BY: Linoria Cintron
The air in Dr. Mercer’s office always smelled faintly of lavender and old paper. Detective Leo Vance sat in the leather armchair, staring at the small paper cup in his hand containing his daily PTSD medication.
“It stabilizes the neural pathways after your blackouts, Leo,” Dr. Mercer said softly, tapping his pen against his notepad. “Your brain is attempting to shield you from the trauma of the Night Stalker case.”
For six months, Leo had been leading the task force hunting a serial killer who targeted high-profile figures across the city. But lately, Leo’s memory was full of holes. He’d wake up in his car with no recollection of how he got there, or find hours unaccounted for on his wrist watch.
That evening, Leo returned to the precinct’s vault to review old interrogation tapes from the third victim’s crime scene. He slipped the disc into the player, watching the grainy, timestamped security footage from the alleyway behind the victim’s building.
The video showed a figure in a heavy coat stepping out of the shadows at 11:42 PM.
Leo leaned closer to the monitor. There was something familiar about the posture, the uneven stride. He zoomed in on the figure’s wrist. Under the flicker of the streetlamp, a silver watch face reflected the light, engraved with a distinct scratch across the bezel.
Leo slowly lowered his head and looked at his left wrist. The exact same scratch stared back at him.
His breath caught. He checked the date of the footage: March 12th. He opened his personal journal to that date. His own handwriting read: 11:30 PM: Session with Dr. Mercer. Took evening dose.
Hands shaking, Leo pulled out the digital file for his own medical records, cross-referencing the chemical compound of his “PTSD medication.” The clinical breakdown wasn’t an anti-anxiety drug at all. It was an experimental, short-acting amnestic—a compound designed to wipe short-term memory within thirty minutes of ingestion.
The door to the viewing room clicked open.
Leo didn’t turn around as Captain Hayes stepped inside, accompanied by two armed officers and Dr. Mercer.
“You weren’t supposed to review the raw alleyway footage, Leo,” Captain Hayes said quietly, his voice laced with a heavy, grim resignation.
Leo stood up, his heart hammering against his ribs. “The pills… Mercer wasn’t treating my PTSD. He was erasing my night hours.”
“You came to us six months ago, Leo,” Dr. Mercer said, his voice entirely devoid of its usual warmth. “You were terrified because you suspected you were walking in your sleep, doing things you couldn’t control. But you were the lead detective. If we arrested you outright, your defense team would have torn our circumstantial evidence apart.”
The sickening truth hit Leo like a physical blow.
“You didn’t stop me,” Leo whispered, the horror rising in his throat. “You gave me the amnestics to keep me functional during the day so I’d keep leading the investigation… and used me as live bait at night.”
“We needed concrete proof,” Hayes said, raising his service weapon. “Every time you took the pill, we had a team tailing you in the dark, waiting for you to lead us to the evidence you hid during your blackouts. Tonight, you led us right to it.”
Leo stared at his captain, his therapist, and his own reflection in the dark glass of the monitor. The deadliest killer in the city wasn’t a phantom he was hunting, instead it was the man standing in his own shoes, completely unaware of the monster living behind his own eyes.
Linoria Cintron is a high school senior at Ocoee High School graduating in 2027 and planning to go to college for biology on a pre-med track to eventually become a D.O. At school she keeps herself busy with rigorous coursework, holding a couple leadership positions, being in clubs, and playing soccer.
She has loved reading for as long as she can remember, and that passion naturally grew into a love for writing. Ever since she was little, she enjoyed creating her own stories and bringing different characters to life on the page, she happily showed her parents every story and was so proud of them. Now as a young adult, writing allows her to express her creativity and explore new ideas whenever she has free time, whether it’s creating a new world or just putting her feelings into words.
Her favorite spooky movie is “Hocus Pocus!”