NATURAL BORN KILLER: DANIEL UNDONE - By: M. A. Brown

From the looks of it, Daniel Martin has it all. He lives in an upscale neighborhood, he’s popular, athletic, and will soon be following in his dad’s footsteps toward becoming a cardiologist. While his

As the last shreds of orange bled from the sky, shadows gathered about the house making it appear even more shrunken and defeated among the sprawling castles of Radiance Hills. Despite shutters widespread like welcoming arms, its very presence was detested by the elite residents. Crouched beneath a chair on the small porch, though already missing the light, the outpost had its use. She’d resided there for six months watching the boy form.

Sometime when they went on their run Helios would slip over to her. There were times they’d met under darkness cover near the cerulean water simply communicating in their own way. Now the time had come to finish the mission and return to the light of their own world.

Daniel, captain of the basketball team, A-student, student body president, and Mr. Popularity, eyed the cottage as he slowly passed. The old homestead as he fondly referred to it in his head, held a special place in his heart. After what he’d done to the cats and poor Miss Pritchard’s tragic end, the teenager couldn’t get enough of looking at it.

Unfortunately, his father, the good Doctor Vincent Martin, was leading the charge to have the place bulldozed and turned into something befitting him and all the other so-called elites of Radiance Hills. Good thing he’d stayed a step ahead, digitalizing his time there, Daniel thought with a wry smile. Or, as a thought flashed through his head, maybe he shouldn’t have.

Pulling his late model SUV into the driveway, he found nothing particularly admirable about his own much larger home with the black shutters, dormer windows, real bricks and professional landscaping. With greenest of green Leyland cypress trees standing sentinel on both sides of the house and the tall wrought-iron fence, the place felt like a fortress.

Barking could be heard from inside " his dog Max welcoming him home. Sometime he got the feeling the animal could sense him a mile away. His long strides carried him quickly forward. Already he could feel his hands in the thick mahogany mane, the sandpaper tongue lavishing his face with doggy kisses.

The beautiful Golden Retriever pounced soon as he opened the door. Max was tall, standing all the way to Daniel’s chest. Tail frisking, dancing about, he made it difficult for him to remove his jacket and hang it in the mudroom off the foyer. “Don’t forget to wash your hands,” his mother, Claudia, called from the kitchen. He tried to decipher the timber of her voice. Sounded like bubbly Claudia would be present at the dinner table. She had cooked. Another good sign.

The scent of spaghetti sauce hanging in the air made Daniel’s mouth water. As his hands danced across Max’s body, the tall teenager zoned out. The shaggy coat became that of a cat beneath his fingers. The urge was strong, guiding him, making him see what wasn’t. Eyes glazed, his fingers manacled the dog’s neck, tightening until Max yelped, struggling to free himself from the death grip around his throat.

“What are you two doing?” His mom’s bubbly voice brought him back from the dark place. “Just rough-housing a bit,” he laughed, attempting to clasp an arm around Max to give him an apologetic hug. The normally loyal to the bone retriever scurried off. His long strides took him to his mother. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and took the steps two at a time to change out of his school things.

While Max wisely kept a safe distance, Daniel devoured two heaping plates of spaghetti. Obviously Claudia was having a happy moment, beaming at him between forkfuls of pasta. His dad was attending a doctor’s conference. The cardiologist would be gone three straight days. Daniel couldn’t say that he missed the man especially the way he seemed to be always watching him lately. Again his earlier thought nagged briefly at him and again he dismissed it.

His mother looked younger, more relaxed during his dad’s absence. She’d grown accustomed to it being just the two. Crossing her eyes she rocked her head side to side. A cartoonish character, she sucked a long string of spaghetti into her mouth then giggled like a little girl.

Claudia’s handsome athletic son had a way of making her feel young. That she’d almost lost him, along with the other two made her love him that much more. She should’ve been overjoyed, was overjoyed at having been given a second chance at motherhood. Still she couldn’t help but regret …She turned the glass of wine up to her head to stifle the thought.

Some people’s glass could never be filled according to her husband. Warmth creeping slowly across her face and neck, she wondered if she was as he said, one of those people who had to have something to wallow in agony over. They were living some would say, beyond the American dream and yet Claudia’s cup remained half full.

He could point the finger at her all he wanted, she thought dourly, but she wasn’t a fool. Maybe the brunette she’d seen him with in the restaurant had clouded his judgment. When he was supposed to be working, there he was sitting across the table from a woman who looked young enough to be his daughter. When he returned on Friday, she would let him know the jig was up that she would no longer be playing the fool.

“Don’t forget to walk Max.” His mother’s voice sounded distant as she hacked into the store-bought dessert. Soon a sizeable chunk of cherry pie was on the saucer she was handing him. The crimson oozing slowly onto the bottom of the small plate awakened feelings in Daniel he would’ve preferred remained dormant.

He gobbled the food blindly then hollered for Max, trying to forget the bubbling bliss he’d felt with his hands wrapped around the dog’s throat, squeezing. “Seconds,” Claudia urged proud eyes scintillating as diamonds upon him. “Nope, I’m stuffed.” To prove it he leaned back, palms scrubbing against rock-hard abs.

He could’ve eaten the whole pie and still not gained an ounce of weight. But after their closest neighbor, the perfectly fit Mr. Garrison, who never went without his daily jog and morning swim, suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack, Daniel realized no matter how much he exercised, if he continued to eat a bunch of crap, ninety percent of his arteries were likely to clog too.

On Radiance Hills, Mr. Garrison had been known as the grill master. The man cooked steak darn near everyday according to Mrs. Garrison. No amount of exercise could get rid of all that fat from those high end choice cuts that were his favorite.

Scooting from the chair, Claudia whipped around the table thin arms wrapping around Daniel’s shoulders. “Two doctors in the family. Oh yeah.” Pride oozed through her words as she ruffled his thick, flaxen hair. Normally he would’ve avoided her coddling hands. This time he stood still, a portrait of magnanimity. The least he could do since he would be off to school come fall.

Claudia was saying something, but Daniel’s thoughts had already turned to getting a job in the lab at the university where hopefully there would be cats, lots and lots of them. He remained immobile until she was done having her way with him.

In rare form she whooped it up, dancing around the table collecting the dirty plates and dancing off with them to the sink. Amid the noise of the disposal she said over a shoulder, “Walk Max before it gets too dark, okay.” Returning to the table she plopped into the chair as though putting dishes inside the dishwasher had worn her out. Daniel stilled himself for the oncoming drama.

A hand clamped over her mouth, squeezing her jaws as if she was trying to hold back a scream. “All those poor animals,” she said, head shaking sadly. “I’m sure if the b*****d hasn’t already he’d be killing people soon. He’s getting a rush from the kills. Eventually though, cats won’t do it for him.” Spoken like a true psychiatrist, except she wasn’t.