Thursday, February 12

The back head of a man is hardly recognizable in the thick darkness that fills the air except for a slight hint of light that appears no bigger then the head of a pin. A voice whispers, "open your eyes", the dim speck of light slowly moves back and forth. Louder the voice persist "Open your eyes," but this time it was not alone.

The sound of several firearm blast echoes startling his eyes wide open. Burst of light from each shot fired can be seen coming from a chamber at the far end of the mine shaft. Turning back could be seen the way out. Blurred vision waves, eye lids reach half way closed when a voice murmurs, "no." The elevator could be seen. To just reach it and escape, but echoes of more gun fire pierces the ears followed by several voices to faint to recognize and to far away to understand.

Turning back towards the long corridor he staggers, not from drunkenness, yet still needing the cavern walls to steady the walk. The lights seem to hum louder then usual. He watches his shaking arm reach down the wall. His fingers spread wide pressing firmly each stone.

From the seclusion of the chamber entrance he peers around and observes several men dragging the body of a man, dressed in miner's garb, to a coal car then coming his way. He runs back up the shaft and past the elevator. Faster and faster he runs, stumbling here, falling there until he makes it to the main shaft where he watches the men use another coal cart heading to the back of the mine and out the entrance.

Going unseen and unheard he follows them to a small clearing where they lay to rest the body. He recognizes the men who did not see him hiding nearby as they walk back to the mine in silence. Once they disappear into the darkness he stumbles to the fresh grave and collapses to his knees.

Running his hand over his head he feels something moist and warm. Frozen by the site of blood that covers his palm his body begins to quiver. Without thought without thinking he digs, hands clutching dirt and tossing it away, until he comes to the upper torso of the abandoned body.

Without warning as the sounds of hollow deep inhaling is heard the miner swings his arm from his would be grave and gives a crushing blow to the face of whom he thinks is one of his attackers

The sun is already setting when a young girl walks out the front doors of Harmony High School. While balancing a hand full of books she stands at the top of the steps talking on the phone to her boy friend. "J.R. you said you would pick me up." While listening on the phone, she gets another call. "Hold on, my mom is calling."

"Mom, what's up?" She walks down the stairs, "No, I'm waiting for J.R. at the school. He is just late." She sees a black mustang pull up and rushes her mom off the phone, "Mom, he's here I have to go," Without looking inside the car she climbs into the passenger seat, "Love you too Mom, see you soon." Putting her phone away she looks at the driver and gasps in fear, then grows angry.

She smacks J.R. on the shoulder, "Oh, my God, you scared me." She pushes herself against the seat and puts on her safety belt. "Does this mean you got the job?" She looks at J.R. in full miner garb and watches him nod.

The mustang peels out of the school parking lot and swerves onto the main road. "Hey," she is about to comment on the reckless driving when her cell phone rings.

She hears her friend, "Dakota, where are you. I am here with your Mom and it is a bit boring girl."

Dakota looks over at the speedometer that has reached sixty miles and continues to climb. She is a bit concerned, "Hailey, I have to call you back." She lays a caring hand on J.R.'s shoulder. "Hey, babe is everything ok. You did get the job… didn't you?" All she gets in response is a groan. "Can you take the mask off?" Her voice goes an octave higher, "you're kind of freaking me out!" Dakota reaches over to remove the head gear and gets her hand pushed away.

Slowly he reaches for the lower belt clasp to the face mask and begins to take it off. Loosing control of the steering the mustang swerves into the other lane almost hitting an on coming vehicle. Dakota screams in fear, the car swerves back into its lane but over shoots and the passenger side wheels get stuck in the graveled shoulder causing the front tire to blow. The mustang fish tales back and forth then slides to a complete stop in gravel. He steps out into the early evening darkness and gives a growl then kicks the tire.

Behind the closed door of Chief Axel Palmer's office sits a man in front of a long oak desk, while the Chief seems discontent over the papers given him. Without reading the full jacket he closes the file and looks at the man. For a moment he collects his thoughts. "I just can't have this, not now, not in Harmony." Chief Palmer gets up and the man does the same. "Why don't you come back next week, after I have had a chance to speak with J.R. and his mom about moving out of the house?" Opening his office door he sees two officers and the receptionist quickly turn away as if they were not trying to listen in on what the stranger came to call for. He holds out his hand in gesture and the two men shake hands. "Look, I can't stop you from being here. I just need time to talk with city council."

The man walks out of the Police Station and climbs into his truck. When he arrives at the motel where he is staying there is a young couple walking into the main office. The lateness of the evening causes the photo-sensors to kick-in and the lights by each door flicker on. The man unlocks the motel room door but a sound draws his attention before entering. Two fire trucks rush by heading out of town, their lights flaring up the night.

Inside the man quietly moves towards the only bed in the room, where the person sleeping is tossing and turning. "Wake up!" He shakes the shoulder of the man with his back to him. "Come on, open your eyes and wake up." As an ambulance gives off the sound of several short but loud blows of its horn the man raises his voice, "Wake Up!"

The sleeping man finally lunges up into a sitting position with fear pasted to his face. Perspiration makes his skin shine. It is Tom Hanniger waking from another nightmare about his past. Like a man with fear guiding each word Tom begs, "I need to get out of here, the nightmares are back." He watches the man walk to the door. "Larry, you and I both know this town would rather see me hang or tar and feather my ass and chase me out of town on a broom stick then believe for a moment I didn't kill anyone." Tom crawls out of bed with only his boxers on and heads to the bathroom.

"Tom, Tom, Tom, this is what you need. As your doctor I have to ask you to work with me. You have been living with these nightmares, shadowing the footsteps of Harry Warden since you were nine years old when he first hit you over the head in the mine." Larry opens the door and sees several teenagers walk by towards the Motel Office.

He looks back at Tom. "The people of this town need to know the truth Tom… They need to know who the real Valentine Day Killer is and they are never going to start looking while blaming you." Larry closes the door leaving Tom alone in his room and enters the next room closing the door, calming the conversations being carried on by several teenagers from out of town.