I’ve spent my whole career studying Slasher Syndrome. This case managed to be the most memorable.

Signature Slasher Syndrome Symptoms:

Homicidal tendencies.

Psychological muteness.

Urges to cover the face.

Increased adrenaline production.

I know these symptoms by heart. I memorized these by heart. They ARE my heart.

So when Kieran Sharp entered my care, I realized something was wrong.

According to the file, one day he put on a mask with a crudely drawn smiley face on it and massacred his neighbors.

Then, things start to diverge from the standard story.

Slashers only kill people around teenage adolescence to middle age. Some kill the elderly, but almost none of them go below that limit.

Kieran was the only Slasher I knew that killed three toddlers.

Brutal too. Tiny limbs torn off. Knives plunged into oversized eyes. Round heads with lopsided necks.

I listened to the 911 call their grandparents made. You can’t erase their wails from your soul.

But despite what Kieran dis, I truly believe in the three R’s:

Recovery

Redemption

Repentance

Working on his case, I noticed other anomalies.

He was fine with leaving his face exposed.

Most slashers go in a sort of withdrawal when separated from a mask. Some severe cases even tear off their own face.

Kieran? He was as cool as a cucumber.

I had interviews with him. I found them enlightening, in a way.

I asked him questions, knowing full well they would never respond.

And he didn’t. But not in the way I expected.

They usually are dead silent. The only noise emanating from their bodies were breaths. Still as a statue all the while.

They certainly don’t sigh or chuckle. They don't lean back in their chair and tilt their heads to the side, smirking all the while.

I clung on to the theory that this was some rare new form of the illness.

State law states all Slashers can undergo the death, but only with the consent of their caretakers. 

I had my final interview with him today.

“Kieran. I made a difficult decision today.”

He leaned in closer. His infernal smirk spreading.

“I’ve sent a request… They approved it.”

He tilted his head to the side like some lopsided infant’s corpse.

“You’re going to be put to death tomorrow.”

He cackled like a cartoon witch.

And then the impossible happened:

He spoke.

“What took you so long?”

It was really obvious in hindsight. Kieran was a decent actor at best.

Mr. Sharp never had Slasher Syndrome.

Just a severe case of humanity.