Turning Back Time [Jeff The Killer : Homicidal Liu]

United Again

The warehouse was silent, aside from the large ceiling lights whirring above. Footsteps began to echo through the empty racks as a man entered the large, metal door. His black hair hung just above his shoulders, the eyelids around his eyes non-existent.

For many years this warehouse had housed the man know as Jeffrey Woods. Real estate agents weren't expected to be kind to an active murderer.

Jeffrey removed his stained hoodie, a clean black t-shirt underneath. The hems of his pants were just starting to dry, the drip of crimson liquid slowing its fall.

"What a pain", the voice spoke deeply. He messed with the blood stained hoodie, staring at the misplaced spots. The knife in the pocket clattered to the floor, piercing his ears.

He picked the knife up, stabbing it into the box beside him. Many other indents on the box surrounded the knife, like it never had a specific spot.

"No use trying to clean another hoodie." He tossed it in a pile of small clothing that reeked of week old blood. Jeffrey continued towards a restroom, keeping the door open behind him. No one had ever gone inside this building while he occupied it, so he found no need to lock himself inside a smaller room.

His hands found the faucets knob, slowly turning on the water. Hands cupped under, he filled them with water, splashing his leathery, white face with the chilling liquid.

He let it drip down his face, taking a deep inhale.

"Ahhh. That's nice."

He peered into the mirror, his etched in smile portraying his current emotion. Though he may not appear handsome to the average person, he was quite vain towards his looks. His fingers traces the carved lines of his smile, the feel of jagged flesh bringing him joy.

Lost in his own mind, he barely succeeded in recognizing a foreign noise. His head snapped from the mirror, swiftly leaving the bathroom. His eyebrows furrowed, making him seem more deranged than angry.

"Hello", a meek voice called out.

Jeffrey stayed still, listening to the slow footsteps falling further into the building.

"Hello", the voice called out with a bit more confidence.

Jeffrey snuck past the box, grabbing his knife as he did so. He was no fool to step out in the open such as his victim had. He had learned the hard way that a small human could be stronger than they appeared.

He watched the boy as he stopped in his line of vision. Something was vaguely familiar about him, but he couldn't quite place his thumb on it.

In one quick motion, Jeffrey slid behind his victim, wrapping his arm around him tightly to constrict him, the knife poking at the surface of his skin.

"What brings you here? Having trouble sleeping", he said in his deep voice laced with mockery.

The boy shivered in his grip, struggling to look at the person holding him.

"N-no!" He attempted to pull away, only causing Jeffrey to grip tighter.

"It's seems you've come to the wrong place then, haven't we?" Jeffrey laid the knife's blade flat across his neck.

"Shall I let you slowly bleed and paint you with your blood? Or should I just carve what I wish onto your skin?"

The boy shuddered once more, his eyes stricken with fear.

"Jeffrey! C-cut it out!" The boy yanked away, this time successfully. Jeffrey had lost his grip from the sudden mention of his name.

The boy stared at him in disbelief, addressing the state of Jeffrey. It had been so long since he'd seen him. The image left in his mind was of the young and handsome brown haired boy. This didn't change his motives though.

Angry, Jeffrey pushed the boy to the floor, pinning his arms down with his knees.

"Okay, no playing games here you little bastard. How do you know my name? Why are you here?"

It may have been a stupid question, but no one knew his name. Everyone had assumed him to be dead, so even with the deaths, his name was never of suspicion.

The boy looked up at the lidless man before him. A certain pang resonated within him, a smile spreading across his lips.

"Jeffrey. That was my brother's name. You look like him... After he got in the accident..."

Jeffrey looked at him, mortified. His expression didn't come through due to his permanent smile.

"How did you find me", he said, pressing his blade back to his neck.

"Locals kept saying something about a ghost in a warehouse. I was desperate enough to find you that I decided to check it out."

Jeffrey sliced the blade vertically down the boy's neck, creating a scratch so beads of red would surface. A gasp escaped him, but his eyes didn't so much as water. Jeffrey would even dare say the boy seemed relaxed.

"So who would you be? You think I'm that brother? I killed my family years ago. You'd be sorely mistaken to think I'm him."

The boy shook his head, a weak laugh coming from his mouth.

"Liu would be my name. And if you weren't my brother, then I wouldn't be here to forgive you."

Jeffrey scoffed, cutting a horizontal line in the center of the vertical one. Again, Liu winced, the infliction seeming not to bother him. Once he had said the name, he easily believed that this was his brother. The brother who didn't stay dead.

"And you think I need forgiving? Shouldn't you be thanking me? I was giving you a piece of beauty. A chance to escape this bland and cruel Earth."

Jeffrey traced the blood on Liu's neck, blurring the red into his pale skin. Another line was added horizontally, blended in with the rest.

"Well brother, I surely enjoy art. Since you failed to let me escape this bland and cruel Earth, why don't you teach me to create the beauty."

Jeffrey froze mid cut, lifting the knife and twirling it on his fingertip. Was this real? Suddenly his brother shows up, after being presumed dead, and now he was asking to take part in his life choices.

Jeffrey's face grew deviant, ideas already churning in his head. He lifted himself off of Liu, towering above him. Holding out his hand, Liu pulled himself up. Jeffrey kept a tight hold on his hand, shaking it roughly.

"I suppose we have an arrangement then."