Hiding in Plain Sight
Chapter 4
Thanksgiving
3 PM
DING! The oven timer goes off, letting everyone know that the turkey is done.
I've been plotting this exact moment for more than three weeks now.
I've considered myself to be a dead man ever since I was shot in the chest by the Sheriff on Halloween night. Dead men don't feel anything. And that should be the case with me, but ever since I've considered myself to be a dead man, I've felt more alive than ever.
After I escaped from the hospital on Halloween night I hid low for a couple days. I wanted to see how people were reacting to the news. I also wanted to know how big the manhunt was going to be.
It was fairly simple to hang low. I hid in a place nobody was ever going to think of finding me. In fact, I took the opportunity to hide in the attic of Brenda's home while her parents were visiting her at the hospital. I wanted to keep my promise of paying them a visit. Besides, it was easy to get into their house because the idiots had left a side window unlocked.
My plan was to wait until Brenda was released from the hospital and then kill them all, but the little bitch was taking forever to get released.
In the meantime I put little hidden cameras in the house so that I could see and hear everything her parents were talking about. And then, one day, after overhearing a conversation the two of them were having, I figured out the perfect plan.
"The doctors are saying that Brenda will be able to come home on Thanksgiving." The mother rejoiced.
"Have they guaranteed around the clock police surveillance?" The father retorted, holding a newspaper in his hand that read "Halloween Maniac Still On The Loose."
"Yes, dear. The police plan to move the security detail that they have for her at the hospital over to our house."
The father looked out the window, making sure the police car that had been assigned to watch their house was still sitting there. "This guy isn't even watching for anything. He is sitting there looking at his phone and eating doughnuts."
"I'm sure he is perfectly capable of doing his job. Besides… We also have a neighborhood watch going on. Everything is going to be just fine. We are in good hands. Besides, that maniac is probably long gone by now."
I almost laughed out loud when I heard her say that.
"I have a good idea." She piped up. "Let's get the house looking more festive by putting out the Christmas decorations, so that when Brenda comes home it will feel a bit less gloomy around here."
Great. I couldn't wait to become the Grinch that stole Christmas. However, because they wanted to put out the decorations, I almost had a close call of being caught.
"Honey? Do you remember where we put the ornaments for the tree? The ones that Brenda made in elementary school?" The mother asked.
"I haven't the slightest clue, babe… they are probably up in the attic."
"Would you be a dear and go check?"
"Ugh. You know I hate going up into that musty attic."
"Please, dear? It's for Brenda."
"Fine."
Moments later the attic door creaked open and the father climbed up the rickety fold down steps.
I was hiding behind several boxes all the way in the back corner, covered up with a dusty old wool blanket. I left a small opening at the bottom so that I could see what he was doing. If I was discovered, I had a sharp knife ready to stab directly into his eye socket.
Brenda's Dad began looking through the boxes I was hiding behind, tossing junk aside, even tossing some things on top of the blanket I was hiding under. That's when I saw him moving the boxes to the side, ready to look in the last place he hadn't looked yet… under the blanket.
I readied myself for a surprisingly fresh kill. He would never see it coming, or at least, the knife will be the very last thing he ever gets to see coming.
His hands cleared off the junk he had just tossed onto my back and he then took hold of the blanket.
This is it. My heart was beating rapidly. As soon as that blanket gets lifted… WHAM! I'm going to strike like a rattlesnake.
"Honey!" The mother yelled out. "You can come back down from the attic now! I found the ornaments! They were out in the garage!"
The father took his hand off of the blanket and made his way back down the rickety steps until finally folding the door back up into the ceiling. That mother fucker dodged certain death… for now.
A few days had gone by and nothing much had changed, that was until Brenda's mother had spoken to her own parents on the phone.
After she hung up the phone she went into the living room to let her husband know the news. "My parents think it would be best if we had Thanksgiving dinner at their house this year. Mom doesn't feel safe about coming over here."
"Feel safe!?" He blurted. "There are going to be a dozen police cars sitting outside of our house that day. How wouldn't she feel safe?"
"With everything that has been going on lately, maybe it's for the best."
"Damn! We just got this whole house decorated!"
"It will still be decorated when we get home that night. Plus, mom told me that my brother Jason was going to be there. He hasn't been back here for a few years now."
"Yeah. Brenda had been talking about wanting to see her uncle. Plus your parents' place, over on Spring Forest, does have a lot more parking space than we do."
"Exactly. We can just let the police know of what our plans are and they can send the security detail over there."
Ugh. I had everything planned out so perfectly. Now I was going to have to figure out something else. That's when I came up with a better, more perfect plan than my original one.
Thankfully I heard the father say something about Spring Forest. I was easily able to find out the rest of the address by looking through an old phone book in the attic. Martha and Thomas, 8403 Spring Forest Drive.
2 PM
Thanksgiving Day.
Confined to a wheelchair, Brenda was being pushed by her father up the sidewalk to her grandparent's front door. Then, they knocked on it. They couldn't wait to see their faces, knowing Brenda was recovering so well.
They waited a few moments, but nobody had come to the door yet, so they knocked again... Still nothing.
"They are probably busy preparing supper. Let's just go in."
They turned the knob. It was unlocked.
"Guess who's out of the hospital!" Brenda's father blurted, rolling Brenda through the doorway.
Still no reply.
"Mom… Dad… Where are you guys at?" Brenda's mother yelled out.
Finally they went to the kitchen and found a note on the refrigerator that read "Be back soon. Had to pick up a few extra things."
"Where would they have gone out to find anything on Thanksgiving? Most of the stores are closed. Are they hoping to find some last minute cranberry sauce at the gas station?" Brenda's father asked.
"Who knows. I'm sure they will be back soon though." Brenda's mother replied. "The turkey is sure smelling good."
"Yeah, maybe I'll sneak a taste right now." The father retorted, opening up the oven and starting to put his hand in. "Damnit! They have it all covered up with foil!"
"Shut that oven, dear! You are going to let all the heat escape!"
"Yeah, yeah."
After closing the oven door, Brenda's father began looking around at all the pictures that were hanging on the wall. Then, he took notice of the gun rack. "I can't believe your father still keeps that old double-barrel shotgun hanging on the wall. Can he even lift that cannon anymore?"
"I'm not sure. Just don't mess with it. You know he keeps that thing loaded."
…Soon, four other family members had shown up, yet Martha and Thomas still hadn't. "Where's Mom and Dad?" Everyone would ask. "Has Jason gotten here yet?" Was another question on everyone's mind.
Finally, a text came through on Brenda's mom's cell phone that read "We will be a little late. The turkey will be done at 3 PM. Could you please get everything set up for us. We will join you guys at the table soon. Thanks. Luv Mom & Dad."
"Mom and Dad said they would be a little late." Brenda's mom announced. "They said we could go ahead and get the table set up."
Everyone pitched in to help get all the prepared food set out onto the kitchen table. They couldn't wait to eat because everything smelled so good, especially the turkey.
3 PM
DING! The oven timer goes off, letting everyone know that the turkey is done.
Brenda's dad opened up the oven and pulled out the large turkey pan and then set it in the center of the kitchen table. "Oh boy! Are you guys ready to feast your eyes on this?" He asked, pulling off the foil one layer at a time.
"Gees! How much foil does Grandma use?" Brenda spoke up.
"I don't know. I don't even remember them putting foil on it in the past." Her mother replied. "Must be a new family recipe."
Finally the last bit of foil was being pulled off. "Ta-da!" Brenda's dad blurted, only to be looking around the table at stunned and appalled faces.
"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Brenda's mom screamed in horror.
When Brenda's dad looked down he finally saw what everyone was appalled at. He dropped the carving knife due to being in shock himself. It was the severed heads of Martha and Thomas, fully cooked with a mixture of potatoes and vegetables surrounding them.
"OH MY GOD! PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T" REAL!" Brenda's Aunt cried out.
Suddenly the mother's cell phone buzzed again, the message read "I'm the one that put Brenda in the hospital for nearly a month. I killed Martha and Thomas and now I'm at the front door and I am coming in to kill all of you next."
"Oh my God! He said he is the one that hurt Brenda and he also said he is at the front door right now!"
Brenda's father quickly took the double barrel shotgun down from off the wall.
Just then, the front door blasted open. "I'm HEEEERE FOOOLKS!"
BANGBANG! The shotgun went off, blasting the intruder backwards, causing him to fall to the ground outside.
Brenda's dad slowly walked out the door, keeping the shotgun pointed at the maniac.
When he finally got a closer look, his jaw dropped. "OH NO! OH GOD! NO!" He cried, setting the shotgun down.
"What is it?" Brenda's mom yelled.
"It's… it's… it's Jason." He sighed.
Another text came through. "Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be sure to visit you all again for Christmas!"
