A girl stared at the apartment complex, studying its chipped yellow paint and mostly boarded-up windows. She swayed back and forth, giggling. The girl created a minor game to make her red pigtails sway with each step.
Near the verge of entering, she approached the building door. A soft voice called out to her. It called again, and again, gaining strength with each call. Her eyebrows raised, and her lips trembled. She weakly called out, "Hello." The girl clutched her school bag straps while shaking.
She turned away from the door and crept down the stairs. With each step she took, the whispers grew softer. When she finally reached the bottom, the voice no longer existed.
The girl moved right, gazing at an alleyway entrance. Her eyes saw piles of garbage that carried an awful smell. She clenched her book bag straps harder and wrinkled her nose while scanning the alleyway. Hesitantly, she stepped one foot forward. The girl released one strap of her bag and held her arm in front of herself protectively.
"Sarah," the voice whispered darkly." Help me."
"Ho-how do - do you-you know my name," Sarah whimpered.
"I was watching, heard your little buddies," the voice answered her back.
"Okay, Mister." Still unsure of the situation, she replied.
From the shadows emerged a man wearing a half-cylinder mask with eyes and mouth holes. In his right hand, the strange man held a clever. The cleaver dripped blood onto his black and white pinstriped suit. "Little girl, do you like cylinders?" The peculiar man grinned eerily.
Sarah turned to run, but the stranger yanked her back."You lack manners! The Cylinder will teach you manners!" He threw Sarah down. She shrieked, flinching with tears pulling from her eyes. Cylinder walked calmly to her, raising his cleaver. A few screams echoed and then nothing.
The Cylinder left everyone a present on the porch stairs a few feet away from the door. A metal cylinder-shaped box leaked blood, and on top of it rested Sarah's head.
A couple happily walked, wrapped up in each other. As the couple drew close, they noticed something horrible. Atop the stairs, their daughter's head.
The woman broke down.
The man held the woman while he shook. "Who would commit such an act!?" Answer me!"
No one answered him back but the sounds of the city.
"My baby, my baby!" The woman screamed.
One resident considered leaving, but when he noticed the head. He ran back in, running up and down the halls, screaming and knocking on doors.
Once word spread about the disaster, the people stood outside of their apartments discussing it.
Kale and Derrick left Samantha's apartment and walked into the hallway.
An elderly woman with neatly tied back grey hair approached them. "The Kawasaki's daughter has been murdered. It is so horrible. She was dismembered and placed in a cylinder, with her head resting on top." tearfully, she reached out and gently patted Kale on his arm. "The strange crimes have been increasing lately. It is such a shame it happened to someone so young."
"Sarah." Derrick bolted down the apartment stairs to the front door. He exited the door, unprepared for what he saw. Feeling queasy, Derrick covered his mouth, holding back the contents of his stomach.
Sirens blared as the police showed up. They stood back for a moment, completely taken by surprise. They grumbled amongst themselves as they sat up the perimeter. Forensics covered themselves from head to toe with plastic. They then approached the scene. Two of the forensic officers opened the canister, revealing the rest of her body. They barely paid Darrick any attention.
A woman with a superior demeanor exited a police car. Her hands slammed down on the roof of the car when she saw Derrick. "Get that kid out of here! Do I make myself clear!?"
"Yeah, yeah, Detective Polly, don't get your panties in a twist. We're getting to it." The officer who replied to her chuckled. A few officers laughed at his remark, while others ignored him still bagging, and tagging.
Detective Polly noticed Derrick's queasy appearance. "Somebody get this kid out of here before he ruins my crime scene!" Polly screamed again. Forensics packed everything up, including the head, and wordlessly took away the evidence.
Derrick caught sight of a note on the back of the canister.
I am The Cylinder.
No one understands my joy.
So, I will cut them all down.
Like they cut my Evanalynn down.
Kale listened to the horrified gossip before descending to the first-floor entrance. He reached the door and nuzzled it open. He hoped the kid would go to his apartment, but the way he bolted, It seemed like he knew the girl.