Case 21-CV-61378 | Boy Meets Evil

Prologue

TW's: Mentions of murder, physical abuse.

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The police officer's nametag reads 'Officer Seong'. The way that the lines are drawn on his face makes him look as though he's been frowning since the beginning of time. He's apparently been on the force for thirty-two years and counting. I'd asked him what an old man like him was doing still working with the police, he should've retired years ago. Officer Seong didn't take very kindly to that statement.

My cheek still stings from where he'd hit me.

I didn't mean to be rude, I just thought someone his age would be more comfortable in retirement than still working in this bastardized system. I didn't say that thought aloud though. It looked like Officer Seong would much prefer it if I was silent, so I kept my mouth shut.

Now he follows closely behind me as I walk down the long linoleum hallway. The sound of my slippers squeaks against the ground as we walk. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a calendar. The date reads August 7th. How long have I been here? It's so quiet. My thoughts are too loud inside my head. I want to say something to fill the empty air. So I do.

"Where are we going?"

There's no response. I purse my lips, wringing my aching wrists. I'm sure he heard me, he's just ignoring me. I sigh and silence falls over us again. Eventually, we come up to a door labeled with a number and a letter. There are about a dozen other doors nearly identical to it, only different numbers and different letters for each one. Officer Seong ushers me into a door labeled 'D-2'. I walk in.

There are about a dozen or so people dressed in suits and uniforms crowded in the small room. I make sure to make eye contact with as many as possible. When I do, I smile. The other people in the room look away from me, others throw shaded glances and whisper in hushed tones to their friends. Odd. Officer Seong pushes me through all of them to a door next to a large glass window that allows people in this room to look into the other. The other room is all white, decorated only with a table, chair, and microphone.

Officer Seong stops in front of the door and pulls a keyring out of his pocket. After searching for a bit, he picks one out and puts it into the lock. He turns it clockwise and the door unlocks. Office Seong pushes it open and gives me a look. I look back at him.

"Go inside." It doesn't sound like he's asking for my opinion on this matter. I walk into the room and hear the door slam behind me. Now it's just me, and the table and the microphone. I sit in the chair and stare at the faces staring back at me through the window. One of the men is sitting with a pair of headphones on, a microphone similar to the one in front of me on the long desk in front of him. He clears his throat and I hear his voice bounce around the room before he continues.

"Case 21-CV-61738. Begin recording." I hear a small beep as a camera on the other side of the glass turns on, the red light flashing on and off methodically.

"I'm not going to spend much time beating around the bush." The officer talking to me through the microphone gives me an unwavering gaze. His nametag reads 'Officer Jung' "So I'll ask you straightforward, did you commit the murder on the night of June twelfth?"

My cuffed hands dangle through the back of the foldable chair as I slump against it. I don't say anything, keeping my eyes glued to the table. It has a few dents in it. Like the last person sitting behind it had slammed something against it.

"It would be appreciated if you would cooperate to the best of your ability." Officer Jung's voice comes in through the speakers mounted on the walls. I wondered how much they cost. Silence falls over the room again, the only sound being that of a pen being tapped impatiently against the long desk behind the glass. For what seems like forever, nobody speaks. Until a sound comes out of seemingly nowhere.

Laughter.

Cold, chilling, laughter. It's high-pitched and bounces off the walls in the white room. It sounds awful, maniacal even. In some aspects, it sounds childlike. Filled with glee, as if they've just unwrapped a box on Christmas revealing their newest toy.

It takes a minute to realize that the laughter's coming from me.

I lean my head back and my shoulders start shaking. The sound reverberates through the room until it feels like all of the silence has been sucked away. Even after I stop, the echoes of my laughter still remain until they fade out into silence once more. I lean forward and stare into Officer Jung's eyes. It looks like all of the colors have been drained from his face.

"You should see the look on your face," I say sweetly, my lips brushing against the microphone. "You look like you've seen a ghost." The officers behind the glass are shocked into silence. I raise an eyebrow curiously.

"Oh? What's with the silent treatment... I thought you wanted to have a conversation?" I pout, but I'm unable to suppress the smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. I let out a giggle.

Officer Seong is the first to regain his composure. He pushes Officer Jung out of the chair, taking the headset from him. He pulls out a folder from the desk drawer and begins setting out smaller manila folders. One, two, three, four, five, six. Six folders in total.

"You know what these folders represent, don't you?" Officer Seong asks. I smile.

"Of course I do."

"So then." Officer Seong sets his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers so the pads of his thumbs press together. He meets my gaze, though I can see that his eyes are wavering slightly. "Will you come clean? Or will we have to do this the hard way?"

I purse my lips, and I feel laughter bubbling up in my chest. It explodes out of me and I lean back in my chair with so much force that it threatens to topple backward. Officer Seong flinches as the sound explodes in his ears through the headset. My head is snapping back and forth as I laugh, completely unhinged. Eventually, I'm able to compose myself, and I let out a breath.

"I'll admit it." I let out a sigh and smile, leaning close to the microphone again. The next words out of my mouth are simple, but it's enough to send chills down the spine of everyone behind the glass. "I did kill them."