"La la de da!" I danced around smoothly on the creeky wooden floor.

"Dun Dun Dun!" I imitated a conductor raising my hands as if to lead the chorus.

Instead of hearing joyful song I heard cries and whimpers.

"Oh stop that." I circled the couple that was bound to their chairs by rope. "We wouldn't want your last day to be a tearful one would we?"

No one was able to speak due to the fact that they had duct tape covering their mouths.

I crossed my arms and looked at the happily engaged pair and laughed. I sat them facing each other, only a few feet apart.

Here was the fun part.

I pulled out a pocket knife slowly from my pocket. I strolled between the two.

I grinned. My eyes darted from him then back to her. I turned around on my heel.

I ran my finger along the knife blade. "Who's first?"

As soon as I dropped that line they both started to struggle.

"Think!" I rubbed my forehead. "Who's going to be the bigger person? One of you is going to have to watch and listen to the other's helpless cries. Or you can be selfish and offer to go first so you don't have to watch your spouse die."

I glared at them both questioningly. "Well since the man makes all of the decisions in the house how about we leave this one up to the lady?"

I placed my arm around my male hostage's shoulder. "I know us men have to stick together but I think women have to be heard too."

I left his side and jumped towards the women.

I leaned in a foot from her face. "Now don't go running off at the mouth." I ripped the duct tape off in one quick motion.

"You bastar-" I placed the blade on her lips causing her to freeze. The blade was vertical to her lips and if she made the slightest movement it would slit her lips wide opened.

"Now do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I lowered the knife to my side and petted her head. "Let me know who's going first. All you have to say is me or him."

She started to cry and it was hard to make out her words. She was trying to stall the situation. It wasn't good when people tried to test my patients. I licked my lips.

I placed the duct tape back onto her mouth.

"Wrong answer!" I dug my knife deep into her stomach without thinking.

The man behind me was growing restless. I could hear his squeals blend into his fiance's.

"Oh relax, you'll get your turn." I turned and winked at him.

The blood dripped out from under her duct tape.

"Oh look what you have done." I grabbed her chin and shook her head. "You made such a mess."

I turned the knife in her and her eyes started to flutter shut. I dragged my knife around her body.

I turned my attention to her fiance. "You like boas don't you?"

I reached my hand inside her opened stomach wound and grabbed for her small intestine.

I was a magician! Her intestine was like the colorful tied bandannas, never ending.

I danced towards him. Twirling as I approached him and placed the intestine around my neck. I ran my hand down the length of the organ.

"You like?" He looked away in shear terror. "Well here I think it would suit you more anyway."

I wrapped it around his neck twice. It was still attached to his companions body. The man just gagged.

"There!" I patted his chest.

I twirled my knife in my hand and then plunged it slowly into his stomach. I gutted him like I would a fish.

After a few seconds his head fell to the side.

"Oh before I forget!" I pulled a red permanent marker out of my pocket.

I wrote 'Ha ha ha!' on the duct tape that covered the corpses mouth.

"That's not blood on my hands, is it?" I chuckled.

Soon after my victory I went to the sink in the other room to wash my hands.

I peered into the other room where the other two bodies resided.

"Look what you guys made me do! I have to leave this glorious abandoned house because you had to go and dirty up the place. Blood stains like that would never wash out of the wood floor."

I left the house for them two to get settled in. It was getting late anyway. I should let those two get some quality time.

I strolled down the deserted street. I walked for almost an hour before I came to a bar.

My eyes glowed in delight.

I entered to be welcomed by an alcoholic scent. I stopped at the entrance and took a deep whiff.

I looked around to see mostly drunk middle aged men.

I hopped to a chair in front of the bar. I pounded my fist on the bar.

The bartender shot me a curious look. "What would you like?"

"Whiskey!" I answered.

Just as I started to get settled a drunken man came over and sat next to me. He exchanged a conversation with the bartender. The guy next to me was named Tom.

I was twiddling my thumbs waiting for my whiskey.

The guy beside me nudged my arm. "Can you believe this?" He asked pointing towards the TV. "This crazy man is going on a murdering spree."

I zoned in on the news that was showing on the TV.

The bartender had placed my drink in front of me.

"There is a mass murderer on the lose. His first attack was about eight months ago. His victim was a young girl. His most recent attack was a week ago from today, on an elderly man. Between his first and most recent attacks he has murdered the total of twelve people. We have linked these deaths by his signature, which is covering the victims mouth with duct tape and writing in a red marker 'Ha ha ha!' on it."

"Hey Bill, we're going to be heading out now since you're closing soon anyway." The man from the far end of the bar said.

"You better be back tomorrow. Otherwise I'll be out of business."

I started to drink my whiskey.

The bar only held three people now. The bartender, the guy next to me and myself.

"Fourteen, actually."

Both the guys stared at me weird.

"They said he killed twelve people. It's fourteen." I took another sip of my alcohol.

"How would you know?" The bartender raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just saying."

Tom started laughing. "That's stupid. I mean his signature, 'Ha ha ha!' On a piece of duct tape too. Now you know it's a man when he uses duct tape."

I focused on him. "Did you ever happen to think of the meaning behind it?"

"Oh and you would know?"

Bill took a chug of alcohol then continued to wipe down the bar.

"It's reflecting the killer's feelings. He gets pleasure out of the torture. The people should feel the way he does at that very moment. He just can't leave them there like that he has to enlighten the celebration of their death. He has the last word and not his victim."

Bill laughed. He came out from around the bar and pulled up a seat across from Tom and I.

"I want to know how he has gotten away with all those murders." Tom said.

A smile stretched across my face.

"Would you really?" I asked.

"Yeah. He must have some brilliant plan up his sleeve or something." Tom responded.

"Oh, he does." I whispered to myself.

"What was that?" Bill asked.

"He's a brilliant man. I'll let you in on a little secret."

I leaned in closer to the two guys. "I know him like the back of my hand. Only if I could get to those innocent people before he does." I plastered on a fake pout.

"Yeah, I would enjoy beating the crap out of him." Tom added shifting in his seat. "I don't understand how one person can be so disturbed and do such horrible things to a person."

"Well here. I'll help show you how it works." I stood up stretching my arms over my head.

"First the victims are found. Yadda yadda."

I pointed a finger at them. "Then he gets to know them just a little so he can enjoy what he is about to do."

"You can't forget about the duct tape!" Tom laughed slapping his knee.

"Ah, I wouldn't forget that part."

I smirked and then slowly pulled duct tape out of my pocket. I ripped off two pieces and stuck them where the belonged. On the men's lips.

Tom and Bill were starting to look worried. They started pulling off the tape.

"It's just for a laugh you guys. It's not like you can't get away." I rolled my eyes.

"Guys you can trust me. Every guy carries duct tape. Where would I go with out a man's best friend? I don't have that stupid red permanent marker or that antique pocket knife, do I?"

Tom pulled the duct tape off his mouth just to say. "Don't forget the 'Ha ha ha!'"

He was oblivious. People shouldn't drink especially more than they can handle. It makes them stupid.

I searched around in my pocket for that glorious knife. I lifted my hand out of my pocket. The red marker was in my hands.

"That's not it." I shook my head.

The guys looked at each other with wide eyes.

I reached back into my pocket and grabbed what I had desired.

"Oh I'm sorry. That little note doesn't appear until after the bodies dead."

Bill got up swiftly and I caught him. He stood there with my knife stuck in his stomach and I pushed it up exposing his interior. He eventually collapsed to the peanut shell covered floor. He wasn't going anywhere at least for awhile.

I watched as his body twitched.

I heard a thud behind me. I turned around to see Tom on the floor struggling to stand up.

I waltzed over to him and knelt down beside him. I patted his face. The blood from Bill smearing all over Tom's face. He turned away at my touch.

"What's wrong. Am I scary?" I roared jokingly.

"You liked dissections in high school didn't you Tom?"

I placed the tip of the blade on Tom's stomach. I dragged it from under his belly button to his ribcage.

"This is what they call a Y incision." I pulled the skin apart just like the teenagers did in science class to the poor frogs.

I watched as his life was pulled from him quickly.

"Pooh! You're no fun." I dusted my hands off.

I grabbed for the red marker and wrote the famous red words 'Ha ha ha!' on the duct taped mouths.

"That's not blood on my hands, is it?" I snickered.

It had been weeks since I had taken a life. I was now in another state. This one was more exciting. There were fairs everywhere. It was riskier.

If I was going to live life on the edge I might as well jump.

The cops were hot on my tracks but that just added fuel to my fire. Or as I would like to say bodies to my list.

I skipped towards the fair ground making my way through a crowd of people. Beyond the fair the roads were dark. The moon was ducking behind every cloud that passed by it.

That's when I saw my chance.

A little girl stood right next to the entrance and looked lost. I snatched a balloon from one of the stands and made my way over to her.

I knelt down in front of her. "For you." I extended the balloon towards her.

She looked away shyly. "My mom told me not to talk to strangers."

"Strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet. Friends are good people."

"Well, I do like balloons. I have friends but not too many."

I stood back up. "Are you looking for someone?"

A frown appeared on her face. "Yeah, I lost my parent's in the crowd somewhere over there." She pointed.

"They are very worried and they were telling everyone that if we ran into you that we were to bring you back home." I sent her a reassuring smile.

"Oh, mister will you take me home?" She tugged at the hem of my shirt.

"I only live like a few minutes that way." She looked north.

"My pleasure!" I started to walk knowing that she would follow.

She ran up beside me and grabbed my hand. I looked down at her and smiled.

"So, my friends name's are Emily, Taylor, Rachael, and Becky." Her head shoot up at me. "Do you have friends?"

"Yeah, sixteen to be exact."

"Can I be one of your friends mister? Then you would have seventeen."

I rubbed the top of her head. "Soon enough."

Then I looked back at the dark rode that lay ahead of us.

I tried to control the anticipation building up inside me.

"Soon enough."