Raining Blood

The Hangman pt. 1

Three days earlier

Adler snapped awake. He could feel his heart racing inside his chest. It was threatening to burst from his ribcage. 

What was that dream? He thought to himself. It was the most vivid dream he had ever experienced. He was standing in an old building with creaky wooden floorboards. Someone was speaking to him from the darkness but all he could remember was the soothing sound of their voice whispering in his ears.

Even when he opened his eyes he could have sworn he was standing in the building. It took him a long time to finally calm himself down. 

By that time, a piercing noise blared behind him. It made Adler jump out of his skin. He sighed and punched his alarm clock to get it to stop.

He wanted to sleep in a little more but he knew it was a school day. 

What a great way to start off.

It was so early that it was still dark outside. A thin, middle-aged woman was walking around the house with the liveliness of a ghost. She could have easily been mistaken for one with her pale skin and the dark rings clinging to her eyes. 

In frustration, the woman back-handed the coffee machine so loudly that Adler flinched. To his surprise, that worked and the machine spun to life once again. 

Adler's mother ripped open a pack of sugar, pouring it into her coffee almost immediately. "So, you're finally awake," she mumbled. 

She said it without even turning in his direction. Adler flinched. He could have sworn that his mother had a pair of eyes hiding behind that long hair of hers, not that he had any way to prove it. 

"So, are you gonna get ready for school or what?" she teased, a smirk crawling across her face. She leaned her coffee mug towards her lips, taking a cautious sip. 

"Yeah, I was getting some breakfast," Adler told her, starting to move towards the pantry to see what they had left. 

"Be careful out there, son," his mother said. There was a flat, serious tone to her voice that never wavered. Adler's breath caught in his throat. Then he chuckled a little bit.

"I didn't know you believed in urban legends," he laughed. 

"I don't," Adler's mom told him, putting her now empty coffee mug against the counter. She walked over to the sink and started rinsing out dishes. "You think I don't know what goes on in this house?"

Adler felt his heart clench. "What do you mean?" he muttered. 

"You're being bullied, aren't you?" his mother asked, "Don't try to deny it."

"Mom, I would have told you that," Adler shot back. 

Adler's mom gave him a sideways glare. Her eyes cut into his soul. Then she sighed. "People never give their secrets for free," she whispered. 

Adler went silent. 

His mother wiped off a large butcher knife with a plain white hand towel. "Tell me their names," she told him. "I can take care of them myself."

Adler rolled his eyes. "Mom, I think you've had too much coffee," he said, folding his arms. 

His mom stared at him in the reflection of her knife. Alder could see her vibrant green eyes reflected in that plain, metallic surface. 

"Have a good day at school dear," Adler's mother uttered. She was silent from then onward. Adler finished the rest of his morning routine giving her nervous glances the whole time. He knew better than to say anything more after that display. 

He pulled his sneakers over his feet and quietly pulled open the door. The old apartment complex was in desperate need of repairs or a couple layers of paint. He carefully maneuvered down the winding stairwell to the first floor of the building. 

The only people in the lobby were building employees. There was an older blond-haired man sitting at the front desk talking one of the cleaning ladies. She was a woman with short brown hair and a hat covering her face. They were in the middle of a conversation. Adler could only pick up bits and pieces. 

"That's the fourth one to date," the man sighed. "It's horrible," the woman told him, a shiver running down her back. "Maybe he is real."

"That's crazy talk, Janice," the man shot back in a hushed voice. "It's a rumor. That's all."

"I thought I saw him once," the woman continued. "A shadow at the edge of my doorway. I could feel it watching me."

Adler slipped by and the two of them immediately went quiet. The man smiled at him weakly. "Have a good day," he said. 

"You too," Adler repeated with the hint of a nod. He pulled his hood over his head and stepped forward. A sheet of rain welcomed him in the outside world. Dozens of people were walking across the street with the liveliness of a group of walking corpses. 

Adler internally scolded himself. He should have remembered his umbrella. Now he was going to get soaked. 

He noticed a group of teenage girls making their way down the sidewalk. Two of them had strange faceless dolls tied to the ends of their backpacks. 

People in Belfyre City were oddly superstitious. They believed in all sorts of crazy things that even neighboring cities would find ridiculous. 

Things like the Hangman. 

He was a shadow that stalked the night, hiding in dark alleys and the corners of streets. He was the monster hiding behind your door when you think you're alone. 

You tell yourself that he's not there but the less you believe the closer he comes. When you try to shut him out you realize he was always there. 

Coming closer. Ever closer. Until you're finally his. 

At least that's how the legend went. People had a way of being paranoid. 

Adler sighed and quietly walked behind the three girls. His eyes were focused on the girl in the middle. Her long brown hair was swaying in the wind. She was the only one without one of those faceless dolls. 

At least some people don't believe in stupid superstitions, Adler thought.

None of them were aware of the thin, dark shadow slowly creeping up behind them.