the muffled voice of her Mother said.
"Mom says hi." I smiled at her antics.
Entering her room, I glanced around. It was the same as always. Binoculars, Maps on the wall, rope, puzzles, flashlights, backpacks, a players and dungeon masters guide for different editions of Serpents & Spells, not to mention the Batman and Robin paraphernalia.
After closing the door and locking it, Maps sat down on the carpeted floor. She gestured for me to sit across from her, her face solemn.
"Okay," she said seriously. It took all I had to not bust out laughing right there and then. I don't think she could look serious to save her life, but that was just me. Not to mention that I could guess where she was going with this.
"Yeah?"
"So, you know… the group? They're starting another campaign, and I'd like for you to be a part of our Serpents & Spells team! We'll score so much loot together!"
That was about what I expected. Maps liked making things feel secretive for no reason.
But, unfortunately… I sighed. I always had trouble saying no to her. I hated her making her disappointed or sad.
"I'm sorry, Maps, but I can't. Not this time, at least."
"What? Are you sure you don't want to join our Serpents & Spells campaign? C'mon, it'd be really fun!"
"I'm sure. I'm going to be really busy for the next few weeks," I told her.
"Busy with what? It's summer!"
I've always hated such open ended questions. Because the first thing that always comes to mind is something that I can't tell anyone. Or maybe…?
I smirked, "Oh, you know, plotting murder." She blinked, clearly taking a moment to process what I just said, before she leaned forward with a grin on her face.
"Ooh, who're you going to kill? I promise I won't arrest you if you tell me," She whispered conspiratorially.
"No! Wait, let me guess…" She cupped her chin as she brainstormed.
"Would it be Olive? Yes, that makes sense, the clues are all there! You two are always at each other's throats! You must've finally had it with her, the motives are all there. Ha! Case cracked, so now you can't kill her, alright?" she confidently declared.
I didn't hesitate to shatter it. "Your wrong detective, try again. But I'd encourage you to think fast, you're on a timer."
"But, then, who!?" Her eyes widened in realization as I slowly grinned.
"Me?!" she pointed at herself, mouth wide open.
"Yes, You! Mia "Maps" Mizoguchi, the time for your retribution has arrived!" I reached behind my back.
"Alone and locked in a room, with me! How foolish could you be!?"
"Oh crap!" she said as I pulled out a knife. She tried leaning away as she went to stand up, but her back only hit her bed. She wasn't fast enough, and my knife struck true, entering the center of her chest seamlessly.
"Hhurk!" She collapsed to the side, hands wrapped around the blade stuck in her.
"I… I trusted… you… Aley.." she wheezed. And then, she had no more strength to talk. Her chest started raising less and less, slower and slower, before eventually, it went motionless. Her body relaxed, hands falling to her sides. Dead.
The illusion shattered before it could even truly set in, as the fake knife clattered to the floor without any hand to hold it up. She shook, but desperately held still.
I just watched in silence, feeling triumphant as I took in the sight of my victory. But, again, it was broken as Maps opened up a singular eye, before closing it just as quickly.
"I saw that." She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to as she stuck her tongue out of her mouth and let it flop to the side. Still playing dead as if in defiance to my words.
"You know what, let me just finish this." I sighed and grabbed the knife off the floor. Hearing me moving, both her eyes snapped open, and locked onto mine.
She tried resisting by waving her hands in front of her as she sat up, but failed. "No, no, no, Aahh!" She lightly screamed as I stabbed her a few more times, before slitting her throat for good measure.
Finally finished, I dusted off my hands, a job well done. Though as I did so, Maps' corpse started shaking. Shaking and shaking and shaking. Chest and shoulders vibrating like a speaker.
"Hehehe!" She finally broke, her giggles resounding out in the room. Her laughter was infectious, but I didn't feel like laughing. Instead, I was content with just letting a smile spread onto my face.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"I just, hehe, remembered something, hehe," she said.
"Uh-huh, and?"
"Wait, hehe, just wait… Okay, phew. I think I'm done." She got off her side and sat up, her back sitting against her bed, her knees pressed to her chest, chin resting on them.
"Okay, so, like, you remember how we used to play Heroes and Villains or whatever?"
"Yeah. Olive always forced me to be the villain."
"And you were so good at it too! You never lost! Except…"
"Except…" We said simultaneously.
"When you let her win that one time! She was so proud, too. I remember her strutting around so confidently, so happy to have finally bested you. And, I guess, you acting like a villain reminded me of that. But, can I tell you a secret, Aley?" I nodded.
"Back then, me and Kyle both knew you let her win, everyone knew except for her," she said as if she were afraid someone would overhear her.
"I figured. Though you know she probably understood that by now," I said.
"I don't know, she can be really stubborn about some things…" The smile that was on her face disappeared like a lie. What replaced it was a look of uncertainty, insecure and hesitant.
"Hey, Ainsley, do you still think Olive likes hanging out with us?" she asked. I looked at her questioningly.
She continued, "She hasn't visited all summer, and she didn't come to my birthday party either…"
"And Kyle hasn't seen her at all either! And she loves Kyle!" She was getting worked up, I could tell. This had clearly been eating at her.
I liked hanging out with Maps. She was bright, perceptive, eager, easily excitable, and wore her heart on her sleeve. That was rare in my past life, let alone Gotham.
Especially to me now.
I wasn't a child. But neither was I an adult. I had an entire life's worth of memories in my head, but with the experience and body of a child.
I wasn't either of those things, I was… other. And that was so alienating.
For the first nine years of this life, I was alone. My parents didn't know how to handle me since I was so odd, and I didn't know how to handle my peers, because I just didn't know how to be a child. I had already been a child so long ago, after all.
But then I met Maps, Olive, and Kyle. And I could be a child again. I could feel like a child again and just have fun without worrying about anything.
Not about the Villains, who I killed, the future…
Maps helped me keep grounded to reality. And that was priceless. So…
I really hated seeing that look on her face.
'Alright,' I inwardly sighed. 'Time to pull on the adult pants.' How did I assure her without worrying her further?
In the end, I decided to just be straight with her. Calling people out for their mistakes was always my best trait. Though not everyone thought that.
"Maps, I think… you're overthinking this," I began. "There could be many reasons why she hasn't hung out with us instead of that she just doesn't like us. Maybe she's grounded. Or maybe she's on a cruise ship, and it slipped her mind to tell you. Or, hell, she could be fighting crime as Batman's new Batgirl, right now, as we speak!"
"I can't imagine that…" A smile was on her face.
"Neither can I, but that just goes to show many possibilities there are. And, that out of all of these possible scenarios, the one I doubt the most, is that she stopped liking spending time with you."
"Not that Batgirl one!?"
I shook my head. "Not the Batgirl one."
"You sure…?" she mumbled.
"Positive. She loves spending time with you as much as she hates spending it with me," I told her.
"I really don't get why she finds you, as she put it, 'insufferable,' though I know you know," she giggled.
I smiled mysteriously. "Let's just say that like recognizes like."
"What does that even mean?" She said, but I didn't answer. "Fine, keep your secrets. Anyways, thank you Aley, you're really good with words."
She suddenly gasped, her eyes lighting up. "Oh my god! You should totally play Bard the next time we play Serpents & Spells together! You could talk people into giving us all the loot!"
"You know what? I like the sound of that," I said. But, before we could talk any further, a muffled voice called out. "Dinner's done!"
Maps instantly hopped up from her spot and raced out of the room. "No running!" I heard her mother scold, followed by, "Ooh, spaghetti!"
I leisurely followed, nodding to Kyle as he came out from his room. We entered the kitchen, which was right next to the living room, with a clear view of the television, and sat down at the dinner table.
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Mizoguchi," I greeted. Maps father, David Mizoguchi who held the TV remote, just nodded at me in response.
"Good afternoon to you too Ainsley! I hope you had fun with Mia, here," Maps mother, Sandra Mizoguchi said.
""We/I did!" Maps and I responded in tandem. An idea appeared in my head, and I smirked.
"It was really fun giving your daughter 28 stab wounds!" Kyle and Sandra looked confused, while Maps looked scandalized.
I could barely hear her murmur, "How do I feel like he's referencing something that I don't know about!? That shouldn't be possible!" I felt satisfaction untold.
"A-Alright then, sounds fun. Oh, and I hope you don't mind my husband, his head is currently in the clouds," she apologized.
"New story?" She nodded. Maps' father was a short story writer. We made some more idle chatter before digging in.
Sandra was a good cook. Way better than either of my parents, at least, so I always enjoyed coming over.
But, as I was eating spaghetti, I noticed that David had barely touched his food. And then, I heard him say it.
"... Tally Mark Killer…" he mumbled. Intrigued, I followed his gaze, and noticed he was staring at the television. It was the news.
On it was the mugshot of a bald man with countless tally mark scars on his body holding up a placard. I could count at least three hundred tally marks alone.
I looked back at David. "The Tally Mark killer?" That got his attention. He leaned towards me, eagerness so much like his daughter gleaming in his eyes.
"Victor Szasz, a psychopathic killer who carves a tally mark into his skin for each person he kills. He's insane and thinks of all of his victims as zombies, that living is worthless, and that he's liberating them with death," he softly explained.
'He's killed at least three hundred people!? Damn, compared to him, I'm practically a newb. Though I've never gotten caught, so I'm better,' I thought. I had no idea why I was getting competitive over this.
'Not to mention I'm not insane.'
'2 | 0 Tally Mark.' I nearly smirked before I remembered I was in a conversation.
"Why are you interested in him, Mr. Mizoguchi?" I asked.
"I'm writing a story about Serial Killers, so I decided to do some research into Gotham's most notorious killers."
"Well, it's not like there's a shortage of them," I said. He nodded with a sigh.
"It's pretty gruesome stuff. Even the tamest one recently hit over a hundred confirmed kills."
"Tamest one?"
He adjusted his glasses. "Yes, Gotham's Pale Caretaker," he answered.
"What's his deal?" I asked, doing my best to hide the sudden tension that shot through my body.
"Nobody knows. He's never been caught, never even been seen. Some people don't even think he exists, but he does. At least, from what I've seen of his work, and I'm using that word lightly, he's improved and gotten better over the years. Barely any struggle from his victims are readily apparent now."
"Where'd he get his name?"
"He got his name due to the fact that he always lays flowers on the corpses of his victims. Some say his skin is as pale as the flowers he gives out."
"He sounds more like an urban legend than an actual killer," I said. "Is there any sort of pattern?"
"Aside from the flowers? None really. Most of the people he kills are criminals, but it doesn't matter what age as long as they're an adult, nor the gender, or ethnicity. Though some people speculate that the flowers he gives is him in some way, shape, or form, trying to respect the deceased, or to showcase his regret for killing. Others think it's a mockery, or perversion of it. I'm more inclined to think the former."
"Why's that?"
"Well, when you look at his first murders… the flowers are always uniformly placed on the center of his victims. But after a while, he stopped doing that for some reason. Almost like the better he got, the less he stopped thinking about it. It became routine, a habit. Like, maybe since he could take a life so easily… that value of life started falling in his eyes?
"In any case, theories aside, I don't think he regrets it anymore. Thougj I really wonder what type of person someone who could kill so many people without even as much as an eyewitness, would be," David finished.
'The type to be sitting at your dining table, it would seem,' I thought morosely.
I had never really thought about it before, but I could easily kill everyone sitting at this table. They would be able to do nothing.
But I wouldn't. Honestly, I couldn't imagine hurting them, ever. Because I cared about them. They were like a second family to me.
'The value of life…' Could I really just arbitrarily pick and choose what lives were valuable like I have been so far?
'Does it even matter?'
I turned back to the news. The mugshot of Victor Szasz was still there.
'No,' I thought. It was natural, even if it made me stupid or potentially hypocritical, I could be at least that selfish, couldn't I?
There were some lives I would always value more than others.
My family and Maps' family.
Innocent people.
Criminals.
Maybe that's why I was Serial Killer instead of a Hero? I could never be that selfless. I could never sacrifice like they could.
'The value of life,' I thought as I continued to stare at the mugshot of Victor. Burning the image into my brain.
If I could decide what lives were valuable to me…
… just how did the system determine it? The value of a life? Maybe it didn't matter, but I felt like it did. I knew...
'Tally Mark Killer on The Loose, huh? Victor Szasz, you're it...'
My way to get stronger, to protect everyone.