The Theory. (A Jeff The Killer Story) (JeffxReader)

Chapter One. The Killer.

I felt the cold air of my small apartment rush over me as I closed the door and walked inside. I flicked on the light switch and lazily tossed my satchel to the floor. I walked over to my work desk and sat down. I listened to the buzz of the old lights of my apartment as I rested for a moment. The lights were dim and worn by time. I looked forward and opened my laptop. My eyes met with my screensaver, a picture of a cat. I entered my password secretively. My favorite part of the day for the last few months had been coming home and getting to work. Work by my preference that is. I have a part-time job as a gas station attendant. Glamorous right? But the only time I can truly work is when I'm home.

Let me explain, ever since I was little I strived to be an investigator. Of course, I never really made it there. But that was due to the lack of my 'get into an ivy league school' fund. Which consisted of twenty-seven dollars and seventeen cents. So I'm stuck with a pretty crappy job. But I never truly gave up that dream, and based on this situation I don't think the dream gave up on me either. I've lived in a small town with my mother since I was born. My mother died a few years ago from natural causes, but I stayed here. Yet surprisingly in the small quiet town of Hagerman Idaho, there have been a string of gruesome murders.

Of course, the murders didn't start here, but they are here now. These murders have been going on for about two years now. The perpetrator travels from state to state, in all directions, with no exact pattern. One day the killings are in Nebraska, the next day they are in California. No one understands how the killer moves so quickly. There have only been three witnesses who lived to tell their story. One referred to the killer as a demon, he was taken to a mental ward. Another said the killer was the joker from Batman. She went to a mental ward.

The third account was the one that caught my eye. A little boy described the killer as a male looking around 19 years old, with black hair and a white hoodie. When asked to provide details for a sketch he said that the man's face had a cut on either cheek, dementing his face into a permanent Gorey smile. Another detail he made was of his eyes, which he said were opened wide and had burn marks around them. The young boy was put into therapy. The killer's trademark was that every victim he slaughtered had a smile carved into their face. The pattern I realized is that he prefers to kill at night. Either breaking into houses or killing pedestrians on the street. There have been few murders during daylight hours. The killer chooses his victims very carefully. Never intending to kill anyone who has a gun on them, a barking dog, or any way to communicate to the outside world in the moments leading to their death. For example, the killer seems to be fine with security systems. He can deactivate them easily. Once he enters a house he disposes of any items in the house the victim could use to defend themselves. Next, he watches and waits for a perfect moment. When it comes to street killing, he watches for any weapons and waits for them to be alone. The killer rarely stalks his victims.

Now you must be thinking either 'Why do I need to know this?' or 'How do you know this?'. Well, that's what I come home and do every day. Investigate. Search the vast internet for any little bit of information, any comment or post, anything that could lead to him. I hope to one day be the reason he's caught.

I lost my train of thought as a phone notification went off. '911 emergency alert: a corpse has been found in Collar BLVD Hagerman Idaho. All residents please stay inside and lock all doors.' i didn't even have to think to realize what was going on. He had arrived in my neighborhood. I was struck by fear and excitement. I dropped my phone and ran to my window. I saw nothing. I needed to see him, to know my theories were right. I threw on my black hoodie and grabbed my phone, pepper spray, and a pocket knife. I gripped the handle of my door and paused. 'This could get me killed' i thought, But the adrenaline coursing through me was too much.

I threw the door open and rushed through the halls of the apartment complex. I could hear doors locking. I ran down four flights of stairs and reached the exit. This was my last chance to turn back. I didn't give a damn. I walked into the cold still environment of the empty street as I exited the building. Not a car, or corpse for that matter, insight. I froze admiring the silence of the empty streets. I glanced around the streets hoping to see someone to no avail. I was alone. Completely alone.

Until I wasn't....