Homicidal Liu Rewrite

## Homicidal Liu Rewrite by Doros70

(Note: the story takes place in the same universe as Jeff the Killer: One by One.)

There are two sides to any job. You can either love it or absolutely despise it. Of course, everything depends on the working conditions, the way your boss and/or colleagues treat you, the salary, etc. Do I love my job? I'm not sure. I work as a counselor at a juvenile detention center in Minneapolis. Of course, my job is to give the troubled youth the psychiatric help they need. Listening to all the problems they had and what got them in juvie in the first place can be very tense or at times downright depressing, but I always feel great when the results pay off. Most of those troubled teenagers enjoy my sessions; however, others would rather die than speak to me.

Needless to say, I've held many sessions with tens, or even hundreds of other teenagers. However, there is one that I will always remember. His name was Liu Woods, and he was... a very complicated boy. He wasn't hard to work with per se, but he clearly stood out from all of my other patients. When he was first brought into the detention center, he seemed like he didn't have the guts to talk to anyone. He didn't even say a word during our first session. In the days that followed, I learned from a few of my colleagues that Liu would talk to himself at night. Most of it was pure nonsense, but he mostly mumbled about how he should have 'let him do it'. He was charged with aggravated assault after stabbing a man with a kitchen knife, he was seventeen at the time.

If he was any older, he would've definitely gone to prison, so I suppose he was lucky. During his first week, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that his behavior was a result of something else other than pure shock. We had another session the very next week, I expected him to stare into nothing again, but to my surprise, he apologized for his strange behavior. I told him that it was fine and that we could spend the first session getting to know each other, to make him feel a bit more secure.

As time went on, I figured that Liu finally felt comfortable enough to talk about how he ended up in juvie. I already knew how he ended up there, but I wanted to hear his version of what happened. He took a deep breath and started to talk. Liu was born and raised just north of Minneapolis in the early '90s, to Peter and May Woods. When he was a toddler, Liu had a brother named Jeffrey. Liu's family was very dysfunctional; Liu and his father were never very close, and his mother was always, as Liu put it bluntly, "a nervous wreck". However, he and his brother Jeff were always very close, and the neglect of their parents brought them close. Whenever Jeff was teased or bullied, Liu always stepped in to scare away his brother's tormentors, even if it meant that it would get him into a lot of trouble.

When Liu was eight years old, his father left his family behind, causing his mother to drown her sorrows with booze, and his brother became more introverted than he already was.

His experience at school had its own ups and downs. His grades weren't great, but they were good enough to be respected by his teachers. As for the relationship with his classmates, he was constantly picked on for 'no apparent reason he could think of', but he always sucked up all the hits and insults he got from them, suppressing the negative emotions for many years.

When I asked him about the first time he took out his anger on someone, he paused for a moment and asked me, "How do I know you'd believe me if I told you?"

"I *will* believe you, Liu, whatever you say."

Liu said that when he was 12 years old, a bully that harassed him every day followed him after school while attacking him verbally. Liu tried to ignore him like always, until the bully started to say horrible things about his mother which I will not try to list here. The next thing Liu knew, he was standing over the crying bully with blood on his knuckles. He told me that he had no idea how it happened, that he just stopped moving and started to shake violently, and from that moment on, he couldn't remember what happened during his outburst. Liu didn't feel any guilt about what he did, but he was scared of letting the anger get the better of him, and so he never showed his anger again... that is... until almost a month before entering the institution.

Liu developed a habit of going out late and walking around town for hours. Even though he did this many times, a feeling of foreboding always pestered him. One night, he decided to bring a knife with him in case he got jumped or mugged. The same night, a drunk started to yell insults at everyone he came across, including Liu. Liu became irritated and let the anger get the better of him. Liu claims that he doesn't remember how it happened. The next thing he knew was that a lot of people saw what he did, and the police expected him at home. The man lived, but this caused Liu to get arrested. After he told me his story, I promised that I would do my best to help him and live his life again.

For a year, everything was going swimmingly except for a few... hiccups. Due to the number of troubled teenagers, they would most likely try to pick a fight with one another. I half expected Liu to be a target, but surprisingly, every trouble juvenile admitted that they were scared of him.

I would find that reason later. Much later.

Other than the hiccup I mentioned, Liu was a model juvenile. He never started any fights, he was cooperative and even friendly with the staff members, and I was sure that the road toward recovery would be quick. That is... until the summer of 2008. Liu received the news that his brother was declared missing and that his mother killed herself by crashing her car after her son's disappearance. I didn't see it for myself, but I could tell that the news broke him. The guards and the other juveniles said that they could hear him screaming at the top of his lungs in his room and even throw various objects at the walls.

My colleagues told me that he would blame himself... in the third person. He would say phrases like, "Liu could've prevented all of this, but he just had to let loose at the worst time!" "Liu's an embarrassment! They died and he sat in this stupid room!" Strangely, the very next session, he didn't seem angry at all and whenever I brought up the subject of his family, he got defensive and would jump at every opportunity to change the subject. We continued our sessions, and every once in a while, I tried to talk about his family or how he felt, but he managed to evade the subject every time. Other than that, he made massive improvements until the end of his sentence.

His departure was the hardest part about this whole experience. Liu had no immediate family or friends that would take him in, and the foster homes were full at the time. Luckily, he managed to graduate high school thanks to our juvenile court school, but he would find trouble trying to search for a suitable college with a criminal record. Thankfully, I played a major role in finding an appropriate college, a job to get by, and a dorm to at least get a roof over his head. He must've thanked me almost a million times for my help, and I suggested to continue our sessions once a week because I felt like there were a few topics that were left untouched.

It was incredibly difficult for him at first, but he still managed to pull through. He eventually earned enough cash to rent an apartment, his studies were going well, and the job grew on him. For two years, everything was perfect for Liu. We usually talk about our lives during our sessions or via email. He said that he finally got his first girlfriend. Her name was Susan Perez, and she attended the same college as Liu. Susan would frequently stay at Liu's place, but she would eventually go to her parents' house which wasn't far away from the apartment. Everything was going well, and I thought that it was safe to say that Liu finally had closure.

In December of 2011, Liu called me to say that he slipped on an icy step and twisted his ankle. He asked me if we could hold the next counseling session in his own apartment, since he couldn't go to my office on time. I told him that we could go for a few weeks without any sessions, but he insisted on it until I gave in. I changed the next week's schedule just for that. A few days later, I went to Liu's apartment. When I walked up to the door, I heard voices coming from inside. I couldn't make out what was being said, but I could hear a woman's voice along with Liu's, but he sounded a bit... different. He was angry and foul-mouthed, and his voice was deeper and raspier than ever before. At first, I thought that he was yelling at Susan for the first time, but the woman's voice sounded different.

Curious, I placed my ear on the door and listened closely, but I only managed to hear the very last sentence of the conversation.

"Get out of here before I mount your decapitated head on my wall!"

A few seconds later, I heard footsteps walking over to the door. I moved out of the way and I saw a pale-skinned woman. She was dressed all in black, with long dark hair. She just walked past me without saying a word or looking at me. When that woman was out of sight, Liu stepped into the doorway and noticed me.

"Oh, please come in, doctor."

"What's going on? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but it's... a long story."

He sat down and told me that the woman I just saw was an investigator named Ms. Richardson. She was apparently searching for information about an urban legend that I never heard of named "Jeff the Killer". And the aforementioned murderer just happened to be Liu's brother, Jeffrey Woods. Apparently, he died in a terrible accident in 2008 and somehow came back to life more vengeful than ever, and he now wanders the country aimlessly to hunt other people. Liu found this hard to believe until Ms. Richardson showed him pictures of the gruesome deaths he left behind. She insulted his brother in a very unconcerned and even rude tone. She called him a 'putrid monster with no value in this world', and a 'rotting pile of garbage'. Liu was obviously angered by what she said about his deceased little brother and was very close to attacking her physically, but he ultimately decided to make her leave.

I could hardly believe it myself, but I didn't want to make Liu more upset than he already was. I asked him if he wanted to search for his brother if he is indeed 'alive'. He thought for a moment, and then said something that stuck with me.

"You know... If I was told about that earlier, maybe I would've accepted it. But I have a whole life ahead of me. Even with a criminal record, I managed to get into college so I can get a real job in the future. I have a girlfriend who I truly love, and my life is as good as it can get right now. I don't know what will happen, but it would probably be very dangerous to try and look for my brother. I would have to ignore my responsibilities and throw away my accomplishments. Who knows, maybe it would turn out to be just a wild-goose chase. I value my happiness above everything else, and I won't let anything take it away from me."

I can't really blame him. If I was in his position, I might have said the same thing.

Soon, Liu's ankle healed, and everything went back to normal... For a while. Until I received an email from Liu. I don't have time to describe what he sent me, so I will copy-paste his message here. I'll let the email speak for itself.

*To: dr\_BruceNelson@\*\*\*\*\*.com*

*From: LiuW12@\*\*\*\*\*.com*

*Subject: Need advice*

*Dear doctor,*

*I know that we don't talk via email very often, but I don't feel confident enough to give you a call or talk about it during the next counseling session. But I really need to get this off my chest.*

*Yesterday, I was waiting for Susan in my apartment to spend the weekend together, but she was late. I tried to call her or send a text message, but she didn't respond. She finally arrived at 9 PM, which was unusual for her. I asked why she didn't pick up, and she reluctantly said that she was hanging out with another guy from my class. That guy confessed to her about a week ago and I thought she rejected him. She said that they were just "hanging out", and by hanging out, I mean they went to the movies, played bowling, and ate dinner together.*

*I wasn't having any of it, so I pressed for details. She didn't want to admit it, but she confessed that they held hands at some point. She said that it was "a friendly touch" or something like that, and I immediately knew that she was full of shit. I really think they did something more behind my back. She said that I was being unrealistic, but I think it's unrealistic that someone would go on a date with someone even though they're already in a relationship.*

*I don't know how to approach the situation and it's stressing me the fuck out. I really need your help, the last thing I want is to be alone and have to deal with stuff like that. I really need your help, doctor. You're the only person I can talk to about this.*

*Sincerely,*

*Liu Woods.*

I didn't know how to approach the situation either. I'm probably the last person anyone would turn to for relationship advice. I won't elongate this post by adding my reply, so I'll try to keep it as short as possible. I never dealt with things like that before, so I simply replied with some ramblings that basically boil down to this: "Stay calm and do what you think it's best."

This is probably the most incompetent I've ever been, but I really thought that was the best I could do. The very next week, things have changed. Liu never showed up at any of my appointments. I tried to call him, but he never picked up. I assumed that he was too busy or that he didn't need my help anymore, but then I realized that wasn't the case. Liu always told me if something's changed; but staying quiet like this? It was very much unlike him.

A few days later, I turned on the news, only to be greeted by an unusual story. A college junior named Craig Stone was declared missing. He was at the top of the class, his family was wealthy, and was well known for giving a large sum of money to charity. The case of his disappearance was really popular at the time, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

People organized search parties all over the city and the police questioned a lot of people without success, as if he disappeared into thin air.

For a few days, everyone in Minneapolis and their mother were talking about Craig's disappearance. I don't know about these people, but they talk about him as if they were close to him in some way. Call me a sociopath, but I wasn't concerned in the slightest at first, because I never heard of him until the report was made. Notice how I said 'at first', because one night, I was ready to go to sleep, but then I decided to check my email before I would go to bed. I had only one unread email, and it was from Liu. The email he sent was... different... it managed to form a pit in my stomach. The email speaks for itself.

*To: dr\_BruceNelson@\*\*\*\*.com*

*From: LiuW12@\*\*\*\*\*.com*

*Subject: sully*

*dear doctor,*

*i finally remember what happened all those years ago. when i beat the lights out of that bully and when i brutally stabbed that man before i was arrested. i finally remember how that boy cried for his mother when i furiously hit him in the eye. i remember how that man screamed when i took out my knife and the bystanders were watching...*

*but i have recently done something similar*

*You probably heard about the disappearance of Craig Stone. Well, I have a confession to make. The guy was a student at the same college I attend. He's the same guy who dated my girlfriend.*

*Susan promised me that she would never do something like that again, but I was suspicious about her words, so I decided to follow her around town. That's why I didn't go to your office for the past two weeks. As I suspected, she was out with that asshole again. He was holding her hand and I saw him kissing her on the cheek. You have no idea how I felt.*

*i knew it... no one is faithful anymore... liu has been pushed around for too long, i had to put my foot down again. i had to make him disappear*

*so i took your advice, "Do what you think it's best"*

*the night before the report was made, Craig's parents were out of town, and i found out where he lived. i snuck into his house, and i was lucky to find a gun for self-defense in the drawer of his parents' bedroom*

*i snuck up on him while he was sleeping and woke him up with the gun. you should have seen the look on his face. he was so scared*

*i demanded him to drive to the junkyard. a place where i knew no one would look. when we arrived, i made him walk into an isolated part of the dump and i shot him in the back of the head and hid his body.*

*why am i telling you this? Well...*

*The truth is... You're the closest thing to a friend that I ever had...besides him. There was no other person in the whole world I felt comfortable spilling my guts to. I tried so hard to suppress this, but I can't do it anymore. This is my last email to you. At least you will know why the young boy you once knew vanished without a trace.*

*When Susan gets to my apartment today...*

*i will make her pay... and then they will all pay! everyone who thought they could hurt liu and get away with it. liu is afraid and weak, he is fragile... but i am unbreakable!*

*I will miss you, doctor. Thank you for everything.*

*sincerely,*

*Liu & Sully*

When I finished reading his email, I was completely frozen. He's never showed this behavior before, and the writing style of the email was very inconsistent, as if it was written by more than one person. I had no idea who the hell was this 'Sully', and the worst part about the situation was that I knew he was about to hurt Susan. I immediately wanted to call the police, but then I realized that they would arrive too late. I had to act immediately. Maybe I could reason with him. I ran over to my car and drove to the building. I climbed up the stairs and ran to his apartment.

When I got to the entrance, the door was wide open, and when I stepped inside, everything was a complete wreck. There were glass shards all over the floor, the furniture was tossed to the side and the table was cracked. What made it worse was that there were several bloodstains on the carpet. I began to feel worried and I called for Liu.

"Liu! Liu, where are you?"

There was no response. I got really worried and immediately called the police. I told them about Liu, about the true nature of Craig's disappearance, and that he might've hurt Susan.

They couldn't find anything useful at the apartment, save for the stains of blood, but they have yet to be unidentified. When I told the authorities about Susan, they checked her house next. What they saw was the aftermath of the most brutal scene ever. There were four bodies inside the house: Susan's parents and two younger siblings. Susan was found alive but in a coma. She suffered repeated injuries to her head while the rest of her family died from either gunshot wounds or greater blunt force trauma. One of the victims' head had been crushed to a pile of gory mush.

There was a search party in the nearby areas, but there was no trace of him. I've been asked so many goddamn questions about Liu, but it was all too much for me to handle. The search continued for weeks, but the intensity of the situation died down day by day, and thankfully, so did the constant questions.

I tried to move on with my life since then, and I considered looking for another job multiple times. During that period, I thought that I was not fit to be a counselor. If I did my job properly, if I knew that all the suppressed anger, violent outbursts, and sudden changes in personality would be so dangerous, maybe none of this would've happened. One day, I took the train from Minneapolis to St. Paul for personal reasons. When I got off the train I sat on a bench for some fresh air, since the atmosphere from the train was suffocating. I never felt good around crowds, you see.

As I sat there, I noticed a figure walking past me from the corner of my eye. It was a familiar and overwhelming presence. Out of instinct, I turned my head and saw who walked past me. Their back was turned but I recognized the posture and hair. I didn't want to start this, but I got up and called him out quietly, but loud enough for him to hear.

"Liu."

He stopped moving and quickly turned to look at me. At that moment, I noticed that he looked... different. He was wearing a brown topcoat, a green hoodie, and a striped scarf around his neck. His face was almost unrecognizable. His hair was longer, he had a light but noticeable stubble, and multiple stitches all over his face, indicating that it was somehow cut. Susan's mother was a nurse, so I wouldn't be surprised if she taught him how to treat a wound. I wondered whether Susan cut him in self-defense, or if Liu had a breakdown of sorts beforehand and did this to himself. When he caught sight of me, he stared in surprise.

We stared at each other for what felt like minutes, and there was this tension between us that wouldn't go away. I don't know what I was thinking back then, but I made the stupid decision of taking a step forward. Just as I made the step, he quickly turned around and walked away from me at a fast pace. When I followed after him at a quicker pace, it didn't take long for him to run through the crowd. I ran too. I couldn't let him get away with what he's done.

It was hard for me to keep track of him with all those people, but I managed to keep up. A minute into the chase, we were almost at the exit of the station. He put his hood over his forehead and walked up to a group of cops and pointed at me. I don't know what he said exactly but it must've been something like, "Officers, there's a man in a windbreaker yelling at a lady." And the officers believed him. As I ran to stop him, the cops held me back and I shouted desperately at them to apprehend him. By the time the cops looked in Liu's direction, he was already gone.

I never saw him again after that. There've been some news about Liu since then, but all of them consisted of the police chasing him, and he somehow always gets away. Soon, the media stated that he left the state entirely and I wasn't sure where he would go or what he would do. A part of me says that he can't survive out there.

I kept wondering until I received the news that Susan Perez woke up from her coma. Despite suffering from multiple injuries, she was able to tell her story about the night she saw him for the last time. Apparently, Liu called her to come over to his apartment to 'talk about something important', but she stated that his tone of voice was different. She listened to his instructions and walked over to his apartment, which wasn't far away from her parents' house. She opened the door and saw Liu sitting at the table with his back turned and muttering, as if he was quietly arguing with himself.

He then went quiet for a moment and said in a raspy voice, "Everything up until this point was perfect for Liu. He was happy. But you ruined it. There is no point living a life like this and working hard if neither of us will be happy. Everyone who Liu and I knew... had abandoned us. Except... Jeff. My poor buddy. If what that woman says true, then he must be out there somewhere. Maybe we could reunite. Maybe Liu will find happiness. We can only hold on to that hope, to be part of a family again. And you won't be a part of it, Susan."

She said that he got up and walked over to her in a manner that intimidated her. She tried to reason with him by calling him 'Liu', but he kept insisting on calling him 'Sully'. Scared, Susan grabbed the kitchen knife to defend herself, but this 'Sully' quickly became hostile. She managed to give multiple cuts to his face, but that didn't stop him from trying to kill her. The two struggled for a while until Susan managed to escape the apartment, but Sully quickly followed after her. She screamed for help, but no one came to help her. In an act of desperation, she ran to her parents' house and tried to open the door, but it was locked. The last thing she remembered before waking up in the hospital was banging desperately on the door before being knocked out.

That's all I can say about the situation now. I don't know if there will be any more updates, but even if there will be more in the future, I might not make more posts. The whole stress, anxiety, shame, and regret of the situation had taken its toll on me. I don't truly know who is to blame for all of this, but I definitely played a major role in turning the young man I once knew into a murderer.

All the years of sessions I held, and for what?! I think it's time for me to move on. I really am unfit to be a counselor. I am of no use to anyone who needs my help. The least I can do is give you this warning: Liu or... Sully...is very dangerous and is dead set on the goal of finding his brother, since this is the only thing that gives his life meaning.

If you do see him, stay the hell out of his way and call the authorities. If you wrong him in any way, you might not live to see tomorrow...