Monster (n): Someone who inflicts pain, harm, or fear on someone else for their own satisfaction.

This is my personal definition of the word monster. When I think about monsters, I think of rapists, murderers, pedophiles and other real-world criminals. The Boogeyman doesnt exactly strike fear into my heart because its not really a rational fear. I can go to sleep at night pretty confident that the Boogeyman isnt hiding underneath my bed. The seemingly Average-Joes with dark, twisted minds are the ones that bring fear to my heart. They walk among the rest of society, appearing to be just like the rest of us. Some just strike without warning. Others lie to get your trust, smooth talk their way into ideal situations, and stab you in the back when you least expect it. They get off from seeing others suffer. These are the real monsters. The ones that exist in real life. The ones that have no remorse, no conscience, and no regard for the life or well-being of others. These real-world monsters are everywhere. Maybe sitting next to you on the bus, or behind you in line at the grocery store. Perhaps even a neighbor, a teacher, or a classmate. The most seemingly normal people could be the biggest monsters of all. And the scariest part is, you would never know it by looking at them. They have the element of surprise on their side. They could strike anytime, anywhere and you would never see it coming. And often times, they get away with it. Cause who would ever suspect the friendly old man down the street to be the serial killer attacking your city? They play the normal role so well and no one gives them a second thought. These are the real monsters. These are the ones we should be afraid of. As Rick Riordan said in The Lightning Thief, The real world is where the monsters are. Lets take a look at some of these real-world monsters Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 into a family that grew to be six kids raised by their mother and father. He led a rather typical childhood, taking interest in art and a strong pride for his country. As he grew older, he applied to art schools, but was repeatedly denied enrollment. As World War I rolled around, Hitler joined the German army. He was praised for his bravery, and received numerous honors. Seems like a pretty decent guy, huh? I think you all know how this story turns out though. Hitler went on to gain power within German politics and eventually formed a dictatorship, under his own rule, of course. As World War II began to brew, so did Hitlers desire for more power. He eventually overtook the country, capturing all of the Jews and forcing them into concentration camps. The Jews were forced to work and live in cruel and abusive conditions. Death was all around them. Some Jews may have been beaten to death, some may have starved, and others may have been burned alive in the chimneys, or maybe even thrown in the gas chambers. Hitler led this genocide and is solely responsible for the mass killing of millions of innocent people. Hitler is a prime example of a real-world monster. A more modern day monster that a lot of people might be familiar with is Dr. Thredson from the popular TV series An American Horror Story: Asylum. On the show, Dr. Thredson is a seemingly normal person and well-respected doctor. He is assisting at the Briarwood Psychiatric Institute as a medical doctor and therapist. This asylum has a long history of abuse, death, and negligence as well as a reputation for dealing with extremely dangerous patients. Kit was recently admitted into the mental facility after being accused of skinning and murdering numerous women, including his wife. Though he pled his innocence, he was deemed Blood Face and held in captivity. Interested in his story, news

reporter Lana stuck into Briarwood to try to find out more information on Kit Walker. Upon her endeavor, Lana ended up being held hostage in the facility by the head nun to stop her from bringing the medias attention to the ungodly conditions of the institution. Both being held under false pretenses, Kit and Lana were relieved to meet Dr. Thredson. There was finally someone normal who they can confide in, someone who displayed mercy and compassion towards their situation, and someone who knew they didnt belong in there so they thought. Conditions at Briarwood grew progressively worse. Dr. Thredson worked with Lana and Kit, trying to devise a plan to get them out of there. He held therapy sessions with them and game planned with them. He promised to get them out of there at any cost. As his time at Briarwood was nearing the end, Dr. Thredson had to come up with a new plan to help free Lana and Kit. On his last day working at the facility, he brought Lana a disguise and snuck her out of Briarwood. They promised Kit to go to the police station in the morning to reveal the conditions of the institution and prove his innocence. The story took a quick left turn once Lana arrived back to Dr. Thredsons home. While looking for the bathroom, Lana discovered strange laboratory-style room filled with torturous tools. Lana goes on to learn the kind, heroic doctor that led her to freedom was a cold-hearted murderer. In fact, he was actually responsible for killing all of the women that Tate was being blamed for. Thats right, Dr. Thredson was Blood Face, and Lana was his next victim. I could go on to tell you how the story plays out, but I think I have made my point. Dr. Thredson was clearly not the man he appeared to be. He gave the illusion of wanting to help and manipulated Kit and Lana into trusting him. He lured Lana right into his reach and framed Tate for all of the murders. Real-world monsters arent just limited to people like Hitler or Dr. Thredson, who commit psychopathic acts of death and gore. These monsters are everywhere. The crazy lady down the street selling drugs- monster. The old man driving around luring kids to his van with candy- monster. The guy in the apartment upstairs that beats his wife and kids- monster. The old woman who holds people hostage in her basement- monster. The creepy guy online targeting young women- monster. These types of people are undisputed monsters. They have no remorse, no conscience, and no regard for the life or well-being of others. All of them are seemingly normal people, with a dark soul. They walk the streets with the rest of us, blending in with society. They may even be a prominent, wellrespected member of their community. But what they do behind closed doors is what really defines who they are. People like this are the biggest, scariest monsters of all. They walk the walk and talk the talk just like any normal person, when they are actually of whole a different species- monsters.