"The National Weather Service has issued warning for the following counties, due to an increase in the number of storms over the Great lakes." Mike turned off the TV. For some reason, when he had heard that report, his heart had jumped into his throat.
"Mike, come to bed, it's late." Said his wife, Cassie. With her long blonde hair and angelic face, she was the light of his life.
"I'll be up in a while. Just wanna stay down here for a while 'k?" He replied. He just felt like he needed some time to think. About what, he didn't know.
"Okay. Don't stay up too late."
"I won't."
In truth, it was about three hours before he finally went to bed. He had just sat there thinking. For some reason, he just couldn't shake the bad feeling he had. He had been at other murder seens before, even some worse then the truckers, but he just couldn't force himself to go to bed. Something was going to change soon. And he knew that the way things were know wouldn't go down without a fight.
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Zack sat in his apartment, overlooking the large parking lot for K-Mart. It wasn't much, but it was his home. As he sat there with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Should I call her? I'm sure she'll be fine. Still couldn't hurt to make sure. He put his cigarette out and walked into the kitchen, picking up the phone. He dialed her number, pushing each button slowly, with thoughts in the back of his mind pulling at him, desperately telling him not too. But it was too late, as he entered the last digit, he could feel his heart beating thunderously in his chest.
"Hello?" She said.
"Hey Lindsey... Whats up?" Zack said. Gee, try to sound more like a loser.
"Oh hey Zack! I havn't heard from you in while! How are you?" She said. She always sounds so happy...
"I'm good... I just wanted to tell you, um, just make sure to lock your doors tonight okay?"
"Oh... I will, don't worry. Is there anything else you wanted?" She sounded nervous.
"No, no thats it."
"Well okay. Bye." And she hung up
He stood there for a long while with is head still against the phone. Why do you be such an idiot? She loves you, you love her. Why not dammit!! The operatior came on and he hung up the phone. He poured his beer down the sink and went to the couch. He had been sleeping there for the last few day. He didn't know why. Just seemed more appropriate. Well, whatever, nevermind. He thought, qouting his favortie song.
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"When did you find the body?" Asked Matt, looking at the blanket, where blood what just starting to seep through.
"About an hour ago" said the hunter. "He was wearing a mask, so I didn't see his face. But I saw him... Well, eating the body through the hole in his mask." He rubbed his eyes, as if trying to get the image out of his eyes. "I figured it was him, so I shot him. Right in the chest. Thing was, he didn't go down, looked at me, and then ran off into the woods."
"You didn't chase him?" Matt asked.
"Well, no... I ran back to the hunters lodge, and called you guys. I figure, you know, I shot him, how far could he get?"
Matt looked as though he was in though for a moment. "You're right. He couldn't be far. Shawn!" He called to his deputy.
"Yeah boss?"
"Call everybody in. And get some volunteers. I want them armed. That guy can't be too far, but he might have guns."
"You got it." The deputy said, and ran off.
Matt looked back at the body. It was a girl, no more then fifteen years old. This was a small town, and he knew every person in it. He was sure he knew this girl to, but the body was so mangled it couldn't be identified. He called back to his deputy. "Get the schools attendence records! I want to know who this is." The deputy called back, assuring he would do it.
Matt looked up at the sky through the trees. How do I tell the family?
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Zack was once again back at the Diner. But for the first time in years, Dolly wasn't there. instead it was Tim's daughter, a pretty girl who was trying to get into a big college. He had heard she wanted to go to U of M.
"Hey Tim, where is Dolly?"
"Don't know. The police called, and then she went out. She was cryin'."
"Hmmmm. Wonder what happened."
Zack and Tim sat there talking about all of the days mundane topics, not the least of which was that poor trucker, and then the thief. And then the local news came on.
It was that same pretty new girl, the one who seemed over eager with her stories. Now it looked as if she was going to vomit.
"Another murder was reported today, apparently the same killer as the truckers. This victim however, was a young girl. The police have identified her as one, Sarah Partin, daughter of a local waitress. Police say a hunter interrupted the killer during the act, however, he arrived to late to save the girl. Police say the suspect was shot by the hunter, and a large search has been formed. However, no suspect or body has been found at this time. Back to you."
"Oh Christ" Said Tim.
"Jesus..."
"How could somebody do that? She was only a little girl!" Tim shouted.
"Poor Dolly."
No one spoke in the diner after that, and eventually all the customers left. Leaving Tim and his daughter there, trying to think of what to say to Dolly.
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At last, it was dawn. And still, there was no body of the shot murderer. Nothing worth telling. At last Shawn came back. "Anything?"
"No, the smell was just a dead cow. Looked like some kids tipped it. Poor thing drowned in the mud."
"Anything else?"
Shawn shook his head. "Nope"
Suddenly, a whole flurry of shots rang out followed by a few gutterel screams.
"Holy shit!"
"Lets Go!"
Matt, Shawn, and a few of the other volunteers ran of in the direction of the screams. It was not a long distance, but all the brush and mud slowed them down a long time. It took them a full twenty minutes to trace down the men who had screamed.
The clearing had been the site of a massacre. The volunteer walked around the bodies of the dead, giving them little kicks. At least twenty had large bite marks on their bodies.
Matt walked over to a man who appeared to fine. "What the hell opened?"
He looked at him. "These people ran out from the woods, kept biting everybody. We... tried to shoot 'em, but... It didn't work. We had to shoot them in the head."
They didn't go down after being shot? Must have been drugs, he decided. He voiced this opinion, and most of the men agreed with him. Matt called for ambulances to take away the more seriously bitten, and the others went on their way home, assuming the case had been solved.
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Zack was watching TV in his apartment. There was supposed to be a press realease from the chief of police. At last, he came on.
"A few hours ago, I, my deputy and volunteers from the town, encountered what appeared to be a group of cultists. They would not surrender, and attacked my men and I. Unfortuanetly, we were forced to kill them. They seemed to be high, on what at this time is an unknown drug. They are currently in the autopsy room, awaiting toxicology reports. No Police or volunteers were seriously injured during thiis... altercation."
A cult? In a Wisconsin forest? That didn't sit right with Zack. It just seemed so... Not. Not right, not possible, he just didn't know. But one thing was for sure, at least in his mind. It wasn't over.