midnight malice; chapter one; part one.

{Chapter One}

I RECALL THE DAYS OF DANNY’S DISAPPEARANCE WELL, a violent whirlwind of hatred, confusion and the ever present anger, that lingered in our house for those loathsome days in which our beloved Danny, loyal brother, honorable son, was unaccounted for. He was missing, alone and helpless in a world filled with anger and violence, in a world where only one-sixth of humanity would stop and help a vulnerable human in need, it’s a cruel place we live. And my brother was somewhere out there.
    I never allowed my thoughts to veer far from this theory, though it was not a pleasurable theory, and it did not offer much comfort, it was far better then the god-awful theories the fancy officers would present us with, with their sullen faces and kind, soft voices, though we knew damn well they didn’t care a bit about us, and Danny. They probably took classes that thought them how to act when telling bad news to loved ones, for they surely could not have cared as much as they falsely let on. Father shared my views on this, mama was to bleary eyed to quite understand their obvious fakeness, let alone her surroundings. I like to think the place she let her mind wander off to was sweet and peaceful, the paradise our life was before life’s biggest horrors came ‘knockin on our door step. And I used to think, oh why cant my mind wander off like that? Why cant I experience happiness once more, if just for a moment in a dream. But life decided it wanted to be unreasonably cruel to me and my family.
    Danny never turned up, no body, no trace of existence, no proof of life, and by God, no proof of foul play either. I don’t know if this made me happy or mad, I guess by that point all we wanted was answers. Where was Danny? Is he okay? Is he alive? Dead? Of course none of our questions were ever answered, thought about, considered, yes, but never answered. I guess we should be happy tired, over-worked cops thought of our case as something bigger then just a simple disappearance . They treated it with peculiar urgency, and was attentive to details, small things really. Did he get good grades? Did he ever have a girlfriend? Ever come home with bruises, stories of pissed off teens talking trash? Was he made fun of? Their strong, persistent questioning bewildered me, but in a case like this one, where some many questions and mysteries presented itself, and shock and deceit where lurking just beyond the corner, every little detail was stretched in proportion. It amazed me how they could turn simple little facts into a story, mama said it was their job to see things differently, what we saw and what they saw were two different images, where we saw all pure and innocent, because we wanted to convince ourselves the world was pure and innocent, they saw violent acts of all natures. We were grateful they worked our case with an iron fist, but no clues ever showed up.
    Life wasn’t lookin up for us that fall, nor was it seasons to come, and years to pass. My names Jaylynn, but I go by Jay. I never did like my name, was to unique for my liking, and though dad said the name fit the girl, a unique name for a unique girl, I preferred my shorter rendition of the name I was given. You heard of my grief, but you didn’t hear of how swell life was prior to this earthquake of violent emotions and heartache. Life went as follows; had a mama who baked yummy cakes for us kids for when we got home, had a daddy who worked and worked for us to have a good life, and we did, and I had a brother who was my best friend. Life went accordingly, like any other great American family, with the exception that the siblings got along all right. One chilly October ‘mornin we awoke bleary eyed and sleepy, I padded into the kitchen in my warm flannel pajamas, my dad following clad in only pajama bottoms, he was rubbing his eyes and yawning, and I was in the beginning process of making breakfast. I liked cooking, and I pounced on any opportunity to do so. Dad said his ‘good mornin’ before he went on making coffee. About ten minutes later mama came into the kitchen as well, she sat down at the table, flashed me a smile and asked what cookin? I said pancakes, another one of those smiles loved by all. Mama could make anyone heart melt with one of those smiles. It was around the time I was passing out pancakes when I noticed the missing item at our table; Danny. Usually he was up early with me, helping me cook, but he wasn’t there. Dad noticed to, and asked mama where Danny was, mama shrugged and answered his question with a question. Dad hates that, when he asks a question he expects an answer, I don’t think he’d like therapists, I hear they do that a lot. Anyways, my dads a man of action, he got up and walked down the hall to Danny’s room, but came back, looking confused and a bit angry. Danny just didn’t sneak out like that, and if he did, he was gonna get it from dad and he knew better then that. Danny McEvans knew better any how, this was not in his nature.
































Their joyful faces appeared in the doorway. They came bearing gifts, great big bundles wrapped heavenly in bright paper and topped with over-sized bows. All that mattered to Jay McEvans was that they remembered, all the gifts, all the pretty decorations, the divine cake fit for a queen, none of that would have mattered had they forgotten. Jay, for reasons only she could know, wanted their presence near on this day. It made her feel close to him, if he couldn’t be here, then at least a half of him should.
    She drank them in, recording every little detail into her mind for later reference. Dell looked radiant, she thought, as she gave the girl a tight embrace and a light peck on the cheek. She had missed Dell Montgomery, the twenty-three year old had been her older brother’s girl in the days he happily walked this world, but he was gone now, leaving behind a family, friends, his love, and a baby. The latter part was the secret Dell had kept from him, she wanted their baby to be surprise, that is until she found the perfect opportunity to break the happy news. Except she had put off her pregnancy until it was too late, this was among the many mistakes she regretted, and no matter how hard she tried, could not ever forgive herself for that. By Dell’s side stood Coop, he was as happy as a five year old could be. He had dark hair, and bright blue eyes, which were now rounded in shock. “Aunt Jay!” the boy exclaimed as he rushed to Jay. She picked him up in her arms, and held him close, lavishing his face with kisses, as she imagined Danny would have done after a long day of work.
    Jay placed Coop back on the floor, where she knelt down, to make communication much easier. “Aunt Jay,” he was saying now, “guess what mommy signed me up for?”
    Jay recalled the days when Danny had been an avid soccer player, he had been younger then, not but a young teen at the most. He had excelled in the sport, and Jay would watch, in awe and envy. That was before football was the beloved sport of boys, of course he was great at football too, but every time he’d watch Jay play, there’d be a pain and deep longing shining in his eyes. The memories had stirred something within her. “Soccer,” she said blinking back tears she’d kept in much too long. However she was not about to cry in front of Dell.
    Coop nodded vigorously. “A-huh! How’d ya know? Did mama tell you?”
    “Nope, I took a wild guess, and hit gold.”
    Jay got to her feet, she turned to Dell and smiled. “Thank you, Danny………he’d be happy.” She had broke the rule, violated the boundaries Dell has to kindly set; she had mentioned Danny. And though Dell spent half her days thinking nothing but the handsome boy with sweet smile and blue, blue eyes, but to hear his name…….it made them both sad. For they could only use that name in past tense, and that pained them, because in their dream-like memories, Danny was very much alive. Alive and well, and a proud daddy.
    “No. Danny’d be proud of Coop whether he was a football player or a ballerina, none of that’d matter. Coop’s his little boy, he wouldn’t have cared, he’d have loved him the same. Danny was just that kinda guy.”
    Jay couldn’t disagree with that, and there wasn’t much too add either, so she just stopped talking. Dell’s last words lingered in the air like a foul smell until she broke the silence. “Happy Birthday!” she said handing over the present, it was large and rather heavy, just like Dell to lavish Jay with only the best, though Jay knew Dell was short on cash these days. Being a single, working mother had taken its toll on Dell early on, and more often then not, Coop was with Jay and “grammy” and “grampy”. The McEvans didn’t mind this a bit, because every time the boy would smile or laugh, they were again reminded of their own son.






    “Hey, Laura, check this out, they found a body in the woods by your house.” The voice came from Jays aunt, Beth, just the right words to catch everyone attention, all eyes were focused on the screen as they reporter talked of the body recently found in a “remote location” near their house. “The police were able to salvage some of the victims items, fortunately the victim’s identification was on him. We now know the victim was a white male, age twenty-five, and we have a name; Josh Reynolds. Cause of death appears to be multiple stab wounds to the abdomen and chest areas.  Also among the evidence collected we have a bracelet, inscribed with the words ‘day-day’, the bracelet does not belong to the victim, police believe the bracelet was memento of the killer’s.” The news reporter contained on, but Jay and her mom heard none of this. Laura’s hand automatically flew up to her mouth, aghast in horror. “No, no, no, no,” she murmured.
    Jay’s reaction was less subtle. “No! No! NO!” She screamed. “It cant be! Oh no!”  She flew at her mom and into her arms, except Laura was too shocked to catch her, and the girl fell to the ground in a heap at her mother’s feet. She looked up with sad eyes, eyes only adults should ever have, grief only the old should ever have to go through. That wasn’t right though, she thought, no one should ever have to go through. However she had learned at an early age that the world was a cruel, cruel place. “Mama, do you believe this? Do you think…..”
    Her mother finally composed herself enough to look down at the sorry creature at her feet, she felt for her daughter, she had gone through hell and back these past years, but Jay……Jay was a different story, she was so young when her brother disappeared, yet old enough to know what was happening. They were close too, real close, they shared a bond no one person could ever match, even the kid’s closest friends had nothing on them. They were two of a kind, and often times were referred to as twins. “Honey,” she swallowed the lump forming in her throat, “there has to be a reasonable explanation, a feasible answer….”
    But Jay knew their wasn’t, and by the way he r mother’s eyes shone, so sad and hopeful, she thought the same. Day-day, was a name only four people knew, Laura, Jay, Jay’s dad and Danny. It was Jay’s nick name for Danny, a name she created on her own free will when she younger, she used to believe it bugged him, but the ways his eyes light up, and the huge smile that formed on his face when she gave him that bracelet one year, she realized that he didn’t hate the name after all. Since that day Danny hadn’t taken the darn thing off, not for anything, you could always count on seeing the rope-twined bracelet with the lettered beads reading ‘day-day’ on them. That’s precisely why Jay was having second thoughts right now. You know how it is when your young, and you so foolishly believe the world is pure and kind, only to wake up one day and see the nightmarish truth, that life isn’t what books and movies make it out to be. However she had grown up, and that day had come many years ago, she had just accepted his death, and now a new mystery came to light. Another question that desperately needed to be answered, but they knew never would. It was an old case, one that surely didn’t need to be re-opened.
    Through tears were coming freely now dripping onto her new dress, she regally composed herself and nodded weakly to her mother. There had to be, she thought.
    She turned her head to take in the sight of the confused guests. “What is it Laura?” one asked. Whispers were exchanged and Jay was reminded of high school, the thought of all these adults acting like petty teens, made her laugh. Laughing was good, if she could laugh and smile then all would be okay.
    One guest stood out from the rest, her expression was more pain and anguish then what-the-hell-is-goin-on. She just stood there; hand over her mouth, and eyes just itchin to spill the oncoming tears she had fought so hard to retain. Stiffly, Jay walked up to her, and gave the girl a long hug. After awhile Dell laid her head on Jay’s shoulder where she silently wept. Dell must of known the nick name as well, of course Danny would have explained, he wasn’t to keen on keeping secrets. She pulled back and looked at Jay with eyes like a pleading child, a child hopeful his mommy would say yes to him. “He’s alive, after all these years he’s alive,” she said quietly. Dell was smiling now, and it struck Jay as odd, why she was just weeping on her shoulder.
    Jay finally came too. No, Danny was dead. “No he is not!” she found herself yelling at the one person who she sought comfort in. A hurt bewildered look came across Dell’s face and for a moment all the hope she’d previously invested in vanished. But Jay wasn’t that lucky.
    She opened her mouth, formed words then thought better of it. Finally she said, “I think you are wrong Jaylynn McEvans,” and stalked off with her little boy in tow to the kitchen. To grab her things and leave? To get food? Jay didn’t know and honestly didn’t care right then, she had bigger issues on her mind. Like the bracelet magically turning up after all these years, and the fact that the bracelet had turned up on location of a crime scene. The victims wife confirmed that the bracelet was not a possession of her husband, theoretically the bracelet had to belong to the killer. The police needed evidence, telling the public they had clear evidence and were currently pursuing many leads, sounded better then saying they had jack-shit of a clue as to what had exactly happened. Made them seem more competent and with it, and made the community rest easy knowing the big mighty cops were handling it, and by morning the killer’d be locked up and contained. Cops were like the rest of humanity, eager to please. Just as dirty and cunning as the next guy.
    Nevertheless she had a party to attend to, and guests who awaited eagerly to talk to the ‘birthday girl’. Usually a conversational person, Jay went on to act as if the latest news hadn’t opened up all ready closed wounds, and confirmed her biggest fears. She loved her brother, but she’d much rather have him in a grave then be running around doing god knows what, killing, drugs, stealing, she didn’t know what, but whatever it was, it must have been bad. She wanted to hold onto the memories of him as a good brother and a good son, Maybe that made her selfish, but so be it, her brother was a good person, and no stuck up fella with a badge was going to tell her otherwise.
    Her ears were ringing and her mind was conjuring up too many thoughts for her to process all at once, by the time the party was ended. It would have been longer, but Jay’s persistent whining finally wore down on her mother and they wound up the festivities. Guests who had just began to really feel alive and happy, weren’t all to cheery when they had, literally, been kicked out.
    “Such a shame you turned pissy all of a sudden, I would have liked to talk to my sister more,” her mother snapped as she cleaned off their table. Cups, napkins, plates, you name it were strewn about the tables. “Damn people cant learn to clean up after themselves,” Laura McEvans mumbled as her and her daughter cleaned in silence. Jay wasn’t dumb, she could sense the tension, and she knew why it was present; the news hadn’t just hit Jay like a tidal way, her mother had also been affected. Though she knew best then to make that anger present to the others, and of course she knew better then to approach Dell on the issue. However, she wasn’t her mother, and she had done the one thing they had deemed inexcusable; dashing Dell’s hopes. Dell was a bright girl, a girl who preferred logistics to a good laugh, but she dropped that trait as soon as Danny disappeared. Love’ll do that to you.






The sunlight was quickly receding and dark was approaching with an almost eerie feel to it. The darkness never really excited Jay, in the dark you were virtually invisible, with a stealth like grace, someone could easily, say abduct a person in the night. She watched plenty of horror flicks to deduce what her mind already apprehended. She’d savor the gore and suspense, until the object of her desire actually occurred in her very home, then she didn’t much care for horror. It had lost all appeal, and quite frankly, all it’d done was piss her off. In movies there was always a happy ending, the killer got caught, the victim rescued before the killer time to get to work, all was fine and cheery, sons and daughters later reunited with their loved ones. However life was a far fetch from the crap played on TV, or perhaps God was on their side, and not the McEvans, but she refused to believe Danny’s life value didn’t equate to any other’s. Danny had been an honorable, law-abiding citizen who deserved a wonderful life, not the life he’d been granted that horrid night years and years ago. His whereabouts where still unknown, years later, whether his body was in an unmarked grave, or if that grave was a mere shallow-dug grave in a field, or if he was wandering the streets, pursuing a life unimaginable and uncomprehendable to the innocent mind. But Jay’s mind was far from innocent, so of course her thoughts often wandered to that dark abyss in the back of her mind. Now, her mind wouldn’t leave out the darkness, every thought conceived, was that of a horror movie reference.
    The footsteps startled he moments before the voice could; soft and sweet the voice was, and the familiarity bewildered her, she knew this voice, had heard it time and time again, yet the voice’s owner was far beyond her. She racked her mind, desperately in search of an answer. Turns out she didn’t need to, as if sensing her thought, the voice added, “its Dell.” She whipped around and sprung out of her bed hurriedly and ran into Dell’s arms, obviously perplexed by Jay’s reaction, she put her arms around her, nonetheless. Jay pulled away and looked Dell in the eyes, tears brimming in her blue eyes, Dell had been hurting, partly on the account of Jay. Mostly because the news had taken its toll on the older girl, just as it had the McEvans. Less so, but a epicenter for strong emotions nonetheless.
    “I came because I missed you, and I was worried, you know I love you Jay don’t you? You’re the little sister I never had,” she was saying now, with fresh tears beginning to form, and drip onto her blouse.
    Jay nodded. She knew, she felt the same for Dell, they had been close prior to the “misdoing” but after that, they had sought comfort in each other, though they never quite received a proper amount. Dell’s parents didn’t understand the severity of the situation, of course they hadn’t know how close their daughter had been to Danny, nor did they realize their plans of marriage, and it had escaped them that their daughter was carrying this boy’s child. For Jay, the situation was understood for what it was; a hellish disaster to have been bestowed upon them, they had all been too distraught to attend to their daughter’s pain, let alone their own. Tensions and the pain, now clearly visible, were at its peak when Jay’s father walked out. Not only out of their home, but out of their life as well. Last Jay heard, he’d been jailed for being drunk and disorderly.  So say after day, Jay’s mom struggled to raise her daughter all on her lonesome, but one thing proved true; Dell had always been there for her, by her side, in times of stress and helplessness, just as she had promised after Danny’s disappearance.
    “Yeah of course.”
    Dell adverted her gaze to the side, then to the ground, as if in shame, or perhaps she was trying to conceal the oncoming tears? She wringed her hands, and when that did no good, she played with the diamond engagement ring Danny had lovingly placed on her finger at dinner on a beautiful night years and years ago. The gesture was not lost on Jay.
    “Dell, what is it? What’s wrong?” Her voice was shaking now, and a horrible feeling fell in the pit of he stomach.
    No answer, just the eerie silence.
    “Dell what the hell is going on? What’s wrong?” she tried again, and Dell must have noticed the terror in her voice, for she looked up. “Were leaving.” And with those two words, Jay’s world was shaken apart once more. She was taken back to that morning, when she’d awoke only to find her sweet, loving, adoring brother gone. She had lost her brother first, then her booze-bound father, and now Dell. She didn’t know how much more she could take before she, too, turned to a bottle, or the new teenage obsession, a razor. She hoped and prayed it’d never come to that, but as she looked into Dells pleading sad eyes, she wasn’t so sure anymore. What she once thought of as reliable, turned out to be a disappointment in the end.
    “When?” There was no putting of the inevitable, once Dell had a thought, there was little one could do to sway her otherwise, so Jay didn’t even try.
    “Tomorrow.”
    “But why,” Jay managed to croak. In her hearts of hearts she knew; Dell was leaving because of the painful memories surfacing after all these years. She couldn’t stand it here, never really could, Only reason she had tethers was because of Danny and her boy. She could no longer reside in the place Danny was born, raised, and abducted. She needed to  move on, they had so desperately urged her to, and in order for that leaving would have to be necessary.
    “To move on, to get away…….you know every time I see this house, I remember the days me and Danny would run about it when we were young. Every time I see Laura I recall the days when we were a family, and…and every time I see you, I see him. Its funny, we don’t want to forget, but remembering so painful and only leaves you with a deep longing for that person once more. You know?”
  Jay solemnly nodded, she understood all right, for she had been through that same battle time and time again. What she didn’t quite grasp was her leaving; wouldn’t it be best to be near loved ones who knew exactly what it was like? However, though it pained her, Jay didn’t say a word of protest. When you love someone you only want the best for them, and it wasn’t, no matter what she thought, the best for her to linger here like a lost soul awaiting it’s other half that’d never show.
    So in the end, they held each other for what seemed like eternities, and Jay watched from her window Dell getting her car, leaving. She missed Dell already and Coop, especially since their good-bye had been abrupt.
    She packed a hasty retreat once the car was around the corner, obscured by the trees, she could no longer watch from above as the car zoomed by. She tore off out the door, across the street. He had given her his word, if ever she needed something she was free to come over. No matter the time, no matter the circumstance.
    The lawn was well manicured; shrubs groomed precisely, flowers darting from the ground in great bundles and a whirlwind of color. The house was just as glamorous, a little on the scant side, but beautiful nonetheless. Now, as she trampled over the flowers in a rush, she felt immediate regret.
    She knocked once, no answer. She knocked once more, this time she put more force into it. The message was conceived, for she could see a looming figure approaching the door, looking aggravated as hell, through the glass.
    “I’m comin, I’m comin!”
    “Oh my, why isn’t it Jay McEvans, the feisty little broad from ‘cross the street,” he said through a smile.
    Jay returned the smile, only hers wavered, and seemed more forceful.
    “We-ll,” she drawled, “I sure could appreciate your wild ole tales now, Mr. Hickham.”










“WHAT ABOUT HER?”
    The boy shook his head vigorously in disgust. “Nah too kinky.”
    He didn’t understand what he meant by “too kinky”, in his teenage mind there was no such thing as too kinky. However, he seemed to be considering it.
    “The brunette, green top?” He suggested with a certain amount of pride, and hope–was that what this was?–that this girl would be the girl.
    In all honesty he just wanted to pick the girl, get to work, go home, drink some beers, watch some quality porn, smoke a little dope and go to sleep high and drunk. That’s what he wanted. But reality struck a cord, and he realized that just wasn’t possible. Not today anyway. Perhaps tomorrow would be different.                   
    “Nah, too tough.”
    Made sense.
    Moments passed before another girl came, another possible victim. And when she did, he knew . He sensed Denver felt the same by the way he was inching forward, chanting “oh boy did we find her? Yes we did!”
    She stopped; feet away from her anxious onlookers, oblivious of the fate that awaited her just beyond the woods, were one could scream for eternity and never be heard. Where one could plead for help, but never receive it.
    After careful consideration this was the spot they had chosen, and they had believed it would work. Damn fools they were to believe such.
    Now as she looked around the woods, thinking that perhaps she had heard something, they were able to catch a glimpse of the woman. She was beautiful, even damp with sweat, yet somehow she was familiar. The familiarity was something both boys could not place for the life of them. Until she spoke. Then it hit them.
    “Hello?” She had said, and that’s when they put the pieces together at last.
    “Macey.”
    Sensing no one was there, feeling very much the fool for believing that there was; she continued on, blonde hair tied tight in a pony-tail flapping, perfectly rounded breasts jiggling, she continued on her jog secretly pleasing her audience with every move.
    “She’s the one! Oh god, Eric, she’s the one!” He said happily, clapping his large hands on his thighs.
    Eric Johnson never had understood the system of finding the perfect victim, but that was all right, because Denver seemed to have. “It’s the way they carry themselves, the way they act, the way they present themselves,” he would say humbly, as if somehow figured something out others before him were clueless about, as if he magically found the solution to the greatest predicament. But he hadn’t, he simply had an uncanny ability to scope out the most defenseless, the “prime victims” he often stated. Always with that look, that sinister, creepy, happy look that seemed to be plastered to his face when he spoke of death and ones demise. To say he was happy when he spoke of murder was like saying he was a little messed up.
    Eric disagreed, however. “But she’s nice! She’s–.” Denver waved him away, persistent on this particular girl: Macey Allbridge. Sweet, timid, beautiful–but completely oblivious of her beauty, unlike most girls
–Macey. Eric had found her humor refreshing, after having to listen to the guys idea of comedy, had even found her quite charming. Hell, he had even considering hooking up with Macey once, social statuses forgotten at that point, Of course big ‘ole mighty Denver Brookes had dissuaded this idea with a chuckle and a “what the hell are you ‘thinkin man? Macey?” laughing more and more at the concept.
    You see Denver was very much the loved jock he prided himself on being. He went to all the best parties, slept with all the hottest girls, and obviously shunned girls like Macey. In their world even a friendly ‘hi’ to a girl like Macey was highly frowned upon. So it wasn’t a hard decision, picking Macey and all, she was after all un-popular, so hey what the hell? Must mean they were doing something right. “Eliminating the losers” Denver would have said, and yes he would of took pleasure in doing such. Which frightened Eric more then he could say, more then he could admit.
    He had grown to hate Denver for years now, ever since he brought up thoughts of killing. Back then though, Eric had enjoyed the popularity he had automatically gained having known Denver. And much like the school population had, Eric looked up to this guy, so then when thoughts of killing had been thrown about, Eric was all too willing. If only to please Denver, if only to impress the girls. Perhaps then they would think him more then just Denver’s-right-hand-man. He had convinced himself with the first killing would come glory, love, and sex. Lots of sex. Mostly, however, he tried–to no avail–to convince himself that what him and Denver had so avidly plotted for months now, was right, that it was morale. Of course he had the better sense then to just throw away his life just for sex. He wasn’t like Denver, unlike him he wasn’t just blessed with good looks, but good sense, which he found quite handy in difficult situations.
    Hence his sudden un-sureness in this killing. Standing now, in the woods, concealed behind the thick trees and the underbrush, next to this man who had so happily plotted murder for years. And now this plan was being set in motion, and so help him god if he was just going to stand idly watching him kill Macey. No, today Macey was not going to die if Eric could prevent it.
    “You damn pussy! You slept with her didn’t you? Damn it! You slept with Macey!” Anger now, but Eric didn’t understand his rage, not one bit.
    “No I did not, it’s just–.”
    “It’s just what, Eric? That she’s nice? Is that it?”
    No that was not it. It was the battle of right and wrong going on his mind right then, that was it.
    “Well damn Eric, I believe you. ‘Wanna know why?”
    Eric was just about to speak but Denver cut him off.
    “Its because if you slept with her then you wouldn’t give a damn about her, but you see Eric, this doubt your having in that little mind of yours, is purely because you care about the bitch. I told you too, Eric, I told you not too, told you it would ruin you rep, and trust me, Eric it will.” He was smiling now, as if he was glad to be rid of Eric, which made him sick.
  “You’re an ass hole, you know that? I don’t care about her, its just this little plan you have is fucking wrong, Denver, Killing people is wrong! Its not cool , and it sure as hell isn’t something im ‘gonna take part in as long as I fucken live!” With that Eric walked out from their hiding place, walking briskly, and oh so happily, having known that he had made the right decision.
    “Okay Eric, whatever walk away like a little pussy, I don’t need you,” Eric must not have heard, because he continued to walk, faster now, sensing Denver’s fierce gaze far behind him now.
    He walked out of the woods, feeling happy and proud, relived actually, yes that was it, Eric Johnson was relived beyond anything. There was also the feeling that he had done the right thing, and he had. He had idolized Denver, he had thought his values were right, cool in fact, but much like their friendship, that was behind him.  Miles behind him.
    The screams had awaken him from his dream-like state–had his mind been wandering that long? Immediately he identified the screams as a woman’s: Macey’s.
    Now he was running. “Macey!” He shouted over and over, but his voice never carried. It pained him to think that she might die not knowing that he had tried, that she wasn’t alone.
    More screams. He was close, but was he close enough?
    “Macey! Hold on, Macey im coming!” The screams were growing faint now, which worried him more then he could say.
    “Oh god, oh god, oh god,” he chanted as he ran. He was an athletic guy, was a regular runner, but now he was growing tired, but he never gave up. Not when he was running, not when he found Macey lying helplessly on her back, deep lacerations on her arms, and even deeper wounds on her chest, dying, not even when Denver walked out from behind the tree, knife in hand, dripping in scarlet blood, and grabbed the clueless Eric. And especially not when that knife, the one dripping in scarlet blood, penetrated his own self.
    Eric had put up a fight, a long fought battle versus good and evil, only no matter how hard Eric had fought, Eric had lost that fight, As did Macey Allbridge.
    Two gone, two victims’ dead, much more to come.
    Psychopaths never give up.