***Shay’s POV***

                “The animals always get murdered at night. I think we should plan a night to survey the neighborhood,” Casey said as we sat in my room.

                I nodded in agreement. Casey bit his lip. “Shay, are you watching Charlie tonight?” I nodded again and he sighed. “If Fuller isn’t home, find a way to distract Charlie, and search the house a little for a blade. All of the animals had their throats slit, and a few were stabbed.”

                I raised an eyebrow at him. “Casey, you could find a blade in anyone’s house!” He ran a hand through his hair. “I know. But see if there’s dried blood on any of the blades. He might be hiding a pocket knife in his room if he is the killer, and a little blood could be stained on it.”

                “Casey, why would Fuller kill animals?” I asked quietly. “Who knows,” he said with a shrug. “But I really do think he’s the killer. He’d do it. I can see it in his eyes. He’s sick enough to actually murder a defenseless animal and feel no guilt.”

                “I don’t know…” I said nervously. “Shay, please trust me. He could do it. When we were little…he…” He shuddered a little and shook his head. “He could do it,” he repeated quietly. “What did he do when you were little?” I asked gently. He bit his lip. “Nothing,” he whispered nervously.

                                                                                ***Casey’s POV***

                “Casey, we’re in this together. I need to know why you suspect him so much,” she said, her eyes pleading yet determined. I sighed, slipping into the memory of that day when I was 8 years old.

                I had ridden my bike down to the gas station to get a sub and some soda. My dad let me do that if I was careful, and I always was. But I had a flat, and was now stuck wheeling my bike back home.

                “Fuller?” I asked curiously. He was in my class, just like he usually was. School was almost out, though, which was nice. He looked up at me with curious eyes. “Yea, Casey?” he asked. “What are you doing?” I asked, staring at the thing in his hands. My dad had told me to never play with one of those. I’m pretty sure Fuller’s dad would’ve told him the same thing.

                He grinned. “I’m having fun,” he said simply, a weird look in his eyes. “Where are your parents?” I asked nervously. “Oh, they took my baby brother to the doctor’s. My babysitter fell asleep on the couch, so I decided to play outside.”

                “With a lighter?” I asked, staring at it again. He nodded and flicked it so that a flame appeared, grinning widely at me. “Cool, huh? Wanna see something really cool?”

                I was a little scared, but curious nonetheless. “Sure,” I said and he motioned at me to squat down. I carefully set my bike down on the ground before squatting next to Fuller. He had an insect cage in front of him.

                “Watch!” he said in an odd excitement. He pulled opened the cage and pulled out a daddy long legs. I made a face. I hated spiders. They were so creepy.

                It struggled a little in Fuller’s hands, and he grabbed a rock. He set the spider down and put a rock on it so that it couldn’t get away. “Fuller, what are you doing?” He grinned at me again. “Just watch, Casey!” he said eagerly.

                He flicked the lighter and brought it to the spider. A high pitched noise erupted and I realized it was the spider. It was screaming in pain as Fuller burned it.

                “Fuller!” I cried in horror. “Stop it! You’re killing it! STOP!” But he continued to grin as he burned the desperately struggling, screeching spider until it was no more.

                He looked at me, that odd look in his eyes. “Wasn’t that cool, Casey? Wasn’t it?” I got up quickly and grabbed my bike. “I have to go before my dad wonders where I am,” I said quickly, suddenly terrified of the boy in front of me. He had always been pretty normal, a little odd, I guess, but never scary.

                He shrugged as I began to walk my bike away from him. I glanced back and saw him reaching into the cage again, flicking the lighter causally. I spun around and kept walking, not wanting to look back again, not wanting to hear that screeching.

                I gulped as I finished telling Shay. “I can still imagine that spider screeching. That’s how it starts, isn’t it?” I asked. Shay shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know, Casey. I mean, I had friends back at my old town that used to light bugs on fire for the hell of it. They weren’t sick in the head, they just found it funny. It’s not funny, though. But it doesn’t make Fuller a murderer just because he lit a few spiders on fire when he was 8.”

                But that wasn’t the thing that had me so…so…so convinced. It was the look that had been in his eyes. I just couldn’t explain it to Shay. It was so blank and yet so full. So full of pure cruelty without the slightest trace of remorse. And he had been only 8 years old. That look was like nails on a chalk board. Piercing, attention grabbing, shudder-inducing.

                It was terrifying to remember, and there were no words to describe that absolute horror that had gripped me at the sight of that look. I had never seen that look in Fuller’s eyes since, but I was positive it had to be him doing the killings. He would work his way up to humans. I just knew it. That look in his eyes all those years ago was unafraid to kill anything and lose no sleep over it. And he was constantly alone in his house with Shay and Charlie. I glanced at Shay and just prayed this didn’t get too dangerous.