“Did you see what she posted on Facebook?” the mother said as she looked up from her phone to her husband with disgust.

“No, what is it this time?” her husband responded with a big sigh. This neighborhood gossip had gone on for several weeks and he just wanted it to be over.

“Connie has posted almost fourteen pictures of that stupid new dog she has. I wish that dog would just die so that no one would have to see it again.” She said, with half of her mouth stuffed with Doritos, wiping her hands on her shirt.

“Don’t you think that’s a little harsh? You can just block her or get rid of Facebook like I did, then you wouldn’t have to deal with it.” The husband said, as he got some pork chops out of the freezer to start defrosting for dinner.

“Don’t you have to go pick up my dress for my friend’s wedding?” She snapped back. The husband replied with a light mumble of acknowledgement, and began to clean the dishes.

Their son, Lycus had overheard the conversation and came downstairs with his coloring book in hand and a handful of crayons.

“What were you guys talking about?” He said, looking up to his Dad.

“It’s nothi—“ The dad began to say until he was cut off by his wife.

“No, that stupid whore is on my last nerve. She has been posting countless pictures of her dumb dog on Facebook. I’d rather see pictures of that retarded dog with its head off.”

The husband let out a contained sigh, and went back to cleaning dishes. Lycus took his crayons and coloring back upstairs into his room.




“Do doggies go to heaven daddy?” Lycus asked, while looking out the car window.

“I suppose so, why?” The dad responded.

“I was just wondering.” Lycus said hesitantly.

“Alright well have a good day, and make sure you keep your hood on, its awfully rainy out.” The dad said with a smile, as he unlocked the door.

Lycus didn’t reply. He put his hood on, and made his way to his 3rd grade classroom.

When Lycus came home, he had more blank pieces of paper with colorings on them. They were mostly brown and red.

“Can I see what you drew, buddy?” The dad said, noticing he has been bringing those colorings around with him for a few days now.

“No daddy, it’s gonna be a surprise.” Lycus said grinning up at his dad, and he ran upstairs.

The husband took off his shoes on the hardwood floor, making sure they didn’t get on the carpet, and walked towards to couch with his wife.

“Hey hon, can we watch something else? Soap operas have been on for almost three days straight now.”

“No, I deserve this. Have you had to deal with Connie? No. I need this.” She said, brushing her grease filled blonde hair back.

The husband saw the reason in this, and decided to instead just close his eyes and take a nap.

Forty-five minutes later his wife awakened him to make her a grilled cheese with mayonnaise. As he got the bread out from the cupboard, the idea of Lycus’ colorings popped in his head. He had been drawing intensely in his room ever since the Mrs. Connie incident, and he wouldn’t even let his parents in his room anymore. Is he going to tell Mrs. Connie what my wife said? “No, he wouldn’t do that.” The husband reasoned, and shoved that idea to the back of his head.

The husband reached to grab his knife from the counter, but couldn’t find it. He checked the drawers around him incase he misplaced it, but the knife couldn’t be found.

“Honey, do you know where my kitchen knife is? Actually,” the husband realized, “do you know where any of my knives are?”

Without looking up from her phone, the wife said from the couch, “How should I know? You’re the only one who is ever in the kitchen.”

The husband’s stomach dropped. Spears of adrenaline pierced him. “Does Lycus have them?” he thought. Growing more and more suspicious, the husband began to walk upstairs.

“Lycus?” he called. No answer.

“Lycus buddy?” he called again, and still no answer.

The husband reached the landing of the stairs and began to think over the situation again. He saw how ridiculous his thinking was, and determined he was just paranoid from lack of sleep. He went back downstairs and sat back down on the couch and thought nothing of it.





“Now if you need anything or if anything is wrong, call us, Okay?” The mom told the babysitter. “Lycus is a good kid, and the wedding shouldn’t be too long, so I don’t think there will be any problems, but just incase.”

“Sounds good Mrs. Kraemer.” The babysitter replied, with a smile revealing her braces.

“Oh and by the way,” the mom said as they were leaving the door, “don’t go up to Lycus’ room. He’s apparently planning this big surprise for us, aren’t you sweetie?”

Lycus grinned and said, “Yes mommy, I think you and daddy will love it.”

The mom chuckled, said goodbye, and left.

“Do you want to play a game Lycus?” said the babysitter, kneeling down to his height.

“Yeah, let’s play hide and seek.” He replied, “I want to hide first.”

“Um, okay,” the babysitter chuckled awkwardly and proceeded to count to one hundred.

Lycus ran upstairs, grabbed the kitchen knife from under his bed, and slit the babysitter’s throat. He used his Thomas the Train backpack to wipe off the blood on his knife and shirt. He grabbed his mother’s Michael Kors shoebox and walked outside.

He walked across the street to Mrs. Connie’s house and hopped over her fence to the backyard. He walked over to the mini playground, sat in the swing set and waited.

About two hours later, Mrs. Connie let out her dog.

“Hey Lycus, what are you doing here? Your Mom is at a wedding right? At least she said she was going to be on Facebook. Well it’s a cold night, do you want to come inside?” Mrs. Connie asked, half outside of the sliding glass door.

Lycus put the knife in the Michael Kors shoe box and went inside the house.

“What do you have there?” Mrs. Connie asked with a smile, and knelt down to Lycus’ height.

Lycus opened the shoebox, grabbed the knife, and swung it towards Mrs. Connie. She turned to her right and fell back.

“Lycus what are you doing!?” she screamed.

“Mommy won’t have anymore problems now. She’ll be happy, and love me more than ever.” Lycus whispered to himself, and slashed Mrs. Connie’s throat before she could utter a word. Lycus stood over her as she began to choke on her blood, and saw her eyes slowly fade into nothingness. Mrs. Connie’s puppy came running inside, and started licking its owner’s blood.

Lycus grabbed the puppy gently, and took it upstairs into the master bathroom. He placed it into the bathtub and began dismembering the Chihuahua.

An hour later, the doorbell rang. Lycus was naked, with blood all over him. He grabbed the shoebox and ran downstairs. He opened the door and his Mom was on the phone with the police.

“Oh my god Lycus there you are!” She exclaimed, and hung up the phone to hug him.

Soon after hugging him, she let out a loud shriek. “What is all of this? Why are you naked? Where is Mrs. Connie? Why do you have my shoebox?” A sickening smell hit her face.

“It’s my surprise for you Mommy!” Lycus exclaimed, in an excited voice. “Open it! Open it! Open it!”

Lycus picked up the shoebox and lifted it to his Mom. She opened it and let out another loud shriek, but with a vibrato of fear. She knocked it out of his hands and the Chihuahua’s head fell out and rolled a few feet on the ground.

Lycus’ stomach wrenched and what felt like a watermelon built up in his throat. Pressure built up in his face, and he began to cry.

“What is wrong with YOU!?” his mom screamed and backed away from Lycus. She began wiping the blood off her and looked at her son with complete disgust.

“I did it for YOU Mommy.” Lycus said with tears interrupting every other word. “I killed the babysitter for YOU. I killed Mrs. Connie for YOU.” Anger began to take over the feeling of disappointment and sadness. “I dismembered this dog, FOR YOU.” Lycus screamed out of anger. His Mom began walking back, and pulled out her phone.

His Mom started to dial 911, but Lycus grabbed the kitchen knife and sliced her right ankle. Pain filled her body and she tried to let out a scream for help, but pain overrode her ability to react. She fell down in the living room hardwood floor and dropped her phone. Lycus knelt down, raised his arm holding the knife above his head, and hurled it onto the back of his Mom’s head. Lycus chopped the bits of hair and raw flesh while feelings of remorse went over him like clouds swarming a city for a storm. His mother’s lightning shrieks shocked his ears, but the feeling of anger was stronger and he continued to slice her head.

Lycus’ sounds of crying soon were the only things audible, and his mother’s body only moved from beatings. He dropped the knife, lied on his back, and began to cry even more. Police sirens echoed in the background.