Tommy Danes, a character in the Terror Fest book, was a Morilec Island Penitentiary prison guard. He is first seen in Chapter 2.
Appearance
Personality
According to the legends, Tommy was committed to his duties and determined to protect the people of Morilec Island, and he was brave enough to repeatedly attempt to apprehend a killer without any direct backup. However, in reality Tommy was himself a vindictive, unhinged murderer.
Background
Tommy was one of the guards assigned to Joseph Campbell during his time as a prisoner of Morilec Island Federal Penitentiary. He was witness to some of Joe's crimes and eventually became one of his victims. He has achieved posthumous fame through his appearance as a character in multiple films about Stabby Joe.
In Chapter 10, it's revealed that he committed most of the crimes now attributed to Stabby Joe.
Chapters
Terror Fest
Terror Fest
- Chapter 2: At Death's Door
- Chapter 4: Kill Your Darlings (Determinant)
- Chapter 6: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
- Chapter 8: Reliving the Gory Days (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
- Chapter 10: To Catch a Killer (Determinant)
- Chapter 15: Kill or Be Killed (Mentioned)
Relationships
Joseph Campbell
Although Tommy and Joe were aware of each other, they did not seem to have any particular relationship until Tommy attempted to warn Joe's female visitor, whom he assumed was ignorant of his crimes, that the man was a cold-blooded killer. This angered Joe, who escaped his cell that night, confronted Tommy, and slashed him across the face with a kitchen knife before escaping the prison altogether.
Tommy later searched Joe's cell and discovered a tunnel beneath his bed which led down into the island's network of mineshafts. Although he interrupted Joe attacking a woman, he was unable to either save her or catch Joe. However, he was able to provide testimony about Joe's brutal killing methods.
Joe eventually killed Tommy, but his death was quick and painless compared to all the other victims, who were tortured and left to die in slow agony. It was theorized that Joe spared Tommy a long and painful death because he felt some measure of respect or affection for him.
Chapter 10 reveals that all media depicting Tommy as the hero and Joe as the villain is false. In actuality, Tommy was a brutish, corrupt guard who delighted in tormenting Joseph after he was falsely imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit, mockingly giving him the "Stabby Joe" moniker. After Joe was released from prison after a few months due to proof of wrongful imprisonment, Danes snapped and went on a killing spree, deluding himself that Campbell was guilty.
His killing spree took him to the Campbell's estate, where he demanded Joe confront him. Joseph ultimately ended up killing Danes in an act of self-defense to protect himself, his wife, and his daughter.
Trivia
- His character model resembles a prison guard from The Heist: Monaco.
- He shares the same name as Tommy Walsh from Veil of Secrets, Tommy Phelps from Red Carpet Diaries, Tommy Harrington from A Very Scandalous Proposal, and Tommy Greene from Crimes of Passion.
- His crimes include false imprisonment, torture, murder and attempted murder.