Trial by Fire

by The Master of the Night Shift

Jane is a clairvoyant who is having visions of a psychopath everyone knows as The Dark Man, and she must do what she can to stop him before he rapes and murders more women. Note: This is a short story segment of a possible full novel I'll someday write.

TRIAL BY FIRE

"The night will be endless," he said.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked. "I'm sorry, I feel a little lost with what you're trying to say."

"This man you speak of, is he white?" Eric asked.

"I don't know," Jane replied.

"Black?"

"I don't know."

"Asian?"
"I said I don't know, Eric. Now stop asking me."

"But don't you want me to help you find out who he is, and what he wants?"

"I don't know."

The two were sitting in his office at the local police station. About twelve years ago, Jane had been seriously emotionally and physically scarred by someone that was known as The Dark Man. But Jane hadn't been the only woman that The Dark Man had harassed; The Dark Man harassed several women, most of them so many years younger than himself, only very few were so many years older.

"I wish you'd tell me, Jane," Eric continued. "I know what he did to you twelve years ago. I know it's still bothering you. That's why you keep coming back to us. Well, back to me, per se."

Jane just sat there in the chair in front of Eric's desk, not making any eye contact, keeping her arms crossed.

"You know I can help you if you want. But, I just don't want anything bad happening to you again. You know you can trust me, Jane."

"Oh, oh, I know," she said.

"What is The Dark Man doing now?"

"I don't know."

"Think about it. Just close your eyes and think about it, real hard. For me. Okay?"

"Okay, I'll try."

Jane closed her eyes tightly. She saw The Dark Man going through a woman's home. He had attacked the woman, put his left hand on her throat, nearly choking her to death, having ripped off her clothes. He quickly turned her around and raped her over the kitchen table, and she bled excessively. After he had taken himself out of her, she was in so much excruciating pain that it seemed to be too much to handle. She fell on all fours on the floor, and from the corner of her eye, she saw his knife shining as he pulled it out of his pocket. He had grabbed her by the hair and pulled it as hard as he could, ripping some of it off of her head. He slit her throat, then stabbed her in the spine seven times. She died after the seventh stab.

"He's raped and murdered another woman," Jane replied. "He slit her throat and stabbed her seven times in the spine. She died after the seventh stab."

"Good God."

"Yeah. Let's go get him before he commits another murder."