Red Smiler

Ch1 ~ Screen for Teaching

The woman entered her home with a gentle smile on her face. She was tired and had noticeable eye bags beneath her eyes. As she shut the front door, she noticed how quiet it was; it was typically very noisy whenever she returned home. Her spouse would have yelled at their son for no reason other than that he disliked him. Her brow furrowed as she frowned slowly. She noticed the kitchen light was turned on to her left. "Honey? Are you home?" She called out because she was too exhausted to walk that far and hoped her spouse was nearby. She was concerned since she didn't hear her spouse respond. She began to stroll gently towards the kitchen. The woman's footsteps echoed throughout the peaceful house.

"Michael?"
The woman called out once more; she could now see the kitchen and noted that the table was well set, there were no dirty dishes in the sink, and everything was very clean. She abruptly came to a halt as she approached the entrance. She smelled an unusual odor. She covered her nose with her hand, her face showing disgust. Her heart sank as she came into the kitchen.

Her legs felt wobbly, and her eyes widened. Her son was standing in front of her husband's body, which laid on the ground. Mullen, her son, was carrying a bloodied axe. Blood was all over his clothes, as well as the kitchen floor and walls. It felt like a scene from a horror movie. The woman's heart began to race, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed in terror.

"Mullen! What happened, oh my God... What have you done?!"

Her voice was loud, but it didn't seem to quiet the sound of her heart racing in her ears. Mullen faced his mother, his face expressionless. He was dressed in his school uniform. The woman appeared angry, confused and terrified. "Why did you hurt your father? You are not my son. I did not raise you in this manner! You... you monster!" The woman shouted out as she stepped backwards. The teenage boy remained silent and glanced at his mother with the same lifeless expression on his face.

"You murdered him! You murdered him, you monster!" The woman yelled and shook as she backed up against the kitchen counter. Her eyes were wide with shock and rage.

The teenage boy just stared at his mother, not saying anything. He felt no regret for what he had just done.

The woman glared at her son before sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't move... All she could do was stare at her husband's dead body. She was experiencing several kinds of emotions at the same time... she was also... satisfied. She was relieved that he was gone, but she was also heartbroken. Hurt.

Mullen approached his mother carefully, his grasp firmly on the axe he used to murder his father. When the mother observed her child approaching her, her eyes widened again, and she turned and rushed out of the kitchen. Her heart was beating, and she was breathing heavily. She hurried into the living room, grabbed her handbag on the sofa, and took her phone out. Her hands were trembling, and she almost dropped the device. She immediately hid inside a closet in the main area. The woman covered her mouth with her free hand, trying as hard as she could to make her heavy breathing quiet. Her phone was buzzing as she dialed 911.

She heard the operator answer and started asking her questions. Her mind was racing, trying to make sense out of what had just happened.

Before she could say anything, the closet door swung open, making her jump and drop her phone. She quickly turned around to see her son, he looked... scared. "Mullen?" She whispered softly as she started shaking. "I'm sorry!" He yelled out as tears ran down his cheeks, he held the axe tightly with both hands and swung it at his mother who let out a blood curdling scream. All the operator was able to hear was crying, screaming, and the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Suddenly, an ASDF burger commercial began to play, bringing the little boy watching the show on television back to reality. He lightly shook his head and looked at his parents, who were fast asleep on the sofa while he sat on the ground. They appeared to be at ease. This was the first time he had seen his parents so at ease. He grimaced and returned his gaze to the screen. The only light in the room came from the huge TV in front of the child. The child smiled gently as his mind replayed the events from the television show he was watching. His parents would always put these shows on, and the youngster would join them in watching them. He wasn't allowed access to the television, so he watched whatever his parents were watching.

Though...

He would often reenact scenes from the shows he saw with his parents.

Like the one he's currently watching.

He was standing in front of his mother's lifeless body, the phone still in the closet, and the operator kept asking whether everything was all right. The boy was panting heavily as he clutched the bloodied knife in his hand, tears streaming down his cheeks as he realised what he had just done... He swiftly picked up the phone and disconnected the call. He returned his gaze to his mother's body before fleeing the living room.

"Why?" he kept asking himself as he dashed out the house.

"Because they're monsters." is what the voice in his head told him.

"Like you."