Of Serial Killers and Living Life (options - points will go up)

So, serial killers. We all know they kill people, often in their own particular little ways. I'm in the mood for some good stories about serial killers, but unlike my last contest I want to give you all a bit more wiggle room. First come the basic rules, then the options. Note that I'll probably be adding more to the story elements list, and possibly even the story types if someone gives me or I get another good idea for it.

The rules are simple.

1.) Grammar. Spelling. Punctuation.

2.) Erotica is allowed, but skeptically. It should be relevant to the storyline, not just wank material. I will disqualify anything that reads more like a Penthouse article than a murder story.

3.) No murder mysteries as such. The whole point is to get to know the killer better, to spend some time in his or her world, not figure out who she or he is.

4.) I will comment on every story entered and give thorough critique unless the author specifically notes that critique is not desired. Those who want to respond to the critique and improve their story may do so within the contest time limit to receive an improved score. If you don't do the editing before the contest is over, the first score I give you is what you get.

5.) For this contest, I would very much prefer the character not be a vampire, werewolf, et cetera. I'm open to "furries" and other basically human but not human-looking beings, but I fundamentally want to explore the animalistic human psyche and lifestyle. Everyone knows why a vampire or a werewolf kills people and what its lifestyle is like. If your character is a serial killer even amongst and by the standards of his own kind, I'll give it a shot. For example, a vampire who hunts and kills other vampires or a cannibal werewolf. Otherwise, no supernatural beings. Humans and humanoids only. An elven serial killer would be ... interesting, but I'm not sure how it would be pulled off.

6.) Don't feel limited to a standard modern-day setting, or even the horror/thriller genre. I like strange, twisted things. Set in the American 1950s or 60s, a fantasy world, Ancient Egypt, or the like, a serial killer story loses some of the usual cliches and has a chance to become really fresh and interesting. Just be sure you know the setting and timeline well -- I *will* be grading you on historical accuracy.

7.) New rule, come to think of it -- I'd like to know what story type you chose, though I won't insist on you listing every element you used... it's kind of fun to look for them. I know, I hate editing my author's notes on prewrites too, but especially for prewrites I want to know what option you think it fits. In some cases I'm not entirely certain. (Not that this is your fault -- I'm muddle-brained sometimes. But it'll help both of us out in the end.)

8.) Another new one -- word limit. I originally didn't want to have one, but I just discovered that if I don't have one, people will enter things that I may genuinely WANT to have time to read and crit thoroughly, but don't. Which makes me feel bad/unfair. So limit yourselves to 5,000 words or so at most, eh?

No matter what, I insist that you create an original serial killer character. I'm allowing relevant prewrites, but I'd rather you not transparently "borrow" a real-life or published-fiction character. Fanfiction is not permitted as a general rule, but I might make an exception for good Dexter fic or the like. You are encouraged to take inspiration from real-world serial killers, especially to get an understanding of what kind of things they do and don't do, but you can't actually write about Jeffrey Dahmer or someone all but exactly like him. Mixing and matching traits to create a new character is acceptable (and encouraged for those of you who aren't very familiar with them.)

Also, the serial killer is going to be the main character. He can escape, get caught by the cops, or whatever you want, but he (or she!) is the protagonist of the story. I want to see a predator's life from their perspective, not the endlessly rehashed viewpoint of the cops following him/her.

Anyway, your options are as follows. You must pick one of these basic story types, then choose at least two or three options from the list of story elements. If you have a prewrite that fits the criteria, you may enter it, but new writes get you brownie points.

STORY TYPE OPTIONS

1.) Write a story about a serial killer's day-to-day life when between hunts/kills. This is a good option for people who don't like to write a lot of blood and gore, but who still want to explore the dark mind of a serial killer. What kind of house does s/he live in? What is their daily routine like? Does it include any "captives" or "slaves", or would any observer mistake the killer for a normal person? What do they do when no one can see them?

2.) Or, if you're more like me and absolutely adore a good, creative blood and guts splatterpunk extravaganza, write about your human predator when s/he is on the hunt! Portray the stalk, the pursuit, and the kill itself. Is your character a Borgia who seduces his prey before slipping them coffee with cream and cyanide? Or does she lurk in a public park around dusk and dawn, waiting for a lone inattentive jogger to strike from the bushes? What is he or she thinking during the stalk? Is s/he aware of the risks being taken or is there nothing to life for this person but the chase and the kill?

3.) What does your character do when they can't hunt for some reason? Whether due to fear of being arrested, a simple lack of acceptable targets, or inability to acquire the preferred tools, in this story setup your character could be homebound or out and about, but the premise is that he or she *cannot* make a kill, no matter how much s/he may want to. How do they handle this? Does it drive them insane or is it merely a temporary inconvenience?

4.) How would your serial killer die? Will s/he be arrested and given the Death Penalty? Do they commit suicide, either to avoid arrest or for some ritualistic/spiritual reason after completing a series of kills? Does one chosen victim prove too much for the attacker and turn the tables? In the ultimate irony, perhaps your serial killer becomes the target for another one... This is another good option for people who prefer the psychological/temporal elements to blood and gore.

5.) Some killers don't kill their prey right away. Instead, they are captured and taken somewhere, to some place the killer has created ahead of time for this specific purpose. In this story, your character is one of these people. You can show him/her capturing a new "slave/toy", making use of a current one, preparing to "release" an old one, or all of the above. What is the place like? Is it a hardcore BDSM dungeon in the basement of an otherwise normal house, or is it a protected tunnel painstakingly dug into a hillside somewhere in the wilderness? How does your killer manage to capture his prey? What does he or she use them for? And what does she do with them once she gets bored of them...?

STORY ELEMENTS

At least two or three of these elements must be present, but you're free to use as many as you like. Anyone who manages to use all of them in a natural, non-forced-feeling way will get major brownie points.

Plastic eating utensils
A tire iron
Crucifixion, the iron maiden, or other "archaic" forms of killing/torture
Creative torture in general
Situs inversus (having reversed organs; the heart on the right side, et cetera) or other anatomical abnormalities
A psychotic or insane person who is not the killer
A crooked cop
Piquerism (the use of a knife or other piercing object like an ice pick as a sexual/fetish object)
Cannibalism
Multiple victims in a single encounter
An inconvenient equipment failure (rope breaks, forgot to sharpen knife, gun misfires, et cetera)
A pursuit on foot
A non-car vehicle chase
The moon (bonus if it's in a phase other than full)
A drug or poison

You will get brownie points if I notice any of the following:

An aggressive female killer
A male poisoner
Murder during the day (they don't only hunt at night!)
Clever 'hunting' strategies
Convincing portrayal of psychosis
Convincing on-screen torture
Realistic application of drugs or poisons
Realistic portrayal of forensic procedure and technology
Knowledgeable/realistic portrayal of BDSM
Use of unusual objects as murder weapons or bondage articles (broken glass, random knick-knacks, a tie, chains, et cetera)
Ironic or appropriate causes of death (a businessman noosed with his own tie, et cetera)

You get Special Brownie points if your violence scene(s) titillate my inner sadist.

I will detract points if I notice any annoying cliches, a distracting lack of realism/too much Hollywood influence, or can clearly recognize that your character is based on a single real-life serial killer.