"I guess there isn't much you can do now, young pup," his grin is really annoying. And pup? For someone ready to kill, he has a poor array of insults. Forget that though, he's coming for me, really slowly, and I can't escape this paint, it acts like some sort of glue at the bottom and some sort of wall at the top. I could escape the "wall" if it wasn't for the gluey sides and bottom. And what's that weird makeup he's wearing? Is he cosplaying?

"Your insults suck man," maybe this will distract him so I can figure something out.

"Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter since the only ones who listen to them, are dead," his grin remains obnoxious. His voice is pretty nice though, I bet we could've had a nice talk, if he wasn't a murderer. But that bought me some time. What's around me, what can I use?... Nothing! It's a damn crosswalk, and this guy got me stuck inside one of these lines. How is that even possible?

"Oh ho. You seem confused, puppy." his insults still suck, and that predatory look makes it worse, the balding spot at the center of the head doesn't help either. "I can control the white lines of the crosswalk, make them stretchier or sturdier. So, I stretched one of them at the bottom, then made it be sturdier at the top, it allowed me to-". Okay he's talking to himself. What is there to do? "You're not listening are you?"

"Huh? Oh no, definitely. You stuck me in here and now you want to kill me." Damn it. I can't shake it off, it's like being stuck in glue at the bottom and cement at the top.

"This is why I chose to kill you, kitten." Christ almighty "I can't stand people who don't listen to what I say. It drives me mad! Do you know how it feels to be ignored by those around you? All I hear is "Uh, huh." and "Cool, yeah.". Do I not deserve to be listened?!" he's angry now. But maybe this...

"What do you want to talk about man? I'm here to listen." this should draw some more time, perhaps someone will walk by.

"You want to listen...? Really?!" he seems excited, even with that weird, gross look, his eyes seem to glitter.

"Yeah man. I don't have many...well any friends. So I would be happy to listen to what you have to say." not really but maybe this will allow me to-

"You have no idea...just how long I've been waiting to talk with someone about my thesis on Wars of Stars!" oh no. I get that my life hangs into me listening to this guy. But I have this bad habit I developed, where I can't listen to something I'm not interested in for...longer than thirty seconds.

"And he was throwing his saber, so I know for sure it wasn't a fluke!" was he talking already?! Never mind thirty seconds, this guy activated my habit in less than two seconds. Think, think! My clothes! I have this lube in my pocket. If only I can reach it...

"Liar!" that almost scared me. "You said you would listen, but you did not! How dare you?! After I poured my heart to tell you about Zakin and-" not good, he made me drift away once more. My eyes are on him, yet it's like his screaming, kicking and knife swinging don't even exist. It's really like the rest of my life...

3 days ago

*In other news, the Crosswalk Killer adds to their number of victims. It is unknown how these crimes happen during daytime as the bodies are fou-* that's enough news for my morning.

My name is Christian. I live in a large city, in a decent apartment. I've been single ever since I moved out from my hometown, although my looks are not half bad. Of course, looks are not an issue, I maintain myself pretty well and I like to maintain a clean environment around me. Problem is, of course, my damn job. In order to upkeep my standards, I have to work twelve hours a day. Six, sometimes seven, days a week. 

The working schedule is all over the place as well, so I can't even make plans, friends or have a girlfriend. You may wonder why I haven't stayed a bit longer with my parents. Well, that's because I thought it was about time to move out. It wasn't even that my parents kicked me or something. It's just that my friends have left town and since I was twenty at the time I left, now twenty four, I can't imagine myself back with them. I couldn't since the day I decided so. Foolish for some, but it's the way I live. As to why I haven't quit my job, I just don't know what else to work as. I know how to do one thing, so I do it until I learn to do something else.

"How do you knot this tie again? Up, left, down? No, maybe, down, right, up," this is annoying "I don't even know why I bother. He's going to scold me anyway for not tying it properly." my boss never let's me off the hook. It's like a strange habit, or rather, kink of his to yell at me. "Well, anyway, time to go, once more, as per usual." God the sun is bright today.

I leave my apartment later in the morning, since, as mentioned, my schedule is all over the place. There is a road leading to my workplace pretty quickly, but since two years ago, I never took it again. Two reasons for that. One, it allows me to be late for work, about three minutes. When you do what I do, every minute counts. Two, choice and routine. The shorter road only accomplishes the routine part, but not the choice part. Me choosing the longer path every time, is about one of the only choices I retain. For most it wouldn't seem like much. For me though, it's the tinniest bit of freedom I find in this loop I've been running in for the past four years.

"You're late Christian!" Boss at it again in the morning "You know what being late means?!" I could say something nasty here, like 'More pleasure for you?' since I have a feeling he gets off this kind of thing. I don't however, I just comply, he likes to give it back to me.

"What does it mean sir?" I'm trying my best to hide my look of 'I don't care' but it's rather hard, and I think he started to notice in the past year.

"Money! You're losing me money you imbecile!" god his voice is so loud, I bet it's that large belly of his amplifying the sound, or perhaps that ridiculous mustache makes it resonate through the hairs. "Now, get your ass back to work, or I'll cut away from your salary!" he says that, although he never does it. I do, however, always see him smirking as he turns his back. The disadvantage of being short and fat, is that I can see his face from a good angle, as he needs to lean back a bit to make way for his belly.

Anyhow, back to work. Twelve hours of reading and replying to customer complaints. Yeah, how exhilarating, I know. It's what I know to do, and I get paid a decent sum for it. Many probably would have left by now, which most do, I'm the longest standing employee. I don't wear that as a badge of honor, more like a counter for how much misery I prolong myself to. At this point I only have to wonder if it's better living on the streets or working on minimum wage for some fast food. 

"I bother for nothing with these thoughts. Whether it's in here, with a good pay but shitty schedule, or worse pay and better schedule, I still have to give something to gain something." it's like a universal rule, give something, to get something. Whatever God decided that this is how life should go, I should have a talk with them "Although I would probably just beg for mercy as it smites me. He he."

"Can you shut up for a hot minute bro?" that's my 'neighbor' so to speak, Markus. He stays in the cubicle next to mine and he mainly talks to his girlfriend instead of doing his job. I should tell him one good today.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll keep it down." tomorrow, I'll be sure to tell it to him tomorrow. Someone with a girlfriend must have some backbone. At least, I know I had some when I could still fool around with some girl.

"Yeah. It's the same moron. I know. What kind of loser spends more than one month in this kind of crap?" he knows I can hear him. Although, he's right in a sense. I'm doing this to myself. I just don't see how to stop it, as I don't have anything else I'm good at.

I'll just focus on my task. Ever once in a while, I find some interesting complaint. Like some old lady once thought that we're the police, only to report that some guy didn't 'Do it good enough with her', further explaining that if he at least breaks into her house, to do her good. "Old people sometimes."

"I told you to shut up asshole!" I contained a sudden urge to punch him as he kicked my cubicle. In my mind, I already punched him. I have these pens, they're placed in such a way so that if I take one from behind, the others will form a color scheme as they fall in place. It's nerdy and not so important, but it's something I do to keep my mind preoccupied. Now, this guy over to my left, knocked them out of order! I'm so close to moan in his phone, make it seem like he cheats her with some other girl. I won't though. It will only lead to further disruptions in my routine.

"I'm heading off boss." I always say my goodbyes, although he never responds in kind. It's just me enacting a bit of control over this hellhole. I then take the long road back as well. It's rough out here with all the crosswalk killings, but I can't be stopped. "I'm a force of nature if I can say so myself. He he." I must stop doing this laughing to myself. I probably won't, I'm the only thing keeping me entertained. "That and the occasional old lady in heat. Heh." maybe I should become a comedian. Probably not a good idea.

Present day

*A new murder has occurred. This time however, it was during midnight and at the cent-*

"I guess now the Crosswalk Killer will become the Midnight Cross Killer or something." I'm not really good at giving names, although that sounds pretty cool "If I can say so myself. Hmph.". Now though, back to it "Up and down and then left?"

"If this isn't God taking it out on me, I don't know what it is." really? On my crosswalk? Do killers not have manners or good sense?! Dogs don't go into enemy peed territory, humans aren't supposed to break into your home and killers aren't suppose to kill on crosswalks! It's common sense for Christ's sake. "This is not good. It's a routine for a reason. I must do something." crap, they're looking at me now. Now that I look at it, it's only some police barriers "They can't arrest me or something for it right?" What am I even saying, it's like I need my kick out of walking on the damn thing.

I took the short route and got drenched by some car. Not only that, I'm also early. This can't get any worse.

"Christian!!" bit my tongue already after his scream. I won't let it run like that ever again, even if it's just in my mind "In my office! Right now!" this is not good, anywhere but there.

"Boss, I'm sure we can tal-" I had to try.

"Now!!" he can't be budged. So, here I go. If there is a God, please show your mercy just this once. Just this once, not this da-

"Markus, your colleague, told me about you, you scoundrel!" and there he is, yelling at me naked, his imposing stance somehow makes it worse, like he's puffing his chest and stuff, and it makes it more obvious.

"Told you what sir?" it's not fair to me that I grew accustomed to this stuff. His thang is just messed up. It must be all these things I heard about-dammit, I'm getting distracted. What is he saying?

"And for you to yell at him?! Do you want to drive this company into the ground Christian?!" he said what now?

"Sorry sir, but maybe I misheard you. I yelled at him? With no disrespect sir but he hasn't wor-" of course he won't let me finish.

"Christian!!" I'm still here, there is no reason to scream any louder. Those guts must have their limits "Do you know how hard is to get young talent this day?! How dare you try to drive him away?!" you say that as you fling your thang around like it's some piece of art? And if he has talent, I'm worth a billion bucks.

"Sir, if you give me some space elsewhere, I'm sure we can just-" I have the patience of an angel to let him interrupt me when he's like that.

"Space?! Elsewhere?! And who's money should pay for that?! Oh, yes. You're right. I guess that's a suitable punishment." he says punishment? I've been working my ass for the past four years, and my compensation is shitty colleagues and punishment? I should kick him while naked. If anyone barges in and calls the police, he will have no choice but say it as it happened.

"Sir. If you're going to punish me, I'm going to-" I wanted to say kick you. Then again, he likes to interrupt me.

"What? Leave?! I know you Christian, you can't quit. You're too stupid to do it," so he says, without knowing what has been taken from me. I feel like I could do about anything now. Maybe even take some pictures of him naked and give them to rival companies. I feel daring today.

"I understand sir. I just-" of course I end up shutting up, whether he interrupts me or not. At least I won't have to see that too soon. He only pulls the naked card when he's really angry, or excited I guess. It's hard to get a read on him.

"Back to work you devil!" I can't imagine how his mom sounds when she screams.

"Over here, Christian." finally a voice I'm glad to hear, Elise. A beautiful accountant, has come to save me. Or so I thought. She led me into hell "You're going to sit in this cubicle from now on. It might get a bit noisy, but I'm sure you'll be fine." how can she smile so pretty, especially when she just kicked me down in the pits of hell. This cubicle is notorious, as no one stays in any three cubicle range from it. The reason for it? The ancient printer that malfunctions. It makes this loud screech every time it prints something. And, of course, my boss needs to print his papers more often than he has to. I saw him throwing a stack of paper away one time, freshly printed too. It's as if he does it to screw with everyone.

"Hey there brother." as it couldn't get any worse, Markus is here. "I hope you don't mind me for a moment here, I have like three hundred papers since last month. You know how it is, sometimes you're busy, sometimes you're not." I now came to understand why people believe there is a hell. "Oh, and by the way. I borrowed some of your pens. Mine break so easily, and you take good care of yours so I-".

I simply blanked my mind for the rest of the day. It seems that I cannot face reality any longer as it is. I can feel my blood, my bones, my whole being, it's all reaching the boiling point. I can't even throw a fit or a punch, I'm simply not violent or anything. 

"Is a man looking for some peace, that much to wish for?" something only someone up there could answer, although, they're probably just laughing at my misery. At the end of the day, I felt like my whole soul got sold by someone else. That's just how out of control everything around me was. "Disarray. There is no order. Routine is broken. Reality must be corrected." I don't whisper that sort of stuff to myself usually, but it felt right today. Maybe I should've toned it down with the crazy eyes as I left though. Some people may get the wrong impression.

I didn't even say goodbye. It's not that he deserves any, it's just my control that I must have, so I apply it however I can. Yet he took that too, he said goodbye for the first time to me on a whim, fully clothed too. "I failed as a human being," everyone knows it. I'm just the only one saying it to myself.

"Screw it. I don't care about societal norms and what's right or wrong. I'm going to get what I want. Control," and so I headed for the crosswalk. I don't care if there died the president and they made a monument on top of it. I will walk across the crosswalk and through anything that stands to stop me.

I made walked the road at my usual pace. It started to feel right once more. The steady, slow pace, the slightly cold breeze of the night, the clear sky with but a cloud here and there, letting that moon light my road forward. "A perfect night to get back into it," and it truly is. If this will feel half as good, as it was bad for me today, I might feel changed. Maybe I'll do what I wanted for so long, and get a pet. "How exciting," this day truly brought me close to the brink, if I'm getting all giddy like this.

"Now here I am!" I wanted her to hear me. She doesn't have a name or anything, but she doesn't need one, she's perfect as is. All the tire marks, footsteps, the occasional gum thrown casually. I loved them all about her, even her new red spots here and there. "Perfect." a tear with that, for this is truly great.

I started with the first step. It felt "Divine. I regained my soul.". If this is how they feel when they reach the heavens, then I can die right now, happy. As I look at these lines, I feel a sense of harmony surging through my body.

"Te hee." I look up to see it, a figure on it. Whoever that is, they should know that I'm the only one allowed to step outside the boundaries of law and touch this sacred place. "Hey there. Are you lost, pup?" I hope on all that's good on this earth, that that wasn't an insult.