The ninth and final part of my Midnight, Texas story. And this is not a happy one. I've dropped hints on Manfred's childhood not being a good one. Well, this is all about that. It's not happy. Okay? NOT HAPPY!

Warnings: Implied child abuse. Implied alcoholism. Shitty mothers. Murder. Possession. Tell me if you see any more.

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Cocking his head to the side Manny tried to figure out the best place to put the next block so his tower didn't fall over like the last one. He was going to make the largest tower ever! It was going to go all the way to the moon.

At least it would once his daddy got off the phone and came over to help him. Manny couldn't wait until he as tall like his father so he could build all the towers that he wanted and they'd never fall down.

The five year old was excited to know that his father was finally going to play with him. It didn't happen often since he had gotten his knew job. He was barely home most days anymore and at night he was too tired to play.

Today was special though. It was the first day of his week long vacation! That meant that it was just going to be the two of them! They were going to play and cook and even going exploring New Orleans. He couldn't wait.

He had a bad feel that all of that was going to have to wait though. He wasn't being rude and ease-dropping, but he could hear a few of the words that he was using. Words like 'alcoholic' and 'divorce' and 'abusive'. Whatever those meant.

All he really knew was the tone that his Daddy was using. The man was in a very bad mood with the whoever it was that he was talking to. He was always really scary whenever he was in a bad mood.

That didn't happen all that often with the older man. His father was very calm and always had a smile and the best hugs that Manny had ever had. If he was upset then something really bad must have happened.

So he'd just play in the corner alone and not make a sound until he was done. After that he could give his Daddy a big hug. He always said that hugs were the best cure for a storm cloud over his head.

At least that was the plan, Then he heard someone knocking on the front door. Looking to his daddy he knew the man hadn't heard it. He opened his lips to tell him that there was someone at the door, but then the beer bottle slammed on the table and he raised his voice.

For a moment he considered going to get his mother, but she was sleeping. She always got really mad when he woke her up. His wrist was still a funny color from the last time. He couldn't get her.

He was alone in answering the door then. Something that he had been told over and over not to do. His daddy said that there were bad people in the world and that it was a daddy's job to protect his children from those people.

His daddy was busy though and his mother always told him that he needed to grow up and quit being such a baby. Maybe answering the front door was the best way to show that he was growing up. Still, he really hoped he didn't get in trouble.

Standing up he went to the front door and opened it just a crack so no one could get in. His eyes darted around looking for anyone that could have been knocking, but there was no one there. Maybe it had just been the wind.

He felt really sick all of a sudden. Like he did when he saw him mother coming towards him when she was in a bad mood. Closing the door quickly he backed away from it wanting to forget what had happened.

He didn't get more than a few steps back when the knocking started up once more. It sounded so much more urgent. Like someone really wanted into the house. He really wanted to go get his daddy to help him.

His mother's words echoed in his mind though. It was time for him to stop acting like a baby. So he went back to the door and opened it fully. Once again there was no one that he could see. He even looked up in case they were floating like a balloon! No one.

Manny knew that he should close the door and go back inside. That he should ignore the knocking sounds. That he should crawl into his daddy's lap and tell him everything that was going on. He didn't do any of that though.

Instead he started out of the house ready to find the person that was knocking. His daddy had always said that if something was wrong than he had to try to fix it. That was exactly what he was going to do. Just like his daddy.

If he was going to do what his mother said and be grown up then he was going to act like his daddy. He was the best grown up person that he knew. It was time to put all the knowledge that his daddy had taught him to good use.

He loved the man with everything that he was and he was going to make him proud. All he had to do was find the person that had been knocking on the door and help them. Simple. Right? It would be simple?

Looking up and down the street he saw that no one was there. Which was weird. People were always on their street. He liked to sit at the window and watch as they went by on their way to wherever they were going. It was fun.

It made no sense for no one to be there. Someone had to have been knocking on the door. Animals didn't knock. At least he didn't think they did. No, he was pretty sure it was just people that knocked on doors.

He just didn't know where they could have gone. Unless they ran away. Why would they knock on the door if they were just going to run away? It was just making his head hurt the more he tried to figure it out.

With a shake of his head he decided that it was time to get his daddy. He had tried to figure it out on his own, but he couldn't. As the man liked to say 'There was no shame in asking for help when you needed it'.

As he turned back to his house though he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Blinking he turned fully to the house next door. He had been told that no one lived there, but he was pretty sure that someone did.

He had seen shadows moving in the windows a few times when they walked past it. Like someone was moving around. They never came close enough to the windows for him to get a good look though. Until today.

In the lit up front window of the house stood an elderly woman. She looked so sad, like she had been crying recently. He hated that look on people. It meant that something really bad had happened to them.

Manny wasn't sure what he could do to make her smile, but he lifted his hand to wave to her. She stared at him for a moment as he slowly dropped his hand to his side. Then just like that she was gone.

Feeling confused he found himself moving closer to the house. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to go back home. To lock the door and forget that he had ever seen something in the window.

Going to the front door he knocked on it and waited. A moment later there was knocking from the other side. It sounded just like the knocking that he heard on his front door. It had been the old woman. She knocked on the door!

A smile came to his lips knowing that he had figured it out. He lifted his hand to knock once more only for the door to swing open. He expected to see the woman there, but like before there was no one.

"He-Hello?" Manny called out tugging at his shirt as he made his way into the house, "Are you… Are you okay? Do you need help?"

No one replied back to him but he heard more knocking coming from deeper in the house. Maybe she had fallen and needed help getting up again. That was something that happened when someone was really hurt.

Taking a deep breath he went into the next room. Still, there was no one there. The sick feeling got worse the further he went inside. He needed to get out of the house. He needed his daddy to make it go away.

Before he could turn to leave though he heard more knocking. Jumping he let out a wail at the noise. It was so loud that it hurt his head. Unlike all the other knocks though it didn't stop. It sounded like it was getting closer and closer to him.

Falling to his knees he covered his ears trying to stop the noise, but they didn't stop. It was so loud and he just wanted them to stop. He needed them to stop. His nails dug into his head as he tried everything to block the knocking out.

"Manny!" his daddy yelled breaking through the knocking, "Manfred! Come on, kiddo. Where are you?"

"Daddy!" he cried out tears streaming down his face.

Looking up he saw his daddy rushing over to him and gathering in his arms. He held on closely burying his face in the man's chest hoping that the noise would stop now. It was further away, but it was still there. He could still hear it.

Sobbing he held onto the man all the tight taking as much comfort in him as he could. He never should have left the house without the man. He should have ignored the knocking and just built his tower.

"I got you," Daddy soothed holding him tightly, "You're okay now, Manny. I've..."

"Make it stop!" he pleaded softly.

"Make what stop, kiddo?"

"The knocking. Make it stop!"

"Manny… What knocking?"

Looking up into his daddy's eyes he saw the confusion and fear there. He watched as the man opened his mouth to saw something, but suddenly everything began to slow down before going black altogether.

It was like the world had just stopped moving. Like it did that time the blankets of the fort he had built had fallen on top of him. He left trapped but there was nothing he could do to get out of the hold.

He tried to fight to the top, but the blackness was too strong. It kept pushing him further and further down. He was scared that he was never going to be able to get out of the black. As soon as it hit him it was gone.

The whole world came rushing back around him. The sick feeling finally got too be too much and he felt himself all to the floor as he lost the breakfast that he had eaten. It took a moment for him to finally open his eyes again.

He expected to see his daddy kneeling over him like he did every time he threw up, but he wasn't there. All he could see was a red splattered wall. Like someone had had a paint fight. That wasn't there before.

Raising his hands he looked down and saw the red there as well. It felt sticky and warm. It finally clicked in his mind that it wasn't paint. It was blood. All the red on the floors, the wall… On himself… Was blood.

Spinning around he opened his mouth to call for his daddy for that to turn into a scream of pure terror when his eyes fell on him. His screams got louder and louder as he stared. Laying on the ground in a pool of blood was his daddy.

"Peter!" his mother yelled racing past him and to his daddy's side, "Oh my god. Peter!"

"Mommy?" Manny whispered hoping she had some answers.

"What have you done?"

"I didn't… I don't..."

"You killed him! You freak of nature! You killed him!"