Happy Together

It was still and quiet. The halls were empty and bare, signs that it hadn't housed an occupant in years. Except until now.
Sweat drenched her terrified face as she ran down the hallways. Moonlight was the only source of light filtering through the old windows, she struggled to see what was ahead of her. But she could see the silhouette trailing behind, she could hear his playful humming. It made a sickening duet with her gasps for air.
Looking back forward, the woman cried out as she crashed into a set of lockers. She looked back at the silhouette behind her and pushed herself off the wall and into the closest room. It was a classroom. She turned her head as she heard the humming once more. There wasn't much time left. Her eyes caught the teacher's desk first, and she ran to hide underneath it. Her knees pressed tight against her chest, her hands clamped against her mouth. Tears prickled her eyes. Please... Please let her escape.
The humming stopped. So did the footsteps.
The silence was deafening.
The door squeaked open. Footsteps came inside.
No. Please no.
Closer. Heavier.
Then nothing again.
Every second felt like an hour.
"There you are."

The figure crouched besides the woman, or what remained of her. His finger trailed off the shattered remains of the desk, leaving a bloody smiley face in its place. One of the many that surrounded the scene. He started to stand up when something caused him to stop. A phone. He picked it up. The screen was cracked, but it was still working. He scrolled through the contacts until he found a name he'd been looking for.
Lionel Harrison.
"I finally found you."

Justin stared at the files on his desk. Countless reports, pictures and drawings all describing the same thing: brutal murders; limbs ripped off and used to stab others, bones literally crushed, stabbings that were stretched as wide as possible. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. All done by the same person too - Justin glanced at the picture besides the files, the image someone had gotten of the murderer: a man with a paper bag over his head.
There were three new reports this week. Justin wiped his hands over his face. This was getting out of hand...
"Yo, you still staring at your desk?"
Justin blinked. It stung. He had no idea how strained his eyes were. He looked up to find a blonde cop standing over his desk with a half-smile. "You could say you sleep with your eyes open and I'd believe it after what I saw," he laughed.
"Yeah, yeah," Justin mumbled while rubbing his eyes. "You just spend the entire day staring at me, creep?" he smirked.
"Hey, you never know when crime pops up! You could be a criminal in disguise, for all I know," the cop joked back before patting his shoulder. "C'mon, it's lunch time. Freddy's busy and I don't want to eat alone. Join me. It'll be my treat."
"On your salary? We sharing a cup of ramen?"
"Well, you know I've always been the romantic type."
Justin laughed. "All right, let's go."

It was just a simple diner, but one close to the precinct. It wasn't uncommon to see officers here. "Hey Officer West," greeted one of the waitresses. Judging by the way she and the other workers acted around the blonde, it was safe to say it was even less uncommon to see him here.
She showed them to their table, a booth against the windows in the middle of the diner. As she handed them their menus she snuck another glance at the blonde. "I hear Smiley's on this side of town now," she said. "You think you can catch him before anything happens?"
Officer West smiled sweetly. "You know I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. But if anything, the one you should be asking is right here!" He motioned to Justin. "Detective Morris here is in charge of Smiley's case!"
Justin scowled silently at the sudden spotlight. He tossed West a look before looking up at the gaping waitress. "There's no guarantee on anything," he explained. "We're doing everything in our power to find him before he gets his next victim. Still, be safe and don't wander out late at night, and lock your doors and windows." The two gave their orders and waited for the waitress to leave before Justin resumed his glare. "Real lady killer, huh?"
West gave him an earnest shrug. "Told you I've always been the romantic type. Besides, you're Smiley's detective. Guy's the biggest killer in the US right now. She's bound to know about you one way of another." He crossed his arms and leaned forward. "That reminds me, though. How is Smiley's case going? Got any leads?"
Justin seemed to physically age at the question. He sighed and leaned against his seat. "Not one," he admitted. "Guy's a complete mystery. Not a single victim has any relation to the others. The only thing I have is that some of the victims were from the same high school as him. But that doesn't change the fact that there are plenty of victims he's killed that have no connection at all to the school. They didn't even live in the same side of the country." He sighed and shook his head.
"Might not be a connection, but that school's definitely something to look into."
Justin nodded, "There's only one person from there left. I've tried talking to him before but he just flat out refuses. Maybe he'll listen once he learns he's the next target."
"I don't see why someone would ignore this," West shook his head. "Maybe he thinks it's a copycat doing it all?"
"They've been easy to tell apart. They've tried to copy his bludgeoning methods, but people usually only go with a few whacks from a bat. They're pretty easy to find, too. Smiley's always on the move, and his kills have been leading to here."
"Here's hoping you actually get the guy," West said. "Though you've got to admit, you've got to be curious about what he's like. I sure as hell am. A guy that draws smiley faces out of people's blood? That's something straight out of a slasher film."
"I'm curious all right, but he's no one I'd ever want to run into in a dark alley," Justin breathed.