The crowd behind me looked with watchful eyes. My paintbrush moved along the statue with purposeful strokes. I’d already done this dozens of times, but today would be my last show. I almost felt sorry for it, my statue. For nearly a month, the block of concrete would slowly took shape as I chipped and cut away pieces; all the while, people paid to watch the process. It must have been painful. 

            I moved the paintbrush back and forth across its front creating a multitude of black, misshapen lines. When I first started, I had no idea what I wanted the piece to look like, or what it should represent. All I knew was that I needed to make something that no one would dare look away from. Something so eye-catching that it would keep your gaze forever. That is what I hoped to achieve. 

            As the paint ran dry from the brush I lowered it back into the bucket. The statue now looked like a distorted human. Its head was far too large, its legs only long enough to be a toddlers; arms so short they could be mistaken to have fallen off, and yet, it felt as if it towered over the world itself. 

            My eyes ran up and down looking for places of imperfection. I could tell there was something missing, but where. I grabbed my paintbrush and dipped it into the bucket of red paint, not cleaning it of the black. I moved my arm around thinking of what to do, until it hit me. Eyes. Large red eyes. The brush hit the statue's face once, then twice. 

            Two blood red splotches appeared on it. Its crimson eyes looked through my soul. I knew I had finished, but now to test it. Had I really created a piece no one would look away from? I turned around, back towards the crowd. Some of them were chatting away, not even paying attention, but others, some others, had at least a bit of respect. Don’t they know what will happen if they look away? Do they not care about their lives? I grabbed the red paint bucket and took a deep breath.

            In an instant I splashed the paint all over the crowd. Just as they were about to scream in outrage, they were cut off by the sounds of falling bodies. The statue now stood in the midst of the crowd, a head in its hands. Three bodies lay behind it. 

            Panicked screams filled the room as people began to run away. Their shouts meant nothing as the sound of snapping necks echoed throughout the room. 

           I had failed. The crowd had looked away from my creation and were now facing the consequences. I knew I didn't have much time left before the statue would come back to finish the job. As the last person fell to the ground my neck snapped.