Countdown

Chapter 1

Dr. Brimsten sat down at a metal table bolted to the floor. Her chair let out a metallic pang as her keys hit against the surface of the chair, it too was bolted to the floor. There was a chair across from her, someone was sitting in it. She knew who, but she wasn't ready to see them, not yet.

She watched as her hands placed a case file on the table in front of her, the person across from her leaned forward, his once orange jumpsuit had been exchanged for a beige one, his knuckles were raw and red but his wrists were worse, irritated by the metal cuffs around them. She looked up, finally ready to see him. "You've been fighting again." She said nonchalantly, her palms instantly started sweating and the room seemed to grow warmer, but she would not move, she stood her ground looking at the man across from her.

He chuckled, "You're a woman." Dr. Brimsten paused, she'd learned long ago that when it came to this man, never ask unnecessary question. He smirked, "I'm sorry, I thought we were saying things that would never change." He leaned back in his metal chair, cuffed hands in his lap. A long chain continued from the handcuffs to his ankles, a new-style slave shakle. There was a pregnant pause, the man waited for the doctor to continue, she always did.

"Charlie, you know why I'm back." Charlie looked up at Dr. Brimsten upon hearing his name, the satisfied smile gone from his face. His head was tilted to the side, the scarred left side of his face perfectly visible to her, a chill ran up her spine. Those scars, they'd gotten them him in here.

"Fuckin' took you long enough. I was gettin' bored in here, Doc." As Charlie spoke his New York accent thickened, Dr. Brimsten scribbled something down in a notebook she hid in her lap. Another pause followed as the doctor searched through her notebook for her questions.

"How are you, Charlie?" she asked.

"Fine." he said, mimicking her perfected psychiatrist's voice, concerned but not worried, her face friendly but not loving, the someone who cared but didn't too much.

"Are you sleeping well?" Dr. Brimsten placed a tape recorder on the table, hitting record she smiled at the guards at the back of the room, their faces remained stony.

"Hey Doc, I have a question for you. Would you sleep well if you were me?" He watched her, his tongue sliding across his cracked lips before disappearing back into his mouth. "You wouldn't, but I sleep like a goddamn baby." he smiled at her.

"Let's talk about your childhood."

"Never had one, I was born like this."

"Then the early years of your life."

"That shit doesn't matter, only when I started my career, those're the years you wanna hear about."

"Then let's talk about those years."

Charlie sat back, smirking. "Ask away Doc." he punched the last word, a small drop of spit landing on the case file in front of Dr. Brimsten.

"They're calling you the Ripper of today." The doctor said as she slid a photo toward Charlie. Edna Thursting, fourteen, lay dead in the photo, her body mutilated and soaking in blood with a strange symbol carved into her forehead. "What's the symbol, Charlie?" Dr. Brimsten took a chance with a straight forward question, she could see the warden waiting outside the door, she had minutes left.

Charlie smiled at her, his most sincere smile. Dr. Brimsten referred to it as his "undying love smile." It had been perfected over years of leading people in, drawing close to lambs for the slaughter, bringing them into his hell and killing them before they had the chance to get out. It was perfect, and every time he used it, someone fell madly in love with him. "Audrey," he sucked in a breath, placing his elbows on the table. "You're just a little bit young for this stuff." Audrey Brimsten, he knew her name. Oh Jesus fucking Christ he knew her name. Audrey panicked for a moment, her eyes widened and she shifted in her chair. He smirked, knowing he had caught her off-guard. "Come back later, maybe I'll tell you when you're my age." A loud buzzing echoed through the small grey room as the door behind Charlie slid open and the warden stepped in.

"Sorry, Charlie, it's time to go." He roughly grasped Charlie's arm, and Charlie stood, taking his time to walk out like a perfect gentleman. Before he left he turned to Audrey, smiling.

"See you." He said, licking his lips again before walking down the hall toward his cell, the warden close behind him.

***

Audrey sat on her couch, flipping through her notes. Her brother, Lucas, was making dinner in the kitchen, he'd been staying with her ever since his house burned down. How did he know my name? Audrey shuddered, remembering her name rolling off his lips. She had long learned that serial killers like Charlie Dawson were capable of just about anything but it still disgusted her whenever he let loose any tidbit of knowledge he had about her.

She looked at his file, remembering when she had been assigned to him only a few months prior. She snorted, a few months and she had learned barely anything real about this man, he was mist slipping through her fingers.

It had been the summer after her twenty-third birthday and she was already prospering at the asylum she worked at. She was on her lunch break when her phone rang, the happy chirp ended as she answered the unknown number.

"Dr. Brimsten, this is officer Lindenbaum, I'm calling to request you on a case regarding a man named Charlie Dawson. He is currently unable to speak to you, but if you are willing please tell me your location and I'll be able to meet you there to possibly discuss the man." A man's voice said from the other end of her phone. Audrey was taken aback, she hadn't said a word and he already was planning on meeting her to discuss a prospective patient, and why was this Charlie Dawson being refferred by and officer?

"I'm in my office at the Werthall asylum, I'll meet you at the front door."

"I will arrive in ten minutes." there was a muffled click as officer Lindenbaum hung up. Audrey slumped back in her chair, a frown spreading across her lips, her eyebrows furrowing.

***

Officer Lindenbaum sat rigid in Audrey's desk chair, looking at her closely. A minute passed slowly, each second of the clock ticking by as Audrey began to worry, would this man ever speak? The officer cleared his throat and began as Dr. Brimsten's clock struck one.

"Charlie Dawson." he began, "He is a deeply disturbed man we have currently in custody, he has confessed to multiple murders, and will undoubtedly be convicted. When he is convicted we would request for you to work with him. You would be compensated of course." Officer Lindenbaum slid Charlie's case file toward her, her first paycheck resting on top. "Doctor, this will not be an easy job, we will train you in some aspects on how to prevent his tricks, but the rest will be up to you. Please think it over."

"He's a murderer?" Audrey said as she pulled out a photo from the file, shuddering at the disfigured body with a circular mark carved onto her open palm, her intestines wrapped around her arm. Officer Linderbaum rested a hand on the folder, gently taking the photo from Audrey.

"A serial killer, ma'am." There was a pause and the officer slid the folder toward himself. Audrey suspected the officer thought she would reject because of the pictures.

"Why me?" she asked, folding her hands on her desk. A much longer pause followed and the officer copied Audrey, his hands over the file.

"He's a schizophrenic."

Audrey's thoughts were interrupted as Lucas sat down next to her and began talking her up about his day. Lucas was careful never to ask about hers, he'd learned just as soon as she had that talking about Charlie basically invited him into their home, he would weave himself into their words, spreading through the air like a disease until they were both infected with him. They had once spent hours staring at each other in hollow silence after discussing him, neither slept that night.

Her eyelids drooped as she tuned out her brother soon his words had melted into dull noises somewhere in the distance and Audrey's eyes slid shut, her sleep deep and foggy.

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Hey there! Glad you read my first chapter of Countdown. I'm working on the second currently and am so excited about it! I would really appreciate it if you gave this a little recognition, add it to your library, etc. In short... help me get popular! Thanks!