#scriptober2020

The following short story is in participation with an October Instagram event;

Morgan Brewer's #scriptober2020 event!

It is also part of a writing challenge I’ve recently taken on in order to push my comfort zone!

To learn more about either of these challenges, check out my Instagram post about this short story, or scroll to the bottom where you’ll find more info about my participation.

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The coffee pot had already been emptied for the third time that morning. Most of us had been there since six, others well before 5, and some hadn’t finished their overnight shifts yet. This wasn’t uncommon though, it was just a typical Tuesday morning. What was uncommon however was the bustling excitement of the previous night. Rarely do we get a patient brought in by the police. Most of the men and women residing in the establishment are either self check-ins or family drop-offs. Whenever we did work with the police, it was typically from a distance. We’d occasionally send in one of our psychologists to determine if one of their suspects was of sound mind, but last night two squad cars arrived and handed over a homeless woman. They told us to restrain her as she was apparently dangerous, and they then instructed us to determine if she was, “a lunatic,” as they put it.

“Waste of time if you ask me,” one of the policemen had commented, “I could’ve told you she was insane when we picked her up.” So now, eleven hours after this apparent insane woman had been dropped off, all the staff of Roadunry Medical Hospital was awaiting the opinions of one Dr. Burt Caper, the director of the institute and head psychologist.

Olivia and I were waiting patiently in the front office when we heard the commotion down the hall. I leaned back in her chair before shooting up and abruptly saying “holy shit” while swinging the door open. At the end of the hallway, Dr. Burt was calling for security assistance, which was now running down towards him in the form of Carl, our front door security officer. I could hear the stiff voice of Dr. Burt shouting curtly for Carl to “restrain her” as he kept a frantic woman from following him out of the open door.

“That must be her,” I commented to Olivia. We were both hesitant to run out and assist, as Carl had now gotten to them and seemed to be handling the situation well. Dr. Burt disappeared back through the door for another moment before coming back out with a wooden clipboard and a small black recorder. Carl had put the woman in restraints and was now leading her down the hall in the opposite direction of our small office, all while she was screaming at the doctor now coming in our direction.

“Please you have to believe me! You said you’d believe me, I don’t understand!” She was shouting frantically, her eyes puffy with thick tears as saliva foamed at the corners of her mouth. He didn’t take notice though, just kept walking hurriedly down the hall before coming into the office and shutting the door.

Olivia moved her chair and gestured for him to take a seat, he nodded in thanks and sat down with a heavy sigh, placing the recorder and clipboard on the table before resting his face in his hands.

“Tough morning?” Olivia asked shyly.

“I haven’t gotten enough sleep for this shit.” He said without looking up.

“At least it isn’t Monday,” I chimed in with an awkward chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood. Neither acknowledged the joke.

“So,” Olivia asked, leaning against her desk with her arms crossed, “what’s the verdict on Gale Evans?”

Dr. Burt looked up, letting out another long sigh, “It is my professional opinion that Gale Evans is not of sound mind, and isn’t fit to stand trial for the Murder of Peter Port.”

This wasn’t all that startling to Olivia and I, it’s not often the police bring a suspect to us directly, more often we go to them. The few times it does happen it’s almost always an extreme enough case that the patient is admitted. I couldn’t help my curiosity however, having talked to the police myself about the unusual particulars of the case, I was quite interested in hearing more about the doctor’s time with her. “You have to admit though that there are aspects of Peter’s death that are, unsettling to say the least.”

Burt looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he met my gaze, “Yes, his death was horrific, what’s your point, Kevin.”

“All I’m saying is that the state of his body certainly does lead to the idea that she wasn’t responsible for all aspects of his death.” I held my hands up in assurance I wasn’t meaning any offense by my thoughts, though by the look Burt gave me I don’t think he took my bluntness with any kind regards.

“My assessment of her state of mind does nothing to support or deny the claim that she killed her friend, let the police figure that out.”

“Did she say anything about anyone else? Because the officer was mentioning that the coroner’s office was quite perplexed by the state of the body, said that organs were in all the wrong places like they’d been shoved around and-”

“Actually she did mention someone else,” Burt said abruptly, cutting me off, “she mentioned a long-armed monster that crawled inside his mouth and took over his body.”

There was silence in the office. My train of thought gone, I now stared dumbfounded at my colleges, eyes darting from Burt to Olivia who had the same expression of confusion on her face as myself.

“I’m sorry, what?” Olivia asked chuckling, “she’s blaming the death of Peter on a monster?”

“Monster, demon, creature; she couldn’t decide what it was. But oddly, no. She admitted to stabbing Peter to death.”

“And you have that on tape?” I asked.

“Yeah, which I’m sure the police will be thrilled about. She admitted to killing him but said that he wasn’t him anymore, whatever that means.”

“Schizophrenia maybe?” I suggested.

Burt shrugged, “don’t know. I haven’t settled on a diagnosis. It’s too damn early for that.” and with that Burt turned for the coffee, pouring himself a large mug and then dumped copious amounts of cream and sugar into it before taking a long, loud sip. “I’ll need to figure that out before reporting back to the police. I think I’ll head to my office now.”

“What would you like us to do with her in the meantime?” Olivia asked.

Burt waved his hand dismissively, “stick her somewhere with a bed and give her something to calm her down. I need to sit for a minute.”

“What about your notes?” I called after him as he began to walk away down the hallway, taking small sips of his coffee.

He only waved his hand again without stopping, “read em’ if you’d like, listen to the tape for all I care. I need to go sit for a while.” His tone was sharp, and I thought best not to bother him anymore, so I turned back into the office and sat down across from Olivia.

We continued sitting in silence for a while. Olivia got herself another mug of coffee while I just sat in thought. I’d worked with patients before who claimed to have seen creatures, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what the officer had said.

“Didn’t they mention his inside were mutilated?” Olivia asked, turning to me.

“Yeah!” I said eagerly, “and all that stuff about organs being moved around, they put emphasis on the fact that the body was really fucked up when they found it.”

“Well she did basically slice him open, so maybe she reached around in there and moved shit.”

“Of course, that’s more likely a possibility than any.”

Silence again. I knew she wanted to listen to the tapes too, but under any type of professionalism that wasn’t allowed. Burt probably wouldn’t even have mentioned it had he not been angry and sleep-deprived.

“I think Burt would like some help, don’t you think?” I suggested, shyly pointing to his notes.

Olivia gave a wicked smile, “a second opinion never hurt anyone.”

We excitedly grabbed for the tape, taking out small notepads ourselves before rolling our chairs in tight together and pressing play on the bulky old tape recorder.

[Dr. Burt] My name is Dr. Burt Caper and it is the 13th of November 1972. I’m speaking with Gale Evans on behalf of the Roadunry Police department to assess her mental health in regards to a murder of which she is the prime suspect. Let it be known I have informed the suspect of all her rights in regards to our discussion today, and have thus informed her that this is not a patient session, but an interview which will not fall under any patient confidentiality within this clinic. What you say today may be used against you later should the police decide to try you in court. Do you understand, Gale?

[Gale Evans] Yes.

[Dr. Burt] Good. Let’s start with your relationship with the deceased. Can you tell me about how you knew Peter Port?

[Gale Evans] We were friends.

[Dr. Burt] How long had you two been friends?

[Gale Evans] A few months maybe. He became my bunkmate when I moved into the shelter.

[Dr. Burt] You mean the St. Jon’s Homeless Shelter?

[Gale Evans] Yeah. He showed me around the place, was a favorite among the people there, and he was always nice to me…

[Dr. Burt] I see. So you two got along then.

[Gale Evans] Everyone got along with Pete. He was kind, not like a lot of the people there. And he was...he was good. Like, mentally. He was going to make it out, I’m sure of it. He knew how to work and was so social. He never mentioned why he became homeless, but I was sure he would’ve made it out, gotten back on his feet.

[Dr. Burt] And why didn’t he Gale?

[Gale Evans] Don’t patronize me, doctor. I may be homeless, but I’m not stupid. He’s dead, I stabbed his body...a lot. I know what’s going to happen to me.

[Dr. Burt] Alright then, let’s not waste anyone’s time. Why did you stab Peter Port? You said he was your friend, you guys got along well right?

[Gale Evans] I didn’t kill Pete. He was dead by the time I stabbed him.

[Dr. Burt] So you stabbed his corpse than?

[Gale Evans] I stabbed his body.

[Dr. Burt] I’m having trouble following Gale, was he alive when you stabbed him?

[Gale Evans] I already told the police all of this, and I’m not looking to be laughed at again.

[Dr. Burt] I’m not the police, Gale. I’m only here to listen to what you have to tell me.

[Gale Evans] And from that you’re supposed to decide if I’m crazy or not.

[Dr. Burt] Yes, my job is to determine your current mental stability, but that doesn’t mean I’ll judge you for whatever it is you tell me.

[Gale Evans] Oh please doctor, with all due respect it’s human nature to judge. And although I believe that it’s your professionalism that would keep you from telling me your blunt opinions about me, I know you’d judge me either way.

[Dr. Burt] That’s quite perceptive of you. Yes, I can’t help but internally judge my patients. But how I conduct my job today will not be hindered by any personal thoughts I have.

[Gale Evans] And what if what I have to say infringes your moral or your ethical beliefs? What if it goes against your religion? How can I trust that by telling you my story I won’t be treated unfairly due to your personal feelings.

[Dr. Burt] I can assure you that in my 15 years of running this institute I’ve had all kinds of patients and not once have my personal beliefs gotten in the way of treating them fairly.

[Gale Evans] And what about monsters, doctor. Do you believe in them?

[Dr. Burt] I’m open to the idea of them, but I’ve never encountered anything that has made me believe they exist.

[Gale Evans] A monster took over my friend, doctor. I watched it, I saw it eat away at his sanity for days. I saw it go into him. By the time I stabbed Pete, he was already gone.

[Dr. Burt] That certainly is startling Gale.

[Gale Evans] It was. It is. I don’t really know how to cope with everything I’ve seen these past few weeks.

[Dr. Burt] Mental exhaustion can cause major fatigue on the body. It’s best you not dwell on these things. For now, why don’t you just tell me what you’ve seen? I may be able to help rationalize your experiences.

[Gale Evans] I don’t know about all that, all I really want is a bed and a good nights sleep.

[Dr. Burt] That can be provided for you, as soon as we’re done here. So why don’t you tell me your story Gale?

[Gale Evans] Do you have any rooms without windows?

[Dr. Burt] Yes. Do you want a room without windows?

[Gale Evans] Yes. There was one in that cell they were holding me in, made it hard to sleep.

[Dr. Burt] I’ll make sure you are in one of our most secure rooms, but only if you’ll be honest with me today. Can we agree upon that?

[Gale Evans] Yeah.

[Dr. Burt] Good. So, tell me about Pete.

[Gale Evans] Well, I first noticed it a few weeks ago. Our room has several rows of bunks, and he sleeps in the bottom bed on ours, which is right up against a small window. One day, he started complaining about the noises coming from the window. Sometimes the glass would rattle during heavy winds like most windows do, I never heard anything, all the nights he’d say he didn’t sleep at all, I had slept fine. In the past, whenever the window had made any noise, I could always hear it too. It’d keep both of us up, and sometimes a few of the bunks around us if the wind was particularly strong. But that wasn’t the case this time, and the way he’d go on about how loud it was it seemed unlikely that I wouldn’t have heard it. I got so fed up with the whining I eventually offered to switch bunks but he got super defensive and said he didn’t want to. So I told him to just stop complaining, and he left it alone for a few days. I think he could tell that I was fed up with it.

[Dr. Burt] And is this why you don’t want a window in your room now?

[Gale Evans] Yes. After he stopped complaining about this phantom noise, he began to spend more and more time in his bed. He’d just be lying there, on his side, staring out the window at the blank brick wall of the building that stood next to the shelter. It was just an alleyway, with a few pipes running along the cill. At first, I was angry, like he was moping and wanted me to apologize for something, but then I got worried. He wasn’t eating, and judging by the dark circles under his eyes he wasn’t even sleeping despite spending more hours in his bed than out of it.

[Dr. Burt] Perhaps he was just ill.

[Gale Evans] Doctor I’ve seen sick people before, I’ve caught the flu several times in my years of being out on the streets, and not once have I seen someone look or act the way Pete did that week. He just didn’t want to leave the window. I eventually went and asked him about it, and he just said the pipes were singing to him. I got angrier at him when he said that nonsense, so I just left him there. That night, I pressed my ear up against the window to try and hear whatever this noise was, and all I could hear was the steady drip of those old rusted, leaky pipes. The next day when I got up, he wasn’t in bed. I had to double-check, as it had been days since he had gotten up before me. But sure enough, he wasn’t anywhere in the shelter. I went about my day as normal, thinking I’d run into him, but I didn’t see him until late that night when I went up to get ready for bed. There he was, on his side again staring back out that window. Except now he was covered in bruises.

[Dr. Burt] Bruises?

[Gale Evans] Yeah, like, odd ones. There were small ones that wrapped around his arms, and I thought there was one on his jaw but he noticed I was looking and quickly pulled the blankets over his head. I tried to ask him about it, even threatened to go get the nurse if he didn’t talk to me, but he didn’t move. He just stayed there, covered in his blanket.

[Dr. Burt] Why didn’t you go alert a nurse at that point?

[Gale Evans] I would have, but the shelter is underfunded as it is, and although our nurse tries her best she will often give you some pain meds and send you back to bed. Like me, Pete used to have a drug problem, so pills were a no-go for us.

[Dr. Burt] Ah, I see.

[Gale Evans] Are you going to count me off as some kind of druggy now?

[Dr. Burt] Gale, I’m not. I was merely responding to-

[Gale Evans] I haven’t even finished my story and you’re already doubting my credibility.

[Dr. Burt] Gale calm down. A history of drugs does not immediately discredit someone. If that were the case myself and my colleges would be unable to practice at this institute.

[Gale Evans] Ha! So you too then huh?

[Dr. Burt] When I was a teenager, yes, but nothing I’d ever call a problem.

[Gale Evans] Just light experimenting then eh?

[Dr. Burt] Yes. Now that we’ve established I have not disregarded your character just yet, can we continue with your statement?

[Gale Evans] Yeah...sorry.

[Dr. Burt] It’s fine.

[Gale Evans] Well anyway, that’s why I only threatened to tell the nurse. But I think he knew I was bluffing, so he obviously didn’t respond. I eventually just gave up and went to bed, but I told him to wake me up if the window started making noises again, as I was beginning to believe that one of our more unstable roommates might have been bothering him. He did wake me up that night. He shook me rather abruptly, and I accidentally hit him in panic. When you’re out on the streets you have to be prepared for people to bother you at night, y’know? Anyway, after I apologized he asked if I’d come down to his bed with him. I asked if the window was making noises somewhat mockingly, but he said yes and then disappeared into the bottom bunk. Well obviously I went down and crawled in bed next to him, but I didn’t hear anything. I was about to go back up to my own bed when I heard the faintest sound coming from the window. It sounded like somebody was murmuring. Kinda like someone was trying to whisper while underwater. It didn’t sound like words, just a weird noise that I couldn’t figure out. I could see so much relief flood over Pete’s face when he noticed that I was listening. He began crying, asking me if I could hear it. His breath was hot when he spoke, putrid from so many days without brushing. When I said yes, he broke down in my arms and told me he’d been hearing it for days, and each night the noise became clearer. When I asked what he was hearing now, he said he heard a voice, a fully formed human voice asking him to jump.

[Dr. Burt] Not to interrupt Gale, but I have to ask. Are you sure that Pete wasn’t still actively taking any drugs?

[Gale Evans] I thought the same thing too. I went through all of his things; his bags, clothes, mattress, shoes. All of it. I even asked some of the dealers that lived in the shelter with us, all swore up and down they weren’t selling to him and I didn’t find any pills in his things. That’s when I remembered he had disappeared for that day, and I became certain he had been sold bad drugs. Although I had heard something in that bed, I was convinced that it wasn’t some ghost asking him to commit suicide, which only fueled my idea that it had to be bad drugs. And that whatever I heard was probably wind hitting the pipes just right and making them whistle.

[Dr. Burt] Did you alert anyone at the shelter at that point?

[Gale Evans] I know you’ll think poorly of me that I didn’t, and I don’t blame you. In hindsight, I should have. They probably would have brought him here to you guys to get help, and maybe if they had that-that thing wouldn’t have gotten to him. But if the shelter thought he was back on drugs he wouldn’t be allowed to stay, and I thought I could deal with it on my own. So, I started following him. Whenever he was in bed, so was I. Whenever he left the room, I did too. I went everywhere he did, watching him just to make sure if he snuck off, I would know. It was the next day when he left the shelter again. He left at 5, which was odd to me as the doors to the shelter close at 6.

[Dr. Burt] If I understand correctly if you aren’t within the building before 6 they won’t let you in, correct?

[Gale Evans] Yeah, they’ll give your bed to one of the drifters.

[Dr. Burt] Drifter? I’ve never heard the term in this context.

[Gale Evans] They’re just homeless people that wait outside the shelter in case someone doesn’t show up before closing in hopes they’ll have a bed for the night. It’s an unspoken rule that you don’t leave after 5, just in case something happens and you can’t get back to the shelter in time.

[Dr. Burt] So did you follow him?

[Gale Evans] Of course. I needed to know if he was about to go meet his dealer, and if he was, I was going to stop him from buying anything else. Whatever he was taking was messing with his head. I was sure of it. I had no clue where he was going. He was walking super slowly, and I was making no effort to hide from him, but it seemed like he was completely oblivious to me following him. He was staring at the ground, hands stuffed into his pockets. Now that I was behind him I noticed how baggy his clothes were. He had lost weight, he looked so frail. I was tempted to just run up and confront him about where he was going, take him back to the shelter and make him see the nurse, whatever good that’d do. But I was worried he’d just brush me off, so I decided to just keep following.

[Dr. Burt] May I ask, was that the day Pete died?

[Gale Evans] Yes, but not the day I stabbed him. He stopped behind the food mart on 22nd street, and just stood in the middle of this tiny dark parking lot behind it. I wasn’t hiding, I was just standing in the shadow of the building right before the turn into the lot, waiting to see if someone was going to come out to meet him...

[Dr. Burt] Gale?

[Gale Evans] Yeah? Oh, sorry. I must’ve spaced out. So I was standing there, waiting, when I noticed something. I was so focused on Pete that I hadn’t seen it sooner, But within the blink of an eye, I saw it. It was vague, the edges of it were blurry and hard to focus on. Looking at it made me dizzy, but I couldn’t stop staring. Without light, I couldn’t even figure out what it was. It stood up like it was a person. But I can assure you it was not. It-it was too tall, too lanky. Its arms were too long.

[Dr. Burt] Could it not just have been hard to see because it was standing in the dark?

[Gale Evans] But it came out into the light. It moved towards Pete.

[Dr. Burt] Alright, so it walked out into the light, did you get a better look at it then?

[Gale Evans] No, it didn’t walk. It just moved. Its legs weren’t moving at all, it was just suddenly moving towards Pete. When it got to him, it reached one of its arms out. It was crooked, bending in weird places like it had too many joints, and it was making these weird murmuring sounds as it grabbed Pete’s shoulder. When it finally clasped its fingers around him I could hear his bones crunch and Pete began to scream. I wanted to move, to help him, b-but I was just too scared. It was pulling him back into the shadows all while Pete was crying.

[Dr. Burt] Gale do you need a break or a tissue?

[Gale Evans] No, I’m ok. You just...you have to understand doctor, I’m not lying. I don’t know what I saw, but whatever it was, that creature, that-that monster, it took Pete back into the darkness, and then it began to stand up.

[Dr. Burt] I don’t follow, had it been sitting?

[Gale Evans] No, but I don’t know how else to describe it. It just started getting taller, as if it were standing up.

[Dr. Burt] Gale? Gale do you need a break. We can pause for a moment if you’d like.

*silence*

[Dr. Burt] Gale there’s no pressure to finish this statement. We can stop here, I have enough to begin forming a professional opinion, and you can get some sleep.

[Gale Evans] So you don’t believe me then!

[Dr. Burt] There’s no need for shouting, it was merely an offer.

[Gale Evans] Look, believe me a luny all you’d like, but if you’re going to label me as such you’re at least going to let me finish my damn story!

[Dr. Burt] Alright, just know we can stop whenever you’d like.

[Gale Evans] It opened him doctor. It dug both its hands into Pete’s mouth and opened. I could hear his jaw cracking, his skin tearing, I could see the blood. And then that thing stepped into him. Its leg was disappearing into Pete’s open mouth, and that’s when I could tell that Pete was dead. He was just hanging there, supported only by that thing, it’s hand still holding onto his mouth. I must’ve made a noise then, I must’ve moved somehow, gotten its attention because it suddenly turned to look at me. The longer I looked at it the brighter its eyes became, that’s all I could see were its eyes, just white light. I turned and ran at that point. I heard something behind me, but I didn’t stop to check until I had run at least a block. When I turned around, I saw Pete, standing underneath the light of a streetlamp, looking way too tall. I ran all the way back to the shelter, got there just in time to have my bed for the night, and waited on the steps until they locked the doors so I could be sure that Pete wouldn’t be able to come in.

[Dr. Burt] So you assume he slept outside then?

[Gale Evans] I guess. I did hear something at the window that night, I figured it was Pete but I didn’t move to check. I was terrified if I turned and looked out the window I’d just see him, staring in at me. So I just pulled my head under the covers and slept.

Look, I know you don’t believe me. But I know what I saw. Something stepped into my friend. When I saw him next I knew it wasn’t him. He was happy and plump again. His clothes weren’t loose, he didn’t look deathly tired, even teeth were whiter and his skin clearer. It’s like whatever that thing was, it made him look better. Nobody else seemed phased by this, but I knew it wasn’t Pete. Eventually, that thing walked up to me. And it just looked at me, it wouldn’t stop smiling as if we were old friends, but I made it clear that I knew it wasn’t Pete. When I did though, the things smile turned vicious, and I couldn’t help but feel suddenly lost in its eyes. They were gleaming more than usual.

[Dr. Burt] I don’t mean to rush you Gale, but I need to ask you to tell me about the night Pete died. Take a look at the clock yourself, I think it’s about time both of us got some rest.

[Gale Evans] Right. Sorry. I just needed you to understand that it wasn’t like he suddenly just, wasn’t Pete. It was the next day that I attacked it. It waited for me outside the shelter, just staring whenever I came into view until I finally stepped outside. It grinned at me, then started walking away down the street. I just stood there, watching it, until it got to the end of the block and turned around again to look at me. I don’t know why I followed it, I knew I shouldn’t have, but I did. I started walking toward it. Following it just like I had done with Pete the day before.

[Dr. Burt] So you followed Pete back to the food mart then?

[Gale Evans] It wasn’t Pete, are you even listening!? But yes, I followed it right back to that spot. When it stopped it was facing me, staring at me blankly with those wide gleaming Eyes. It was looking less like Pete by the minute. It was taller, it’s arms longer. Then the mouth began to open. I picked that moment to rush forward, using all my strength to propel myself as fast as I could while grabbing my pocket knife from my jeans and plunging it into the chest of Pete’s body. It didn’t really react, just looked down at me as it began to stand up again, growing like it had the last time. I then began to stab Pete’s throat, that’s when I got a reaction. The thing stopped growing, it just halted. So I took the knife out and stabbed it again and again until the throat wasn’t even a mass that I could stab anymore, then I began to stab everywhere else I could think. By the time I stopped, I noticed that I was straddling Pete’s body as it lay on the ground. I had not even realized that at any point it had fallen. I felt I had done it, I had killed it, but as I began to sit back up I felt something grab my jaw.

[Dr. Burt] Pete was still alive?

[Gale Evans] No, what grabbed me was a blurry black hand. The fingers of it looked like spiders’ legs, and they latched onto my jaw. It started prying my mouth up, the arms reaching out of Pete’s contorted face. It was pulling me down close to it. I was screaming as I fought, then it started screaming. It sounded so alien at first, like a demon wailing, but the more we screamed together, the more it’s scream began to sound like mine. I was now so close to Pete’s broken mouth that I could see down his bloody throat. I saw those eyes again, big white eyes starring at me from the blackness of its throat. Then it smiled. Not Pete, it. That thing. It smiled with all its mouths. That’s when I bit, as hard as I could. I just clamped my mouth shut and I felt it release its grip on my jaw. I stumbled back, getting to my feet and coughing madly. It was coming up from Pete’s body, standing at full height, looking angry and resentful.

[Dr. Burt] At what point did the police arrive. I know from the report they found you at the scene.

[Gale Evans] It was right around then. The creature didn’t advance forward, instead, it stepped back into the shadows of the building, which is when I noticed two more sets of eyes standing at either side of it, they were all wrapping their long arms around themselves again and again until it looked like they were wearing robes of some kind, but whatever was happening was interrupted by sirens and police cars, and as soon as the headlights fell on where those things were, they were gone.

[Dr. Burt] Had you moved back over the body at that point? The police file said they found you over Pete’s corpse.

[Gale Evans] No, I hadn’t moved from that spot, I was standing a few feet away.

[Dr. Burt] I read the file Gale, they found you on his body, knife in hand.

[Gale Evans] You weren’t there! I was still standing in that spot. They put cuffs on me and I walked into the car.

[Dr. Burt] Gale, you injured one of the cops with your knife, he’s still in the hospital.

[Gale Evans] That didn’t happen, I went willingly!

[Dr. Burt] Look, that’s neither here nor there. I apologize for bringing it up.

[Gale Evans] So...what now?

[Dr. Burt] Well, I think you should go try and get some sleep, and I need to go write a report on my findings of this interview.

[Gale Evans] Do you think I’m crazy?

[Dr. Burt] No, I think you’re confused. I think you’ve had a terrible experience, and your mind isn’t able to rationalize it.

[Gale Evans] Bullshit! Go check out the scene, that finger I nearly chocked on should still be on the ground where I coughed it up. Or go check out that window, you’ll hear the murmurs.

[Dr. Burt] Now you know I can’t do that Gale. What I can do is try and help you understand what’s happened, come to a conclusion about what you saw, and what you did.

[Gale Evans] What do you mean what I did?

[Dr. Burt] I mean the murder of your friend.

[Gale Evans] Weren’t you listening! I didn’t kill Pete it killed Pete!

[Dr. Burt] Gale, I’m going to have to ask you to sit back down and remain calm.

[Gale Evans] This has been nothing but a waste of time! What if it comes for me? You don’t even believe me!

[Dr. Burt] Gale please I-

[Gale Evans] This is horseshit, absolutely unbel-

[Dr. Burt] Gale! I must insist you sit back down!

[Gale Evans] I can’t be here! I need to get farther away from it, I need to leave!

[Dr. Burt] Security, secur-

[Gale Evans] You said you’d listen!

[Dr. Burt] Carl, come hel-

*Click*

The tape continued whirring for several seconds before Olivia finally shut it off. We both turned slowly to each other, unnerved smiles crept across our faces and we both chuckled nervously.

“What the heck,” Olivia sputtered, pushing the tape to the side.

“She sure doesn’t sound like the babbling people we normally get claiming they’ve seen demons,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “But man is that an intense psychotic breakdown. No wonder Burt’s in a bad mood, what a way to start your morning.

Olivia put the tape on the clipboard and left them at the edge of the desk. We both spent a few minutes writing down our opinions on the matter, a bit more colorfully worded than Dr. Burt had been able to be with her. We then took a moment to compare our notes, and found that they were largely the same;

Peter port had most likely gone through a relapse and started using again. This could have been the trigger of a mental breakdown in Gale, which resulted in Paranio. She most likely followed Peter to a drug deal, which may have turned violent, likely triggering an attack by Gale on Peter, resulting in his death.

We both finalized our thoughts, stapled them to the board which I took along with the tape recorder before walking calmly down the white halls towards Dr. Burt’s office to deliver him our analysis.

---

Thank you for reading my short story!

I thoroughly hope you enjoyed it and would love your feedback, criticism, or comments on it.

As mentioned above, this short story is part of an October event;

Morgan Brewers #scriptober2020 event! All the words highlighted in red are the prompt words that I was unable to do their own short stories on. For more info, please check out my Instagram post about this short story or head over to @morgan.a.brewer on Instagram.

This story is also part of a writing challenge I’ve recently taken on to hone my craft. I challenged myself to write a short story that heavily featured dialogue, as that is the part of writing I struggle with the most. This is why there is very little description in this short story!

I decided to participate in these challenges to push my comfort zone when it comes to writing. I’m not all that comfortable in writing stories that don’t have an even balance of dialogue and description, so this was interesting to write. Plus, it was hard to try and incorporate all the prompt words naturally. I truly had such a fun time writing it though, and I hope it came out somewhat decently. I’d love to hear your thoughts or critiques!

Artwork done by @mostafa_k787 on Instagram!