The Confession

"This is Investigator Lance Flair with the Perdition Georgia Police Department. I am interviewing Mr. Johnathan Reid Austin in connection with several bodies recovered from the East Perdition Woods. The time now is eight o'clock on March seventh twenty twenty-four. Mr. Austin, before we begin I want you to read this piece of paper here, it's your Miranda Rights, after you have read these rights I'll need you to sign at the bottom stating that you understand and wish to speak to me today ok? I know it will be a little difficult with your hands and all but please sign as legibly as you can."

(I took a few minutes to read the paperwork, even though I was treated pretty quickly at the hospital, my hand felt dead through the gauze. I used my middle finger and thumb to grip the pen. The resulting scribble looked nothing like my signature but fuck it. I placed the pen down on the desk.)

"I'm ready."

"Ok, well we'll start at the beginning, walk me through that night."

Investigator Flair eased the digital recorder closer to me. A lump formed in my throat. My mouth felt unusually dry even though I'd been drinking water since I was placed in this room.

"Uh well, it was around eleven pm or so on March fifth, I remember it was the fifth because it was Friday and my relief came in late. I turned the keys over to him and got into my car. I usually park in the front of the office but for some reason or another, I parked in the back that day. When I got into my car, I didn't really notice at first but now that I think about it, I didn't have to unlock it. I should've seen that as a sign."

(Flair looked at me, his stoic expression was unwavering. I continued.)

"S-so I start my car then I hear a rustling in the backseat, before I could look back, some kind of cloth was shoved over my head! I felt the driver's side door open and I was dragged out. I remember being on the ground and then feeling something hard hit me on the side of the head. When I woke up, I was in a room but I didn't know where. I heard footsteps and whispers all around me. It felt like I was covered up for hours but I really couldn't give you an exact time. All I knew was that my head was throbbing and I was scared shitless! After a while, the sheet or cloth or whatever was pulled off of my head and I'm staring at three figures wearing red robes. Each one had a mask on, one was a smiley face, the other a frown, and the third was a straight face ya know? Like one of those emoji faces with a straight line for a mouth?"

(He nodded.)

"The Smiley face one told me that they had a task for me. He, I mean, I'm not sure if it was male or female, they all had garbled and distorted voices like some kind of voice-over type thing. The Frowney took over and said that I was to kill seven people. The straight said that these people want to commit suicide but they don't dare to do it themselves. The three of them would finish each other's sentences with Smiley saying something kinda positive, Frowney telling me the dark aspect of whatever that was, and Straight providing the basic facts."

Investigator Flair wrote a note on his pad. "Did they tell you why they chose you or was this random?"

"Oh no! They made it clear that my selection was intentional! Smiley said they were on a mission to make people appreciate life. Frowney said the ones who don't should and would be eradicated. Straight told me that they had watched me for months and wanted to determine whether I cherished my life or not. See, I tried to harm myself a few times in the past, I was unsuccessful each time though."

"Yeah, I've read about the attempts. Three times right?"

(I thought there was some kind of violation with the investigator having that information but I was in no position to play lawyer at the moment.)

"Yes, well...no. It was five times maybe six? On one occasion I tried to shoot myself but the gun jammed. Nobody was home for that one so it went unreported. On the other occasions, either a friend or someone was around and got there in enough time to save me. They spoke about that too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Straight said they knew about my suicide attempts. ALL of them! He said that the three of them were unsure if I really wanted to kill myself or if I did so for the attention because like I said, there was always someone there to take care of me when I tried. Frowney told me plainly that they didn't like me 'riding the fence' with my life and wanted to put my death wish to the test."

"I understand, let's switch the focus a second. I understand that they had you in some type of room. Could you describe it?"

"Not really, I mean, It seemed like a basement or dungeon. Concrete walls and concrete floors. There was a toilet to the right of me and a standing shower next to that. There was a single light dangling above my head, however the rest of the room was lit with candles. I could see figures behind the three who spoke to me, they had masks on too."

"None of the other people spoke to you?"

"Not at the time no. They just stood there watching me. Straight told me that the seven people behind them were my targets. He stated that I had till dawn to complete my mission or I would pay with my own life. Frowney said that for every hour that passed without a life being taken, I would lose a finger. As you can see." I raised my hands. Pain shot through my arms like bullets.

"I tried reasoning with them, tried to convince them that I wouldn't take another person's life. My problems were my problems, other people shouldn't have to suffer because of me. Straight told me that my problems WERE other people's problems. Each time a friend or family member had to take me to the hospital or watch over me throughout the night I was affecting their lives as well. I never thought about it like that until he said it."

"Ok, continue with the night, after all your protests; you still did what you did. What changed?"

"Straight backed away from me and handed a pair of shears to one of the figures in the shadows. That's when Smiley and Frowney held me down in the chair! I-I knew some bad shit was going to happen but....my finger!?"

"The unknown figure cut your finger off?"

"Fuckin' right they did! Frowney said it was to prove that this was no prank. I needed to end these lives or they would make due on their promise. I was angry, no; I was pissed! I never felt that kinda pain before! You don't know what it does to your mind! The blood, the pain, and the sight of your pinky finger cut at the knuckle lying on the floor! That's when the 'game' began."

"So this unknown figure cuts off your finger, I understand that but how did you get free?"

"I said that's when the game began right!? That's what I meant! Smiley, Frowney, and Straight exited through a sliding door that I hadn't noticed before along with six of the other figures. The asshole that cut my finger stayed. He cut the ties off of my wrists himself and placed the shears in my hand. He drew a knife from the inside of this robe and motioned for me to stand up. No lie sir, I knew what was about to happen and still fought with myself about taking another life, missing finger and all; but the guy came at me as soon as I got to my feet!"

"How did you know the person was male?"

"Well, like I said, the guy came at me and swung at my face, he knicked my cheek right here. I took a swing at him with the shears just to keep him away from me but it didn't work, he kept coming. I kept backing and he kept coming. I knew he wouldn't stop until I was dead or he was. I tried reasoning with him by saying that this was all senseless and we could leave here together. He only said three words, 'Only one leaves.' After that, he lunged at me! I just closed my eyes and arched the shears downward."

"And you killed him?"

"You knew I had no choice, the man came at me, and I swung blindly. When I opened my eyes the shears were buried in the side of his head, just above the left temple. He let out no sound. It was just a cracking wet thud. He stood there for a second or two, stumbled forward, and collapsed onto his face. I turned him over and pulled the blades out. A little blood shot out onto my face as you can see. I pulled the mask off and confirmed it was a man."

"James Shreeveport."

"Who?"

"James Shreveport, he's the only person matching the description of those wounds. His family reported him missing a week ago. Like you, he's attempted suicide a few times. His family said he joined some sort of religious cult a few days before his disappearance.

"Oh, well, I didn't know him. After he was dead; Smiley's voice came over a loudspeaker congratulating me on my first "Victory of Life". A door opened across the room from the chair I was held hostage in. I could feel the cold night air and hear leaves bristling. I saw that the door led outdoors."

"So you left?"

"Fuck yeah, I did! Did you think I would stay there with lunatics and get killed? I ran like my life depended on it, armed with the knife I took from that Shreveport guy. The shears were too heavy; when I got outside though I couldn't tell one direction from the next. I was surrounded by woods. I just picked a direction and continued to run. After about a mile or two going God knows where I entered a clearing. I could see the moon clearly in the sky along with the Little Dipper, ya know? The constellation? So I knew I was running south because I could see that I was running away from it through the clearing. I wasn't sure, but I think Smiley's voice boomed through a speaker somewhere. I think the whole place was rigged with sound equipment. No matter where I ran, I could hear their words and instructions clearly.

He congratulated me once again on my survival and reminded me that the game was still on. The kills still needed to be completed. I didn't know at the time where any of the other figured people were. I knew that those assholes were serious so I had to play."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I was going to find them and do what I had to do! The first guy showed me that he was committed to this bullshit so why not me? I was bleeding from my finger, tired, scared, and with the night air; I was freezing."

"So how did you survive the night? How did you find the rest?"

"Well, the second person came to me just like the first. I was in the clearing resting behind a tree and nursing my finger. I packed it with some mud and stuff to at least stop the blood flow. I don't know anything about first aid but I knew I wanted to keep as much of MY blood inside of MY body as I could. Well, while I was there; I heard footsteps in the distance. I got quiet and kept my body low, when the person walked close enough, I jumped out and started to swing! I heard a shriek and something hit me hard in the ribs. That was when I noticed this person had a bat."

"A baseball bat?"

"Yeah, but this bat was studded with small nails but the pointed parts weren't sticking out. It was more like the nails were just driven in and only the flat part of the nails were exposed. Either way, it hurt like hell!"

"This person was robbed as well?"

"Yeah, all of them still wore the robes. After the initial hit, I went to the ground, I knew the studded ends broke the skin but I also knew that this person wasn't gonna just let me kill them. They waited for me to stand and took another swing at me. I tried to block it with my arm but they hit me almost in the same spot. I heard a CRACK and found it hard to breathe. I swung at them again with the knife but I could never get in range. With every jab or lunge, they would just move out of the way and hit me! The whole thing reminded me of a boxing match where this one fighter didn't have the arm's length of his opponent. The guy was getting his ass kicked until he faked a dive."

"Faked a dive? Explain."

"He pretended to go down, he stumbled a bit after getting hit hard in the jaw. The other fighter thought it was gonna be a knockout and dropped his guard. The short-armed boxer staggered close enough to his opponent to land two quick jabs and a strong right! The combo knocked his opponent out cold. I decided to do the same! During one attack the figure hit me square in the spine! For a second, my body really did give out, I thought I was going down! I fell to my knees and started breathing harder than I really needed to. The figure stood over me and raised the bat above their head. Then she spoke."

"She?"

"Yeah, she. She said, "On a bent knee for me again Johnny?" Mr. Flair, I never knew what a person meant when they say 'their blood ran cold' but mine did. I KNEW that voice. I gripped the knife tight and jumped right at her. Two jabs and a strong right. She screamed and fell back against a tree with the knife sticking out of the side of her mouth. I snatched the mask off without giving a thought to the knife. There she sat...Jazmine."

"Jazmine Rhodes. I believe you two had a history."

"We had a lot of history. We were together for seven years. We did everything together! Clubs, parties, whatever! We just had fun. I proposed to her a few days before her birthday."

"I guess she refused?"

"Yeah, like I said, we did everything together. I was big into pills back then and she never touched a drug before meeting me. You can say I was the reason she got hooked. The parties just seemed better then! The colors were brighter the music made more sense, I mean; everything is enhanced when you're rollin'. When I proposed to her we were sitting in my living room. I brought out this ring I had bought from a pawn shop a few weeks prior and was nervous as all hell. I worked up the nerve and dropped to one knee out of the blue on her.

She had already become a full-on addict during those days. Our relationship had gotten rocky and she flat-out said that I was toxic and she needed to be surrounded with clean people to get her life back on track. She left me there with a stupid look on her face. She didn't return my calls or texts. I went by places she used to hang out and spoke to mutual friends with no luck. One person told me a few months later that she moved away but didn't know where...all this time later and there she was in front of me."

"Did she say anything or justify why she attacked you?"

"We sat there for a while. Thin, sporadic squirts of blood shot from her cheek. Through the blood filling her mouth, she told me that she blamed me for her addiction. She told me that her friends and family separated themselves from her...she was alone. So I guess she did whatever with whoever to earn money. One night, she realized she had nothing and decided to end it. She took all the pills she had saved and lay in her bathroom waiting for death. Three figures drug her from wherever hole she was living in and brought her to the same place they brought me. The three figures gave her the same ultimatum they gave me. She agreed to the terms and lived through her "session." I also noticed she wasn't missing any fingers. Jazmine told me that she suggested my name for an upcoming "session" because I needed to learn if I valued my life or not and that she was proud of me. She smiled, let out a small "I love you" and that was it. Jazmine was dead. I-I'm sorry...can I?"

"Yeah, I'll step out a moment and get you some tissue. Meanwhile, you sit tight and compose yourself. We have a lot more to discuss."

"Yeah, I understand."

"This is Investigator Flair ending the interview briefly with Johnathan Austin Reid at ten twenty on March seventh, twenty twenty-four."

(As Investigator Flair left the room, the vision of Jazmine sitting in front of that tree spun around my mind like a looped movie reel. What have I done to her? Her once beautiful face was withered and thin from years of drug abuse. I remembered kneeling down in front of her telling her I loved her too and kissing her softly on parched cracked lips. Tears oozed down my face in slow streams. I may have survived the night, but at what cost? Flair entered the room again, a box of tissue a bottle of water, and a small bag of off-brand chips in his hands. He sat them in front of me. After adjusting his notepad and taking his seat, he turned on the recorder again.)

"This is Investigator Flair with the Perdition, Georgia Police Department. This is a continuation of case number twenty-four, zero, zero zero, twenty-five. The time now is ten thirty-two on March seventh twenty twenty-four. Mr. Johnathan Austin Reid, are you ready to continue sir?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright, so I understand that Jazmine had died due to her injuries. I know that must've been very difficult to go through and you have my sincerest condolences."

"Thank you. It's still tough, I mean this whole thing happened just a few days ago."

"Yes sir, I know. Did you do anything with her body?"

"No, I left her there. I still had a deadline so I couldn't waste too much time. I knew whoever I came into contact with next would have the advantage. I was losing blood from my hand and the beating I took from Jaz with the bat..."

"Ok, you left her there. Did you stay in that general area?"

"No, I picked another direction and started walking. I couldn't run, my ribs and back were killing me. I placed the knife in my waistband and took Jazmine's bat. After about a half hour or so I came across a pretty shitty-looking shack. Of course, I approached the place slowly. Even though I was cold I still knew people wanted me dead. As I approached the front door I heard two voices inside. Initially, I couldn't hear what they spoke about so I inched around until I found some semblance of a window and remained quiet. There were two men inside. One said to the other 'Oh shit! He took out the chick!" They both seemed shocked I guess. I heard a short 'CHIRP' sound followed by another voice. The voice of Frowney. He told the guys that even though five followers remained, they needn't rest on the assurance that I would be killed by someone else. He stopped for a second then said; "You two have a guest outside."

My heart dropped to my feet then! I didn't have a plan but I knew at that moment the deck was stacked against me. There were cameras or something keeping track of me. Those fuckin' people could find me any time they wanted meanwhile I had to search blindly in a forest for them! After Frowney signed off and wished them luck, I ran toward the front door and waited with my back against the wall. I gripped the bat so tight that I could see the veins in my hands. As soon as the door opened one of them came out shouting. I swung in an upward arch like my life depended on it...fuck. I guess my life depends on it at that moment. I hit that man...hard. I heard a loud 'crunch' sound followed by a slight gurgling. I tried to pull the bat back to ready myself for the next guy but the bat was embedded so deep into the first guy's face I couldn't pull it out! He fell backward pulling me inside with him as I struggled to free the bat. Guy number two came straight at me with no hesitation. He was a big fuckin' guy, sir. I didn't see his weapons until he picked me up and struck me in the chest."

"He....lifted you?"

"Like I weighed nothin'! He lifted me and hit me square in the chest. The air left my body and I felt like I flew back two or three feet! I was barely able to catch my breath before he was back on me. I tried to go for the bat but it was still lodged in the first guy's face. A strong punch landed against my chin that rocked the fuck outta me. See this gap between my teeth here? I had a tooth there! That asshole knocked it out! My vision got blurry and I felt like I was going to be out cold with another solid hit like that. I figured I would use the same technique I used against

Jazmine.

I lunged at him using the knife I kept, striking him two times in the stomach then tried to go to the face. Do you believe he blocked the knife with his hand?! He didn't catch the blade, he let the blade embed itself into his palm when he blocked it from going into his face! I damn near shit myself! I stood back and just watched as he pulled it from his hand; that's when I noticed the knucks. It was no wonder why his punches felt like bricks, he had brass knuckles on. He threw the knife on the ground and approached me...no, it was more like he stalked me. I eased back and he pushed forward. I swear that bastard enjoyed the moment. Once he backed me into a corner he swung hard, a straight right but thank God I ducked in enough time, or else you would be recovering my body along with the others. His fist went straight through the wall of the shack and for a moment he was stuck. I took that instant to make a get the knife.

Once I picked it up, I made a mad dash for the guy and jumped on his back. I think I stabbed him at least six or seven times in the back before he flung me off and got his arm free. I tried to run passed him to the door of the shack, I was nearly there before I felt a hard jerk. He had a fistful of my shirt collar and pulled me back in. He spun me with ease and struck me again two times in my ribs then another one across the face. There was a crunch in my cheek, I saw stars and the scene around me started to go dark. I thought; 'this is it, this is how I die."

"It seems like he had you done for. What happened?"

"He left me alone. At least for a moment. He went to the shack's entrance. I couldn't quite see him for a second or two but I heard a squishing, sucking sound like the sound of a plunger unclogging a drain. He came back in with my bat in hand. His buddy's flesh drooped off the nail studs, dripping congealing blood onto the floor as he approached me. I tried to stand but stumbled back down. The room was spinning around me. He placed the studded end of the bat under my chin and lifted my head to meet his gaze. All I saw was the fabric of the mask at first. He removed the mask with his free hand.

"He revealed himself to you with no provocation?"

"That's right, the dude was Hispanic. He had a really thick beard and mustache I hadn't noticed that he didn't speak the entire time he was beating the shit outta me. Probably because his mouth was sewn shut! I don't know if he did it himself or someone did it but they were shut tight with what looked like fishing wire. He lifted the bat high and brought it down on my thigh. I never screamed in my life as loudly as I did then. When he lifted the bat again, my flesh joined the chunks of meat that were already on it. He brought it down again and again! Each time I was on the verge of passing out, he would inflict a new injury which would bring me out of it. I didn't know what to do really. The knife was too far out of reach, he was using the bat on me and I couldn't see the knucks but I assumed he put them in his pocket. All I could think of was the bat. He swung down the last time and I just.....grabbed it!

The studs sunk into my palms, unexpectedly; when he pulled back, his strength was enough to get me standing upright. I wrapped my good leg around his and pushed forward. We both fell back and as expected, the pain shot through every part of me. Blood gushed from my legs making the floor of the shack slick. The bat came free of his grip and skittered toward the knife. I was able to grab the bat hilt and lift it above my head. I planned on giving that motherfucker every ounce of strength I had left. A sharp feeling in my leg seemed to lock me up! He had grabbed my thigh...hard. As hard as it was, I fought through the searing pain and brought the bat down. He let out a muffled sound when I struck. I could see a visible dent in his forehead when I brought the bat up again. He was fucked up for sure but not dead, stunned at that point really. I stood as best as I could and from my upright position, I brought the bat down on him again, this time across the throat, cracking what I assumed to be his windpipe. I watched him gurgle and grasp his throat. Since he had his mouth wired shut, he couldn't open it to allow for any excess air. I made sure he had none.

I searched his pockets and as expected, the knuckles were there. I put one on my good hand and straddled him. I still remember the look on his face when I, looming over him came into his focus. I slammed my reinforced fist into his nose, shattering it on impact. I did it again and again for every strike on my leg he gave me. Fuck it, I kept going until I was exhausted. I didn't bother looking at what was left of him. In the back of my mind, I knew I was still on a time crunch. I tore a strip off of his shirt and wrapped my leg. I got the bat, my knife, and now a set of brass knuckles added to my little arsenal. I hobbled out of the shack and left the two bodies there."

(Inv. Flair leaned back in his seat and surveyed my face. My injuries were legit, he knew that, but for some reason, I felt he didn't believe my story. Without encouragement from him, I continued.)

"S-so I walked er, attempted to walk as best as I could through the woods. The unseen intercoms made an audible pop in the distance. Smiley's voice boomed from the speakers congratulating me on another victory. After that Straight took over and announced that all other 'players' could find me in the northwest section of the compound! As I said, this whole thing was set for whoever participating to fail! I was supposed to be finding them, but I'm the one being hunted! I could hear leaves crunching at multiple distances, some were close and some were further away. One thing I knew was that my location was their goal. I couldn't run and if I returned to the shack I may have been able to take on one of them but there would've been no way of escape. As best as I could I tried to conceal myself in the surrounding woodline and wait for my next attacker.

It didn't take long for someone to come around. The figure approached the shack carefully, I mean, rightfully so. As far as they knew I had killed four people. I saw the person enter and I suppose they searched the place in case I was still inside. A few minutes later they reemerged. They reached into their pocket and pulled out a flashlight. I tried to ease away and put some distance between me and the woodline but it was no good. Like I said, with the injuries and all; I bled everywhere and they knew that. They simply put the light on my blood trail and walked straight toward me. As I backed away leaves and branches crunched beneath my feet. I cursed a bit to myself, knowing I had just given away my location. Seconds later something flew passed my face and struck a tree, embedding itself. Naturally, I tried to run and as I turned another object struck me on my right shoulder blade here...see? I fell forward turning just enough so that I could land on my side. I could feel the blood running across my back. I managed to pull out the object with more effort than I should have expended. It was a hatchet.

Using a nearby tree, I pulled myself upright. I lost a lot of blood Sir and to be honest, I was losing hope of making it through the night. The figure stalked me as I tried to flee. Clutching my shoulder, I glanced back to see the guy wrench another hatchet free from a tree. That must've been what flew passed my face earlier. I could hear him laughing. Laughing! Their goal was to make me 'appreciate' life right? Then why actually try to kill me?! None of that night made sense...It still doesn't. My legs felt like rubber but I still tried to get the fuck outta away. I could hear the leaves crumpling faster and faster. The guy was running toward me! He caught up to me with ease pushing me from behind onto the ground face first. A twig jabbed me in the eye making me for a minute or two. He leaned down, grabbed my injured shoulder, and turned me over. This guy didn't wait to make a grand reveal, he took his mask off immediately. It was fuckin' Charlie!

"Charlie Brock right? You're former coworker?"

"One in the fuckin' same! My relief from earlier that night. He laid everything out for me. See, he knew about my suicidal thoughts also and on some occasions, he served as a listening ear for whenever I was going through something. He tells me that he was with this group of "life changers" a little bit after Jazmine joined. He said that through regular chit-chat he found out that Jazmine and I dated plus all of the things I put her through, which pissed him off. The reason he was late to relieve me that night was due to he making plans with the group. He was one of the ones that snatched me out of my car that night!

At that moment, he pinned me to the ground. I couldn't resist much. My body hurt everywhere and I was losing every ounce of fight I had in me. Charlie told me that although he knew the rules of this game, he didn't give a shit because he hated me for ruining Jazmine's life. He forced my right arm down, knowing that I couldn't move it much because of my shoulder. I remember exactly what he said then, like a song tune that you heard once but for some reason your brain can't forget it.

He said, "You owe us three Johnny!"

"What did you owe?"

"Fingers. I had to kill one person per hour. How was I supposed to keep track of their times of death? So he did it! Right there with my hand pinned down, he cut three fingers off my right hand. That's how I ended up like this. I cried out in pain, I told him I was sorry, I pleaded with him to let me go, but I saw nothing but hatred looking back at me. He placed my bloodied fingers into his shirt pocket.

"Proof." He said.

"I don't know if you would call it survival instinct or what but while he did that, I was

able to put my left hand in my pocket."

"I'm guessing that's where you placed the knucks right?"

"Yes sir! I clutched them tight and went right across his damn jaw! Dazed, he began to fall to one side of me, I rolled over on top of him and started hammering down punches. Each punch I landed, blood shot from my hands and his face. I wanted to beat his face into mush like the last guy but I was getting weaker by the second and he knew it.

I don't know how long the other people were there. I just knew that one minute I was beating Charlie with every bit of strength I got, to be being grappled by a completely different person. I was lifted and shoved against a tree. I tried fighting but got a punch to the ribs for my effort. Before I blacked out, I saw a figure helping Charlie up. Three figures stood in front of me...all laughing."

"They didn't kill you then? It seemed like the perfect opportunity. You were there, unconscious and one hundred percent defenseless."

"That's the point I'm making. These people weren't trying to make me appreciate life. That was a ruse. I think they were just a bunch of sick assholes that enjoyed bringing others pain. They woke me up God knows how much longer afterward. I was propped up against a tree with a hatchet to my throat. When everything came into focus, I saw that the others had already removed their masks. Charlie had me up against the three with the blade at my neck. Standing in front of him was a stocky muscular guy, I suppose he was the one that took me off of Charlie; and some chick. I didn't recognize them."

"So, why did Charlie and his associates let you live? Did they say?"

"Well, Charlie was vocal. He wanted to kill me but the female said they had to "abide by the rules of the game." I didn't bother asking about the rules set for them. All I knew was that if I lived, they had to die."

"So what did you do?"

"Charlie was always a hothead. Couldn't keep his temper under control for shit, plus he hated being told what to do. Once he started talking back to the female his guard dropped and he turned and to face her. As soon as he turned back to face me I headbutted him. I tried to put my whole head through his face! When he staggered back clutching his nose, I saw that the chick was carrying a damn crossbow. A crossbow!? I remember thinking to myself (who the fuck do these people think they are?) I saw her raise the weapon I grabbed Charlie and pulled him toward me. She fired an arrow that went through Charlie's back, out his chest, and lodged itself in the left side of my chest.

At this point, I don't know if my body suffered through so much pain that I was in a temporary shock or what, but, for a few moments I felt nothing. My mind kinda went into autopilot.

Using Charlie as a shield or battering ram, I pushed him into the stocky guy. I took one of his hatchets and launched it at the female while she tried to reload and caught her on the cheek. She stumbled back a bit but was able to maintain her focus. She fired another arrow but struck a tree. I had to close the distance on her, if not I was fucked. I snatched the arrow from the tree, got to her as quickly as I could, and jammed it as far as I could in her eye. She let out a scream as we fell to the ground together. Within seconds the stocky guy was on me, he grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled me off of the woman but I held on to that arrow. I swung back quite a few times to get him off me, stabbing him in the upper thighs in the process. The moment I broke free I spun to face him, grabbed him by the neck, pulled him close, and shoved the arrow up from the bottom of his chin to the roof of his skull. He gurgled a bit and staggered awkwardly before collapsing on top of Charlie. My body had reached its limit and I passed out. Next thing I know I'm in a hospital bed with you looking down at me."

"Yes, we got word of an individual with multiple injuries, and unformed police came to the hospital to do an Injured Person's Report. However, due to the extent of your injuries, it's clear that there was more to you than a slip-and-fall kind of thing. I gotta admit, that is one hell of a story Mr. Austin."

"Look, I know it sounds insane and it is! I mean look at me! Nobody would want to do this to themselves right?"

"I agree with you there, no sane person would want to do what's been done to you. Anyway, what's going to happen now is we're going to turn you over to Dr. Foley. You remember him right? Yeah? Well, he's going to monitor you for a few days, traumatic events like these can do horrors to the mind. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand. Will I be charged with anything?"

"It's still an ongoing investigation and I can't say just yet. Just talk to the doctor and I'll be in touch."

"Ok, uh, thank you Mr. Flair...for listening at least. Bye."

"This is Investigator Lance Flair ending the interview with Mr. Johnathan Reid Austin at midnight on March eighth, twenty twenty-four."

EPILOGUE:

(The recorder continues. The interview door opens, closes, and opens again.)

"So Lance, are ya chargin' the kid or not?"

(Sigh) "I'm gonna have to Dave, if not with multiple counts of murder then involuntary manslaughter. Look at these files. He's been in Doc Foley's care for years now. See this? Jazmine Rhodes. The night watchman of a halfway house she'd been living in found her in the garden behind the place. As you know, she was in a relationship with our suspect for years. Both of them fought addiction but more importantly, she was his rock. She helped him work through his suicidal tendencies.

Now this person is James Shreveport. Mr. Austin claims to not know him right? We did some digging and found out that on October tenth he was instrumental in Austin's survival after a drug overdose. Day laborers found the guy in a warehouse with multiple puncture wounds in his chest.

Here's a picture of Rosie Hernandez. The "big fuckin' guy" as he put it. He's an EMT with Perdition Georgia Medical Services. He provided CPR and other lifesaving techniques to Austin during his most recent trip to the hospital along with Jacob Wyatt who drove the ambulance. Both of them were discovered by a group of kids playing in the woods. Both were bludgeoned with an unknown blunt weapon inside of Hernandez's hunting cabin.

Finally, we have Charlie Brock, William Roberts, and Alicia Knight. Their location was called in by a passerby in the alley behind a nightclub called "The Woodz." I was called in personally for that crime scene and it looks like they were ambushed. Multiple puncture marks with, at the time, an unknown object. Later it was determined to be.."

"An arrow."

"Nailed it. Alicia is on the Perdition Technical College Archery team, second best from what I gather. Here's the thing, Charlie was Austin's coworker but that was years ago. He's the one who sold Austin the gun that jammed in his attempted suicide. One thing Austin said was correct, Charlie was dating Jazmine at the time of their deaths. Roberts and Knight are friends with Charlie and those two are a couple. They lived in the apartment under Austin. One time, he tried to drown himself in his bathtub. The water overflowed and seeped through the floorboards into their apartment. They notified management who opened Austin's door and found him in the tub. From what I read, he coded then. However, he was revived in that ride he took with Hernandez and Wyatt. Austin's been under Dr. Foley's care ever since."

"What about his injuries Lance? Nobody would do that to themselves."

"Actually yeah! Dr. Foley couldn't give me all the details, ya know doctor-patient confidentiality, but he made it clear that self-mutilation was something Austin did regularly; especially in high-stress moments. For example, killing people that prevented you from doing the one thing you wanted to do...die.

As for his knockout story, he's right about that to a degree. Austin did wake up in his apartment. The apartment he lived in before he was placed under Foley's care. Security cameras at the place got him walking right into the foyer, covered in blood. He used the elevator to the third floor and left bloody prints all over the buttons. Hell; he even broke into his old place and left plenty of evidence in there as well. Luckily, the apartment had been vacant for a while. Police got called to the scene for a possible burglary and found him sleeping like a baby on the floor covered in blood and dirt. The rest you know, we had to get him medical treatment and when he was alright enough to speak, we brought him in here. Oh, there was one tidbit of information that Dr. Foley provided that I thought was interesting."

"And that would be?"

"Austin found comfort in bonding with some rescue dogs at Foley's facility. The Doc keeps them there for the patients to interact with and ease stress. One is a basset hound, another is Jack Russell which seems excited all the time and the third is a bulldog with a tail cropped so short it doesn't wag. Wanna know their names?"

"You can't be serious Lance. I'm guessing the basset is Frowney, the Jack is Smiley and the bulldog-"

"Straight. That's right."

"Damn! Well, you know they will go with insanity. Any lawyer worth the ink on their degree will use that."

"Above my pay grade man! All I know is that I have seven murders and the lead suspect confessing to it all right here. Aw shit! This thing is still recording!"

Click.