1 The Crying Baby Mask

It was a black night out, darker than either detective can remember. The older detective stares down the neighborhood street, the police cars headlight making only the street visible. The houses on either side of their car seem to blend in with the darkness. "Remember rookie, what we are driving into is a fucked up situation." The older investigator grimly states to his partner. "I understand Kaito, the only thing you will hear of me is my pen scribbling against the paper as I take notes."Kaito nods at his partners' response as he starts thinking of the questions and answers he is going to be giving. The car makes the next turn and in the distance they can see the street, lit up with red and white flashes that originate from the top of a police car.

As the car slows down and pulls up next to the only house on the street with their lights on. A fellow officer is already making his way to them from the front of the house, Kaito can see that the man heading towards them is visibly shaking. Kaito looks at his partner struggling to get out of his seatbelt. "Get a hold of yourself rookie, I know this is your first murder scene. Whatever you do, do not throw up inside that house. You need to puke, get the fuck outta the crime scene and aim for the top of a police car, preferably not ours. "The rookie gives Kaito a questioning look." I don't want you throwing up in their house or their yard or anywhere that might have a footprint, a piece of hair, a fingerprint or any evidence at all. That's why you aim for shit that you know wasn't there at the time of the murder. "

After Kaito finished with his rant, he opens his car door and steps out, greeting the cold night, he can hear the officer walking towards him picking up his pace. Kaito meets the officer on the side walk and they both extend their arms and grabbing each other's hand forming a handshake. "My name is Kaito a detective in the twenty second precent, who are you and what happened in the house." The two man let go of their handshake,"Kaito, my name is Sumo Tio from the five three precent. An Asian male thirty three years old was murder in front of his wife and two sons but its more complicated than that. Did you hear what happened a few days ago about seven miles away from here? "Kaito looks at Sumo and starts connecting the gruesome murder that happened a few nights ago to the Asian father that was murdered less than an hour ago. They both turned as they heard a door shut and see Kaitos' partner slowly walking towards them, searching his pockets for his notepad and pen. "Hurry up Haru" Kaito yells at his partner as he turns around and walks past Sumo towards the house.

As Kaito steps over the threshold of the home, he can start to hear the muffled cries of the surviving family, he slowly makes his way towards their voices and makes an abrupt stop in their family room. "Fuck" he mumbles to himself as he sees four chairs in a circle all empty but one. The Asian father slumped down in the circle of chairs the part of his left side of his head is splattered against the wall. Kaito starts to hear dry heaving behind him and as he turns around he sees Haru covering his mouth trying to stop anything from coming out. "Haru what the fuck did I just say."

A few days later:

Reo Suzuki was sitting in his last class of the day watching the clocks second hand slowly complete its circle. As more and more circles became completed and the minutes ticked by he started to hear his class start to pack up and get ready to go home. "I dismiss you not the clock or the school bell" he heard his teacher irritably say to the class. Only a moment later Reo heard the chime of the school bell signally the end of the day. "Dismissed" he overheard the teacher say as his class finished packing their backpacks. Reo flipped his backpack containing his school supplies over his shoulder he heard some of the whispers of his schoolmates. "Did you hear what happened again a few nights ago" one of the girls said to her friends. "Yeah, I'm scarred, they haven't caught the person who did it and that's the second family he visited." One of her friends responded, as Reo slowly started making his way out the classroom and down the halls of the school. Similar conversations were appearing everywhere. They have been recycling the same conversations since it began a week and a half ago. Two families each with someone murdered in front of them. So far to the publics chagrin, the police haven't been able to find the one responsible or anything about him.

Reo started his long walk from school to home, normally it took about a half an hour. But on some occasions he got to see her, the class president waiting outside the school for her ride home. Reo always took the time to memorize her features. 'It's the little things that make life happy' he would tell himself as he stared past the groups of students heading somewhere else, his eyes always landed on her bare legs first and then slowly traveled up her body to see her in the school uniform, her school skirt that ended in the middle of her thigh and the white women's blouse that was loosely tucked into her skirt. He always finished at her black silky hair. All of a sudden Reo felt a hand slam against his back, "come on Reo, stop staring lets grab some snacks on our way" Kota said. Reo and Kota have known each other since first grade. They went from primary school all the way to high school together always in the same class until this year. "Yeah, sounds good Kota" Reo distractedly replied, Reo's feet slowly shuffling forwards.

"So Reo, tomorrows going to be tough for you, I can't believe that it has been almost exactly a year since your father passed away." Reo starred at Kota waiting for him to finish saying what he was going to say. "I know your mom Miyu took it really hard and I'm sure she's not over it yet." Reo continued to stare waiting for Kato to get to his point. "But I am sure your twin sisters Yuma and Yume are gonna need a shoulder to cry on, and I err, would like to offer my shoulder to soak up their tears." Reo immediately shoved Kato into the convenience store that they were walking to. "Look Kato, I know my father was a right dick and a mean drunk, but that doesn't give you the right to hit on my sisters tomorrow" Reo stated as he was browsing the chip section. "I know my sisters are a year younger than us and you have the most massive crush on Yuma but still show some class." Right after Reo finished the sentence Kato popped his head above the aisle and started searching the store, making sure Yuma or Yume wasn't there, "keep it down Reo, they pop up at like the most inconvenient moments, you know how the twins are" Kato whispered desperately.

Reo and Kato with their hands full of chips and drinks arrived at the counter, "Together or separate" the clerk said in a monotone statement. "Together" Kato replied before Reo had a chance to let a word out of his mouth. "I got this Reo, just remember about the shoulder soaking thing" Kato playfully said to his friend, as Reo was rolling his eyes. As they both walked out of the convenience store each with a bag full of food and drinks to start their weekend, Kato started opening his largest bag of chips he purchased. "Hey Reo, wanna try this flavor." Reo looked at the bag to see what kind his friend purchased, Cheddar and Grape Doritos, the bag read. "Dude Kato, you pick the shittiest flavors, that's why Yuma won't even think of dating you." Kato gasped "Reo how could you say that, this is the wine and cheese of the chip world, this is just too sophisticated for you to understand."

Nearing Kato's house him and Reo parted ways, Reo still had a few more houses to pass till he got to his. Reo walked up to his door and tried to open it 'that's weird it's locked before I come home' as Reo started searching his backpack for his house key he heard the door unlock. Reo looked at the door expecting it to be one of the twins as he shuffled his backpack over his shoulder. But as the door cracked open he started at a man in a mask that gave him a face of an infant crying holding a gun pointed right at his left eye.

"We have been waiting for you Reo, please be a dear and come inside, you whole is family is dying to see you." Reo gaped at the man holding the gun, he dressed in expensive clothing, a long sleeve dress shirt and black jeans. Reo could feel his chest pulse, each beat became louder and louder. Reo slowly stepped into his home and the gun was constantly following his movement. As the beating in chest continued to become louder he barely missed the audible sobs he heard coming from the next room. Reo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in 'they are still alive' he thought. Reo slowly made it around the corner of his house, and what he found in the next room brought him into a realization someone in his family was going to die today.

In his family room were four chairs in a circle. "Why don't you have a seat little Reo, come come, I have a perfect spot for you." The masked man said as he pointed to the only seat unoccupied. As Reo sluggishly sat in his chair, to his right was his mother Miyu she sat there in her office attire, a white blouse that usually was tucked neatly into her dress slacks, to his left was his sister Yume and across from him sat Yuma both of them still wearing their schools uniform. As Reo looked at his family he noticed that each of their legs, chest and their left arm were bound to the chair, leaving the right arm unconstrained. He looked at his family and each of them had rags stuffed in their mouth and taped over so they couldn't spit it out. He saw the fear etched in the eyes of each of them and tears that streamed down the sides of their faces.

"I Love you all of y" Reo started to say but was interrupted by a rag being slammed into his open mouth by a gloved hand. "Now now little Reo, I can easily see this is a loving family. No need to rub it in my face." The masked man cheerfully said as he threw some duct tape to Reo and pointed his gun at Yume. "Ok Reo time to tape that beautiful mouth closed for me and your family." As the masked man began reaching for some rope, "and after that I'm going to ask you very nicely to tie your legs, chest and lastly tape your left arm to the chair. Please comply with me little Reo because, if not I am going to add another hole to your sweet Yume's face."

As Reo was securely in his chair and only his right arm was free the masked man sauntered into middle of the circle. "I am sure you heard the media talk about little ole me the last few days. They like to call me the executioner but that name just seems a little too dark for my taste. I prefer being called Funhouse, cause that's what we're going to do in this house is have some fun." He giddily stated as twirled around in a circle so he could see each of the teary eyed faces. "Come now, don't you guys want to cheer up and play a game?" he asked them as he removed a gun from the back of his jeans that was underneath his long sleeve shirt, he was now holding a gun in each hand. "Now this my dear Suzuki's is a .22 revolver and it can hold up to nine shots. That means I can shoot each of you twice and still have one left over, isn't it wonderful?" Funhouse said through his smile under his mask as he pretended to playfully shoot each of them twice.

"Okay, enough of me playing now it's your turn. This game is sorta like duck duck goose, the gun is the duck and the bullet is the goose. Each of you is going to take the gun and point it at the person next to you and shoot at their pretty little faces. Oh, and here is the fun part, the gun only has one bullet so that means, one two three of you are going to be able to live. Isn't that nice of me." Funhouse gleefully stated as he loaded the gun pulled from his backside with a bullet. "Okay let us start with the person who arrived here the latest and rudely made us wait." As funhouse handed the gun to Reo. Reo shakily grabbed the gun started at it, as he looked up from the gun and looked at his crying sobbing terrified mother.

It was at that moment that Reo decided. Fuck you Mr. Funhouse, and fuck your game. He quickly pointed at the masked man that calmly stood in the middle of them. "Reo, look at you looking mighty and manly." Funhouse joyfully stated without a care in the world. "I'll tell you what my handsome boy if you press that trigger you have a one in nine chance of it firing and maybe killing me. But if it doesn't kill me, I am slowly going to peel the flesh off of each of you. So let us just play the game okay!" Funhouses cheerful voice carried over to Reo, Reo still pointing the gun at the masked man his mind thinking of the probability of the gun even firing, then hitting and killing Mr. Funhouse. 'It seems unlikely and I would never want to put my family in danger, especially for an eleven percent chance.'

As Reo lowered the gun and stopped aiming at Funhouse, he looked at each of his family members individually, trying to portray his love through eye contact as best he could. Reo with new found resolution pointed the gun at the temple of his own head and pulled the trigger as fast and as many times he could. As the hammer on the gun raised back he stared into the mask of an infant crying trying as fast as Reo could to get as many shots in before he was stopped. Strangely the masked man did nothing but tilt his hand and watch. The first hammer fell, Reo hoping to hear the bang from the gun heard nothing but a soft click. The second squeeze of the trigger was only a repeat performance. The third time the hammer on the gun fell and he heard it, the beautiful noise, the noise that meant his mother and sisters got to live. "Huh, first time that happened, he must have really loved you guys to shoot himself." Funhouse said to himself as he walked past Reo's dead body and out of their home forever.