Good afternoon, House of Madness do-gooders:
Yep, another short story, hope you enjoy this one!
Keith's Calling
Life ain't easy when you're a serial killer. Nope, it's a complicated life full of stereotypes and false narratives as far as Keith Varada is concerned. Every time one of his 'victims' shows up on the news, Keith almost has to restrain himself from vomiting in order to listen to the bullshit the news anchor is spewing. First of all, they're not simply 'victims'; they're sacrificial pawns chosen by a higher being that even Keith doesn't understand, and he's simply doing what 'The Caller' tells him to. Also, 'victims' would imply that the chosen few are participating in a ritual against their will, and this is simply unfathomable to Keith, as it's an honour to serve 'The Caller' whether you're the sacrifice or the hunter. If ignoring the mainstream media wasn't bad enough, avoiding the overbearing police force was almost a full-time job in itself when you're constantly looking over your shoulder, keeping up with the technological advances of DNA tracing, fingerprints, hair folicles, and all sorts of other bullshit intended to hamper Keith's mission in life. Good thing Keith is a fast learner and constantly on top of things, or 'The Caller' would be disappointed, and that can never happen.
Keith was now working his way through Utah, as his work was now finished in Washington, where the authorities thought they were hot on his trail, but those bungling idiots couldn't find a cow patty at a county fair according to Keith. By the time those detectives in Seattle got even a whiff of where Keith may be, he'll have already served his purpose in Utah, and will be onto the next state to appease his master with willing sacrifices. The reason Keith was so elusive was because he purposely didn't have an M.O.; one sacrifice will volunteer to be strangled in the daytime, while the next may ask to be stabbed to death in the middle of the night. Keith didn't care, he figured the least he could do was to give them the choice in how they wanted to be offered to 'The Caller', and he would carry out their wishes any way they wanted. Well, almost any way; there was that girl in New Mexico about twelve years back who insisted on having her eyes forced into her skull with Keith's thumbs, and he felt that was pretty selfish of her considering he was the one helping her, and would likely have nightmares about the heinous execution down the road. He was right, and he cursed that evil bitch every time he remembered what she made him do - she was probably laughing at him to this day. Life ain't easy for a serial killer indeed.
Keith was strolling down a side street in Salt Lake City suburbia when it happened - just like every other sacrifice since he'd started way back in 1991, the next sacrifice came around the corner pretending to be unaware of Keith's presence, which was exactly how they all behave before he sends them off, because inconspicuousness is essential when two people are trying to avoid attention. The woman simply checked her mail and walked back inside her home, which was good because Keith was getting thirsty from all of this walking. As Keith entered the home through a side window, he made sure not to leave footprints in the garden soil below, as that's one of the ways those idiot cops like to try and blackmail innocent vessels of 'The Caller'. Keith slowly crept up the carpeted stairs to the second floor, his gloves leaving nothing behind other than their faint musky leathery smell. Keith was always over-cautious, because even though he knew they wanted it, for some reason the sacrifices always reacted horribly when he made his presence known, almost as if they were completely unaware of their purpose to 'The Caller'. It was ridiculous of course, but in the end Keith figured it was simply a test of his devotion, and as much as they screamed and struggled, he promised to stand firm, and just do 'The Caller's' work. As he crept up behind the sacrifice while she was changing, he did what he always did before the ritual, and asked her how she wanted to travel. They never said outright of course, but there were always hints, and he was good at solving puzzles. As she ran to lock herself in the bathroom, Keith saw what she had chosen, and gave her a nod of respect. "It's been quite some time since I sent someone off with a pair of scissors" Keith said as he stuck his boot in the door jam just as the door was about to slam shut. "Would you like them through the heart or the forehead?" he asked plainly, and when his simple question was met with a scream, he simply chose for her, as he usually did.
Keith finished cleaning up after himself, and headed out the back door just in case one of those meddling idiots of society saw him, and tried to frame him for doing something other than 'The Caller's' work. As he jumped the fence and made his way back to the sidewalk, he saw another sacrifice walking towards him, and he couldn't believe his eyes. "Two in one day?" he asked himself bewildered, and as the two crossed paths, Keith swore he felt a connection of knowing between the two participants for the first time ever. Keith did a quick one-eighty, and started following the woman as she strutted silently along the sidewalk, unaware where their next encounter would take place. After what seemed like a thousand miles had passed, the woman turned up a driveway, and entered her house through the garage. As she hit the button and headed inside, Keith carefully crept up to the side of the house and sidled his way inside the garage before the closing door blocked his passage. Entering the house, Keith looked up and very quietly said "It will be done" and he slowly made his way towards the mud room door. As Keith entered the home, he was struck with nothing but silence as he slowly tiptoed through the kitchen and into the hallway. As he approached the master bedroom, he was surprised to find it empty, and before he could assess his next move he heard a voice from behind him say "Would you like it through the heart or the forehead?", and then she was upon him, doing 'The Caller's' work as she had always done.
NB
