*Trigger Warning: Description of dead body, mention of blood, repeated mention of death, mention of suicide, fainting.*

The morning sunlight streamed through the open window to warm Patton's face, gently waking him from his sleep. He lay still for a moment, listening contentedly to the chirping of birds playing through the fresh spring air, quiet and still and peaceful.

The peace ended the moment Patton tried to get up.

Everything hit him at once. His head felt beyond light. The room spun. He vaguely recognised his lounge room – why wasn't he in his bedroom – why was there a rotting smell – why were his hands red –

Patton stood up and came face to face with himself, hanging from the ceiling.

A long shriek pierced the air, sending the birds outside into a frenzy as they scattered, trying to escape the noise. It took Patton a moment too long to realise that he was making the sound, as he backed up to press against the wall behind him.

His mind revolted against him, unable to make the connection that he was staring at himself, at his own dead corpse as it dangled limply in the air, blood dripping down his arms and body to coalesce beneath him, staining the white carpet a ghastly red. Terror filled every inch of his being as he was forced to realise that he'd died, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from himself, still clad in his favourite pyjamas with the little ducks on them, now coloured crimson instead of blue and gold.

It looks like a suicide.

The unwelcome thought flashed across his mind, and a whole new level of panic washed over him as he realised that he had no memories of the night before. He knew that he hadn't been suicidal – he was certain of that much – but no matter how hard he tried, the last thing he could remember was swinging open the front door as he'd arrived home from school the previous day.

Finally managing to look away from the gruesome sight in the centre of the room, Patton slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, head in his knees, refusing to look up. But no matter how hard he tried to deny the body in the room, nothing could change the facts that he could see the carpet through his knees, that the heavy drip... drip... of blood wasn't going away, that the smell in the room was no longer of lavender but instead of metallic crimson and rotting meat.

The light in the room shifted slightly, and the sound of ceramic dropping to the tiled floor of the adjoining kitchen made Patton snap his head up, desperate to see something different, to wake up from the nightmare this had to be. His mother stood in the doorway, a plate shattered at her feet, mouth agape and eyes wide and horror-filled behind her glasses. Her gaze was locked onto Patton's body, but she didn't scream, not like Patton had. She stepped back, and then stepped back again, before tilting too far backwards and collapsing to the floor.

"Mom!" Patton cried, quickly standing up and rushing to her side. She'd never fainted before, to Patton's knowledge anyway, but it wasn't as if she hadn't had a valid reason. In the back of his mind, he noticed how his voice echoed in the space, as if it wasn't really there, more of a thought than a sound. But his attention was quickly captured by his mother as she lay on the kitchen floor, thankfully uninjured. A dull thump sound had sounded, but no crack – that had to be a good thing, right?

Patton reached for his mother's hand, although whether it was to try to wake her up or to try and hold onto something – anything – tangible, he wasn't sure. For a moment, he thought he'd felt something under his fingers, but then his mom shifted and his hand passed straight through hers, unable to feel anything physical.

Tears shone in his eyes as he stood, watching helplessly as she had to blink slowly back into consciousness and force herself up off the floor. A sob tore from his throat, the noise seeming so empty and intangible next to the scream that his mom let loose. The birds outside scattered again – and unlike Patton's initial shriek of terror, which had summoned nobody, now his father burst into the room, bleary-eyed from sleep to calm his wife.

"Honey, are you alright?" Patton's dad ignored the crunch of the broken plate beneath his slippers, trying to soothe her, trying to stop the wailing that her scream had morphed into, but she was too far gone to be calmed. She couldn't even form words, could barely summon the strength to point weakly in the direction of the lounge.

"Dad, no – don't go in there!" Patton cried, terrified of seeing his dad break down just as his mother had. Despite himself, he tried to grab his father, tears pouring freely from his face now. But just as his hand had gone straight through his mother's, he couldn't make contact with his dad either.

Helplessly, hopelessly, Patton could only watch as his dad fell to his knees.

"Patton! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god –"

He kept repeating the phrase over and over, the sound joining his mother's ceaseless wailing. Patton's sobs added to the cacophony, but he remained painfully aware that the room was empty of whatever sound he made. He stayed in the kitchen, unable to force himself back into the lounge, unable to do anything but sit pressed against the corner and cry. He didn't look up when the police arrived, summoned by a tired neighbour who'd heard the screams of his mother. He didn't look up when his body was carried away, didn't look up when his parents left the house and didn't come back, didn't look up when authorities swept the house for clues, even though one stepped right through him, leaving behind that strange, aching feeling that wasn't quite physical.

No, Patton didn't look up until late that night, when he heard an unfamiliar voice calling his name.

Okay, yes, it's badly written. I'm sorry :P

So this is the first chapter of The Copycat Murderer. I really wasn't happy with the original version of this I had up, so I took it down and completely revamped it. I have something resembling the vague notion of a plot now, so hopefully I can get a little further with it this time XD

So yeah. I don't have a whole lot to write here. 

I hope you find a reason to smile today. :D

Peace out!

- Ace