I lean close, listening to the way sound changes when someone starts to break.
It’s almost beautiful, the shift from defiance to prayer.
“Good,” the whisper breathes. “Now listen.”
And I do. I listen to the wet slide of blood along tile. The tick of his teeth as they chatter against each other. The hush that follows when the world finally goes still.
Silence is a reward. Silence means I’ve done it right.
I tilt my head, watching the way light pools in the red.
For a moment, I imagine the whisper standing behind me, one hand on my shoulder, proud. “You see now? It’s not cruelty. It’s clarity.”
Something in me believes him. Always has.
I wipe the blade, methodical, careful not to smear the pattern on the floor. Each drop lands exactly where it should.
“Again,” he says. “Until you stop flinching.”
But I don’t flinch anymore.
Not from the smell, not from the sound, not from the way my heartbeat settles into calm when theirs stops.
The whisper fades as the light fades, leaving only the echo of his approval inside my chest.
I close my eyes, and in the dark behind them I’m still standing there – steady, quiet, humming the same tune he once did.
CASE FILE - GHOST
Name: Silas Donnelly
Age: 24
Height: 5’11
Weight: 67kg
Hair: White
Eyes: Light blue-grey
Distinguishing Features: Chest and neck tattoo (see file for photo catalogue), scarring to scalp – cause unknown. Several genitalia piercings.
Alias: Ghost
Date of Arrival: 29/03/2020
Sentence: Six months. Temporary stay until a place becomes available at [REDACTED], hospital for the criminally insane.
Treatment: A wide range of therapies have proven unsuccessful, hence the hospital’s refusal to accept the patient, resulting in his extended stay here.
Summary of Crimes: Silas Donnelly, known to law enforcement asGhost, was responsible for a series of seemingly motiveless public attacks spanning multiple cities. The assaults were characterised by abrupt escalation, surgical precision,and the absence of any clear victim profile – suggesting opportunistic rather than targeted selection.
Surveillance footage revealed Donnelly assuming a variety of disguises: a businessman, a vagrant, a student, a paramedic. Each persona appeared distinct, not only in appearance, but also in temperament. Witnesses described his demeanour as “unnervingly calm” moments before the attack, followed by sudden, frenzied violence – consistent with dissociative identity patterns.
Autopsy reports showed clean, efficient stab wounds directed at major arteries and organs, consistent with anatomical knowledge or training. Several victims displayed hesitation marks and partial defensive wounds inconsistent with a single attacker. Forensic psychologists hypothesise that these marks may represent interference from an alternate personality attempting tointervenerather than kill, suggesting internal conflict during the attacks.
Despite multiple confirmed homicides,Ghostwas never captured in the act. He left behind almost no trace evidence – no fingerprints, DNA, or identifiable weapon. His precision and ability to disappear between identities earned him his alias.
