Psycho Candy

by Steven Hunter

  Suddenly the banging on the door started again and she knew they were about to break it down... They’re really desperate for you now Candy, she thought.

  The door finally gave way just as she moved herself behind it and she crouched inwards, the door missing her by a mere inch. Instead it rebounded off the faded green wallpaper before being pulled back on its hinges. She had expected a steady stream of bodies to pile in the room and was surprised at their absence. She took the moment she had to simply breathe. The world around her had taken on a distorted yellowish hue and she wondered vaguely why she was not frightened.

  A body, recognisable only to the point of uniform, burst through the doorway, his pistol pointed straight ahead. Lunging from behind the door, Candy plunged the blade of her knife into the temple of a heavily armoured cop. Blood splattered against Candy's cheek, as the world around her slowed to a near pause. She felt she should be able to move faster within this realm, yet she found herself bound also to its strange new physical laws. The man twitched and fell to the ground, the weapon still protruding from the side of his head and she could see his screams causing vibrational echoes, manifesting as deep red waves into the surrounding space.

  Candy smiled at her work.

  Moments later she was overcome with people, grabbing and pinning her to the ground. More colour flooded the room, each wave related to the volley of threats. There was a mixture of colour to these words which seemed like a song on repeat, same song – different lyrics - but with the same meaning implied. Candy smiled through it all.

  The pain could not touch her, and she climaxed on the upset she had caused, could sense amongst the filth that bound her wrists with steel. The officer she had stabbed convulsed on the ground and Candy remembered the beautiful woman and her words - "The blackness is blinding like defeated light" - and she thought about the green eyed girl, the one who had forgiven her and felt only sadness that she would never see them again.

  Pain brought her out of her darkened state and into the waking consciousness of a concrete cell. A mattress had been placed over the concrete bed which would have normally laid bare, although this was unknown to Candy. That they were giving her any kind of help at all would have surprised her. She had killed a cop. She was pretty sure of that. And they liked to look after their own. She rubbed her bruised arms and wished for a mirror. She felt around her face for the blood she expected to be caked there and instead felt stitches and tender swelling, jolting occasionally when she touched upon a particularly painful area. Yup, they had certainly laid into her. Probably scared they went too far. Even a cop killer has rights. They've taken some care in putting you here. The question is. . . how far can you use it?

  There was a knock at the door and a small hatch slid open.

  "Would the prisoner turn and face the wall, hands on the wall, knees on the ground."

  Candy sniggered. "You're surely not scared of little old me, are you? Why don't you make me?"

  "This is your last warning. We've been good to you so far, but-"

  "You've tried to cover your ass, is all!' shouted Candy.

  She noticed the desperation in the man's voice, and noted that it probably meant they were lining up something unpleasant, unless she co-operated. Yet, she was serious. If they wanted her they could come in and get her, just like the last time.

  Without further warning the door was flung outwardly open

  and four men charged her. She lifted her knee and it found purchase in the groin of a sweaty overweight uniformed officer. As he dropped to his knees, Candy managed a swift kick and his nose exploded in a shower of blood. Relishing the CRACK which resounded throughout the small cell, she was roughly grabbed and cuffed before she could impart any more damage.

  "Get her out of here!" a voice shouted, although Candy could not discern from her new angle who it belonged to.

  "Sorry about your nose. Hope the other one I killed is okay too," spoke Candy in tones of mock concern.

  Suddenly the cop with the burst nose went wild and charged the smiling Candy. "You bitch. I'll fucking kill you... that was my partner you fucking whore cunt..."

  The officer was restrained. Candy laughed harder as she was ushered out of the room and along a corridor. Every face she passed emitted signs of hate in her direction; she could feel it with her empathic gift, it filled her and she recognized it, and despite its ferocity it still did not match the fierceness of her own.

  She was led into a room marked - INTERROGATION 1B – and sat behind a wooden desk, which she noticed was just slightly too large to lean across. Her cuffs were chained to the metal seat she was planted in. She stared. And waited. Finally a man emerged from outside, a figure Candy recognized.

  "Detective Malone. Howdy. You seem to have practically your own television show these days."

  To her surprise the man smiled. "You recognize me, huh? You been tuning in every day? Seeing how your body count stacked up?"

  "What the hell do you mean. . . my what?"

  Then it hit her... They think It's you. The serial killer. The other murders. Oh fuck!

  "This is just a case of mistaken identity. I can assure you."

  "Had you not of stabbed a knife through the temple of one of my officers I may well of believed you. As it is, you seem pretty guilty to me. Do you know how we found you, Candy?"

  Candy thought hard. They must have found the woman, Constance Brice or whatever the hell her name had been and traced the card. "You must have traced her card. The Brice woman. Am I right?"

  "Well the funny thing is we got called out to two murders pretty much simultaneously. First there was the murder of Constance Bright. Her card said she checked into that hotel you were staying at. However about five minutes we get the call to go the hotel, the hotel itself calls our desk Sergeant and tells us a body has been found, strangled with her head caved in only two doors down from your own. Some coincidence huh?"

  In her flustered mind it never occurred to Candy that she should get legal representation at this point and so she carried on, alone, gamely.

  "Listen, so far as the bitch in the bathroom goes, I'm guilty as sin. I'm in deep shit here and maybe I should have come to you guys first. But the chick in the hotel. That is pure coincidence."

  But your dream. . . was it a dream or a crack dream where it all seems like sleep but It's really happening, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. . .

  "It's one hell of a coincidence, Candy. All those girls being slaughtered. Just turns out there is a mad schizo drug abusing bitch who lives nearby. What'cha call that, huh? Some kind of split personality? You say you didn't kill the woman? Or the others, just like you say you didn't kill your friends? Seems to me like maybe you got a case of bad memory when it comes to the slaying of the innocent."

  "Hey, listen, you got this all wrong. I didn't kill Sarah and Rich. I swear I didn't."

  "Okay. Say I believe you. Just, say I do. Why don't you tell me what happened to make you want to kill a police officer."

  "It wasn't really personal. It just means that I get something back. A piece of me back. But you wouldn't understand that because this is all snafu and you're Telly fucking Savalas. They were murdered. It was the woman by the car-"

  "The one with her throat slit open?"

  "Yeah, her. But I didn't kill her either. It was this thing. I swear on my life, it was this creature, this God, I wouldn't kill my friends. I loved Sarah and Rich."

  "So you loved your friends and you killed the woman because she hurt them?"

  "Aren't you listening? It was the Dark God. Xcetral. He killed the girl."

  Detective Malone stared at the desk. Was this nut job for real?

  Her blood samples had come back. In them, they had found large volumes of crack cocaine and some sort of tranquillizer not to mention ecstasy and LSD. Shit. This one had clearly flipped

  "When did you start taking the drugs, Candy?"

  "Drugs? I. . . I only took some Es like a few times, then I took the acid and that's when the G
od came and-" Candy realized she was babbling.

  She was by all accounts still high. It for some reason only now occurred to her how unbelievable it all sounded.

  "So you took the acid. Then what? You freaked out and thought you saw something? You thought your friends were demons or something and you killed them? Is that what you're trying to say?"

  "No, I-"

  "And what about the dealer you killed? That's where you got the crack from, right? And the, uh, other stuff."

  Shit, they were talking about Beano now. What else do they-

  "And I guess all that crazy shit helped you with your next victim, one, Constance, Bright?"

  "I know how this sounds, but I can explain."

  The detective smiled. "Great. I'm dying to hear it."

  Candy sighed.

  She was fucked and she knew it.

  An hour later and they were still going over the same questions. She was beginning to tire. So far the state had provided a lawyer who had told Candy that their best shot, considering, was to plead insanity. Another hour of talking to her and he actually believed it might be possible. His name was Johnston Reynolds, John to his few friends and he was one of those public defenders who had made the decision not to prosecute, but instead make a living defending his fellow man and had learned the sad fact that most are guilty as sin. As of yet he had won a sum total of two cases, and only then because the cases had collapsed due to lack of evidence. He had started to despair. But when the call came and he realized who he had been asked to appear for he had just about danced around with glee. This was a high profile case. And now, if he could get an insanity plea it was, well, better than a guilty verdict.

  Johnston looked up at the detective. "I think my client has answered all your questions Detective. She has since been charged with the murders, and I think it only fair that as she is to be kept in custody that she be allowed some rest."

  Malone sighed. Of course the fucking lawyer was right. It wasn't like she was going anywhere. Still there was something that bugged him about all this. She seemed adamant and he too was pretty sure he knew where the verdict was headed. The woman steadfastly refused to change her story.

  "Alright. Let's stop there for the time being. Escort the prisoner back to her cell."

  I'm the prisoner now, thought Candy

  "Listen. I don't know how it works here in police central but I once saw a Kojak special where the junkie got some Valium as he was “strung out” so to speak. You think you boys might keep something like that here for your drug abusing serial killers?"

  Candy looked at Johnston and he turned his eyes to Malone who sighed wearily. "I'll get the duty doc to bring you something-"

  "My client is under a lot stress and been placed under a lot of duress as she was forced to answer your questions. You do realize that the statement she has just made may not even stand up in court as she is probably still under the influence of mind altering narcotics?"

  Malone sighed again. The lawyer was right. Maybe give her a little something to bring her back to planet earth and give her a good old sense of security and she'd be more apt to spill the beans.

  "If its Valium you want, then it’s Valium you'll get. I don't know the dose but I'll ask for the strongest and bring you four. If that ain't enough we'll address the situation then. For the time being you're going back to your cell while we sort it out."

  Candy was led away. The cell door slammed behind her.

  “So what are you going to do now?”

  Candy froze. The room was empty.

  "Who's there?" even as the words escaped her mouth she realized how cliché it sounded yet it did nothing to calm her nerves. Her head darted to and fro, her mind seeking purchase of answer and she was rewarded with a gentle tap on the wall behind her. She turned her head and was shocked to see nobody there.

  "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" Candy screamed.

  “Believe it or not I was trying to do you a favour. I thought you'd have enough frights for one day. I'm Blismasatakk. An associate of the one who got you into this. I thought you might like some company. But to be honest, Hunny, I ain't a pile of roses. If I came in here, all in my true from you might freak out again, which would have the cops running, and I can't interfere, although believe me I'd love to crack a few heads for ya. But it’s in the rules see.”

  "So you're what, here to check up on me?"

  “Something like that. I guess you could call me the conscience of the organization. You got a rough deal. I can't get you out of here or anything, but I can return on a few things we're owing.”

  "You mean my soul?"

  “Got it in one. And believe me my method is a lot less painful than Xcetral's”

  "Okay sure. How do I-"

  “Hold still. Don't freak out or nothing. Just hold still and it'll all be over.”

  A sudden fear took hold and Candy suddenly wanted no part in what this Blismasatakk had to offer.

  "Maybe you should just keep the fuck back, huh. I don't think I want anything to be over just quite yet."

  The laughter that filled the room was harsh and mocking.

  "You bastard, you were going to-"

  “You have no idea what I was going to do, bitch. Or what I'm going to do. Just you think about that tonight in this stone hell of yours.”

  Candy froze. She had been about to lash out, to strike when an intuitive notion had taken hold. He needs your permission before he can touch you. But if I touch him then-

  “Be seeing you sweetheart. I'll have to check my schedule but I'll make the time.”

  I fucking bet you will, Candy thought.

  Meanwhile, in the observation room Malone was watching his serial case with great care. He had noticed her movements and when she had opened her mouth he had called on the tech guy who worked the monitors in ways he never bothered to learn – namely how to work the sound – and got him to rectify the problem. Candy's voice came over static like yet clear enough.

  "Maybe you should just keep fucking back, huh. I don't think I want anything to be over just quite yet – You bastard. You were going to-"

  Malone looked down at the screen. What the fuck was this chick trying to pull? Fuck, even she must know the room looked empty. Was this just some kind of ploy, man, he knew the lawyer was playing the loopy gone bananas fucked in the head card but then - was this just an act?

  Malone did not think for one second she was having a conversation with anyone. The question was – did she?

  "Okay, get her out here again. I want to know what the fuck is going on in that room. Now! Do ya hear me!"

  Momentarily they were all back in the room, seated around the wooden table.

  Candy was again harnessed to the chair. The detectives, (there were two now, Malone had called in backup for the interrogation and a detective called Marks had arrived who Malone supposed was able to find his ass with his elbow, although maybe after an hour or so of trying) sat either side the desk, Malone on the right facing Candy. Neither was in the mood to play good cop. However they had dispensed four ten milligram diazepam tablets which Candy had swallowed with a glass of water. She now sat sipping coffee, straining on the restraints so as to not spill any down her chin.

  "What went on just now. You were talking to someone-"

  "Huh, what are you a fucking peeping tom or something. Hoping I'd get the itch and give my self a good rub up, huh? Probably taking bets to see if my cunts shaven or not."

  "Jesus fucking Christ. Just answer the fucking questions okay. No one wants to see your private parts, believe me."

  "Shame. It's actually been a while."

  This got a laugh from Marks, which was instantly silenced by a look from Malone. Marks actually thought the chick was good looking. But she had killed one of theirs and this bitch wasn't getting any brownie points for humour, even if he did find it funny.

  "So back to the room. You were talking to someone. Was it just yourself? Like a memory or something? Or did you actually think there wa
s something there?" Malone asked in the soothing tone he normally reserved for nut jobs like this.

  "It was one of the Gods. Blismasatakk, I think his name was."

  Malone looked towards Marks, who in turned made the crazy motion by circling his finger around and around his temple.

  "Okay and this God. What the hell did he want? He want to make you a saint?" this last remark was from Marks.

  "No you stupid fucking cop faggot fuck he wanted to kill me."

  "Oh, so you pissed off the God. Right, I got it. Maybe it was your manners."

  "Maybe you should unhook these fucking cuffs and I'll show you the rest of them, piggy."

  "Yeah okay, okay, calm down. What Detective Marks is saying is that, well, basically, we watched the whole thing, and we couldn't see anyone."

  "That's because he was invisible." as Candy said it she realized that this was futile. She wasn't wrong.

  "Oh, so the invisible God came to see you. Right. that's uh, that's very convenient if you don't mind me saying so."

  "Not so convenient for me actually. If you'd seen him then maybe you'd start to listen to what I'm saying."

  "What so it was the God who killed the people. You were, what, an innocent bystander. No, hold on, I'm off track. It was the God who made you do it, right."

  "That was actually a different God. This one was. . .Oh damn it all to hell anyway! Yeah they made me kill those people and if I ever get out of here, you're someone I'd happily stick a fucking fork ins eye you miserable prick, but I'm telling the truth."

  "You see we think you're just playing wacko. Just playing up, to get out. You know this state carries the death penalty. You killed a cop, which carries that sentence and you did it in front of cops which makes you the fucking idiot here, not me-"

  "I called you a miserable prick. Not an idiot. And I'm not wacko and will testify to that."

  "You will? You-"

  "What she means Detective Marks is she is going to testify that it was the Gods who made her do it because that is the truth."