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HABIT hadn’t showed up in a few days. He hadn’t given any clue to Dexter, and he hadn’t seen it go into the apartment next door.
This was a bit disappointing sure, but HABIT would be back. Dexter was sure of it. Whoever this “Stick in the mud” was, HABIT had clearly just gone to deal with him. Whatever that meant for it.
The police had of course not found any evidence on who his stalker was. Noone had come to the same conclusion as he had, not about the mental hospital and they had not a single suspect. Which was amazing for Dexter.
He was getting a bit inpatient, but he would wait as long as it would take for HABIT or Evan to come back.
As Dexter was about to walk into his apartment, he heard slow footsteps behind him. He turned around and there he was.
Evan, it seemed, with that tired look in his eyes, paranoid and miserable expression and dragging feet. He was covered in blood and mud.
“Where have you been?” Dexter asked, raising an eyebrow. Evan startled for a moment and looked at him weirdly.
“Huh, you’re still alive?” He said, sounding confused and relieved.
“Yes?” Dexter replied, not sure how you’re supposed to respond to a question like that.
“Well, I don’t know where I’ve been. I woke up in some forest in Ohio, for some reason.” As he said this, he started sounding increasingly more agitated and annoyed.
Which Dexter could understand, he couldn’t really imagine how it would be like to occasionally just have your body hijacked. To wake up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of why or how you got there. The loss of control would probably drive him crazy the first time it happened, but with how Evan was talking about it, he could guess it happened a lot.
“That must be scary.” Dexter said, his tone was probably wrong for this situation. But he wasn’t that sure how he should sound; this was a pretty unique situation for Dexter.
“More like annoying and miserable, I can barely go a day being myself before, Whoops! Just lost a week of time!” Evan was almost yelling now, gesturing dramatically with his arms.
He was so different from HABIT, yet they shared a body. It was a very intriguing situation; they were very intriguing.
“I’m sorry you to go through that, maybe after you’ve taken a shower or something, you can come over to my place and we can talk.” Dexter said, hoping he didn’t sound too desperate.
“Sure, it’s not like it’s far anyway.” Evan didn’t sound too enthusiastic at the idea, but at least he agreed.
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Evan was looking in the mirror, wondering why he agreed to go to some guy’s house, instead of staying home.
He was a mess, even after a shower. Sure, there was no dried blood - that he really hoped was from an animal - or mud in his hair or on him, but the dark circles under his eyes looked horrible.
HABIT had a thing where he wouldn’t sleep while in control of his body. Maybe, he didn’t get tired, however Evan did and that meant when he was finally in control, he was so very tired.
He was also shaking like a leaf, his nail polish had chipped off, and he had scars all over his arms. But those were most likely from himself.
He had changed out of some awful Hawaiian shirt that HABIT had put him in and into a simple grey T-shirt, with black ripped jeans and a brown flannel jacket.
Evan sighed, it didn’t matter. Dexter had met HABIT and still seemed to like him. He showed up covered in blood and mud, and he was still nice to him.
Maybe, he shouldn’t worry too much, hopefully he wasn’t secretly evil or something.
Evan hesitated for a moment, before knocking. Geez, why was he so fucking nervous right now?
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Dexter was on his couch, perfectly still, when he heard the knock.
He got up, but tried to walk at a normal pace, and tone down his glee.
When he opened door, he saw Evan much more cleaned up. He still looked miserable and like he hadn’t slept for a month, but he looked better.
Dexter stepped aside to let him come in, which he did, though a little hesitantly. He closed the door, walked over to the couch and sat down. Gesturing for Evan to do the same, however all he got him taking a step closer to the couch without sitting down.
“So, why were you so surprised I was still alive?” Dexter asked, maybe a bit too monotone. Evan considered him for a moment, before sighing and finally sitting down.
“Well, usually HABITs little escapades end with someone dead. You saw the blood on me an hour ago, I’m surprised a cop didn’t start asking me any questions as I walked here.” Evan replied, sounding exasperated.
So, HABIT’s a killer. Not ideal, especially since Dexter can’t just kill it. That would also be killing Evan, and as far as he knows, he’s an innocent person in this.
“Now what happened, while HABIT was here?” Evan asked, with a slightly shaking voice.
Dexter considered lying for a moment, well, not lying. Just omitting the whole, he was the “Bay Harbour Butcher” thing. But who would believe Evan even if he did tell anyone? With his history of mental illness, he would most likely not be considered an unreliable witness.
Also, Dexter was pretty sure he wouldn’t try anyway.
“We talked some, it confessed to stalking me, told me it knew I was the Bay Harbour Butcher, and then it left because of someone he called Stick in the mud who it said was an asshole.” Dexter explained, looking carefully at Evan to see his reaction.
His face went through a million emotions at once, before settling on looking exasperated.
“You’re a serial killer.” Evan said, like he should have expected this.
“Yes, I only kill murderers, if it makes you feel any better.” Dexter said, leaning a bit closer to Evan.
“Fine, whatever, you could be worse. I GUESS.” Evan sighed, annoyed.
Dexter raised his eyebrows, that was not the response he expected.
“So, who’s Stick in the mud?” He asked, taking his chance for clarity, since Evan didn’t seem to be leaving.
Evan opened his mouth, looking about to respond, when he paused, seeming deep in thought.
“Do you believe in the supernatural?” Was not the question he expected to come from Evan.
“Like ghosts and stuff?” Dexter asked, he didn’t really believe in it. But he thought about what happened after death surprisingly little, for serial killer.
“No- I mean, I guess? I meant more demons and nonhuman entities.” Evan explained, looking at Dexter like he was dissecting whether he believed him or not.
He must have had a face of some sort of disbelief, because Evan just sighed and looked defeated. Well, this was awkward.
“Do you think there’s anything I could do to make you believe me?” Evan asked, looking at the scars on his arms, brows furrowed.
Dexter had noticed the scars, of course, but he hadn’t noticed how deep they had been before now. They looked relatively fresh, like they were only from a week or two ago.
“Some proof, anything that can, without a doubt, prove what you’re saying is true.” Dexter replied, attempting a soft voice, to maybe soften the blow that his disbelief caused.
Evan looked deep in thought, like he was far away from the world.
Out of nowhere, there was an almost static like laugh. Looks like HABIT’s back.
It stood up and leaned over the coffee table between them. Its hands on the table, and its face so close to Dexters that their noses were almost touching.
“You sure you want proof? You might not like what you find.” HABITs gruff voice warned.
“Uh, okay? I still want the proof.” Dexter said, not exactly taking the warning seriously.
HABIT laughed at his answer and started walking.
“Well, come on, you wanted to see right?” HABIT called, glee obvious in its voice.
Dexter could only hope that this wasn’t just a plot to kill him or something.
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.
Not for the first time today, Dexter wondered if he was about to get murdered.
If he did, well, then it really would be his own fault here.
He was currently following a serial killer into a forest in the middle of nowhere. And said serial killer kept laughing hysterically at moments that weren’t exactly appropriate.
First, they had walked somewhere that Dexter didn’t recognise, and HABIT just laughed about when asked, and they were looking for something it seemed, Dexter wasn’t sure, he barely remembered the walk here.
“We’re here!” And there it was, a rundown building, which - apparently - was what they were searching for.
“How exactly is this proof?” He asked, looking at the very… unimpressive building.
“Right to the point, aren’t you?” HABIT chuckled. “Well, it sure as hell isn’t the building. I know exactly what we’re looking for don’t you worry your pretty little head about it!”
Dexter could admit he was a bit annoyed at the lack of information he had been given, but he was also extremely curious.
The curiosity was what kept him following HABIT, even when for an outsider, it would seem idiotic. Or maybe it was just idiotic, however Dexter needed to know what HABIT was leading him towards.
“What is this place exactly?” Dexter asked, having to jog a bit to keep up with HABIT.
“Well, this WAS Fairmount Children’s Home.” It said, glancing at him briefly, before seamlessly navigating the halls with ease. Like it had been there before. Well, it had been here before.
“But I thought that was in Ohio?” Dexter asked, confused.
“Yeah.” Was the only reply he got from HABIT. Confusing him even more.
They stood in a room, that looked to have been an office at some point. However now its windows were smashed, glass, dirt and blood were all over the floor and the roof looked like a simple gust of wind would make it collapse down on top of them both.
HABIT, however seemed unconcerned about this.
“I found it!” HABIT yelled, happily. Holding up what looked to be tapes.
“How is this proof of the supernatural?” Dexter asked, sceptically.
“You’ll see, if you believe, when you’ve watched them!” HABIT said, laughing loudly.
The laughing was beginning to annoy Dexter a little.
He barely remembered the walk home.
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.
HABIT had left, grinning from ear to ear. Almost literally, its smile was uncanny and too wide. But that proved nothing, it just proved HABIT was creepy, which Dexter already knew.
On the cases of the tapes, there were letters written in what looked to be black sharpie. Which either meant this wasn’t HABITs doing, or maybe it wasn’t that deep and the only thing it had on hand was a black sharpie.
All in all, there were 8 tapes, on them were a bunch of what looked to be random letters, at first glance at least.
Dexter eyed them sceptically. HABIT and Evan both sounded crazy, which he should have expected really.
This was a stalker and murderer with some type of mental disorder after all.
He would have to play these at work, though.
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Waking up, in his bed, after only a couple hours after losing control wasn’t something Evan had experienced before with HABIT, for a while.
It usually liked days of doing as it pleased; however, he wasn’t going to complain.
Safe to say Evan was in a pretty good mood. He did scowl however, when he found the fedora next to his bed. Which he then promptly threw down a trash chute.
I’ll buy another one with your money.
HABITs annoying voice, threw his good mood right out the window.
“Why do you even like those crimes to fashion?” Evan growled and was glad he was alone in his apartment, so he didn’t have to explain his talking to himself.
Geez, someone’s mad, weren’t the Hawaiian shirts the crime to fashion?
“Both are crimes to fashion, and my eyes.” Evan huffed, annoyance basically radiating off him.
You should be grateful for me you know, I’m proving you right to Dexter.
Evans blood ran cold. He knew exactly what HABIT meant, when he said that.
The tapes, that wouldn’t burn, that he had thought were lost to the forest. But of course, nothing ever stayed dead.
This wasn’t how Evan wanted to be proved right. However, he could see, how there really was no way Dexter would ever believe him without them.
Evan could feel the smugness from HABIT and that just made him angry.
“Whatever! I’m going for a run.” Evan said, angrily throwing his hands up in the air.
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Dexter was at work, having already completed his assignment. He waited, to turn it in though, wanting to watch the tapes. And if he said he was doing the assignment, about some murder he didn’t care about, he would have time. Hopefully the tapes weren’t too long.
Tape O:
First the screen was just black, then suddenly it started on what seemed to be a group of friends. They were all smiling and seemed college age maybe. There in the middle was Evan. He was smiling but it looked forced. His gaze was far off, eyes unfocused. Then the screen was filled with static, and a high-pitched sound could be heard. For a split second before the tape cut out, a figure could be seen behind the friends as their faces were contorted in terror.
Tape P:
Evan was sitting at a dining table, alone. He was holding a knife waving it around and talking to the air in front of him. Someone called his name multiple times, but he didn’t seem to hear him. The voice was drowned out, a hand took Evans shoulder making him turn and smile, inhumanly wide. The video cut to look inside from a window. Evan was alone again, covered in blood. In the hallway a figure in a suit could be seen. It didn’t have a face.
Tape E:
A man was talking to Evan, looking concerned. Evan called him Daniel. But it wasn’t Evan - it was HABIT. It convinced Daniel to get closer. Then it promptly strangled him to death. HABIT looking in a cracked mirror. It opened its mouth, wider than a human could. Teeth more canine like. Blood and a purple substance dripped from its mouth. Before finally a spider crawled out of its mouth.
Tape R:
Rabbits flashed on the screen for a second. Then it flashed to Evan and his friends. The song “Run Rabbit Run” could be heard a bit muffled. A dead rabbit was being held up by HABIT. It was smiling with blood covering its mouth. It showed the rabbit, which’s insides were hanging out. Bites covered its mutilated body.
Tape A:
Static. Leaves. A car crashed into a tree, with three dead bodies inside. A man with dead eyes looking, watching, waiting. Someone yelled Jeff, the man ran after the voice, yelling something but the audio became distorted. Blood covered floors. Jeff laying on the ground, scars covering his body as he slowly dies.
Tape T:
An animal like growl. Forest. A blood curdling scream. Limbs and blood cover a room. Evans voice saying, “Jessie?” The Fairmount Children’s Home, falling apart. A body lies in the middle of the room, looking as though an animal has been eating at it for days. Something quickly drags it away. Jeffs voice calls out to Alex.
Tape O:
Flashing colours. Static. A man, he said his name was Vince. Eyes, watching. He said he was sorry. The Fairmount Children’s Home, looking as good as new. Cracked glasses on a floor. Blood. A decomposed body in the woods.
Tape R:
Purple. Static. Ear piercing screams. Blood. Rabbits running around. Evan sitting in the forest, eyes unfocused, a body lying dead next to him. Dead rabbit corpses strung up by their legs. Knives covered in blood. A wound healing itself up in seconds. Evan repeating the words I’m sorry, over and over and over and-
Dexter was suddenly shocked to his senses by a door opening.
He was sweating like crazy and when he looked at the time, he had been there for 3 hours.
“What the hell is with you motherfucker?” Doakes said, suspicion clear on his face.
Dexter calmed himself, outwardly. Inside he was still freaking out a bit. Were HABIT and Evan, right?
“Here’s the report.” Dexter handed it to Doakes with shaking hands.
Jeez, he probably looked like a wreck.