Homicidal Liu vs. Jeff the Killer

## Homicidal Liu vs. Jeff the Killer by DTL

The infamous serial killer Jeff Woods was walking in the park, crestfallen, covering his head with the hood of his white hoody. It was nighttime and everything around was pretty deserted, except for a couple of unsuspecting people jogging around and two lovebirds kissing in the shadows. They were usually easy targets – the perfect victims for the blade of his sharp knife. However, this time around he wasn't even looking at them – his mind was somewhere else, and his homicidal instinct was completely off.

This wasn't just any regular day – it was his birthday. For the first time in years, he remembered his own birthday. He had been trying to bury that part of his life, but it resurfaced again. Five years had passed after that bloody night that transformed him into who he was, and he could feel how he was getting older. It was a dumb thought…but it was one he couldn't shake off his head, especially on that day. He walked and walked, with the hope of rekindling his passion for murder and making him forget everything… but it didn't work.

He suddenly found himself walking around a residential neighborhood that looked familiar to him… although he didn't know why at first. *Maybe I did one of my famous killings here?* he thought. Finally, he raised his head, and when he saw an abandoned and rundown house… he realized he was in front of his old home – the place where everything started. Did he arrive there subconsciously? He couldn't be certain, but suddenly, he began tearing off the boards nailed on the door and crossing the doorway.

What he found disappointed him greatly: The crime scene no longer shined as before. The blood on the floor had disappeared under thick water stains. The phrase "Go to sleep", which he so carefully wrote on the wall, was now covered with a message written in lipstick: "*I need you, my love. Please call me! Love, Nina the killer.*" There was also a phone number next to it. Jeff glanced at another wall and saw a second message, this time carved into the drywall with a knife. "*Don't go to sleep, Jeff. You won't wake up-Jane Richardson.*" He felt pretty depressed. His original work, the essence of who he was, had now been covered by the passage of time, obsessive fans and vindictive vigilantes.

He turned to the living room, and a weak light caught his attention. He got closer to the table, and what he found there made him open his eyes widely, as if he still had eyelids: It was a birthday cake! A delicious cherry cake – his favorite, especially due to its blood-like color. It had exactly twenty-one candles. He took out his knife to cut a slice, and read the message written on it: "*Happy birthday, brother*." Jeff cut a slice with his trusty knife and started shoving it into his mouth. "You are so predictable!" said a voice from behind. Jeff turned around, and he saw... Liu? Yes, his older brother was there, sitting over the backrest of the worn-out couch. Jeff's first reaction was to take a defensive stance, although deep down he was happy to see his brother again after so long.

"I hope you enjoyed the cake… It's the last thing you'll eat." said Liu. Jeff approached his brother with his hands up as a sign of peace. "This might sound weird… but I'm happy to see you. The family is finally together again!" Liu's expression changed in an instant, and he lunged towards Jeff. "YOU ARE NOT MY FAMILY!!!" Liu tackled Jeff, breaking through the living room's glass door, and dropping his knife on the floor. "You stopped being family the night you tried to kill me after KILLING OUR PARENTS FOR NO REASON AT ALL!!!" Then Jeff, knocked down on the floor with glass shards all over him… suddenly started laughing. Liu was perplexed. "If you're still alive, bro, it's thanks to me. I called the ambulance just before leaving the house."

Liu grabbed the knife from the floor. "LIAR!!!" He then tried to stab Jeff, but he dodged the attack. With a swift kick, Jeff knocked the knife from Liu's hands then grabbed it off the floor. Liu looked for something around him to defend himself. He grabbed one of the rusty metal bars of the stairs’ handrail and teared it out with fury. He grappled with Jeff until immobilizing him on the floor, and then started to unleash his rage on him by hitting him in the head repeatedly. The scars in Jeff's permanent smile opened again, painting red his pale face. Liu kept unleashing his wrath on Jeff until he suddenly felt a piercing pain on his side…

Liu moved away and saw his own blood flowing out of his abdomen, while his brother kept laughing. "Just like that very night… remember?" However, instead of cowering, pure fury took over Liu, and he stood up again. His face was so menacing that, for the first time in years, Jeff felt fear. He decided to step back, and then escaped by rushing upstairs. Liu followed him slowly… as if relishing the moment. The rain intensified, and many drops were falling on Liu's face, who didn't even react. The noise of the water drops hitting the roof was constant, and the moonlight getting through the windows barely illuminated the house.

He entered the rooms hallway, strongly grabbing his metal bar… when he heard a whisper. "Liu… it's time to go to sleep…" He faced his room's door and slammed it down with determination. He didn't see anyone there… but suddenly, Jeff plunged towards Liu from behind and push him, making his head hit the desk and drop his metal bar. Liu, stunned, tried to get up and Jeff tried to knock him down with a sucker punch. "Go to sleep, goddammit!!" But Liu was resilient and even managed to snatch Jeff's knife and stab him in the leg, making him fall. The two started an unending grapple, trying to get the weapon, and cutting and wounding each other relentlessly. At one point they no longer felt pain – only rage, while blood covered both their faces and the floor.

Jeff eventually managed to pull out of the grapple and ran to the hallway to try and catch his breath. Liu, seeing for the very first-time fear in Jeff's eyes, felt so powerful that he threw the knife to the floor and started to fight him with his bare fists. Both were covered in wounds, so each new hit felt like a stab, with blood spurting out each time. Little by little they approached the window at the end of the hallway, and when Liu noticed, he smiled with malice. He pushed Jeff to throw him through the window, but although he broke through it, Jeff managed to grab onto the ledge with his flayed hands. Liu felt disappointed – his strength started to fail him, and Jeff seemed practically indestructible. And suddenly, Jeff managed to climb up, and plunged towards Liu… but something transformed Jeff's evil smile into a terrified expression.

At the end of the hallway, a couple of faces appeared in the middle of the darkness: A middle-aged man and woman, with deathly pale skin. As they got closer, and their shape became clearer. Jeff recognized them: "… Mom? … dad?? What are you doing here??" He stepped back towards the broken window. "Don't come closer… leave me alone!" Liu, surprised, turned around… but couldn't see anything. *The drugs I laced that cake with must be kicking in*, he thought. Jeff was breathing nervously, and kept stepping back, feeling scared… until he saw his "parents" by his brother's side. Liu felt that was the perfect moment to finish the fight.

"And now, it's time for YOU to go to sleep, Jeff!!" With a tackle, Liu threw Jeff through the broken window, and his body flew ten meters until it crashed on the hard concrete of the back yard. Outside, the rain had finally stopped. Liu went down to examine the body of his brother, feeling his neck and chest to make sure he was dead. He put the knife on his lap and crouched down to whisper some words into his ear. "Sorry…I have to end this." And in that moment, Liu felt a piercing pain on his side once more. He saw Jeff's disfigured and bloody face, who could barely move his lips, and he said: "This isn't over yet… brother…"

Dizzy, and with no more strength, Liu fell down, lying on the ground next to the body of his brother. Both of them were together, once again, in the backyard where they played so many times when they were little. And as both of them heard ambulance sirens in the background Liu, before losing consciousness, weakly pronounced the phrase:

"Happy birthday… Jeff…"