(A/N: WARNING! this story is going to be quite dark. it follows the internal narrative of a serial killer, so there might be a little bit of gore, but i'll try not to make it too gruesome. before every story with any sort of gore, i'll leave a warning. enjoy!!)
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wednesday, september 25th, 1978.
6:50 AM
getting ready
william was woken up by the shrill electronic wailing of his morning alarm. he let out a groan as he sat up, blinking a few times to rid the bleariness in his eyes and take in his surroundings. as he looked around, he realized he fell asleep at his old wooden desk, in the middle of working on painting he was bound to paint over and restart anyways, like many many times before. this was nothing new to him.
he threw on a bland white t-shirt and old acid-washed jeans and stumbled down his narrow stairs. he stepped into the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb through his hair. the white tiles were cold on his feet. after deciding he was at least a little presentable, he grabbed a banana and slid on his charcoal colored lace-up shoes and an old tan corduroy jacket, which was lined with faux white fur at the collar. he grabbed his backpack as he slid out the door, careful not to wake his anger-prone grandmother, who had fallen asleep on the floral couch watching television.
7:15 AM
heading to school
after walking out the door, william closed it behind him and hopped on his rusty cruiser bike to set off for school, dreading what was to come. he hated going to school. he hated every kid there. he hated every rust-colored red brick that made up the horrible building.
he hated school.
7:30 AM
at school
as he parked his bike, trying to remain invisible, he heard a voice calling his name.
"hey turner!" william tried to pretend he didn't hear the boy and walk away, but the brunette boy was persistent. "hey freak! william! don't turn away from me." he taunted.
i should probably turn around, he thought, or he'll just get angrier.
with a small, exasperated huff, william turned around. he winced as the angry boy with chocolate brown hair stepped toward him, expecting the worst.
"turner?" he asked
"y-yes max?" william replied, flinching as his tormentor took another step toward him, almost too close for comfort. actually, way too close for comfort. william could feel max's angry breath coming through his flared nostrils on his face.
why won't he just go away? it would be much easier if he were dead anyways, william thought, before he could stop himself. he hated max, he really did, but he would never wish death upon him. sometimes, he just couldn't control his thoughts. no matter how hard he tries, or how hard he tries to push them away, those disturbing words never leave his mind.
i must be going insane he thought once more.
as william tried to shrink away, max grabbed him by his shirt collar, forcing william to look up at him. just as max was about to speak, though, the warning bell for first period rang, signaling that class was to start soon.
"i'll deal with you later" max said with a scowl that sent chills down william's spine. unless he could manage to escape, he was screwed.
after being let go, william scurried into the school, almost tripping on his own feet as he rushed to his locker. he kept his jade green eyes trained down towards his feet and averted making eye contact with anyone he walked past. the bell signaling the start of first period rang throughout the halls as he was stuffing his heavy books for english into his backpack. he zipped the bag halfway and sprinted down the hall into english.
he received a dirty look from his teacher before he took a seat in the back of the class. he remembered when he sat in the front of the class. when things weren't so bad. but that was 10 years ago. things were different now.
he was different now.
william let himself zone out until the bell rang. he continued this process of assuming the back seat in all of his classes and letting himself get absorbed in his thoughts until the end of the day. when he heard the last bell ring, william got up as fast as he could and speed-walked through the hallways and out the front doors. he only stopped to get to his locker, grabbing all of the books he needed to complete his homework.
3:00 pm
after school
as he walked outside, william spotted max and his group of friends (goons, as william like to call them) waiting for him. luckily, they were looking in the opposite direction, trying to catcall a group of seemingly uninterested girls. he sprinted to his bike and hopped on before he heard max's familiar and cruel voice call his name.
fuck, he thought. i'm on my bike, but if i leave now tomorrow will be much worse. but if i don't get home on time grandma will be pissed.
that was enough for him to decide leaving would be the better idea. he hopped on the bicycle and pedaled as fast as he could towards home, leaving max's enraged screams of his name in the distance. william knew he would probably regret his decision in the morning, but for now he just needed to get home. and fast. he didn't need another person he feared to be angry at him.
as he parked his dirty old bike at home, he released a heavy sigh and stepped through his front door, awaiting misery.
A/N: i hope you liked this chapter! this is my first ever book, not only on this app, but ever! if you have any advice, criticism, comments, or concerns, feel free to tell me! -logan xx
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The Painter
Teen Fictionwilliam turner is a 17-year-old painter. his mother left him when he was 13, and his father died when he was 7. he lives with his abusive grandmother and deals with disturbing intrusive thoughts and poor impulse control. what happens when he finally...
