Aaron Peterson was a detective in the homicide department of the Edirne Police station and had been for a long chapter of his life. In the past five years he had stopped three serial killers and led eight massive drug raids, which had made him a local hero. In Edirne police department Aaron was legend. But in the past four months he and his equally veteran partner, Darrin Burch, were having trouble cracking their current case. They had been following a string of random serial killings, with no clues, no finger prints, and no leads.
Aaron sipped from his coffee and took a drag from his cigarette, while he was going over the police report on the latest murder. The victim was sixteen and female with dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. There was no sign of rape or any sort of forced sexual abuse. She had been stripped naked and hung by her skin with meat hooks as though on display. Her eyes were removed and placed in her right hand and the letter "A" had been carved deep into her forehead. The autopsy revealed possible causes of death to be loss of blood or suffocation. Aaron cringed at the sight of the victim's picture. Her once beautifully formed face stared ghastly almost mocking into Aaron's eyes. He pulled out the tightly packed vanilla colored file folder from his cabinet. It was labeled "homicide 302". Inside laid every police report, picture, autopsy report, and anything else known on this mystery so far. This folder proved how far away this case was from being salved.
Aaron added the latest murder's file amongst the files of the other two victims. This killer was leaving a message. A message he wanted everyone to see, but the question was, what was the message? Aaron hypothesized that this message was the key to cracking the case. The first victim was hung by a noose around the neck from a tree. On his wrist was carved the letter "U". The second victim was crucified, impelled on a wooden cross by the nailing of his wrists and feet. On his bare chest was the letter "M".
Aaron added the latest victim's marking with the rest to spell out the word "UMA". He uttered it to himself wondering if he was pronouncing it right, but how hard was it to pronounce three letters. His partner, Darrin Burch, stealthily came into the room, making sure not to interrupt Aaron at his work.

"Take a look at this Darrin, no finger prints have been dusted, no notable patterns between the victims, and no suspects have been found. The closest thing we have to a clue, are these goddamn letters he is leaving on his victims. He is playing with us. All we have to go by is a message the killer is leaving us and we don't even know if there really is a message," Aaron said with a tone of frustration, while still analyzing the papers for clues.

"Your right, he is obviously toying with us," Darrin said giving an unneeded reply, "None the less I am going home to see my wife. I suggest you do the same. We aren't going to catch this guy today."

"Your right, we aren't going to figure this out today, but then when will we? When this bustard decides to kill again and leave us another damn letter? I am trying to prevent another human life from being lost. I can't leave. Goodbye Burch," murmured Aaron just loud enough for his partner to hear. Darrin did not say another word before leaving a bit embarrassed.
An hour later Aaron's partner's words began to burn into him. He decided to take a small break from his case to call his wife at home. It rung three times but no one answered. The fourth ring was interrupted by the answering machine, but it wasn't his normal recording. The voice which spoke into his ear was an unfamiliar male voice.

"You know who I am, Officer Peterson. Our lives have clashed many times this past four months, but I have decided it has done so once to many times. So let's end this struggle, shall we? Come home by yourself if you wish to see your pretty little wife ever again. Oh, and leave a message after the beep if you want," The recording ended with the beep and with it Darrin's heart fell to his stomach. He wasted no time running from his office out of the police station while calling Darrin up.

"The killer is at my house and he has my wife! I need you to meet me there and back me up! Please do not call anyone else! If you do she is dead!" Aaron shouted into the phone feeling is heart pump with adrenalin.

"Jesus Christ man, I will meet you there right away!" Darrin shouted hanging up right after. They both knew there wasn't time for goodbyes.

Aaron arrived at his house before his partner, but there wasn't time to waste. Every second wasted was one less second for his wife. He locked the door of his car drawing his pistol from it strap. The door and window shudders of his house were decorated all over with beautiful Arabic symbols; his wife had a thing for fancy stuff like that. The walls of his house were vast and covered in red brick and for some reason the air smelt of olive oil.
He kicked the door breaking the lock and causing it to fly open. Aaron yelled his wife's name into the house, but of course there wasn't an answer. He ran in swiftly checking every room on the floor, to find it all empty. Slowly the detective tip-toed up the stairs holding his pistol high above and in front of him and from there went into his wife's room. It was empty, but this time it was obvious that someone had been in there. Hanging all over the walls were countless glass mirrors of all shapes and sizes, pink wall paper shown behind them.

"Where are you!" shouted Aaron almost in tears believing himself to be too late.

"I am here detective. I have always been here, because here is my home. You have lived here to long in tranquility, living my perfect life," The voice echoed through the room as though the owner of the voice was standing next to Aaron. He looked around to spot whoever it was, but no one was to be found. Aaron became light headed and fell to the ground unconscious.

He awoke to find his face buried deep in the carpet. He stood up staring weakly at his hands. They were covered with thick globs of flowing blood. Confused he turned to look at the bed. Aaron almost covered his eyes when he discovered his partner laying there dead. Darrin's head was propped up against the head board. His body was mutilated and entangled in blood and his torn clothes. The bed sheets were soaked in his blood and on his forehead lay the letter "I" written in gashes.
Aaron in a strange trance pulled one of the mirrors from the wall and grabbed red lipstick from his wife's vanity counter. Still in a trance he began writing with the lipstick on the mirror's surface. He spelt out the word "UMAI" putting all the letters from the three victims and his partner together. Aaron held it in front of him facing it toward the mirror. The letters shown in the reflection of the red lip stick "IAMU".

"I am you," Aaron said to himself, realizing the truth

"Finally you figured it out. You are such a waste of God given life. You created me and yet I can out wit you, which is even more ironic since we share the same brain," the voice spoke from the detective's head.

"But how? I have never had and sort of mental problem. I would never murder!" He questioned the voice.

"You are talking to yourself. I would call that a sign on insanity. It is really quit simple. You are legend, a local hero here. You have a good beautiful faithful wife, you are a strong handsome husband, and you two were going to have an amazing set of children. But you were bored and unchallenged, so you spewed every sinful desire you had into a being whose existence you couldn't even stop or even capture. I am your creation, I am you and now I will be taking your life. It is called self purification. I am purifying myself of that disease called "Aaron," proclaimed the voice. "If you try and stop me I will just take over and take away everything that gives your life any meaning. I will catch myself and wipe away your reputation and then walk into this room and kill your wife. You can end the killing now, Aaron. I want your wife, your kids, your house, your job, your utopia, but most of all I want you to live in the shadow of my life just as I have lived in your shadow."