‘The Case of the Missing Socks’

12 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by stevenjohnno in stories, Uncategorized

Tags

agatha christie, book-review, books, dog, fiction, funny, socks, whodunit, writing

The sun rose at 6.03 on the morning of 6th January 2026 and already the temperature is 26 degrees and climbing.

There was no wind to speak of and for all intents and purposes it looks like a normal summer’s day in Balmain one of Sydney’s inner suburbs not far from the iconic harbour bridge.

Inside their cozy terrace home the Rothchild family are sitting around the kitchen table gulping down bowls of corn flakes with vegemite layered with loads of butter on the side.

‘I bet you are excited about your netball final tomorrow morning Maddie?’ Amy Rothchild asks her daughter while she takes her empty bowl over to the sink.

‘I sure am mum’ replies Maddie replies chewing on her first piece of toast ‘With my super human shooting power and lightning footwork the other team won’t know what hit them.’

Across the table Maddie twin brother Marcus rolls his eyes ‘Netball is easy if you are tall and gawky but you shouldn’t last five minutes in a game of rugby league where you need to be tough and strong and run up and down the field, not stand in one spot waiting for the ball to be thrown to you, no wonder you are getting a little porky Mads.’

Before Maddie gets a chance to say anything Richard Rothschild holds up a hand ‘Marcus say sorry to your sister that remark was uncalled for ‘Sorry sis, I hope you win the game tomorrow and take home player of the match.’

With siblings there can be a fine line between love and intense competition.

After Richard leaves to go to work at his law firm and the twins have gone upstairs to change into their school uniforms Amy sits down to have a well earned cup of coffee and a cold slice of toast.

As she drinks her espresso Amy thinks about her family and how lucky she is to have them in her life.

Sure the twins who will turn 11 years old in May may bicker and fight every now and then but deep down there is a genuine love for each other.

Maddie the elder of the two by one hour is now a little tall for her age and she can be a bit gawky at times but she is a confident extroverted child with lovely long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes who loves to be the centre of attention.

Marcus on the other hand who despite his out burst at breakfast is timid and wary around other people so he spends a lot of time in his room playing video games but since he started playing footy last year Marcus is slowly starting to come out of his shell and unlike his twin he has wavy dark brown hair, green eyes and is of average height for his age.

At the kitchen sink washing up the dishes Amy pats her belly and smiles because she has a secret to share with Richard at their 11th wedding anniversary dinner tonight.

After kissing the twins goodbye, leaving them in the capable hands of their neighbour Catherine Richard drives Amy towards the harbour where they will celebrate their anniversary with family and friends.

‘Bugs and Hugs’ is a seafood restaurant located on the water with a stunning view of the opera house and luna park and it is famous for having the freshest seafood in town that includes of course huge Balmain Bugs.

The extended family eat until they are about ready to burst, around 9 o’clock things begin to wind down and after saying a final congratulations to the happy couple the last of the well wishers depart.

‘Alone at last’ Richard says ‘I can’t believe how fast the years have flown by and why you chose me of me to be your husband when you could have picked someone better looking.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Amy whispers ‘The first time I saw your smile and jet black hair across the room at university I was smitten, you reminded me of a Clark Kent who quickly turned into my superman.’

‘I might have to start wearing my underpants on the outside’ Richard laughs ‘But seriously Amy when I asked you out on our first date I thought that I had died and gone to heaven’

Leaving the restaurant the happy couple drive home hoping that the twins are in bed so they can celebrate their anniversary alone but when Richard pulls in the driveway Catherine the babysitter is standing outside the front door waiting for them. ‘What’s wrong Catherine? Did the twins play up more than usual?’ Amy implores the babysitter. ‘No, Mrs Rothschild ‘But Maddie had a bit of tantrum over a missing sock or something so I thought that I should warn you before you went inside.’

‘Thanks Catherine, come by in the morning and I will pay you for tonight.’

‘Mummy you know that i have a favourite pair of netball socks right?’ Amy nods her head even though she has no idea what her daughter is talking about ‘Just wear another pair to your final, after all it is just a sock what’s the big deal?’

‘WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?’ Maddie screams ‘I have worn the same pair of socks for eleven weeks straight and we have won every game and now i am supposed to wear another pair of socks for the final game of the year? The other girls will laugh at me, can’t you do anything mum?’

‘Honey I don’t know where your sock has gone to, maybe the tooth fairy took it by mistake. ‘Or’ Marcus says in amusement ‘Maybe your sock has been kidnapped by a rascally gang of thieves who are now all holding their breath after getting a whiff of your stinker.’

Amy and Richard struggle to contain smiles at their son’s strange sense of humour ‘Thank you Marcus for your input’ Richard smirks ‘But you aren’t exactly helping the situation.’

Marcus just shrugs his shoulders before returning to his video game.

‘See mum even my dorky brother isn’t taking my situation seriously.’

‘Calm down Maddie everything will turn out okay, you’ll see.’

But of course everything didn’t turn out okay because after missing two easy shots at goal in her netball final Maddie lost all confidence and was replaced and to make matters worse her team The Heat lost to their fierce rivals The Raptor’s 35-16.

Surprisingly Maddie was cool calm and collected on the way home plus Amy brightened everyone’s mood by stopping at KFC for a huge bucket of finger licking chicken pieces.

After devouring their lunch the Rothschild family all get changed into some ‘I wouldn’t dare wear these daggy clothes in public’ before settling down in front of the big arse TV to watch ‘Frozen’ for perhaps the 27th time.

Halfway through the movie Amy fills the washing machine with dirty clothing and as she does Amy is once again bewildered how a family of four can wear as many clothes as a small army in just a day.

As she loads the machine Amy notices the offending pair of netball socks and smiles ‘Come out nice and clean or better yet just disappear and become a part of the missing sock legend.’

An hour later after hanging out the wash Amy lays down on the couch for her customary 20 minute nanna nap to freshen up but as she snoozed Amy had a nightmare about a huge one eyed purple monster who went on a rampage killing children and stealing all of their socks and to make matters worse when she brought in the dry clothing one of the netball socks was missing

As she prepared dinner that night Amy tried to put the sock that had gone M.I.A out of her mind but she couldn’t shake the feeling that one of the neighbours with a sock fetish was stealing socks to satisfy their sick minds.

After the kids had finished eating they both went into their rooms letting Amy question Richard in private’ Honey, I know that this might sound weird but do you know anyone around here who has a desire to collect socks?’

‘No, but old man Jenkins two doors down likes to wear his wives dresses when he mows his backyard but as far as sock collecting goes nobody springs to mind, why do you ask dear?’

;Well, when i brought the clothes in earlier one of Maddie’s netball socks was missing and i know that I hung them both on the line so I am thinking that we should have a motion detector installed to catch the thief in the act.’

‘Amy don’t you think that you are overreacting just a bit because after all it is just the odd missing sock’ but after seeing the look of dismay on his wives face Richard’s demeaner softens ‘But if a motion detector will put your mind at ease I will look into it and have one installed pronto.’

‘Thank you Richard I knew that you would understand because knowing that someone is coming into yard to pinch some socks gives me the creeps.’

A technician arrives on Wednesday to install the motion detector sensor and immediately he has a feeling that the lady of the house might be a Karen in waiting ‘Excuse me Nigel but please make sure that the sensor picks up any slight movement in every inch of the backyard because I want to catch the sock thief in the act.’

‘Sorry Mrs Rothchild but that isn’t a very good idea because if I do what you ask any small animal like a mouse, cat or a possum crossing your yard will be spotted which means that the sensor light will flash a hundred times a night.’

‘I hear what you are saying Nigel but please do as I ask and make sure that you use the brightest light bulbs on the market.’

‘Sure thing Mrs Rothschild, I have the perfect lights for you out in my van.’

After fetching a couple of bulbs normally used to illuminate a cricket ground Nigel wanders back whistling an old Aerosmith classic ‘Bright Light Fright’.

The Rothschild family are all seated around the dinner table that night talking about their day while they eat when suddenly the motion sensor is activate causing them to dive for cover.

‘Holy crap’ Marcus screams excitedly ‘I think a freaking UFO just landed in our backyard.’

Running towards the back door Maddie hollers out ‘Hopefully E.T is onboard and wants to come inside to play.’

‘Come back here you two’ Richard demands’ Okay Amy what did you tell the technician to do?’

Sheepishly tells her husband that she told Nigel to install the brightest lights that he had ‘I guess he took me at my word.’

‘He sure did Amy, our yard will now surely be visible from outer space.’

Shaking his head Richard goes out and deactivates the motion sensor.

While the ruckus detracted the Rothschild family another sock has been taken from right under their noses.

Once the kids had settled down Richard calls Nigel who promises to come around in the morning in replace the blinding bulbs with more suitable replacements. ‘Please don’t listen to my wife, she has a bad case of the missing socks blues.’

‘I heard that’ Amy yells out from the living room.

Feeling a little sheepish Richard opens the fridge and pours a glass of Amy’s favourite wine from a cask as a peace offering but when the fridge door closes he notices a lone sock draped over a kitchen chair ‘What the fuck’ he whispers not wanting the kids to hear him swear.

After looking under the kitchen table Richard shakes his head in dismay ‘What are you doing in here Richard?’ Amy asks ‘I heard you pour a glass of wine five minutes ago.’

‘Jesus Amy, you scared the crap out of me, I was just looking for something that I misplaced earlier.’

‘Would it happen to be a sock Richard?

‘Well now that you mention, one of my socks I left fraped over a chair has gone walkabout.’

‘Lets not talk about socks anymore, why don’t we go into the living room and relax and maybe talk about trying another Karma Sutra position when the kids are asleep.’

‘Richard the last time we did that you ended up in hospital with a slipped disc in your back so no more Karma Sutra for me thank you very much.’

‘Missionary is nice but who knows what will happen honey bunch.’

‘What are you two whispering about over there? Marcus enquires from across the room.

‘I swear Marcus, you have the hearing of a bat but I was just telling your father that we should donate to the mission church down the street.’

‘Cool, I just thought that you might have been talking about sex that’s all.’

Richard and Amy burst out laughing ‘No son’ Richard replies ‘We are a Christian family who believe in abstinence, now it is time for bed and don’t forget to brush your teeth first.’

‘Come on Maddie, let’s leave before mum and dad alone they decide to some Karma Sutra Christian sex.’

‘Richard about our sock situation, did you know that socks have been mysteriously disappearing all over the world for hundreds of years?’

‘Yes Amy I have heard about the crazy cotton blend sock Bermuda Triangle but can we please talk about something else for a change?’

‘Do you think that I am crazy Richard? Because I will have you know that I will stop searching for the culprit responsible for the missing socks, also Richard did you happen to know that since we moved in here almost fifty socks have done the dipsy doodle, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it.’

‘Amy calm down, you are completely overreacting to a little issue and to tell you the truth I think that you should see your doctor and get a prescription for your mood swings.’

‘Mood swings? Amy screams loudly ‘That’s it Richard you go and perform your Karma Sutra Christian sex position’s one handed but don’t come crying to me when you do you back in again.’

‘I will sleep on the couch where I will get some peace and quiet not having to listen to your chainsaw snoring all night.’

Knowing that he has lost this argument Richard holds his head up and toddles off to bed.

After tossing and turning on the couch Amy decides to go and do something constructive but first makes herself a cup coffee while she decides what household chore to do first.

As she sips the soothing drink Amy’s eyes keep drifting towards the open laundry door where the washing machine of ill repute resides ‘Alright you evil machine, tell me where you have stashed all of my family’s missing socks right this minute because if you don’t I will tear you apart rivet by rivet.’

Leaving the dregs of her coffee behind Amy grabs Richard’s toolbox from a shelf in the laundry ‘Last chance, speak up now or be nothing but a pile of metal by days end.’

‘Daddy wake up, I think that someone is trying to break into our house.’

After a few more shakes Richard finally responds ‘What are you doing in here Marcus, I was having a nice dream about a woman who expertise was, well I will tell you more about it when you turn sixteen.’

‘Daddy stop talking and listen, someone is at the backdoor trying to break in.’

Sticking an ear up Richard clearly hears faint noises coming from the laundry ‘I think you are right Marcus, now go back to you room while I go out to the laundry to see what in the hell is happening.’

‘But Daddy’ a scared Marcus whispers to his father ‘What if it is a big monster trying to break in?’

‘Don’t worry son’ Richard whispers back ‘Monsters are usually inside already hiding in a closet or under a bed now go back to your room and don’t worry.’

When he reaches the bottom of the stairs Richard’s brain tells him that it probably wasn’t a very smart idea to tell his young son that a monster could be hiding somewhere in his bedroom ‘Sorry son, just close your eyes and think good thoughts.’

Knowing that he will need a weapon of some sort Richard picks up an iron poker from the fire place before he silently creeps towards the laundry’.

‘Come out you fuckers I know you in there someplace.’

Upon hearing Amy’s voice Richard quickens his pace to discover a laundry full of discarded washing machine parts and his wife looking frustrated and forlorn.

‘Amy what in the fuck are you doing? You woken up the kids and probably the next door neighbours as well ‘Now what do you have to say for yourself?’

Before Amy can reply approaching police sirens fill the night air ‘Marcus must have called the police’ Richard tells his wife ‘He was one very frightened little boy Amy, he thought a monster was break in but I reassured him that monsters don’t need to break in’

‘I will stop talking now but the police will most certainly will have more to say about having to respond to a false alarm.’

After the police leave Richard comforts his distraught wife ‘Everything will be okay Amy, you let the missing socks get to you that’s all, remember yesterday when you told me that socks have been disappearing for hundreds of years and in all of that time nobody has come up with an answer to the puzzle.’

‘But to put your mind I will arrange for a private detective to come around plus a tradie to put the washing machine out of it’s misery.’

Amy smiles faintly ‘Thanks Richard, it is only 4.30 so we could go upstairs and practice a few more Karma Sutra positions?

‘Sorry’ Richard smiles’ ‘But I tried the one handed position you suggested last night and I think that i have damaged a tendon in my elbow.’

Laughing happily the pair of love birds head upstairs ‘ARRGGGGUUUUHHH’

Amy jumps out of her skin but Richard quickly calms her down ‘Don’t worry honey, Marcus probably thought he saw a monster in the closet, you go and get ready and I ‘Captain Stallion’ will be with you shortly.’

Three days later just after the Rothschild had finished lunch when three louds on the front door startles all of them ‘My God’ Maddie laughs ‘It is the Police Marcus, they have come to arrest you for being the dorkiest dork in dorkland.’

‘Very funny Maddie’ Marcus responds ‘But seeing that you almost set our school on fire last week smoking in the girl’s toilets they will probably put you in handcuffs and throw away the key.’

‘Settle down you two’ Richard demands ‘Maddie your mother and I will be having words with you later on.’

‘Everybody, this William Watkins the private investigator who has come to help us with our sock problem.’

‘I am at your service Mrs Rothschild, now if you wouldn’t mind I would like to walk around your lovely home by myself because one never knows where a clue might appear.’

‘Of course Mr Watkins ‘My husband Richard and I plus our two lovely children Maddie and Marcus will wait for you out in the kitchen.’

With a small nod Watkins wanders away looking for clues beginning upstairs.

In the kitchen Richard and Amy giggle ‘Watkins is obviously ripping off Hercule Poirot from the Agatha Christie novels with his white suit, Panama hat, dyed black hair and fake moustache.’

‘It could have been worse Amy’ he could have come as Mis Marple.’

‘I am afraid that Miss Marple was unavailable today’ Watkins deadpans as he enters the kitchen.

Richard and Amy both turn a deep shade of red ‘Sorry Mr Watkins we didn’t mean anything by with our comments.

‘It is quite alright I assure you’ Watkins mutters from the kitchen window.

‘Would you like a cup of coffee William’ Amy offers.’

‘No thank you Mrs Rothschild but I must be off, your case has been solved.’

‘WHAT, but you have only been here five minutes.’

‘Mr Rothschild I only follow the clues and they have led me to believe that your missing socks are located in the dog kennel out yonder’ Watkins proclaims whilst pointing at the offending structure.

‘Scruffy? Marcus queries ‘But why would little scruff take our socks?

‘Well it is elementary dear boy’ and yes I know that that is a quote attributed to my detective friend Sherlock Holmes but I am sure that he wouldn’t mind me borrowing it for this case.’

‘Now would you all please follow me out to the kennel and I shall demonstrate my findings.’

Marcus has no idea what the weird little man is talking about but he does as demanded.

Hearing footsteps approaching Scruffy a small Scottish Terrier with a big attitude comes out to see who is intruding in his space.

‘Watkins bends down to let the dog sniff the back of his hand ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you’ Maddie pipes in ‘Scruffy is likely to jump up and rip your face off.

But Scruffy has taken a shine to Watkins and licks his hand in glee ‘Now Scruffy, I know that you have a huge collection of socks inside your abode but your kind owners miss those socks very much and would like them returned post haste.’

With a bark and a guilty look on his face the little dog runs into his kennel and quickly returns with a mouth full of socks and after a few minutes of running back and forth a total of fifty two misplaced socks lay on the grass.

‘How did you work everything out so quickly’ Richard asks ‘I knew as soon as I saw the little doggy door leading out into your backyard that the culprit was none other Scruffy.’

‘But why in the hell would scruffy take the socks in the first place?

‘Mrs Rothschild socks soak up a lot of sweat and when you and husband are out and your delightful children are at school scruffy quickly gets bored and lonely, he steals the socks because they smell of his family so when he feels a little down he goes into his kennel and the odour calms him down because in his mind he thinks that his family is nearby.’

‘The case of the missing socks has been solved but may I suggest that you give scruffy more attention and also buy another small dog to give scruffy some company.’

‘My bill will be in the mail, please pay promptly or I shall sick scruffy onto you.’

THE END.

I trust that you liked this story and if you did please leave a like or a comment and if you have the means please donate some money to help me on my quest to be a better author. Thank You.

‘ Billy Johnson’s Black Pig’

19 Thursday Sep 2024

Posted by stevenjohnno in stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

adventure, australia, blood, creative-writing, fanfare, fiction, first fleet, pig, pirates, relationships, ships, short-stories, short-story, writing

This story is about a small boy and his pet pig who together go on adventures in the woods but end up getting into a whole lot of trouble.

I hope that you enjoy reading my story and if you do please leave a like and a comment. Thank you.

‘Where do you think that you are going Billy?’

‘Thought that I would go down to the creek and catch a big trout or maybe use my bow to shoot a pheasant or a rabbit, Jesus ma even a scrawny rat would be mighty tasty right now.’

‘Don’t say the lords name in vain Billy Johnson, I know times have tough ever since your pa passed away but if you don’t do your lessons than you won’t be able to better yourself and move away from this place.’

Alice Johnson is a slim woman with stringy blonde hair but the lines on her face show the despair and hurt that has dominated her 32 years on earth but she has to stay strong for her son.

‘Please ma I have been stuck inside all day.’

‘Billy it is only 10 o’clock in the morning’ Alice laugh’s ‘But okay you can go hunting but don’t go too far into the woods and be back before lunch because I have turnip and spinach soup on the hob.’

Like his mother Billy also has stringy blonde hair and he is smaller than a ten year old should be but he is an energetic boy who want’s to grow big and strong so he can help his ma put food on the table.

After putting on his best coat Billy walks out into a typical cold English day ‘Bye ma back soon.’

After saying goodbye to her son Alice cleans up a bit before going out to her vegetable garden to pick some spinach and a few tomatoes.

The Johnson family live in a small stone dwelling that has seen better days that Billys father Cyril built by hand just after Billy was born.

Cyril Johnson was a proud man who promised his wife that one day he would more his family to South Hampton or even down to Brighton on the coast but after working seven days a week down in a coal mine where the conditions were terrible Cyril developed a lung condition.

On the morning of 21st June 1768 Cyril Johnson died of the dreaded black lung disease leaving behind a grieving wife and a small child.

It is now 1776 and nothing much has improved for the Johnson family because living in Coventry hunger and disease run rampant but Alice and Billy have managed to survive on nothing much than a wing and a prayer but praying to the heavens doesn’t put food on the table.

Once outside Billy is immediately hit by the stench coming from the open sewer running down the middle of the street ‘God please help me shoot straight today so we can get out of here and go to a better place.’

As he enters the woods the temperature drops and Billys hand me down pants and threadbare coat do little to keep out the cold but the determined boy strides forward along a narrow path that he has travelled many times before.

Old Oak trees with trunks covered in moss and lichen line the pathway and as he makes along Billy smiles when the birds start singing high up in the branches and when a crow appears and lands ten feet in front of him before walking forward along the path Billy follows the bird hoping that he will be led to a good spot to make a kill for supper.

Ten minutes later Billy begins to feel that the crow is taking him on a fool’s errand but when he rounds a bend the crow flies away and Billy walks into a small clearing full of bramble and blackberry bushes a good spot for hares and rabbits to hide.

Taking a seat on the ground Billy places his father’s crossbow on the ground next to him then he grabs a bolt from the quiver and begins to wait.

Lucky for Billy the black clouds overhead clear and the sun shines down onto the clearing causing a large hare to break cover and start chewing on some grass a mere twenty feet from where Billy is sitting.

Moving slowly Billy grabs his loaded crossbow and aims it at the hare who continues to eat oblivious to the danger.

After taking a few deep breaths Billy fires and to his disbelief the bolt hits the hare in the chest killing it instantly.

After performing a little victory dance Billy picks up the large brown hare by it’s ears and heads back towards home but dragging a large animal isn’t easy and twenty minutes later Billy is exhausted so he stops on the side of the path to rest for a while.

OINK OINK OINK.

Billy is startled by the strange noise coming from behind a nearby ditch so he gets up to investigate and to his surprise he finds a small black pig digging up worms with it’s snout ‘Where is your mama boy? I am sure that she will be back soon so hang tight.’

After giving the pig a scratch Billy picks up the hare and trudges off home.

OINK OINK OINK.

Billy laughs when he turns around ‘You can’t come home with me piggy wiggy’ but the pig walks right up to Billy nudging his foot ‘Alright you can come home but you have to promise to behave.’

With a new vigour in his feet Billy hurries home with a hare for supper and a new pet pig.

Leaving the hare outside so as not to get blood inside Billy calls out ‘Hey ma come and see what I caught.’

Alice soon appears smiling broadly when she notices the dead hare ‘Congratulations son, see I told you that you would catch something sooner or later then when she gives Billy a big hug Alice a small black form laying in the grass ‘What is that Billy?’ Alice enquires as she points over to his pig ‘Well ma that is Blackie a pig that followed me home so now I have my very first pet.’

At the mention of his name the small pig runs over and jumps into Billy’s lap ‘See ma he loves me.’

‘But Billy pigs aren’t kept as pets, I will fatten him up and in a couple of years he will be slaughtered and provide us with enough ham and bacon that should get us through the winter.’

Billy is heartbroken but he knows that his ma is right.

‘Also Billy Don’t let any of the people in town see your pig because if they will steal it and roast it over a spit.’

Billy shudders at the thought but doesn’t say anything.

That night the Johnson family eat the hare for supper and for the first times in months their stomachs were full of nourishing food ‘I gave the insides to your pig to eat Billy and when we have eaten all of the meat off the bones I will use them to make a hearty marrowbone soup plus I will sell the pelt to old Mister Morby down the road for a few shillings, imagine that Billy actual money.’

Last night Billy dreams about a distant southern land and a smile light’s up his face as he imagines such a place but suddenly the need to pee interrupt’s his fantasy ‘God dammit’ Billy whispers as he races outside to empty his bladder but when he returns to his straw bed Billy tries to re-capture the dream but it is gone.

Over the following three years Billy and his black pig go on many hunting adventures together and over those adventures Billy’s prowess with his crossbow has improved markedly to the extent that instead of taking home a single kill Billy now shoots four or five animals everyday.

He had to start using an old wooden wheelbarrow to help carry the carcass’s home and lifting all that weight caused Billy to grow into a strapping lad almost ready to take on the world.

Because the Johnson’s now had an excess of fresh meat they were able to barter with the neighbours swapping meat for fresh bread and eggs and Alice was able to plant a bigger variety of vegetables and she even built a chicken coop stocking it with a dozen hens and a noisy rooster.

A week later the hen’s started laying eggs giving the family another source of income and also Billy and Blackie went on what would be there last hunting trip together, even though they didn’t know it at the time.

Having not seen the crow for quite a while Billy was happy to see his spotter again flying from tree to tree leading him along a familiar path but after twenty minutes or so the crow flew down and landed on the edge of the path.

With a final CAW CAW CAW the crow flew away leaving a bewildered Billy behind because there isn’t a fork off the path as far Billy can see but when he wheels his barrow forward notices a narrow path half covered with shrubs and other vegetation.

Blackie walks ahead clearing a path for Billy to follow and soon the pair arrive at a huge meadow covered in lush grass, the perfect place for small animals to hide.

Billy doesn’t understand why he hasn’t stumbled across this meadow before but he is mighty happy that the crow led him here because not only has it lush grass but a small creek runs along the east side of the meadow.

Making a mental note to himself to bring along his fishing line next time Billy settles down to watch for prey whilst Blackie saunters down to the creek to cool off.

Not five minutes later a hare breaks cover and Billy hits it with a bolt bringing it down quickly followed by a quail and a pheasant.

After checking that Blackie is okay and filling his water bottle Billy goes back on the hunt he brings down two more pheasants and a partridge in an oak tree.

With a wheelbarrow full of meat Billy notices Blackie on the edge of the meadow digging for worms so he takes a seat on a large rock so that Blackie can eat his fill and it is just then that Billy notices how large that Blackie is, so he realizes that their time together is running short.

‘Come on boy lets go home because I am mighty hungry, we can come back tomorrow and try to catch ourselves a trout or two.’

Blackie happily trots back to his master’s side but when he gets close to the rock that Billy was sitting on the pig stops a few feet short then he starts sniffing the base of the rock.

Blackie turns around uncurls his tail and points directly to rock ‘What is it boy? Is there a map to a treasure chest underneath?’

The rock is too big for Billy to shift by himself but with Blackie’s help they manage to topple it over ‘Well blow me down and call me King Charles, what do we have here Blackie? Billy gasps as he reaches down and grabs an old leather satchel.

Reaching inside Billy pulls out a handful gold coins ‘Who needs a map when we have already fould the treasure hey Blackie?’

Getting no reply Billy looks around and spots his pig standing at the same edge of the meadow where he was earlier.

A few tears roll down Billy’s cheeks when he realizes that Blackie also knew that it was time to go and start his own family ‘It is alright boy off you go, maybe we will meet again one day.’

Billy lifts the wheelbarrow and walks away leaving a friend and a piece of his heart behind.

Arriving home Billy calls out’ Another full load ma’ Alice walks outside wiping her hands on her apron Good job Billy but where is Blackie?

He is gone ma, when I was hunting he wandered off and didn’t return I think he must have met a female pig.

Alice hugs her boy tight ‘It was bound to happen one day Billy, Better this then being slaughtered.’

Billy nods in agreement ‘Yeah Blackie deserves to have a life of his own, but guess what ma? I found a leather bag full of gold coins.’

‘What? Where Billy?’

‘Under a rock in the middle of this meadow, Here I will show you ma.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table Billy empties the contents of the bag onto the table.

‘Dear God these are all gold sovereigns worth a small fortune.

‘We are rich Ma you will never have to worry about money again and we can move into a big house with a Butler and servants.’

‘You have to take it all back Billy’ Alice says holding up a hand to stop her son interrupting ‘Don’t you see Billy these coins belong to someone else most likely a pirate or a buccaneer from the coast.’

‘But ma it is finders keepers everybody knows that.’

‘Billy pirates are cut throats who will kill us both if they find out who took their gold.’

Suddenly afraid Billy agrees but not before palming two of the gold coins and slipping them into his pocket.

‘You are right ma, I will return to the meadow and put them back under the rock and nobody will none the wiser.’

‘Good boy Billy now go wash up for lunch and first thing tomorrow take those coins back from whence you found them’

After washing up Billy slips another two coins into his pocket ‘Everybody knows that pirates are no good at adding up and minus’s’.

Right after breakfast the following morning Billie leaving the wheelbarrow walks out towards the meadow with the satchel of coins weighing heavy in his pocket.

He feels a little nervous when he enters the meadow because he has a feeling that danger is nearby so he quickly throws the satchel on the ground where he found it, rolls the rock back in place and attempts to slink away unnoticed ‘What are you doing here boy?’

Startled Billy spins around at the sound of the menacing voice and a clean faced man with short hair riding a horse emerges from behind a tree ‘I will ask you again boy, what are you doing hanging around my stash.’

Shrugging his shoulders Billie replies ‘Your stash? I don’t know what you mean I am just here to do a spot of fishing.’

‘Without a pole I don’t think so, now get going before I put a boot up your arse.’

‘Who are you to tell me what to do? Billy demands.

‘Don’t you recognize me boy? I am none other than Pirate Dan the most famous Pirate in the whole of the midlands.’

‘A pirate in the midlands? Pirate’s ride the high seas on a ship and get up to all types of dirty deeds not hang around meadows harassing boys and what’s with the name Pirate Dan it sounds gay to me.’

‘Plus you haven’t got a beard or long hair and where is your parrot? I have read all of the books and they also mention a parrot and a peg leg, what sort of Pirate are you?’

Pirate Dan’s face has turned beet red ‘You have a smart mouth on you boy, I will have you know that I am meaner than I look so clear out before I climb down and beat you to a pulp.’

Billie knows that he better not push his luck any further but he can’t resist having another dig ‘Sorry Pirate Dan but maybe you should head over to the coast get yourself a ship, grow a beard and for God sake buy a parrot.’

Steaming in anger Pirate Dan clambered down from his horse to confront Billie but the youngster is fast on his feet and he quickly disappears into the undergrowth.

‘I will remember your face boy until my dying day you mark my words.’

Pirate Dan rolls the rock away to retrieve his satchel but when he picks it up he knows instantly that some coins are missing ‘So you are a thief boy as well boy, one day we will meet again and I will make you pay for robbing Pirate Dan.’

Once at home Billy realizes that it was a huge mistake to antagonize Pirate Dan because while he didn’t look like your regular pirate he was still a pirate and so a very dangerous man.

‘You look upset Billy did something happen to you this morning?’

‘No ma I was just hoping to see Black at the meadow but when he didn’t appear I just put the coins back under the rock and came home.’

Billy is ashamed that he just lied to his ma but he doesn’t want to worry her about his run in with Pirate Dan.

‘Ma I have been thinking that maybe the time is right for me to concentrate on my school work so I can join the navy and explore the world like Captain Cook .’

‘Good idea son I only want what is best for you and with winter on the horizon there won’t be any animals to hunt anyway.’

‘I have some news also Billy but first sit down at the table and I will bring you a huge egg and pickle sandwich.’

As she prepares her son’s lunch Alice is worried that Billy might not like her news but there is only one way to find out and while Billy chews on his sandwich Alice sighs’ You know that I have been seeing Doctor Forrester right?’

Billy nods as he continues chewing ‘Well he is moving to Portsmouth soon and he wants us to go with him, so what do you think?’

‘After digesting the news Billy is happy for his ma plus the move will be help him in his quest to become an explorer but also it will put a distance between himself and Pirate Dan.

One month later the Johnson family climb aboard a covered wagon and after a short bumpy wagon they arrive at Doctor Foresters two story brick house in Nottingham.

An old man opens the front door to greet the new arrivals ‘Hello my name is Samual Doctor Forester’s butler welcome to Forester Manor.’

Samual rings a bell on the stoop and a small boy hurries out to collect all of the baggage from the wagon but all he can locate is two battered suitcases ‘Sorry master Samual but all I can find are these bags’ the boy shouts holding up the cases ‘The rest of their belongings must be coming on a later date.’

Alice is too ashamed to say that she gave everything else away so she utters ‘Um yes next week I believe.’

Billy is still spellbound by the size of the house and the surrounding open fields but the most striking to the wide eyed boy is the size of the forest across the road ‘I wonder if Robin Hood and his merry men still roam amongst the trees?’

‘Come on Billy and close your mouth or a moth will fly in’ Alice laughs.

Alice has been to the manor a few times so she can completely understand her sons reaction ‘Coming ma’ Billy quips still not believing that this is his new home.

Upon entering the Manor a tall distinguished gentleman that Billy vaguely remembers walks forward and kisses Alice ‘Welcome dear I hope that you will enjoy our time together here?’

‘I am sure that I shall Benedict now let me introduce you to my lovely boy Billy.’

‘Hello master Billy I hope you fit in well at my humble abode.’

Billy trying to comprehend the words spoken nods ‘I will sir of that I am positive.’

‘I am sure you will Billy now lets go to the dining room and have a spot of lunch.’

The dining room table in question has twenty seats surrounding it plus enough food to feed a small army.

Taking a seat next to his ma Billy asks her when all of the other people are arriving but Benedict answers ‘There are no other guests today young man, now you may help yourself or if not Martha will help you choose.’

When Billy doesn’t move Benedict summons Samual who rings another bell and soon a middle aged women hurries in ‘Martha can you please help master Billy with his food selection.’

‘Yes sir, now what would you like young man duck with truffles or roast lamb with all of the trimmings, there is plenty to choose from.’

Billy hands the huge plate in front of him to Martha ‘Um I will some of that and that and what meat is that over yonder? Billy asks Martha pointing to the other end of the table. ‘Fine chose master Billy that is the finest pork in the county slaughtered right here on the manor.’

At the mention of pork Billy suddenly remembers Blackie his faithful hunting companion No thanks Martha, do you have any chicken or rabbit?

‘Stop annoying Martha Billy and eat what is on your plate.’

‘Sorry ma, thank you Martha the food looks tasty.’

The table has enough cutlery on it to sink a battleship and Billy is unsure what to use first but he soon learns to follow his ma and Benedict and he begins to eat what is the finest meal he has ever eaten.

After demolishing the first serving Billy stands up and fills his plate ‘Billy people will think that you haven’t eaten before, now sit down and behave yourself.’

‘Let the boy enjoy himself Alice’ Benedict laughs ‘He obviously enjoys his food.’

During the first month at the manor Billy spent his time walking through the forest hoping to see Robin Hood or even Little John but after not finding anyone Billy soon grew bored with his surroundings.

One night Billy is sitting with his ma in front of the fireplace drinking a cup of hot chocolate when Benedict enters the room and asks Billy if he would like a tour of the house. ‘Sure Mister Forester.’

The pair go upstairs and after checking a dozen rooms Benedict whispers ‘Your mother told me that you are keen to become an explorer and travel the open seas, well Billy I have left my favourite room upstairs to last, now lets see what is inside shall we?

Benedict walks down to the other end of the corridor and opens a huge door than waits for Billy to enter first. Inside Billy can’t believe what he is seeing, on every wall there any painting of famous explorer’s and in the middle is a large green table ‘That is a snooker table Billy, we will have to play a game but above the fireplace is a painting that I think you will like.’

Getting closer Billy gasps ‘Is that Captain James Cook?’

‘Yes Billy it is and I know that he is a hero of yours and that you would like explore the seas one day, well Billy I am friends with Admiral Wellinton of the merchant navy.

‘He recently retired from the navy and I am sure that if I ask him nicely he would gladly come here and tutor you and Billy a fleet of ships will be leaving Portsmouth in a few months to travel down to a southern land that Captain Cook discovered eight years ago.’

Billy remembering the dream he had when he was a kid mutters ‘The great southern land actually exists.’

‘Yes Billy it does and if you study hard you might have a chance to be on one of the ships and fulfill your dream.’

Over the next five months Billy under the tutorship of Admiral Wellinton an old stuff shirt who likes to tell stories of his time on the high seas learns everything there is to know about living and working on a large ship and after teaching his student all that he knows Wellinton calls his mother and Benedict plus all of the household staff who Billy has grown close to into the study.

When everybody assembled in the study Admiral Wellinton got to his feet holding a small of sherry ‘It gives great pleasure to tell you all that master Billy Johnson has passed his studies with flying colours and he will soon live his dream when he boards a ship to travel down to a great unknown land.’

Congratulations on your entry into the British Merchant Navy, all the best on your travels young Billy.’

The room breaks out in applause including Alice who knows that she will miss her son dearly but he has a chance to roam the world so who is she to stop him.

One week later fifteen year old Billy Johnson along with Alice, Benedict and Admiral Wellinton travel down to Portsmouth by wagon reaching the dock just after sunrise on the morning of 13th May 1787.

An armada of 11 ships bob in the water awaiting their passengers one of them being the HMS Sirius a Naval vessel who along with HMS Supply will escort the remaining ships all the way down to their destination.

‘Why is there so many ships Admiral Wellinton? Benedict enquires ‘Well there are two Naval ships one of which is the HMS Sirius and that Billy is the ship that will take you to the other end of the world and the other nine ships will hold criminals who are going down there as punishment for their crimes and some of them will help colonize the great land down under.’

After HMS Supply is loaded with provisions and all of the sailors are onboard the ship leaves the dock with a fanfare and tears from family and friends.

Next HMS Sirius docks so it is time for Billy to say farewell to his ma who he hugs for ten minutes before Benedict taps him on the shoulder ‘You better move along Billy before the ship leaves without you.’

After shaking hands with Admiral Wellinton and Benedict Billy hugs Alice one last time before walking up the gangway.

The dock is crowded with thousands of people eager to see the first fleet leave and when he gets onboard Billy rushes to the gunwale to wave goodbye to his Ma.

At first he has trouble spotting her in the crowd but suddenly he does and with tears flowing he waves frantically until he can’t wave no more so he turns away.

But when a whistle is blown indicating that the HMS Sirius is about to leave the dock Billy turns around for a final farewell but in the chaos he can’t see his ma anywhere but he does notice a tall figure making his way forward to the edge of the dock.

The man looks up at Billy with hatred than he runs a hand across his throat ‘Oh my God it is Pirate Dan.’

Billy waits to see if his nemesis boards but luckily the pirate turns and disappears amongst the crowd.

THE END.

Part Two coming soon.

Thanks for reading my story and I hope that you liked it and if you did please share my story with your friends and leave a comment.

Also of you have the means please make a donation. Thank You all.

‘White Raven’

04 Saturday Nov 2023

Posted by stevenjohnno in stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blood, jail, juvenile hall, killer, knife, misery, murder, shame, shank, white raven

The following is about a killer being shadowed by a white raven.

On the evening of 26th January 1975 fourteen year old Mortland Arbuckle is out riding his brand new Schwinn bicycle that he got for Christmas along the bank of a river on his way home from school.

He could be considered good looking if not for his greasy blond hair and an unpleasant demeaner that comes with being a spoilt rich kid.

The Arbuckle family is well known in the oil and gas industry across the globe so young Mortland takes it as a given that the family name will protect him from any consequences due to his actions.

Mortland has a secret and he hopes that the river has hidden all evidence of his misdoings because he fears that even his daddies money won’t save him this time.

Yesterday was bright and sunny and Mortland was in a good mood because after weeks of asking the most popular girl in his class, Erica Ellis, a happy sweet girl from a loving family agreed and so after school the pair went to a secluded spot on the banks of the river.

Mortland was anxious but hopeful of finally losing his virginity and after necking and fooling around a bit the pair finally got down to it but Mortland’s inexperience frustrated the hell out of Erica ‘What are you doing? a ten year old boy would be a better fuck than you, now get off me before I scream.’

Ashamed by his ability to perform or and Erica’s harsh words Mortland in a fit of fury places his hands around her throat and squeezed down until Erica’s face turned purple and one of her eyeballs popped from its socket and hung down her cheek.

Panting heavily Mortland looks around in a panic but luckily for him no one is around so he quickly filled Erica’s coat pocket with pebbles and began to drag her towards the raging river but hearing voices approaching he covered the corpse with pine needles and went home.

Now as he approaches the spot Mortland half expects to see that animals have uncovered the body but luckily for him they haven’t so he scraps the pine needles away and notices a gold bracelet on her left wrist that will be a good souvenir but while he fumbles with the clasp he is interrupted by a loud CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW.

Up in a nearby tree a white raven stares down at Mortland with menacing yellow eyes causing him to stumble and fall in fright but he is an Arbuckle after all so he works up the courage and drags the body down to the edge of the water.

Looking back to see that the raven wasn’t about to attack Mortland bent down and rolls the body into the swirling water where it sank to the bottom.

After the deed was done Mortland rode his Schwinn as fast as he could without looking back even though he could sense the white raven following him than just as he entered his street the raven swooped down biting off a piece of Mortland’s right ear before flying away.

White ravens are rarely seen in Massachusetts and according to folklore the raven will ‘Fly to the end of the earth to avenge a wrongdoing and that the bird will never forget the face of the wrongdoer’

As he opens the front door Mortland is hoping to avoid his mother Patricia but no such luck ‘Mortland Arbuckle the third where have you been and why is you face covered in blood?’

‘Come here Morty and let me take a look.’

‘I have told you a thousand times Mother that my name is Mortland not Morty ‘but upon seeing that his mother is genuinely distressed he softens. ;Sorry for being late momma but I had a fall from my bike and luckily I only have a few scrapes.’

‘I don’t know why you ride that horrible contraption when we have a chauffeur who can drive you to and from school in the Rolls Royce.’

Mortland loves his mother dearly but she can be a bit of a diva ‘Momma if you didn’t want me to ride a bike why did you buy a bike for Christmas? but just to make you happy I will let James drive me to school for the rest of the semester.’

Thank you son now go take a shower and I will have chef prepare you a meal.’

After showering and eating a mushroom Souffle Mortland goes up to his room on the third level to play video games and watch TV but he can’t concentrate so after a few minutes he lies down on his bed to relive his first kill.

Lowering his pants Mortland begins to stroke himself with Erica’s gold chain draped over his throbbing penis and as he strokes himself faster and faster he fantasizes about the killing knowing that the police will be powerless if they do arrest him.

He is one happy camper on the verge of exploding when a series of tapping coming from outside his bedroom window causing his cock to shrink into obscurity.

Seeing that his bedroom is on the third level Mortland knows that it can’t be someone playing around so he creeps over to the window and pulls back the curtains and is horrified to see a lock of blond hair and a human eyeball glistening on the sill.

Mortland knows that his ghastly items could only belong to Erica who he saw with his own eyes sink to the bottom of the river so how in the fuck have they turned up on his window outside his bedroom?

Mortland opens the window and grabs the ghoulish items the hides the hair under the bottom drawer of his dresser than he fills a glass of water from his ensuite and drops the eyeball into the glass.

After placing the glass on his bedside table Mortland goes to close the curtains but takes a step back when he notices a white shape in a nearby tree and when he presses his face against the glass a white raven comes into focus and Mortland knows that it has to be the same bird that he saw at the river who than followed him home and bit a chunk from his hair and now has left items from the burial site on his window sill.

He knows that this bird is now a mortal enemy but he can’t do much about in the middle of the night so he closes the curtains but as soon as he does CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW.

Mortland knows that he wont get much sleep tonight so after getting back into his bed he rolls over and stares at the floating orb and again his mind drifts back to when he squeezed the last breath from Erica’s lungs and as he relived the moment Mortland again began to fondle his penis and a few minutes later he climaxed into a wad of tissues and than drifted off to sleep and he slept all night seemingly without a care in the world.

Mortland is bored out of his mind as his science teacher Miss Fischer drones on and on about the periodic table or some shit but his classmate Samual Jenkins soon wakes him up ‘Hey Mortland have you heard about Erica Ellis’ getting no response the geeky black student continues ‘She has been missing but apparently the police found her body floating in the river and get this, she had been strangled and one of her eyeballs has been taken either by the killer or an animal.’

Mortland tries to stay calm at this latest development but he can’t stop his hands from shaking ‘Hey Morty are you Okay? I didn’t think that you and Erica were that close.’

‘I am good Sam but can you shut up for awhile I am getting a headache.’

Miss Fischer is still waffling on when the vice principal Mister Blackmore enters the room and after a quick word with Miss Fischer he takes charge ‘Sorry children but I have some bad news, as some of you might have known Erica Ellis didn’t arrive home from school yesterday and unfortunately the police located her body was found down by the river this morning.’

Most of the students begin to cry at the news while others sit dumbstruck.

‘Please everyone I know that the news is very distressing but you need to gather your belongings and make your way down to the cafeteria.’

‘The police are already there and I am sure they will have questions so please tell them everything you know about Erica’s movements after school yesterday”.

Mortland is tempted to try to make an escape down the back stairs but that route is blocked by a few burly cops so he has no choice but to follow the other kids down into the cafeteria.

The thirty bewildered school kids quickly settle down at a table pretending not the notice the twenty police officers stationed around the room.

The officer in charge, Det Corboudt, a grizzled middle aged man wearing a crumpled coat holds up a hand for silence ‘First of all I sorry for your loss, I have been told that Erica was a very popular girl withlots of friends and she will be missed by all of her fellow classmates and the entire facility.’

‘As you can imagine her family is devastated and I have told them that I will leave no stone unturned to catch the culprit responsible for their daughters murder.’

‘You will all be spoken to individually and after you have been interviewed you will be allowed to go home but please remain on the school grounds until a parent or guardian come to collect you.’

Twenty nine of the students are stunned at the news of their friends murder and some are visibly upset when Corboundt adds ‘Also a gold bracelet that Erica always wore is missing plus a piece of her remains is yet to be located.’

‘Now please remain seated until one of my officers pulls you aside to ask a few questions.’

For the next ten minutes Samuel talks non stop while his classmates are interviewed one by one and Mortland is tempted to wring his neck like he did to Erica but the white noise also helps him to concentrate on coming up with a lie when his turn comes.

The cafeteria is now half empty with only a dozen students still waiting to be interviewed and it is eerily quite when a commotion near the front entrance causing everyone to turn that way CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW.

The white raven flies into the cafeteria and begins to circle around and around getting lower with each pass.

Mortland knows that this has to be the same white raven that has been terrorizing him so he tries to shrink in his seat but deep down in his black soul he knows that the jig is almost up.

When the raven spreads its wing to land one of the students out ‘What in the fuck has it got in its mouth?’

Det Corboudt whispers ‘Sweet mother mercy it is a fucking eyeball.’

The raven lands on the table occupied by Mortland and Samuel and walks ten feet and stops directly in front of the child killer where it than deposits the eyeball front and center causing Samuel is scream in horror but Mortland doesn’t even move a muscle and still doesn’t when the bird suddenly attacks leaving deep bloody grooves down his face.

Then the white raven stares at the killer school boy before taking flight out from whence it came.

Det Corboudlt and five other officers immediately surround Mortland to prevent any attempt at escape than the detective with menace in his voice asks ‘Well son what do you have to say for yourself? Tell me what you know about the murder of Erica Ellis and than I will have your injuries attended to.’

‘You know what I did motherfucker so enough with the questions but my name is Mortland Arbuckle you have probably fill your car with Arbuckle oil so stick that where the sun don’t shine Detective, now I have nothing else to say.’

Before he can be placed in handcuffs Mortland picks up the slippery eyeball and swallows it down whole ‘Um tasty, now Erica will be with again until tomorrow when I will shit her back out.’

Finally shackled Mortland grins as he is lead away but he can’t resist having a parting shot ‘My daddy will make sure that I will never spend a single day behind bars what do you think of those apples motherfucker.’

Three months later despite boasting that his families money and connections will keep him out of jail 15 year old Mortland Arbuckle was sentenced to serve three years in juvenile hall until he reaches the age of eighteen when he will be transferred to an adult facility for the rest of his life.

As soon as he arrived at juvenile hall Mortland made it his intention to become top dog and two months later after numerous fights and threats to the other delinquents he emerged victorious and he also learnt that father had come through for him and has bribed a few of the guards to look after his son and allow him all privileges.

Now knowing that he protected Mortland spends his days attacking the other boys and having the weaker ones perform sexual acts on his person.

Even after a guard tells him that they can’t out for him 24/7 so he better pull his head in or someone is likely to chop it off Mortland continues to abuse the system.

A year later Mortland is out in the exercise yard enjoying an hour of sunshine annoying the shit out of the three guards on duty when he is broadsided from behind and falls to the ground stunned which causes the guards to burst but they soon quieten down when Mortland gives them a dirty look.

The white raven responsible for the attack flies in circles around its target before swooping down and unleashing a fecal bomb onto the middle of Mortland’s raised forehead.

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW .

Enraged he orders one of the guards to bring him a towel and after wiping the deposit Mortland smiles as he looks at the raven perched on a railing just out of reach ‘Alright little birdie so you like to play dirty do you? Well just remember two can play that game.

The white raven gives the killer a look of pure hatred before flying away.

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW.

As he is led back to his cell Mortland puts on a brave front but inside he is shaken by the fact that somehow that bird broke into his room and stole the eyeball and brought it to the school cafeteria causing him to be arrested and now almost a year and a half later it appears out of nowhere causing him to lose face in front of the guards.

Mortland despite being top dog is now a little nervous so he decides to become a white raven in spirit.

The next morning as soon as his cell is unlocked Mortland ventures down the corridor into the cell of 16 year old from Boston named Lonesome Pete Peterson who despite being deeply disturbed has a reputation as who to go to if you want some ink work done.

Peterson who sort of looks like the blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd isn’t at all happy to see the top dog in his cell meekly asks ‘What can I do for You?’

Mortland who is in a good mood replies ‘I am looking to get a tattoo and I heard that you are the best.’

‘Okay let check my appoints for the day’ after a few seconds the psycho continues ‘Sorry but I am booked solid for the rest of the week, how about 9am next Tuesday?

Seeing that Mortland is in no mood for jokes Peterson quickly calms the water ‘Well what do you know looks like I am free after all so take a seat and lets get started.’

After perching himself on the edge of the toilet Mortland says that he wants a tattoo of a white raven on his upper left arm.

While he works Peterson whistles the Neil Young classic ‘Cortez The Killer’ which isn’t to Mortland’s liking so he decides to start a conversation ‘So tell me Peterson how did you end up with the nick name Lonesome?’

‘Well is a funny story but three years ago me and a few buddies were in my room at home playing Minecraft and the three of them thought that it would be a good idea to laugh at me as I struggled with the controls and so after a while I had had enough so I picked up my baseball bat and smashed the fuckers into a bloody pulp and when the cops kicked down my door I was there on my lonesome.’

‘Now shut the fuck up and let me concentrate on my craft or the needle might slip, by accident you understand.’

Mortland heard the implied threat and put it in the back of his brain for safe keeping and he walks out an hour later with a cool tattoo.

Over the next eight months Mortland to the surprise of everyone becomes a model prisoner spending his time visiting the library and adding to his tattoo collection.

Now he is covered from head to toe in white raven tattoo’s in varying sizes.

On the morning of his transfer to an adult jail Mortland is escorted to the wardens office by two guards ‘Take a seat Mister Arbuckle’ demands warden Mitchell who Mortland was hoping to kill before his time was up but alas ‘I must say that I have been mighty impressed with your attitude lately so I wish you well and who knows if you knuckle down and stay out of trouble you might get released in about fifty years time.’

The warden gives Mortland a smug look ‘Now get out of my sight before I can come up with a excuse to have you executed.’

‘Thanks for your kind words warden dickwad, I hope that you catch a deadly disease that slowly eats you alive, have a nice day now.’

The pair of guards drag the enraged prisoner out of the room and push him towards his cell ‘Why do you always push your luck you crazy bastard now go gather your belongings and no funny business you hear.’

‘Oh and by the way your father sends his regards and he told me to tell you that your time in jail will be brief and he has plans for your escape so hang tight.’

When they approach Peterson’s cell Mortland asks if it would be alright to say goodbye to his friend ‘Yes but back it quick and we will be right outside.’

‘Hello Mortland what brings you here this fine morning?’

I am being transferred this morning so I thought I would come by to say goodbye and thank you for all of the great body art.’

Peterson is a bit put off by Mortland’s friendliness but he stands up to shake hands and Mortland takes the opportunity to lean in close and whisper ‘Nobody disrespects me Peterson nobody.’

Before the terrified boy can pull free Mortland slips a sharp shank from his sleeve and drives it between two ribs killing him instantly.

‘Goodbye motherfucker sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.’

Trucks and Haynes are both visibly shocked emerges holding a bloody shank ‘Hide this for me’ Mortland demands as he hands the weapon to the smallest guard a rat faced man named Warren Trucks.

Derek Haynes a huge black man who;s uniform threatens to burst at the seams grabs Mortland by the arm ‘You have just put me and Trucks in deep shit so tell your father that your little escapade will cost him an extra $500,000.’

‘Consider it done asshole, now get out of my face before I ring daddy and tell him that you two twerps have mistreated me because if I do the pair of you will disappear in the wind never to be seen again.’

Haynes and Trucks don’t say a word because they have both seen what the young offender is capable of so after handcuffing him to a seat in the back of the van that will take to the adult jail they go back to clean up the mess that Mortland left behind.

Fifteen minutes later after all of the official paperwork is completed the van leaves juvenile hall on its way to Bridgewater Penitentiary.

Ten miles into the journey the van is run off the road by a huge military style jeep and eight men jump out brandishing automatic weapons and after a brief shootout the driver and guard quickly surrender.

After the pair are restrained one of the men retrieves the key ring but it takes him a few minutes to find the right key and when the door finally opens he is confronted by an angry prisoner ‘What time you stupid fucker, now get these cuffs off me before I kick your teeth in and leave you for the buzzards to eat.’

The man shakes his head in disgust and quickly removes his balaclava ‘Daddy what are you doing here?’

‘I am here to rescue you, you ungrateful piece of shit.’

‘I wanted to leave you on jail but your mother insisted that you were worth saving so come along a helicopter will be here shortly.’

‘Good I can’t wait to get back home and give her a hug.’

‘Are you some kind of idiot? There is a price on your head so home is where the authorities will go first.’

The sound of an approaching helicopter drowns out any further conversation and after the copter lands father and son quickly board and strap themselves in.

‘Where are we going daddy?’

‘I am just along for the ride but you are going to Alaska and don’t even think about coming back to Massachusetts or anywhere on the mainland for that matter because if you do I will have you shot and buried in an unmarked grave.’

‘Mortland you have brought nothing but shame to the Arbuckle name and reputation and for that I banish you to a life in the wilderness but and again this is your mothers doing you will be given an annual allowance and a room in a motel rent free.’

‘Also when we land I will hand you $10,000 but remember if you ever come back I will have you hunted down.’

Mortland balls his fists in a fury, how dare the old fool talk to me like that but he manages to hold his contempt inside and two hours later they land in Alaska.

Mortland now 18 years old is now without a family and without hope but it is all his own doing not that he would ever admit anything.’

Arbuckle senior hands hi an envelope full of cash ‘Goodbye son may misery and sorrow be your constant companion through the remaining days of your life because that is all that you gave to me and your mother.’

As Mortland watches the helicopter he makes a vow to himself ‘One day old man I will return and when I do I will make you watch as I bring the Arbuckle business empire crashing down and when you are all penniless my final action will be to skin you alive while you scream for mercy.

High up in a tree a white raven looks down on his enemy, he to is seeking vengeance.

THE END.

Part Two coming soon.

I hope you enjoyed reading my story and if you did please leave a like or a comment and also if you have the means I really would appreciate it if you could leave a donation so I can finally become a fulltime writer, Thank You.

‘Hands Of Vengeance’ ( 2 )

01 Sunday Jan 2023

Posted by stevenjohnno in stories, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blood, death, horror, murder, revenge, suicide

I have written a brief summary of the first instalment of this story but it would be best if you read Part One before continuing.

Elijah Pope was just 28 years old when he was put to death in the electric chair at San Quentin.

Since the age of eleven Elijah was constantly in trouble with the authorities, breaking into houses while the occupiers were asleep plus other assorted petty crime that earned him nothing but a few stints at juvenile hall.

When he was 23 Elijah was arrested for a series of murders that happened near his home in Manhattan.

At his trial Elijah sat in stunned silence when the prosecution told the court that DNA found at all thirteen murder scenes matched his DNA and Elijah was nonplussed and screamed out ‘I am a petty thief and i haven’t killed anyone, there must be some kind of mistake.’

But after meeting for less than three hours the jury returned and found Elijah Pope guilty of the crime and the judge sentenced him to death.

After countless appeals over three years on 21 August 2022 Elijah walked down the corridor towards the death chamber screaming that he was an innocent man vowing to come back and kill all of the people who have stood by and let him die.

After he was strapped into the electric chair Elijah was asked if he had any last words, looking over to his parents who sat holding hands in the viewing room ‘Mom Dad you have to know why my DNA was found? Do i have a twin brother that i don’t know about, talk to me please’ Elijah pleads but his parents remain stoic and silent just like they have ever since the day he was arrested.

Elijah blood begins to boil, he gives the onlookers a final glance and began affirming ‘I will be back all you motherfuckers and when i do none of you will escape my wrath.’

Warden Ian Baldacci who has been in charge at San Quentin for over twenty years says a silent prayer for the condemned prisoner then flicks a switch causing Elijah’s body into shocking spasms and soon the room is full of smoke and the stench of burnt flesh.

Poe struggles against the wrist restraints twisting his body violently, so violently that soon both hands can’t withstand the pressure and are severed and fall to the floor.

Elijah Pope is pronounced dead at 6.06 pm by the prison doctor.

An hour later after everybody has gone home or back on duty two orderlies appear pushing a trolley holding a cheap pinewood coffin.

The orderlies unbuckle Pope’s body and gently place him inside the coffin then the younger of the two is ordered to pick up the discarded hands which he does with a look of distaste.

The hands are placed on top of the scorched remains and then the coffin is placed inside a white van that the senior orderly drives down to the southern corner of the prison and soon the pine coffin is lowered six feet down into a freshly dug grave.

After the prison chaplain says a few words the hole is filled in and Elijah Pope is left to dwell in purgatory forever.

Four months later just before midnight the earth covering Pope’s grave stirs and soon a finger breaks the surface and surveys the area like a submarine’s periscope.

Satisfied that the coast is clear soon a pair of unblemished hands breakthrough the soil and scurry the fifteen yards over the perimeter fence then they scramble up the weathered stone drop down the other side then hide behind a dumpster until a means of escape comes along.

PART TWO.

‘For God’s sake Miquel can you stop smoking that shit here, what will the boss say when we return to base and the truck smells like a frat house.”

‘Calm down Jimmy it is only a small joint the boss won’t even notice.’

‘A small joint? It is the size of a cigar, wind the window down before i die from marijuana poisoning.’

Miquel Ferria a 39 year old Mexican immigrant and Jimmy James a native new yorker who celebrated his 60th birthday last Wednesday have been collecting the trash for over a decade and even though they might argue and bicker most mornings the unlikely friends get along well enough but when it is 4.30 in the morning tempers can fray.

Jimmy is a skinny white man who is counting down the days until he can retire while Miquel who is big for a Mexican is still thinking the night before where he and his wife Margita made love like a pair of lovestruck teenagers.

‘Snap out of it Miquel, lets finish our run as fast as we can so we can go home and have ourselves an early weekend.’

‘Good idea Jimbo now shut the fuck up so i can concentrate on driving this piece of shit.”

After driving six blocks emptying hundreds of bins the pair arrive outside San Quenton and they both say a silent prayer thanking the lord for letting live outside the walls and not inside trying to survive hell on earth.

Miquel parks the truck and lights up the joint enjoying the smoke distorting his brain ‘Maybe i should drive Miquel the last thing we need is for you to kill us both a week after Christmas.’

As the pair walk around the back of the truck to change positions neither of them notice a pair of hands scurry from a behind a tree and leap aboard clinging on tight to the running board a mere three yards from Jimmy’s scrawny neck.

Two hours later Miquel and Jimmy are weary and wired needing a caffeine and sugar hit so Jimmy parks outside a Wendy’s diner where they unwind with a large coffee and a dozen donut’s.

While the two trash collectors enjoy their down time the pair of hands jump down and just as the sun begins to rise they race across the road unnoticed and soon disappear in the foliage of a well maintained garden bed.

The garden is located on the western side of a huge building no more than ten feet from the main entrance.

The fingers of both hands intertwine hoping that soon they will obtain a host to help in their quest for vengeance.

Thirty minutes later an already weary doctor arrives to start his shift but before he goes inside Docter Edwin Rothchild a world renowned orthopedic surgeon decides to have a cigarette before starting another hectic day.

Taking a seat Edwin starts thinking about a patient of his who has been waiting for a double hand transplant for over six months now.

Patrick Redman lost both hands on a boating accident last August and despite searching all over globe a match has yet to be found.

.Unfortunately for Patrick he has the rare A B Negative blood type so finding a match has become very troublesome.

Edwin shakes the thought from his mind, stubs out his cigarette when something in the corner garden catches his eye.

Bending down for a closer look Edwin’s knees buckle and a tiny voice in the back of his mind tells him to forget what he saw before it is too late but against his better judgement Edwin tells the voice to mind its own business and shut the fuck up.

Not quite believing what he saw Edwin has a closer look and a pair of hands creep forward like and octopus from its secret garden.

Stealing a glance behind him Rothchild picks up both hands and places them gently in his coat pocket then casually walks into the hospital to start his shift at the Marin County General County.

Up in his office Edwin locates a donor organ cooler fills it with ice and gently places the hands inside but the hands have other ideas and spring from the cooler and start to climb up Edwin’s shirt.

Screeching in fright Edwin flicks both hands back into the cooler and quickly closes the lid.

When his heart rate returns to normal Edwin opens the lid an inch and quickly take a blood sample and sends it downstairs for testing.

After doing his rounds Edwin returns to his office and as he eats his lunch he checks for any new emails and immediately his heart begins to race again when he notices an email from hematology.

Clicking on the link Edwin is both glad and frightened when he reads the results, the blood sample is indeed A B Negative, now young Patrick Redman will have another chance to become a whole person again with two new working pair of hands.

After he finishes eating his lunch Rothchild phones Patrick Redman with the good news, spends the afternoon performing surgery then just after six pm he grabs the cooler and heads on home.

At his house Patrick Redman is ecstatic, after months of having his wife Maureen feed him and wipe his butt finally there is a ray of hope on the horizon.

Arriving home Rothchild takes a quick shower then pours himself a large scotch while he prepares a plate of leftover meatloaf.

His wife thirty years Catherine is away visiting her elderly parents in Oregen which is a good thing because Edwin knows that she wouldn’t approve of what he brought home in the cooler.

Staring at the cooler as he drinks a few more stiff drinks Edwin drags himself to bed where he spends a restless dreaming about a pair of hands going on a murderous rampage.

Waking early despite feeling like a steamroller drove back and forth over his skull while he slept Edwin rolls out of bed early ready to face another day.

Entering the living room he is glad to see the lid still in place on top of the cooler then after watching the morning news drinking his first cup of coffee for the day then he grabs his car key and the cooler and drives towards the hospital.

Normally unflappable Edwin is nervous as hell as he walks into the hospital because he knows that shortly he will perform a surgery attaching a pair of hands from an unknown source to his desperate patient which he knows is bordering on criminality but he took an oath to treat his patient to the best of his ability and that is what he intends to do.

He informs his colleagues that a donor was found over night and the hands are a perfect to his patient Patrick Redman who has been informed of the happy news and that his surgery is scheduled for 10 am tomorrow morning and that he is not to consume any food after 8 pm.

Brenda Fellows a tough nurse who has worked at the hospital for over 22 years is skeptical when she is told that a donor has suddenly appeared out of the blue. ‘Doctor Rothchild there is nothing in the system about this donor so i will need the donor’s name, his blood type and which hospital the donation is coming from.’

‘I will need all of this information so i can enter it into the data base so everything is above board, if i don’t receive this vital information by 1 pm then the surgery wont be able to proceed as scheduled.’

‘Of course Nurse Fellows why don’t we step into my office and i will give all the information that you need.’

Rothchild knows that he is currently walking on very dangerous ground, deep down he knows that what he is about to do is very wrong but after taking a deep breath he leads the hapless nurse towards a donor cooler sitting on his desk. ‘Really Doctor this is highly irregular.’

‘Lifting the lid exposing its contents Rothchild beckons Fellows closer and despite her misgivings she leans in for a closer look then before she can scream the hands spring forward wrap themselves tightly around and squeeze.

After their victim is no longer breathing the pair of hands jump down into the safety of the cooler safe in the knowledge that things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Patrick Redman arrives at the hospital two hours before his operation and after checking in he is told to strip naked to put on a white gown with an opening in the back.

Feeling exposed and vulnerable Patrick is allocated a bed, given a pre-op sedative and told to relax ‘It will all be over before you know it.’

After a marathon 14 hour operation Doctor Rothchild thanks the other members of the surgical team. ‘When done everybody as you saw the operation went smoothly, i expect that the patient will gain full use of his new hands in a matter of months.’

Later that morning Patrick wakes in the recovery room feeling a little woozy but his mood picks up when a nurse tells him that his procedure went well and after a few months of rehab he will be a new man.

After he left the surgical ward Doctor Rothchild took the lift up two flights then entered the janitor’s room where he had hidden Nurse Fellow’s body.

Throwing the body over his left shoulder he calmly walks over to the emergency door and kicks it open then he walks another ten yards and stands on the ledge five stories above the ground.

Clutching his passenger tight Rothchild steps forward into oblivion screaming ‘FORGIVE ME PATRICK I WAS POSSESSED.’

Patrick is still flexing his new pair of hands when a young doctor enters his room ‘Hello Patrick i am Doctor Gregg Wilson and i can see that you are making a speedy recovery.’

‘I sure am Doc but where is Doctor Rothchild? I was expecting to see him to drop in this morning while he was doing his rounds.’

‘Ugh sorry Patrick but Doctor Rothchild had to hum step out for a while but don’t worry about that i will be attending to you from now on and i have to say that i am surprised how well you have recovered from such a complicated operation.’

All of a sudden the donated hands start to gesticulate wildly and Patrick is startled to say the least ‘I am not moving my hands Doc they are doing it all by themselves.’

‘What in the fuck is going on? ‘I don’t know Patrick maybe you are having an allergic reaction to your new hands but and this is really weird but i believe that the hands are using sign language.’

After writing down what the hands had to say Doctor Wilson gives his patient a troubled look ‘Don’t keep me in suspense Doc what did my hands have to say for themselves?’

‘I have a deaf sister Patrick so i know sign fairly well and what i am about to say will be distressing but here goes ‘I AM BACK MOTHERFUCKERS AND I AM COMING FOR YOU ALL ONE AT A TIME. SLEEP TIGHT NIGHTY NIGHT.’

‘Who is back Doc ? I don’t understand.’

‘I don’t know what is going on either Patrick, just lie back and try to relax.’

‘After we run a few tests i am positive that a solution for your predicament will be found.’

After a fortnight and countless tests by numerous doctors who find nothing unusual Patrick is told they he will be ready to be discharged in a day or two but he is to report back to the hospital every week for his scheduled physiotherapy.

With a lot of help from his wife Maureen Patrick quickly settles into a routine back at his house.

His hands are strong and healthy with all of the physio and exercise and Patrick can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel and if all goes as planned maybe he will be able to return to his job and provide for his family properly.

After an intense workout Patrick has a shower to take the edge off.

He stands under the hot water for ten minutes washing away the sweat and plenty of painful memories then when he feels cleansed Patrick climbs out and dries himself with a towel and he is happy to see that all of his fingers are all in working order.

Noticing that the bathroom mirror has steamed over Patrick turns on the exhaust fan and as the mirror clears Patrick begins to clean his teeth then suddenly his right hand shots out and writes a message on the glass.

Patrick pulls his hand away from the mirror and reads ‘TIME TO KILL, VENEGEANCE WILL BE MINE’ ELIJAH POPE.

Wiping the words away before he leaves the bathroom Patrick knows that he is in deep trouble, it is the second time that his donated hands have taken on a mind of their own and left behind a cryptic message but first thing he needs to find out who is Elijah Pope.

After asking Mr Google for help Patrick is appalled to see that Elijah Pope was sentenced to death for of series of bloody murders and was executed by the means of the electric chair near enough to six months ago.

‘Just fricking great i have been given the hands from a convicted killer.’

That night as he sleeps the DNA from his new pair of hands continues to intermingle with his own DNA and when Patrick wakes up and rubs the sleep from his eyes.

He kisses his wife good morning ‘Morning sweetie would you like some bacon and eggs for breakfast?”

Maureen sits up and looks at her husband ‘Sure Patrick but your voice is different it is a lot deeper, are you feeling okay?’

‘And your hair is a couple of shades lighter, did you dye it last night.?”

Patrick doesn’t answer but admits to himself that he does feel different and not in a good way.

All he wants to do is go back to the hospital and tell Doctor Wilson and sever his hands and throw them into a furnace instead he walks into the kitchen and starts preparing breakfast and by the time the couple finish eating the bacon and eggs Patrick Redman now occupies a mere 5% of his body while Elijah Pope occupies the remaining 95%.

For all intents and purposes Patrick Redman no longer exists.

Elijah Pope went to his grave condemned for eternity but now he has a chance to make sure that all of the people responsible for the miscarriage of justice will pay a heavy price.

Ian Baldacci the warden at San Quentin prison is relaxing at home after another hectic day not knowing that his life is about to come to an abrupt end.

His wife of thirty years is away visiting relatives but before she left Joan kindly made of few meals and left them in the fridge so all Ian has to is choose a meal and put it in the microwave for a few minutes.

But Ian decides that the mac n cheese can wait a few minutes because he really needs to unwind because it is hard dealing with prisoners on death row who have little hope and no future so what he needs is to have a long hot bath and wash away the anguish.

As he soaks Ian can feel the tension float away and he vows for the tenth time to help Joan a lot more with the household chores.

‘Hello warden enjoying your bath? Startled Ian begins to stand up to confront the intruder but a solid punch to the throat sits him back down quick smart.

‘No need to stand on my account warden just relax and enjoy the last few minutes of your miserable life.’

Struggling to breathe Baldacci take a few seconds in an attempt to gain himself some leeway before he responds ‘Who are you and what are you doing in my house?’

‘You don’t recognize me warden? I can see your brain ticking over but let me give you some help.’

‘Remember back to earlier this year when i was tied to old sparky and then you flicked the switch and sent me on a one way trip to hell but i really missed you so i have come back to talk about old times.’

‘Pope? But it can’t be, i watched you die, you were pronounced dead by the prison doctor and i saw you placed into a coffin and lowered into the ground so go back from where you came from before and let me wake from this dream in peace.’

‘This isn’t a dream warden, now tell me, how do you like your toast light brown, brown, dark brown or burnt?

It suddenly dawns on Baldacci that the freak before him is holding Joan’s old two slice toaster he gave her as a birthday present back in 2015.

Pope plugs in his weapon of choice and asks the warden if he has any last words ‘Listen Pope or whoever the fuck you are just walk away and i promise not to say a word about you being among the living again.’

‘No can do warden, but let me repeat my question, how do you like your toast?’ ‘No on second thoughts there is no need to answer because i am pretty sure that you are a crispy burnt kind of fella aren’t you warden?’

‘Noooooooooo’ Baldacci screams as he tries to catch the toaster but he loses his footing in the soapy and immediately his skin peels away exposing a pink underbelly that jerks and jumps like a macabre puppet on a string before sinking into the supercharged water.

Pope walks away careful not to slip on the wet floor, he stops and savors the smell in the bathroom a mixture of boiled lobster and pork.

He closes the front door of the warden’s house behind him satisfied that one of the assholes who mistreated him is no longer walking this earth..

At 8 am the following morning a police cruiser arrives at the wardens house to do a welfare check after concerned neighbors called to complain about the stench.

Receiving no reply after repeated knocking a uniformed officer enters the premises and following the smell he locates the warden’s body floating face down in the bathtub.

Racing outside the officer calls in for backup before vomiting six breakfast burritos onto the manicured front lawn.

10 minutes later a couple of detectives arrive at the crime and after sidestepping the mexican offering they enter the house of horrors.

Eric Robinson and Marc Freed have been partners for just on twenty years and in that time they have come across a lot of grisly cases but what confronted them that morning will be permanently imprinted in their minds.

Robinson a huge black man standing 6′ 7″ surveys the scene and notices the toaster in the bath and at first glance it looks like a possible suicide ‘What do you think Marc suicide?’

Freed a skinny white man just six weeks from retirement isn’t so sure ‘I hope it is Eric because it will save us a lot of time not having to look for a killer but why the toaster when there is a hair dryer and an electric razor sitting on the cabinet within easy reach from the bathtub?’

‘Good point Marc lets seal the scene off from nosy reporters or neighbors and let the CSI people do their thing.’

Two days later the detectives our in their office doing paperwork when their boss lieutenant Norman Parsons enters holding a manilla folder that he throws on Robinson’s desk.

Parsons is a young upstart just 34 years old who has risen through the ranks faster than a speeding bullet. ‘Let me fill you in before you read the report but you won’t like what i have to say.’

‘DNA and fingerprint evidence was found at the home of warden Ian Baldacci and they match perfectly to one nasty individual named Elijah Pope.’

‘Elijah Pope’ Freed mutters ‘I know that name but i can’t for the life of me i can’t place him.’

Parsons jumps in before Robinson has a chance to respond ‘Elijah Pope was convicted eight years ago of multiple murders and sent to death row at San Quentin.

‘Despite pleading his innocence i ten different appeals he was electrocuted by the electric chair on the 3 April this year.’

What? Robinson screams ‘How can a dead man leave DNA and fingerprints six months after his death?’

Parsons hold up his hands to stop further outbursts ‘I have asked the commissioner to put in a request to have Popes remains exhumed but in the meantime go and ask Pope’s family if Elijah has a twin brother who might be out for retribution.’

Because of the weird circumstances the exhumation was fast tracked and under leaden skies the coffin containing the remains is brought to the surface loaded into a white van and driven to the medical examiner’s office.

Dr Winston Churchmill who has been working for the county around the same time that Noah started to build his ark pulls on a pair of gloves and orders that the coffin lid be removed and two younglings quickly bow to see command.

But Churchmill orders the pair to stand back ‘Well well well will you look at that.’

Everyone in the room lean forward and Churchmill continues Do you notice the splintered wood that was broken from the inside almost like the body inside was trying to escape.’

The coffin lid is dragged away revealing the skeletal remains, Churchmill does a quick examination and tells his rapt audience ‘Everything appears to be normal except for two minor details.’

Robinson and Freed who until point remained silent can’t stay quiet no more ‘Spit it out Doctor what are the minor details? Freed whispers ‘I am glad you asked Detective because it is really quite simple, the hands the deceased hands are missing.’

Sitting in the corner of the room Parson’s know that he needs to contain the news to this room before someone spills the beans because the last thing he needs is for the residents of New York city to start panicking and spreading unfounded rumors making the job of the police force even harder than it needs to be.

‘Listen up everyone what the good doctor has revealed is to stay behind these four walls and i warn you all if i hear a whisper about a pair of wandering hands roaming the city i will come down hard on whoever leaks any information understand.’

What Parsons doesn’t know is that the pair of hands have already found a host who at this moment has already located his next victim and Pope want stop until he has killed all of the motherfuckers who sent him to hell.

You have all been warned.

THE END

Part Three coming soon.

Thanks for taking the time to read this story and could you please make a donation to go towards my goal of becoming a fulltime writer Thank you Steven.

Rocking Horse ( Chapter Two )

21 Saturday Aug 2021

Posted by stevenjohnno in stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

dunnedoo, fantasy, love, outback, rocking horse, sydney

In the first installment i introduced you to to six year old Cindy Watson who lives with her parents on a small at Dunnedoo which is located just west of the middle of nowhere.

Living out in the sticks leads to a sense of isolation and for Cindy and her parents the boredom causes tension and arguments and so to escape the confines of the farmhouse Cindy often went out to the front verandah to ride an old wooden rocking horse.

As she rocks back and forth the little girl drams about riding the horse into the nearest town to rob a bank so she can make life easier for her parents plus she gazes off into the distance she wonders what lies beyond the horizon.

Six years later and nothing much has changed way out west, Cindy’s parents still argue about money and she still rides the rocking horse but not as much as she used to but when she gets a hankering she climbs onto the horse dreaming about visiting the big smoke one day and if she had a bad day at school she will ride that rocking horse like she she in the saddle of a Melbourne Cup winner.

She she rocks her worries away Cindy has no idea that a young local aboriginal boy named Warren Mundine has been watching her from behind a gum tree just beyond the boundary fence.

He knows that the girl is unhappy so every night after the lights in the house are turned off he would wait an hour before sneaking up onto the verandah of the Watson household and sprinkle magical twigs and potions handed down from the spirit people all around the rocking horse.

Then he would walk a short way into the desert and perform a ceremonial dance asking the spirits to make the girl happy so she can achieve her goals and maybe just smile once in a while.

Three months later whilst he was performing the corroberee Warren lifted his arms to the sky, twisting and twirling in the red sand he asked the spirit people for help and to his amazement a small eddy eddy appeared in the red sand a few metres from where Warren stood.

Slowly the small dust whirl grew in size until it developed into a mini tornado a tornado that seemed to have a mind of its own.

The twister spun faster and faster than all of a sudden it changed direction heading straight for the Watson farmhouse, Warren watched in amazement as the funnel of sand measuring about 20 feet tall climbed the front steps and with a WHOOSH the sand tornado disappeared up the nostrils of the rocking horse.

Six hours later Cindy quickly finishes a huge bowl of rice toasties then she wanders out to the front verandah for a quick ride on the rocking horse before the school bus arrives.

‘Good morning Lightning, i hope that you weren’t to cold last night maybe i should buy you a blanket?’

It soon dawns on Cindy that she just called the rocking horse Lightning, where did that come from? Was there a storm last night?

Taking a seat near the back of the school bus Cindy remembers a dream that she had last night.

She pictures in her mind a small aboriginal boy with magical powers who whispered in her that she didn’t have to worry anymore ‘everything will be alright’

As the bus winds down the long dusty outback road Cindy looks out the window hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy who appeared in her dream but she soon realizes that she is being stupid ‘It was only a dream silly and my dreams never come true’

After another boring day at school where she received a very poor report card Cindy boards the bus to make the return trip back home.

An hour later as the bus arrives at her home Cindy gathers up her school bus and walks towards the front of the bus and to her surprise the boy from her dream is sitting behind the driver.

The boy turns around and their eyes meet, Cindy cant believe that the boy really exists ‘Come on Cindy this is your stop’ the impatient bus driver utters ‘Off you get, i need to get the other kids home before it gets dark’

Cindy quickly exits the bus but she cant resist a quick glance behind her and to her disappointment the seat behind the driver is empty.

As she takes a snooze on the lounge before tea Cindy’s mind imagines that Lightning comes to life and rears up on his hind legs leaving behind a steaming pile of rocking horse shit ‘Come on boy lets ride all the way to Sydney and start a new life in the big smoke’

In another corner of her mind thoughts of a small aboriginal boy continue to linger.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.

26 year old Cindy Watson turns of the alarm on her mobile phone and begins her morning routine, as she pees Cindy vaguely remembers dreaming about a rocking horse that she used to ride when she was a child.

She still lives at Dunnedoo just a few kilometres from her parents farm, her rubs her ring finger that is devoid of any adornment but hopefully one day she meet the right man and settle down to a quite life full of kids and happiness.

In a storage facility on the other side of town a dusty old rocking horse sits forlorn and forgotten.

It has been fourteen years since anyone sat in his saddle fourteen years locked up alone in the darkness.

His black eyes continue to stare at the roller door hoping that one day they will open so that he can run in the sunshine once again.

CHAPTER TWO.

Three doors down from the storage facility a young man is looking under the bonnet of an old ute in an attempt to fix a problem with the fuel pump ‘Hey Warren when you are finished can you come give me a hand with this Toyota because i cant find where all the oil is coming from’

The apprentice mechanic rolls his eyes in exasperation, Mr Turner might be a good boss but he couldn’t fix a car if his life depended on it ‘Okay boss give me ten minutes and i will be with you’

While he cleans up after Warren Mundine looks at himself in the mirror, he combs his hair and walks out the door with a smile on his face because today is the day where he he promises himself that he will finally ask Cindy Watson out on a date.

Warren like every man in Dunnedoo Warren has gone to the local pub to sink a few beers with his mates and have a flutter on the ponies and today will be no different.

At home he applies a shitload of old spice to his face then after grabbing a small satchel he heads out hopeful of a happy reunion of sorts.

At the pub Cindy is busy behind the bar serving the locals their beer of choice, she wasn’t supposed to work today but one of her work mates called in sick so she was offered an extra shift which she gratefully accepted because the money will come in handy.

As she is figuring out how to make a cocktail for a tourist Cindy doesn’t notice Warren take a seat at a corner table and even if she did she probably wouldn’t of recognized him anyway.

Warren orders a schooner of black from another bartender then he goes back to his table hoping that a few sips of beer will drown the butterflies that are fluttering around his stomach.

The upends the contents of his satchel on the table and arranges them to his satisfaction.

None of the other patrons take any notice the collection of twigs and branches but they hold a special meaning for Warren because the satchel made from a kangaroo’s scrotum has been handed down from generation to generation and now Warren has procession of the ancient relic.

The twigs and branches are also the same ones that he scattered on the front verandah of the Watson farmhouse fourteen years ago.

Behind the bar Cindy is struggling, a busload of tourists just arrived and they are mighty thirsty, at the other end of the bar Sandra Smith, a local legend, who has been pulling beers since Jesus was in nappies smiles at Cindy ‘ Don’t worry love, once we have served this lot things will settle down and we can have a smoko’

Cindy will be glad to take a break, it is almost 9 pm and the temperature is still 37 degrees.

An hour later Cindy pours herself a large gin and takes a seat near the bar, grabbing a handful of nuts from a bowl she begins to relax after being on her feet all night, as she unwinds a smell wafts over and awakens memories from her childhood when she used to ride a rocking horse and dream about moving to the big smoke.

Scanning the room Cindy spots a man sitting by himself at a corner table and even though she is sure that see has never seen him before she somehow remembers him from a distant memory from the past.

Intrigued Cindy nervously wanders over to the table and immediately notices the assortment of twigs and leaves arranged on the table.

Hello Cindy take a seat and i will tell you why i am here, my name is Warren Mundine and we have never been officially introduced but when we were kids i used to visit your dreams when you were unhappy, i danced the corroberee in the sand outside your parents place and asked the spirit people for help to end your sadness’

‘I spread these same twigs and leaves around your rocking horse and while you slept i whispered to the dreamtime to make the wooden horse real and it worked Cindy the rocking horse snorted a shitload of sacred sand and started to gallop around your yard’.

Cindy empties her glass of gin before replying’ Warren i know that you probably mean well and i do admit that i used to dream about a small aboriginal boy who used to ride the school bus and hang around the shadows outside my parents farm and sure i did wish that i could ride Lightning away from Dunnedoo and ride all the way to Sydney’

But when she said the word ‘Lightning’ Cindy immediately went back to her childhood and she realizes that what Warren is saying might actually be true’

‘I am not a liar Cindy that rocking horse is out there somewhere, why don’t we ask your parents maybe they heard or saw something back then and kept quiet about it, they might have put the rocking horse in storage or something’

Sorry Warren but my parents were killed in a car crash a few years ago on that bad bend going into Merriwa so it looks like what you think happened when we were kids will stay buried’

Now i need to get back to work, i suggest that you just get on with your life and forget all about the rocking horse and childhood dreams’

Warren is disappointed by Cindy’s reaction but he isn’t one to hold a grudge so he finishes his beer gathers up satchel and heads out the door, next week he will come back because in all the excitement he never got a chance to ask Cindy out on a date.

But as it turns out Warren didn’t have to wait a week because when he finished work the following day Cindy was outside waiting for him, ‘I am sorry for being a little short with you last night but your story about the rocking horse threw me for a loop’

That is alright Cindy, why don’t we grab some fish and chips and go down by the river and i will tell you everything i know’

‘Sounds good Warren but if this is to be our first date i am telling you that i cant be bought by a plateful of greasy food’

Cindy’s smile tells him that maybe the ice maiden might have a soft side after all.

The pair of oddballs settle down on a bench having small talk for a few minutes but when Cindy is about to explode she throws her remaining to the seagulls who always seem to know when a free meal is coming. ‘Alright tell me your story’

‘It all starts when i was about 11 years old and i was walking past your place and i saw you riding a rocking horse, my family lived nearby a i used to pass your farm all the time hunting for snakes and lizards for my dad to cook and every time i saw you you looked sad so i decided to do something to make you happy and Cindy you said that we both dreamt about the rocking horse but that isn’t true because i never had a dream about Lightning Cindy i created him’

Cindy rolls her eyes ‘pray tell me how you performed this miracle and if you turned a wooden horse into a real horse why are we looking for a rocking horse and not a real horse’

For a moment Warren is stuck for an answer ‘There is for need to be mean Cindy you wanted to hear my story so be quiet because i haven’t finished’ First of all i think that the reason i am looking for a rocking horse is because Lightning only exists when you are sitting on his saddle and when you dismount he goes back to being a rocking horse’

Warren tells her about how he scattered the twigs and leaves around the rocking horse then he danced a corroberee until a dust eddy eddy arrived and vanished up the nostrils up Lightning turning him into a real horse.

Cindy closes her eyes as she listens to Warren narrate the story and she is instantly taken back to her childhood for a minute or two ‘I believe you Warren but where could Lightning be now, i lost interest in him as i got older maybe my parents have a storage locker somewhere in town or they also could have sold him and if that is true than i am sorry to say he could be anywhere in the country, where do you think he is Warren?’

‘I don’ know Cindy my family and i moved out to Bourke to start a new life, i only just moved back to town a few months ago’

‘ And now that i am back in Dunnedoo all that i have been thinking about is you and what ever happened to Lightning’

Melting further Cindy reaches out and grabs hold of Warrens hand ‘Don’t worry Warren together we will find that rocking horse and i have been thinking about you to because when i dream about riding Lightning to Sydney you were hanging on tight behind me but when i have the dream it was back when we were kids’

‘Hey i have an idea’ Cindy laughs ‘Why don’t we post on Facebook’looking for a lost rocking horse, answers to the name Lightning’

Warren laughs as he gazes off into the distance, who knows but maybe one day we will ride the fuck out of here.

The following day the pair meet up at the local bowling club for a few drinks and to discuss their future but soon the topic returns to that rascal of a rocking horse ‘Tell me Warren why is Lightning so important to us?’

I am not really sure Cindy but that rocking horse brought us together in a crazy kind of way plus it was obviously special to you when you were a youngster , so it would be good to find Lightning and have him sit front and centre on your front verandah’

‘Me personally i want to spread my magical twigs and leaves around Lightning and watch him come back to life once again and what happens after that is in the hands of the Gods’

I sure would like to see that Warren and i might be able to help. last night i was going through some of my parents old receipts and i came across a piece of paper that i think might help’

Reaching into her handbag Cindy places a tattered receipt on the table ‘The ink is faded but it looks like it says ‘Safe n Secure’ 22 Black Stump Crescent Dunnedoo.’

‘I don’t know where Black Stump Crescent is Warren, have you heard of it?’

‘Yeah it is on the other side of town in the industrial estate but i am positive that it was destroyed by fire just before i moved but maybe the owners were able to save some of the contents of the units’

‘I can’t think of any other storage places in town Cindy but of course they could of moved to Merriwa or or some other town nearby also the owners could of retired but don’t despair Cindy i, Jesus what am i talking about my brain must be full of cobwebs, there is a storage place just down from where i work’

‘It is a long shot but we have to start our search somewhere so Cindy i propose that first thing tomorrow morning we pay them a visit’

For once in her life Cindy is lost for words, she can feel her quest slipping away but where there is life hope remains.

Warren picks up Cindy early the following morning and drives the short distance to ‘Store n Forget’ only to find it closed for the weekend ‘How stupid, you would think that Saturday and Sunday would be two of there busier days’

‘Yeah it is weird Cindy maybe they are closed because someone took a sickie today but hang someone just came out of the office’

An old man with long grey hair approaches them ‘Jesus is that Moses looking for river to part?’jokes Cindy.

‘Haha good one, i think he probably inside chiseling out a few more commandments’

‘What can i do for you two today? I am the caretaker of this fine establishment, names Joe Mac Curty by the way’

Cindy hands him the old receipt ‘My parents had a storage unit out at Black Stump Crescent that burnt down and i am hoping that you know if the owner is still in town or what happened to the contents of the units’

‘Well well missy today must be your lucky day, i used to work out there at ‘Safe n Sound’ and i can tell you that i was good mates with your father back in the day and his shed survived the fire and i believe the contents are in unit 26 and once again your luck holds because in two weeks time because the unit hasn’t been accessed for years it was going to be sold to the highest bidder’

‘That is great Joe, if you have a spare key i would like to see what’s inside’

‘Sorry i can’t do that without some sort of legal documentation plus you will need to supply a birth certificate or simply wait two weeks and put in a bid’

‘Please mister i just need to take a quick peek inside, there might be an item in there that has a lot of sentimental value for me’

But MacCurty isn’t about to change his mind anytime soon ‘If it was up to me i would open it for you but if my boss found out he would lynch me on the nearest tree so i suggest you get all the required legal papers and come back next week’

Warren can see that Cindy is close to tears so he leads her away ‘It is okay Cindy we will get the papers tomorrow and come back and see if Lightning is in there’

Then just as Warren is about to drive away a series of loud bangs erupt from the back of the storage place ‘Holy shit’ old MacCurty yells ‘That sounds like it came from your parents unit, what did they have in there, dynamite? Come on lets go take a look’

Cindy and Warren wait while the old man unlocks the fence and then they follow him around the back and when they arrive they see a few dents in a roller door like it has been kicked from inside then with an almighty crash the roller door collapses and a huge stallion races towards the trio.

Lightning nuzzles Cindy’s face in happiness at finally being free but the excitement is too much for Joe and he takes a seat on the ground ‘How did a horse survive on there without food all these years plus i heard heard a peep’

‘Ah i was expecting to find a rocking horse inside but um maybe there was a few bales of hay in there as well who knows, but i am just glad to find Lightning before it was too late’

Cindy climbs up onto the saddle and tells Warren to drive to her place and she will follow but Lightning has other ideas, he unfolds a pair a wings and takes into the sky and barely fifteen minutes later he flying in a holding pattern 10,000 feet above Sydney.

Cindy can’t believe how big the place and she almost falls out of the saddle as she begins to choke on the smog and pollution ‘Jesus i am sure glad that i don’t live here’

She gently rubs the stallions neck ‘home boy’ Cindy knows now that Dunnedoo is her home and always will be and her desire to move to the capitol is gone in an instant.

Warren is waiting for Cindy in her front yard and soon a huge horse makes a perfect landing twenty metres from where he stands and Cindy gingerly climbs down from the saddle.

After a quick embrace Cindy announces ‘Warren i now know that here is where i belong and i want to live in this house until i die and hopefully you will be by my side every step of the way’

‘You know i will Cindy, i love you with all my heart, lets get married as soon as we can and settle down and start a family of our own’

Lightning neighs in annoyance at being ignored but Warren and Cindy are keen to start their family straight away so they rush inside the house throwing off their clothes on the way.

When they emerge emerge early the next morning they aren’t all that surprised to see an ordinary rocking horse sitting on the front verandah swaying back and forth in the breeze.

THE END

Thanks for taking the time to read my story and if you have the means could you consider making a donation large or small so that i can fulfill my dream of becoming a fulltime writer. Thanks again Steven.

‘A Little Place Called Hell’

23 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by stevenjohnno in stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

abuse, blood, crazy, hell, horror, murder, sever

36 year old Alison Reddy takes a deep breath and slowly exhales.

Sitting in the back seat of her battered old chevy wagon her two children have been squabbling since she strapped them in and drove from their home in Lincoln Nebraska.

Now four hours later Alison is about ready to explode ‘If you two don’t quieten down right this minute i swear i will turn the car around’

‘I know that you are excited to visit gran and pop but you need to settle down or i will tan both of your hides like i did last week remember?’

Nine year old Molly and her six year old brother Kevin instantly sit up straight in their seat and rub at old and new injuries but the bruises inside will be forever out of reach.

Alison looks back at her offspring in the rear view mirror and is pleased to see them behaving for once without her needing to raise a hand.

Ever since her husband Randy walked out a year or so back Alison has tried her best to be a good mom but it isn’t easy being a single parent.

A whimper of fright from the back seat brings her back ‘Sorry Kevin but you know that mommy likes her peace and quiet so be a good little boy and soon we will stop for lunch and you and Molly can order whatever you want’

Alison drives down the highway gripping the steering wheel like she is trying to strangle it ‘God why did my parents feel the need to move all the way down to Florida to retire for fuck sake’

Stealing another glance at her children and is shocked to see them covered in cuts and bruises looking like the living dead.

Running a hand through her long greasy hair the harried mother does what she has always done in times of stress, she takes a long pull from a bottle of gin that was sitting in the console within easy reach.

Molly and Kevin notice their mommy drinking from a bottle and know that no matter if they behave or not there will be trouble.

The two abused souls slide down in their seat trying to disappear but trouble has a habit of finding you wherever you choose to hide.

Replacing the cap Alison dares another look back at her children she is pleased to see that they now look fresh faced and rosy cheeked ‘Almost there kiddo’s’

Molly and Kevin smile back but the smiles are etched deep with past pain and sorrow.

Ten minutes later she veers off the highway and drives towards a town called Seabridge, which is strange because Seabridge didn’t appear on her navigation system but she could with something to eat so Seabridge it is.

Rounding a bend Alison barely glances at a sign on the side of the road but that glance was enough to make her heart turn to stone.

Slamming on the brakes the chevy skids to stop fifty yards past the sign. ‘Stay in the car children i just need to have another look at the sign back there, i wont be long’

In the back seat Molly and Kevin shimmer and shine in a ghostly manner disappearing for a second before reluctantly returning.

Alison approaches the sign in trepidation but she knows what she saw so this time Alison takes a good hard look.

WELCOME TO HELL

BURN WITH ME ALISON

THE DEVIL.

Pop – Too many to mention.

Alison knows that she has to get out of here before it is too late so after running back to the car she screams at the back seat occupants ‘OK kids buckle up tight i um just remembered that i left the back door unlocked so i need to go back before someone breaks in’

‘Mommy just call Mr Jones next door’ Molly pipes up ‘He can go over and lock it and we can go see gran and pop’

Yeah mommy’ Kevin butts in ‘But please i need food and i need it now’

Alison isn’t listening because she has more pressing issues at hand like how to escape from hell and live to talk about it.

She knows that she will more then likely end up in hell but she isn’t quite ready yet but after checking over her shoulder for oncoming traffic Alison knows that she has no choice but to drive into hell.

Behind her the road has vanished leaving nothing but darkness blacker then black.

Two hundred yards down the road Alison is surprised to see what appears to be an ordinary main street you would see in any small American town except that there are no cars in sight and the sidewalks are pedestrian free.

Thankful that the kids don’t seem to notice that they are in mortal danger Alison and she can’t really blame them because for all intents and purposes hell looks like a ghost town.

Looking down to the end of main street searching for an escape route but there is nothing to see except a thick black fog.

‘Just put your foot down and drive all the way into hell Alison because that is where you belong you evil bitch’

‘You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t murder me and your own parents and because of your petty jealously and lust for money’

‘Thankfully the kids escaped from the abuse and are somewhere safe away from your evil presence’

Alison’s skin crawls at the sound of her dead husbands voice coming from the backseat.

With gentle arms draped over his children Randall Reddy sneers back at her ‘Your time to burn is nigh Alison and i hope that the fire consumes your soul forever and a day’

‘Fuck you Randall i should of killed you before i got pregnant with your spawn’

Crying tears of joy and acceptance Alison puts her foot down and drives all the way into hell to meet her maker.

‘Wake up you evil fucking bitch’

The strung out female patient sleeping in room 219 on the lower level at the New Brunswick Mental Facility opens her eyes and looks up at a huge menacing figure staring down at her with contempt.

Darnel Brathwaite is an african american nurse who has been attending to his patients needs and helping them in any way he can.

Perhaps helping isn’t the word that the patients themselves would use when describing Darnel’s conduct but Brathwaite couldn’t give a shit what they think of him.

All he is thinking about is helping the crazy lady in room 219 depart this world and get buried deep where the bugs and worms can eat her flesh to their hearts content.

Darnel has helped over 100 patients in various facilities nationwide reach the other side so the lady in room 219 shouldn’t prove to difficult to send on her way.

But first why not have a little fun?

Alison Reddy struggles to get comfortable as the buckles and straps and buckles of her straight jacket bite into her skin.

Her mind is hazy and she is having trouble focusing on the huge cruel nurse in her room but through the haze she notices a syringe in one of his hands and a manilla folder in the other.

‘Glad you could join me Alison, it is almost 9.30 and my shift ends at midnight,i will go home to my cat and a six pack of beer and you will also be going on a journey but before you leave let me read you a bed time story’

This story i am sure you have read many times before but never mind let me read it again so you know exactly why you need to go on a one way trip’

‘On 20th January 1984 Mary Lou Reddy gave birth to a healthy baby daughter who her husband Ben insisted be named Alison after his favorite grandmother who he loved very much.’

‘Alison was a happy normal toddler but when she started school began to show a cruel streak by physically abusing the other students and teachers’

You were immediately removed from school and sent to this facility where you received shock treatment and for a few years your behavior returned to normality’

Braithwaite pauses briefly to adjust himself ‘A week before your twelve birthday you came home from running an errand where after devouring a huge slice of chocolate cake your loving mother made for you ‘

‘You returned her love by picking up a knife and stabbed her 32 times’

‘Then you went out to the garage where your father was working beneath his beloved 57 Pinto’

‘With wicked intentions you wound down the jack slowly crushing your own father slowly until he died an agonizing death’

Once again the excited nurse pauses this time to release his member that he slowly begins to stroke.

‘After murdering your parents you were sentenced to a maximum security institution for dangerous juveniles in upstate New York where you were treated for your maladies’

The governor of the state believing that you were completely rehabilitated released back into the community on 1st July 2009 and you laid low for a while behaving like a regular person but you and i both know different don’t we Alison?’

The patient in the straight jacket smiles at the story teller with a grin that almost causes him to lose rhythm but Braithwaite continues to choke the chicken even as the smirk on the patients face tells him that trouble is afoot.

You befriended a young man named Randall Reddy at church who had no idea that you were a murderer and an evil demon and you didn’t tell him did you Alison?

This time Brathwaite avoids eye contact but the stroking intensifies’

Braithwaite in his haste to spend an evening of fun failed to make sure that the he tied the straight jacket securely and now Alison even in her sedated state has managed to slip an arm from the restraint.

Now the evil killer is just waiting for the right moment to strike.

‘Not long after meeting Reddy you were pregnant with your daughter Molly and three years later you gave birth to a son who you named Kevin’

‘For ten years you lived in suburbia with your family and everything appeared peachy on the outside but they weren’t were they Alison?”

‘In the decade you lived in Lincoln twenty three people who lived within a ten mile radius from your home disappeared’

‘These people were completely innocent and didn’t deserve tp come in contact with you’

Brathwaite has almost reached the point of no return and his breathing has become erratic ‘Your husband Randall never knew who you really were and on his 31st birthday you shot him in the head and ran naked onto the street which is why you currently a resident here’

‘Thank God your children have had their names changed and are in a place where you will never find them and hopefully they will grow to be good people despite having you as their mother’

‘Do you have anything to say before you begin your travels?

Alison motioned for the nurse to come closer and Brathwaite despite all of his training leans in close beating his meat at a furious pace.

Alison launches forward and bites down hard on the nurses nose and after a few shakes of her head the morsel is ripped free.

Braithwaite despite being three times the size of the patient offers little resistance and soon goes into shock and is now at the mercy of the crazy women in room 219′

Alison gets to work, first she shoves the nose down the nurses throat then using the metal tip of a felt pen she found in the nurses pocket Alison severs the shriveled penis from the shell shocked nurse and it to is forced down his throat.

Finally Alison empties the contents of the syringe into his thigh and soon the nurse is dead.

With her heart beating strong in her chest Alison feels exhilarated as the taste of the nurses blood refreshes memories from her past.

Now she has the taste again Alison needs and wants more blood on her hands but first she will need to escape from this shithole.

So she settles down to think of a way out of here.

Ten thousand miles away down in Australia two two teenagers have no idea that their birth mother has just killed again and is thinking about holding a family reunion.

THE END.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story and please if you have the means could you make a donation so that i can finally become a fulltime writer. Thanks again Steven.

‘Roadkill ( Mantlepiece of Death ) 2.

22 Saturday Aug 2020

Posted by stevenjohnno in poems, stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blood, horror, murder, roadkill, supernatural, taxidermy

In the first installment i introduced you all to Myron Oxenford a 58 year old old eccentric who called rural Mississippi home.

He was employed by the county to clear the highways and byways from any animal unfortunate enough to be killed by passing trucks and cars.

A loner at heart Myron enjoyed driving around all day listening to country music as he goes about his job,scraping up the roadkill all over the couty.

An amateur taxidermist Myron every now and than would take the freshest and least damaged carcasses home to his cabin in the woods where he would stuff the creatures and place them on his mantlepiece.

The pelts he would dry near the fire whilst some of the meat was thrown on the skillet the choicest cuts were put into jars and pickled for winter.

All in all life has been good for Myron Oxenford, so far.

One summer night Myron drank a few jars of moonshine and woke feeling like a skunk had slept on his tongue but he was still keen to add to his collection.

Even though he knows that he really shouldn’t be driving Myron backs out of his driveway on a mission.

A few weeks back a stranger he met at a bar offered him a shitload of money to make his wife disappear, an offer Myron couldn’t turn down.

Ten minutes he notices his target jogging along the side of the road on her usual morning constitutional.

Sally Nulksteader never knew what hit her when she was hit by Myron’s pickup and thrown down a small embankment.

Her husband told Myron to leave Sally’s body at the scene so that it will look like your everyday hit and run but Myron can’t resist temptation so after scrambling down the slope he carried the body back to his truck.

Sally Nulksteader will soon take pride of place on his mantlepiece of death.

Arriving home Myron’s blood is pumping full throttle and he knows that he has dug himself a hole that he can never escape from but at the same time he has in his possession the ultimate display specimen.

For three hours he drank shine as he sharpened his trusty knife on a whetstone.

Finally he stood and got down to doing what needed to be done, he skinned the carcass threw some meat on the skillet and pickled the rest.

Unbeknown’s to Myron for the past five months a lone house fly has been buzzing around his cabin as he slept feeding his drool to an eagle and a misshapen cougar that he couldn’t stuff properly.

The two roadkill victims have been sitting on the mantle for months but the precious liquid the fly has been feeding them has moistened their organs and slowly but surely life is being restored.

On his last day on earth Myron woke to a commotion coming from the living room and goes to investigate.

The cougar bounds from the mantlepiece and kills the roadkill merchant with a single bite to the back of the neck.

When the big cat has eaten his fill the eagle swoops down and picks at the bones and remaining meat.

Myron Oxenford now resides in hell well and truly stuffed.

PART TWO.

Brett Nulksteader looks up at the clock for perhaps the tenth time in the past five minutes.

His wife Sally left for her morning run an hour ago and hopefully by now the deed has been done and she wont be returning.

But he waits until mid morning before he calls the police to report her missing.

The desk sergeant at the Holbrook police station tells the obviously distraught Mr Nulksteader ‘Listen Sally has more than likely stopped for some shopping or is visiting a friend’

‘We are new to the area sergeant Murhpy so Sally has had a chance to make any friends and her handbag is here so she has no money on her’.

‘Plus why doesn’t she answer her phone? I am telling you something terrible has happened’.

Please Mr Nulksteader try to remain calm because i am sure that Sally will walk through the door at any minute but if she hasn’t returned by tomorrow we will launch an investigation’

After smoking cigarette after cigarette Brett can’t stand the tension anymore and he really needs to know if Myron came through for him and with no phone reception out in the woods Brett has no alternitive but to drive out there.

Jumping into his car Brett decides to travel the route that Sally normally goes on her run every morning and a few miles from home he notices a huge wet patch on the side of the road glistening in the morning sun.

Trembling with excitement he pulls over to have a closer look, maybe the blood is from a deer or moose but than Brett notices a running shoe a few yards down an embankment.

After spending a few minutes searching no body is found and shaking with fury Brett knows that Myron must have taken Sally back to his cabin.

‘Why couldn’t the asshole just follow the plan?’

At this point Brett should of just driven out to Myrons place but his ego wouldn’t let him so he calls the cops and tells them that he has found what he believes is his wives running shoe down an embankment on Potters Road.

Ten minutes later a squad car arrives and two uniformed cops climb out.

The elder of the pair introduces himself ‘Good morning Mr Nulksteader i am sergeant Coverdale and my partner is corporal Bolin i understand that you have found what you believe is your wives shoe?

Yes officer i reported my wife missing this morning after she didn’t return from her run’

‘Where is the shoe Mr Nulksteader just point where it is’ Coverdale demands.

‘Um sorry but i picked it up and put it on the front seat of my car’

‘You really should of left it where you found it’Bolin pipes up’Now you have trampled over the scene of an accident and potentially a crime scene’

‘Sorry officer but i was just hoping to find Sally alive and well so i wasn’t thinking about a crime scene’

Bolin a slight native american relents a little ‘I understand Mr Nulksteader, we will organize a K9 unit but in the meantime just take a set in the back of the squad car while my partner and i have a look around’

Brett nods his head and takes a seat, he watches the two cops intently hoping that they don’t find any evidence linking Myron to the scene because Brett knows that the old timer would turn on him in a heartbeat.

On a rocky outcrop a mere twenty yards above the two cops a misshapen cougar sits on his haunches ready to pounce.

The stitches that Myron applied a few months back are starting to come apart and the creatures insides are beginning to poke through.

The deranged big cat is hungry but he is wary of the human activity so he turns tail and slinks away.

A K9 unit arrived soon after and six bloodhounds started running around in excitement waiting for their handler to give them the command to seek.

The handler a grumpy old army veteran named Dru Standridge has been helping the local police for years helping to locate many folk both dead and alive.

Stanbridge who some say resembles the old cowboy actor Walter Brennan reaches into a coat pocket and takes a long drink from a flask.

His dogs are going ballistic as he leads them to the blood stain and after a quick sniff the bloodhounds get their bearing trot off in an easterly direction.

In the back seat of the cop car Brett Nulksteader rubs sweaty palms on his jeans when he realizes the dogs are heading towards Myron’s cabin.

All he can hope for is that Myron has disposed of Sally’s remains out in the sticks someplace where the dogs will lose the scent and his wife will never be found.

Six weeks prior Sally was taking a shower when her cell phone rang, Brett let it ring but it is unusual for Sally to receive calls late at night so he answers and listens to the message’ Hello sweetheart i cant wait to see you again tomorrow and we can make love again and again.’

Brett deletes the message and waits to confront his wife when she has finished.

But as he waits Brett blood boils in rage and he comes to the decision that she has to go permanently and the the old man he met in the bar a few days later while drowning his sorrows.

The stranger was none other then Myron Oxenford the towns roadkill merchant and amateur taxidermist.

After hearing of his drinking buddies martial problems he agrees to make her disappear forever’ Give give me $20,000 and you will never see her again.

‘OK but make sure that she is buried deep so the wildlife can’t dig her up because if her body is found you and i will both go to jail for a very long time’.

‘Don’t worry Brett you can rely on me to do the job’ Myron responds then the two strangers went their seperate ways.

Of course Myron had no intention of burying the body, he has always wanting a human trophy to sit on his mantlepiece plus the $20,000 being an added bonus.

Now as the police cruiser follows the dogs out to Myron’s cabin Brett shakes his head at his own stupidity.

How could he have been to reach out to a total stranger to kill his wife?

15 minutes later the dogs are sniffing and whimpering outside the cabin’s front door.

When the cops arrive Brennan has bad news’ Judging by the way my dogs are reacting i am positive that you have a deceased person inside’

Coverdale and Bolin were both hoping that Sally Nulksteader was in some sort of accident and is laying in the brush somewhere waiting to be found but the dogs led them straight here so both officers draw their weapons and Coverdale being the senior partner knocks on the door.

Suddenly the blood hounds start howling and begin to round in circles with their tails between their legs ‘Officers there is something inside that is scaring the dogs maybe you should ring for backup’

‘Control your animals Mr Stanbridge’ Coverdale orders but the huge African American soon shuts up when an evil stench descends upon all present.

Officer Bolin fresh out of the academy takes charge ‘Stanbridge help is on the help so please take your dogs bacck to your van and get the fuck out of here’

The dog handler is now visibly shaking’ Officers please listen to me, i have never seen my dogs act this way before, i am telling you that something terrible has happened inside the cabin so we should go back to your car and wait for the backup to get here’

The only reply is an agonizing scream AARRRGGGG ‘Get this fucking thing off me’ Bolin and Stanbridge watch in astonishment as the huge officer is dragged away by a mangy deformed cougar.

Bolin Can’t get a shot off in fear of hitting partner but soon it is too late when with a bite to the back of his neck the big cat kills Coverdale.

There is no way in hell that Bolin is going to let the cougar eat his partner so he takes a few tentative steps forward to put the cougar down but the cat moves fast and Bolin joins his partner on the ground with his throat ripped open.

The officers blood mingles together and the dogs run to the hills scared out of their minds.

Stanbridge scrambles into the back of the cruiser next to Brett’ Holy fucking shit did you see what that cougar did to the cops? plus there is something worse inside that cabin’

All Brett can do nod his head and try to squirm out of sight then his eyes drift over to the cougar that has dragged one of the cops bodies over to an oak tree where it is feeding with relish.

‘Jesus on a stick’ Stanbridge screams’ We need to get out of here right now before that cat finishes it meal and comes looking for dessert’

Pointing a bony finger the old man croaks’ The keys are still in the ignition so climb over and drive as fast as you can’

Brett is tempted to do what the old codger says but he has to make sure that his wife and Myron are dead and if they are still he will finish them off before a troop of cops get here.

With both his Myron and Sally unable to speak against him his murderous plan will remain a secret.

Calm down Stanbridge i need to go inside and find my wife to make sure she is safe and sound’ Stanbridge knows that there is no way that anyone is safe and sound inside that cabin but the old man is beyond caring.

Brett looks over to the cougar munching on what looks like a femur bone and is confident that the cat wouldn’t leave a fresh kill so he steps outside’ Just stay calm until reinforcements get here but i need to find me wife’ and with a quick glance at the contented cat Brett hurries over to the front door of the cabin and luckily it is unlocked.

The stench of blood and human waste hit him in the chest like a tidal wave and for an instant he is tempted to escape but he has to make sure that no one is alive to tell tales so he takes another step inside.

A lone fly sits on the mantlepiece watching the intruder with interest, the insect has been lapping up the blood and other liquids from the body of the taxidermist as it slowly begins to decompose.

The fly has been drip feeding the liquids into the mouth of the stuffed and stitched human sitting pride of place beside him on the mantle just like it fed the cougar enjoying a meal outside and an eagle perched up on a shelf above a dresser.

If the fly could smile it surely would because yesterday the human’s heart began to pulse slowly.

Now the female is primed and ready to give her husband a welcome he wont forget in a hurry.

The fly rubs it’s wings together in anticipation of another fresh blood meal and it wont be long before it can dig in.

Hello Brett where in the fuck have you been?’

Brett’s head snaps around at the sound of his wife’s voice ‘Up here darling i now reside with the dead and the damned ‘ Brett looks up to see Sally looking like she has been sewn together by a drunk DR Frankenstein.

‘Sorry that i am not looking my best but i was run over by a truck, stuffed and stitched like a christmas turkey and displayed up here on the mantle like a whore in a cathouse so forgive me if i am no longer to your taste but i will savior your demise.

It takes a second or two for Brett’s brain to comprehend what the creature said to him and before the words sink in Sally springs down slamming him to the floor knocking the wind from his lungs.

While her husband struggles for breath Sally rummages around in Myron’s taxidermy kit until she finds a needle and thread’ Now hold still Brett as i sew your murderous words closed forever more and i warn you dear that if you move i will snap your neck like a chicken’

She then proceeds to use the needle and thread sewing her husbands mouth until it like the stitches on an all game baseball.

Brett gurgles in total terror and soon the fly enters the fray.

It hovers around Brett’s left nostril before settling on an eyeball then it finds its way inside his skull and begins to vacuum the vital fluids from his brain.

In a few hours Brett will be left in a permanent state, the hateful husband will spend the rest of his life under care never to utter another word.

As he dies the eagle swoops and begins to pick at the flesh but Sally screams’ No leave him be there will be lots of food for us in the future mark my words’

Police sirens are getting louder so Sally opens the front door and hurries past a terrified Dru Stanbridge still seated in the back of the cop car terrified out of his wits.

She strolls over to the cougar resting after consuming his large meal and scratches the kitty behind the ears .

The cat is annoyed having its sleep interrupted but instantly gets to its feet and follows his fellow roadkill survivor out into the night where they soon vanish from view.

After walking a few miles in a tangle undergrowth they are soon joined by a bald headed eagle that flies from tree to tree leading the way.

A fly lands on Sally’s shoulder and settles down for a long trek.

The gruesome foursome steadily stroll toward destination unknown so please keep your doors locked and your windows shut.

Part Three coming soon.

THE END.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story and please if you have the means could you make a donation so i can finally reach my goal of becoming a fulltime writer. Thanks again Steven.

Mister Transistor.

29 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by stevenjohnno in stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

china, corona virus, murder, serial killer, the united states, treason, trump

Plop plop plop plop plop plop.’What in the fuck is that noise?’ an angry figure mutters when he is awoken from a restless slumber.

Opening a weary eye he is astounded to see what appears to be a dead man strapped to a chair in a bathroom a mere ten foot away.

The source of the sound is the victims blood dripping onto the tiles before running down the drain.

After pinching himself to make sure that he is actually awake and not dreaming the figure jumps out of bed and approaches the man careful not to step in the blood.

After checking that the man is actually deceased the figure suddenly realises that the killer could still be in the room but after a quick search he finds that he is alone in the room.

Except for the bloodied dead man strapped to a chair that is.

The figure goes over to the bathroom sink to wash the dead mans blood from his hands when he notices that his finger nails are caked with dried blood and the front of his shirt is smeared.

Plop plop plop plop plop plop.

The killer knows that he needs to get the fuck out of this place so he gathers his few belongings and walks over to the front door to see if anybody is hanging about but a tinny voice in his ear stops him in his tracks “I trust that you have taken care of business agent omega?’

‘Leave the scene immediately and don’t worry about leaving any of your DNA behind because a cleaning crew will arrive shortly and remove any evidence of you ever being in that room’

‘But remember agent omega that if you ever feel the urge to betray me or my organization the transistor that I had implanted in your skull will explode causing instant death’

‘You have done your nation a tremendous service today agent omega, General Holtsteader signing out.’

Agent omega leaves the motel room in a flurry hoping to escape from the voice in his head and to find out who he is, why he killed a man with his own hands.

As he trudges down the street trying to get his bearing he rubs his hands over his head to locate the transistor but the search proves fruitless’

Omega knows that he needs to find General Holtsteader and bring him down and have the implanted device removed.

‘Excuse me but are you alright?’

Omega stops at the sound of the voice and finds himself looking at a women around 30 years of age looking at him quizzically.

‘Sorry I am having a bit of a brain fade could you tell me exactly where I am”

‘Sure, you are on 43rd street heading toward Lincoln Plaza’

‘Um yeah but what city are we talking about?’

‘Why the windy city of course, Chicago Illinois’

Omega thanks the lady and slinks away to find somewhere to gather his thoughts and grab a bite to eat.

The lady watches her target disappear around than she follows at a safe distance because she knows what he is capable of.

It was no accident that she happened to run into Kevin Wayne Goodman killer , assassin, call him what you will but he would kill anybody if the price was right.

With a quick to make sure that no one noticed the exchange with omega Agent Irena Goblinsky sets off after the man who could either kill her in a heartbeat or help her stop a global meltdown.

Omega finds a café and takes a seat facing the door.

He orders a couple of bagels and a coffee than realises that he has no idea whether he has any money to pay for his brunch.

After a quick search of his pockets he finds $10,000 in his coat, undoubtedly supplied by the mysterious General Holtsteader.

And to his surprise he also locates a cell phone which to his frustration is ‘locked’ and therefore useless.

The cute waitress places his food in front of him and for a while Omega forgets about his troubles and he digs in with relish.

‘Why fancy seeing you again, do you mind sharing a table?’

Omega looks over at least seven empty tables but he gestures for the lady who helped him to take a seat.

The Russian agent is afraid and anxious because even though Omega might look like Jason Bourne but in a lot of ways he is more like Hannibal Lector.

‘Sorry to intrude on your meal but this is my favorite café in Chicago and I really need a caffeine fix.’

They talk about the weather, baseball, just making small talk like two complete strangers do.

Agent Goblinsky is just about to get down to the real reason she is in Chicago when she notices a glazed expression on the killers face.

‘Agent Omega the person you are talking to is a Russian spy terminate her immediately by any means available she is a danger to the security of our nation’

‘Once you have done your duty make your way to O’Hare airport where one of my men will meet you and take you to safety’

Without warning Omega lunges forward and seizes Goblinsky by the head and repeatedly slams it onto the table, fortunately the waitress and after staff members intervene.

Seeing that he is outnumbered Omega runs from the establishment where he soon gets lost in the in the morning rush.

Goblinsky is bleeding profusely from a dozen cuts and will probably have a nasty headache for a week but she is a trained agent with a mission to complete so she shrugs off the concern of the bystanders and she to enters the street of pain bloody but determined.

In his bunker just outside of New York City General Holtsteader gathers his loyal soldiers around ‘Listen up people the fucking Russians have somehow cottoned on to my plan to overthrow the government and install a communist system because democracy has run its course and the change is coming people are you behind me?’

Holtsteader’s chest puffs out with proud as the twenty renegades applaud and cheer their leader.

Amongst them is a young Chinese American named Lee Wang who if things go as planned will soon turn the world on its axis.

Sitting in the back of the bunker silently watching proceedings Glenn Blackhawk a native American from Idaho is growing increasingly concerned with the General’s radical views.

The last thing America needs is a communist government so he needs to stop Holtsteader before anarchy rules.

He and Agent Omega were friends back in the academy when they were both greenhorns with a passion of ridding America of drugs, violence and the need to stop Americans from murdering their fellow Americans with firearms of every description.

Unfortunately Omega went bad and committed the ultimate crime many times over and paid the price having spent over eight years in jail but now he is back on the streets under the control of the General.

If there is one man to stop the General it is Omega so Blackhawk creeps over to the computer showing the live feed from the transistor in Omega’s head.

If he can only he could talk to Omega and let him know that he has a friend waiting in the wings to help eliminate the General before he can do irreparable harm.

Blackhawk needs to find a way to clear the bunker but all he can do at the moment is sabotage the live feed so Omega is invisible to the eyes of the General free to save America from itself.

Agent Omega is sitting in the back of a cab on the way to the airport not knowing if he killed the Russian or not.

He is surprised that General Holtsteader hasn’t been in touch and that is one thing to be glad of because the silence is golden.

Omega uses the silence to think in peace and it suddenly dawns on him that he needs to have the transistor removed so he can visit the General without him knowing because one thing is certain the General would blow him to kingdom come if he knew.

‘Let me out here driver, I will walk the rest of the way’

‘What the airport is 20 miles away’

‘I am not walking to the airport driver I am going to walk the road to redemption so be a good fellow and pull over’

Omega hands the driver a crisp one hundred dollar bill and climbs out ‘Keep the change and driver keep your mouth shut or I will visit you at home and shut it for you permentatly’

The shaken cab driver takes off like a bat out of hell before the crazy man can do him harm.

Back on the street Omega walk with his head down trying to blend in with the masses.

He is thinking about his next move when he feels the cell phone vibrating in his pocket ‘Hello who is this?’

‘Why did you try to kill me you asshole I am on your side’

‘I tried to kill you because you are a Russian spy meddling in American affairs’

‘Did the General tell you that? Just give me a few minutes and I will explain what is happening’

‘General Holtsteader is the leader of a splinter group determined to assassinate the president and replace him with a puppet Chinese president’

‘Are you with me so far Kevin?’

‘Kevin? Did you just call me Kevin?’

‘Yes your name is Kevin Wayne Goodman, a killer for hire who spent years in jail before Holtsteader gained your release to perform wet work for him so he can control the government from the inside’

‘So you really didn’t know your own name?”

‘I had no idea, I woke up this morning with a dead man strapped to a chair in my motel room’

‘Holtsteader has implanted a transistor in my head so he can control me and he said that if I double cross him he will blow me to smithereens’

‘But I haven’t heard from him for hours maybe I am out of range or something?’

‘Where are you now Kevin? Because we need to meet in person and come up with a plan to stop General Holtsteader’

Omega knows that he needs to trust someone sooner or later’ I don’t know what street I am on but I can see a Holiday Inn sign just up the road’

‘OK Kevin go inside to the bar and order a drink I will meet you there in ten minutes’

Ten minutes later the two adversaries are sitting in a booth ‘Sorry about your face it must hurt?’

‘Don’t worry about it only hurts when I blink’

‘Sorry again but before we start I have a couple of questions, who was the dead in the motel room and why is Russia involved in American domestic affairs?’

Firstly I don’t know the name of the man in your room but I am sure my colleagues will investigate the matter further in due course’

‘Secondly Kevin General Holtsteader is a very dangerous man who believes that democracy is no longer working for every day American’s and he wants to install a Chinese president to keep the people away from vices and take away their freedom of speech’

Kevin as you know Russia is not a fan of democracy but can you imagine what will happen if the red dragon has control over your nuclear capabilities and your reserve bank?

‘There would be riots on the streets in every city plus the world would be plunged into fiscal chaos knowing that the Chinese have their grubby little fingers on the red button’

‘But surely no one in America would vote for an Asian even if they are a naturalized citizen’,

‘Sure they would Kevin, don’t forget that the people put Reagan in the oval office back in the 80’s and now Donald Trump is president upsetting everyone with his tweets’

In New York city General Marcus Holtsteader is running out of patience, the live feed to the location of Agent Omega has gone on the blink and the IT specialist is having trouble fixing the problem.

He has posted extra security outside his bunker because the last thing he wants is to have Omega showing up unannounced.

Once the system is up and running again Holtsteader will ignite the transistor and the world will be rid of Agent Omega plus dead men tell no tales.

Agent Blackhawk knows that he is standing on very shaky ground so when everyone in the bunker is concentrating on the computer he put out of commission he slips from the room unnoticed.

But his exit didn’t go unseen because Lee Wang has been watching Blackhawk closely and he doesn’t like what he has seen, Blackhawk is trouble and trouble needs to be handled swiftly.

Agent Goblinsky you know my name but can you tell me where I come from?’

‘I can tell you that your parents were killed in a car accident near the family home in Fort Lauderdale Florida.’

You were only six years old at the time and spent years going from different foster homes and that is when General Hollister first entered your life’

‘He owned a huge ranch outside the city where he housed and trained dozens of boys to become elite soldiers because even back then he had visions of becoming a man with total control’.

‘But when you were eighteen you escaped his compound which he named The Academy.’

You escaped when you were eighteen but as soon as you hit the streets trouble followed you around like a mangy dog’

At nineteen you committed your first murder and from that moment on the killing didn’t stop until you were arrested in 2010 and sentenced to death’

‘No one really knows how many people you killed or what your motive was but the tally is believed to be around 23’

‘At the Academy none of the other trainee’s knew your real identity to them you were just Omega another lost soul brought into line by the General’

Omega cant get his head around the fact that he is a serial killer.

He feels sad that he has inflicted so much pain on so many families but at the same he wouldn’t hesitate to plunge a knife into General Hlotsteader if the opportunity arises.

Donald Trump knows that his chances of still holding the office of the president of the united states until the next election are very slim so on the evening of 14 February 2020 he tweets one final time.

‘My fellow American it is with deep sadness that I tell that I am standing down as your preident’

My impeachment trial as you know is to be held next week and I tell you all now that I am guilty of some of the charges against me but I committed the crimes in the best interest of this great country and I wouldn’t hesitate to do the deed again if I thought it was for the best’

‘Goodbye my friends and lets keep this nation great’

Three months later.

General Holtsteader orders his limo driver to stop at the entrance to the west wing of the white house.

He strides inside like he owns the place and is greeted by the 46th president of the united states, Lee Wang.

The pair shake hands then the president gets right down to business ‘Thank you for coming in today General Holtsteader and it has been a pleasure doing business doing business with you and my masters in Beijing are very happy that I now sit in the oval office with complete power over the American people and the world at large’

Unfortunately for you General Holtsteader your usefulness has come to an end’

While he was addressing the General Wang had picked up his cell phone and now with an evil smirk Wang enters a four digit code’ ‘Goodbye General perhaps we will meet again in the next life’

Holtsteader can’t believe what he is hearing Why you motherfucking asshole what have you done?’

Those are the last words The General will utter because an artery in his brain explodes and he falls to the carpet .

President Wang sits on the ground next to his fallen comrade ‘Remember back at the Academy when you instructed the doctor to implant that transistor in the skull of Omega?Well the doctor also gave added a sedative to your coffee that day and while you slept he inserted a small capsule inside an ear up near your brain and when I entered a code on my cell an artery exploded causing stroke like symptom’s’

General Holtsteader exhales his last breath and dies a lonely broken man.

President Wang smiles in satisfaction and immediately phones home ‘Tell Premier Xi Jinping that now is the ideal time to release the virus’

Lets see how the world handles Corona and the consequences.

Wang sits behind his desk in the oval office not quite believing that his country has just pulled off the biggest coup in history with virtually no resistance.

Soon China’s plan for total control will enter its second phase.

THE END.

Part two coming soon.

Thanks for taking the time to read my stories and if you have the means could you please make a donation so i can finally reach my goal of becoming a fulltime writer. Thanks again Steven.

‘The Stairwell ( 2 )’

18 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by stevenjohnno in poems, stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

death, horror, insanity, madness, redemption, supernatural, travel, wasp

Part One.

The summer of 2016 was un seasonally warm in northern England and eight year old Alistair Craddick is outside playing in a creek behind the house his mother bought after his father passed away last winter.

Around midday when his stomach tells him that it needs food Alistair grabs a jar full of tadpoles that he spent all morning collecting.

Running excitedly inside to show his mummy the little wrigglers Alistair doesn’t notice the mud clinging to his shoes.

Mud that is now smeared all over the living room carpet.

Beatrice Craddick is a 38 year old human wrecking ball, as solid as a brick outhouse and meaner than a rattlesnake and on seeing the mess her son has made goes completely ballistic and orders her son to crawl into a small space beneath the stairwell ‘Please mummy you know I don’t like it in there’

Alistair can barely talk through his tears ‘Mummy the stairwell is full of cob webs and spiders please don’t make me go in there’

‘I wont tell you again you little turd now get in there before I get the wooden spoon and give you something to cry about’

Hanging his head Alistair carries his jar of tadpoles over to the stairwell and crawls inside,

Beatrice and her new boyfriend have been getting hot and heavy for months and Joe has been pestering her into letting him move into her home.

But Alistair and Joe don’t get along at all so now Beatrice has a decision to make and after drinking a full bottle of wine she comes to a life shattering decision.

She crushes ten sleeping tablets and dissolves them in a glass of water unlocks the cupboard beneath the stairwell and after a moment hands the water to her son who gulps it down.

Alistair soon began to drift away but before he left this world he uttered ‘Why mummy why? All I wanted was for you to love me’

Three months later.

Beatrice is home alone making herself a sandwich for lunch when she hears a strange scratching sound coming from the stairwell.

She had the space sealed forever more with a solid brick wall a month after she entombed her son alive.

Thinking that maybe a hedgehog or cat has found its way in Beatrice leans in places her ear and listens ‘Why did you kill me mummy? I always tried to be a good little boy so why mummy why’

Beatrice bleats a strangled yelp before her eyes flutter and she faints landing with a heavy thud.

In the stairwell Alistair’s torn twisted soul twirls around his skeleton moving between ribs and decayed sinew until the soul with the aid of a heavenly presence lifts a bony finger that resumes rubbing against the brickwork creating an eerie human voice ‘Why mummy why?’

When she regains her senses Beatrice scampers away from the stairwell in fright making incoherent noises as her mind snaps and madness settles in.

Joe arrives home drunk as a skunk and falls over Beatrice who’s bulk is blocking the entranceway ‘What are you doing on the floor you stupid woman , now get the fuck up and go make me some dinner before I turn you black and blue.

Beatrice doesn’t even notice Joe as he stands threatening above her shaking a fist but the sound of his angry voice hasn’t gone unnoticed in the stairwell.

The soul as been busy while Beatrice slowly lost her mind and now it whips up an army of dead flies ,cockroaches, and tadpoles that have littered the stairwell floor for months.

The animal husks funnel together spinning counter clockwise under the command of Alistair’s soul than they fly out of a small opening made by the bony finger tip the entombed boys skeletal finger and enter joe’s mouth before he has the sense to close it silencing him for eternity.

Beatrice who is now living in the land of the pixies glances at the stairwell as a small jumble of bones leave the confinement and jingle and jangle toward her ‘Hello mummy did you miss me?’

Part Two.

Beatrice’s damaged brain somehow registers the sound of her should be dead son’s voice.

Her remaining semblance of self try to comprehend how Alistair who she personally entombed behind a brick wall is somehow alive and standing before her in a tangle of bones.’Hello mummy did you miss me’.

Part two

Beatrice stumbles outside to escape her son who doesn’t seem to know that he is dead and disappears into the night while inside the house Alistair who is in no fit condition to chase after his mother retreats to the confines of the stairwell ,his home away from home where he spent months decaying and decomposing.

The recently reborn eight year old takes a seat in his usual spot ,he is soon joined by his tortured soul that refused to die.

The apparition twists and twirls between Alistair’s bleached bones giving new life and vitality to his skeletal frame.

As his soul floats around the confined space Alistair’s nasal cavity picks up a nasty smell and he remembers that Joe the arsehole boyfriend is laying dead out on the living room floor.

Alistair has plans for him but not quite yet.

Beatrice has somehow managed to drive over 300 miles from the scene from her son’s reincarnation despite slipping into the realms of insanity.

She weaves in between the traffic like a bat out of hell driving to escape her demons when she loses control of her Mazda and slams into a tree just outside of Manchester.

Fortunately she was wearing her seat which saved her life and a passing motorist called the authorities and held her hand until they arrived.

When the police pull up they are confronted by a mad woman screaming of a boy who rose from the dead a boy who will not rest until he is avenged.

Her rambling’s force an officer to restrain her in the back seat of his car and when an ambulance arrives Beatrice is quickly transported to hospital for the mandatory blood tests and a mental health check.

Back in the stairwell Alistair is still prone in the same position as his body and mind continue to rejuvenate from the inside.

But he knows that once he is ready to leave the stairwell and venture outside he will need an outer covering.

This is where Joe the arsehole will finally be good for something.

On the way to hospital a deranged Beatrice attacked the paramedic who was trying to treat her biting his neck leaving a nasty wound.

She was taken to a hospital for the criminally insane where she was placed in a padded cell secured firmly by a straight jacket.

Alistair knows that he will need help if he is to continue to with his rebirth so he channels his thoughts outside where a wasp has been building a nest under the eaves.

The tiny insect flies into the stairwell and lands on Alistair’s shoulder.

Using a mixture of clicks and whispers Alistair and the paper wasp communicate.

With a blur of wings the wasp darts out to the living room where it proceeds to cut a small patch of discoloured skin before returning to the stairwell and pastes the skin to Alistair’s muscles and meat.

For three days and nights the wasp works feverishly cutting and pasting little square patches of Joe’s skin onto his new friends body until Alistair looks like a patchwork Frankenstein monster with a complexion a nasty green grey.

In her padded cell Beatrice in rare moments of lucidity stares out of a small window high in the wall of her confinement.

She knows that her son is out there somewhere on the road to his redemption and want rest until she is destroyed.

But for the moment all she can see is blackness out of the small portal to the world a darkness that could become her new normality if her reborn off spring finds her.

Alistair has begun to walk and roam around the house as he strengthens tendons and ligaments that he hasn’t used since his rebuild.

As he goes from room to room Alistair’s mind drifts back to the day when his own mummy poisoned him with pills then entombed him behind a brick wall to die a slow painful death.

His shoulders shake as he sobs a few lonely tears that slide down his forlorn cheeks.

Before his tears can leave a stain on his already fragmented frame of mind the tiny paper wasp lands on an ear lobe and whispers words of encouragement.

Alistair nods his head in agreement and as the wasp continues to talk the dark clouds that were clouding his mind disappear only to be replaced by even darker thoughts.

Find his evil mummy and what will be will be.

The wasp flutters around the stairwell corralling all of the creepy crawlies that have picked Joe’s bones clean.

The bugs are keen to go on an adventure where they will travel to hell by Alistair’s side with no guarantee that they will return.

Alistair himself is oblivious to the activity around him as he concentrates on the journey ahead.

After a day spent meditating and reflecting on the past Alistair and his collection of midges ,gnats ,beetles and flies plus of course his trusty sidekick the wasp leave the Craddick home for perhaps the last time.

Even though he is only eight years of age Alistair knows that walking around with a shitload of bugs clinging to his body and his patchwork yellow green skin wouldn’t go unnoticed in broad daylight so dusk is the perfect time to travel to God knows where.

After walking only 500 metres down the road Alistair realises that ‘God knows where’ is an apt description of his problem because he has absolutely no idea in which direction his murderous mummy hightailed to.

But lucky for him the wasp is three steps ahead of him has sent out a search party of twenty or so bluebottle and march flies who can smell the stench of moral decay and treason from over 1000 miles away.

Knowing that the wasp has his back Alistair’s spirits lift and he walks forward with a spring in his step but his feeling hit the doldrums when he feels a blister beginning to rub his left heel.

So with little choose Alistair does something that he knows he shouldn’t oughta do.

He sticks out a thumb and starts to hitch hike for the first time in his short life.

And ten minutes later a beat up Volkswagon pulls up beside him.

Bernie Gillan a thirty three year old diesel mechanic from Bristol is on his way home from church when he spotted a small child on the side of the road but when he gets a closer look he almost drove away ‘Jesus kid you look like you just crawled out of your grave’

‘You shouldn’t be out here on your own and hitch hiking to boot , where are your parents?

‘Thanks for stopping mister I am on my way north to visit my gran before she falls off the perch, huh I mean she is sick so I really need to see her’

‘OK climb in kid and leave the weather outside;

Alistair jumps aboard and immediately the collection of bugs crawl over Bernie deciding whether he is friend or foe and after sniffing his scent settle down for a snooze.

‘Arrrrrggghdrr what in the fuck get these things off before I frive down an embankment’

‘Sorry mister I couldn’t leave my bug collection at home with no food, so just drive me where I want to go before you become their next meal’

Alistair knows that it is cruel to tease the kind driver but he is on a mission and everyone knows that the mission always comes first.

‘OK kid calm down I will take you where you want to go but these crawlies are rally creeping me out;

‘Just drive and when we get there I will let you know’

The wasp enters Alistair’s ear hole and pounds on his ear drum with an urgent message and after listening attentively for a minute Alistair passes the message on ‘Driver just follow the blue lights and soon we will arrive at gran’s and you can be on your way’

‘Thank you kid and please take your bugs with when you leave because they are beginning to make me nervous very nervous indeed’

Twenty metres ahead the blue bottles give off a eerie glow as they fly forward into a strong wind but hopefully they will reach their destination in an hour or two.

20 miles north in her padded cell Beatrice notices a lone fly enter via the small window and annoyingly land on her nose.

She struggles with her straight jacket but to no avail and pretty soon the restraint and the fly and really starting to piss her off big time.

Her madness and ugly disposition give Beatrice extra ordinary strength and one by one the buckles on the straight jacket pop and ten minutes later the battle axe from hell is loose ready to face her demons,

All she has to do now is escape from her cell and find a stairwell in this shit hole because she knows that her son who refuses to die is on his way and she wants to prepare.

As her mind warp bends and twists reality Beatrice slips even further down into the doldrums with no chance of returning to normality any time soon.

As Beatrice paces her cell hundreds and hundreds assorted bugs enter quickly followed by a clever wasp who picks the lock on her cell door and the mummy the devil would refuse is free wander the halls at her leisure.

Bernie steers his car into the driveway out the front of a huge monstrosity called the ‘Hallywell House for the Criminally Insane’ and parks near the front door. ‘There you go you little shit I hope you are proud of yourself for putting me through hell’

‘Now get out of my car and don’t forget to say hello to your gran from me bye’

Alistair approaches the front door anxious and ill at ease but when the goes to open the door it clicks open and he enters and is met by the wasp who guides him on the final steps of his journey.

After rounding a corner Alistair finds himself looking at his mummy sitting in the middle of a dark dank stairwell. Hello Alistair I have been half expecting you, come inside and close the door’

When Alistair enters a tiny patch of skin falls from his body littering the floor like a discarded piece of confetti .

Knowing that he doesn’t have much time left Alistair attempts to confront his mother but he no longer has the strength or the will anymore.

He takes a seat beside the woman who killed him ‘I have travelled many a mile to get my redemption but now all I want to do is close my eyes and die again, goodbye cruel world’

For a few minutes Alistair’s sunken chest rises and falls as he prepares to leave this world for the final time and when he takes his last breath every patch of skin falls from his body providing him a comfy resting place.

Beatrice overcome with grief and guilt puts an arm around her boy and she never moves from his side.

Three days later her tainted heart stops beating and now mother and son are reunited forevermore in an unholy truce.

May their blood mingle and flow down to the gates of hell or up to cleanse the feet of St Peter.

It is now up to the gods to decide their fate.

The wasp begins to build a nest on the melded bodies in preparation for the next generation.

Sometimes the dead die so the living can keep living.

THE END.

Thanks for taking the time to read my stories and please if you have the means could you make a donation to help me reach my goal of becoming a fulltime writer. Thanks again Steven.

‘Goiter ( 2 ) Soul Sacrifice’

16 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by stevenjohnno in poems, stories

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

descruction, evil, fire, god, horns, mayhem, murder, sacramento, san diego, tail, the devil, trident

In the first installment of this adventure I introduced you to Bernie Torrence a 35 year old retail manager from Sacramento California who had been experiencing severe stomach pain for a week.

Almost collapsing one morning while preparing to go to work all Bernie could do was stagger back to back where he hoped that the good lord would come down and carry him away.

Around lunchtime Bernie watched in horror as his stomach distended and began to swell like an over ripe watermelon and from his belly button emerged a tiny human figure ‘Hello my name is Audley Creed are you my mommy?’

Still recovering from giving birth Bernie can barely manage a whisper in reply ‘I suppose I am your mommy Audley but I am also your daddy as well’

With a squelch the rest of Audley’s body enters the world still joined to his mommy/daddy by an umbilical.

All Bernie can do is stare at the ugliest baby ever known and soon Audley will turn into the goiter from hell.

In the first few days of their acquaintance Bernie and Audley fight abd bicker over anything and everything but they both agree that Bernie is in no fit condition to return to work as the manager of the local supermarket

Bills need to be paid and now there is another mouth to feed so with no other options Bernie proposes that they appear on ‘Australia’s Got Talent’

with Audley pretending to be a ventriloquist’s dummy.

Audley isn’t keen on the idea but with no alternative he reluctantly agrees.

After a week of rehearsals they appear on the talent show and to their complete astonishment they win the audition but Audley isn’t happy with their stage name and wants it changed from ‘Torrence & Creed’ to ‘Creed & Friend’

Bernie cant believe how ungrateful the little turd is so he decides to have a few drinks to drown his sorrows and there is an upside to his alcohol intake and that is that the beer flows through his system along the umbilical cord causing Audley to become violently sick and sorry.

But not sorry enough apparently.

When Bernie fell asleep Audley chewed his way through the cord binding the two together than he wrapped the bloody appendage around Bernie’s throat in an attempt to strangle him.

Waking in fright Bernie fought for his life and managed to grab a pair of nail clippers and stab the little monster in his right eye.

Holding a hand over his face Audley flees the scene and disappears into the night.

Bernie breath’s a sigh of relief as he watches his offspring run, now hopefully now his life will return to some sort of normality.

PART TWO.

Audley stumbles along a backstreet knowing that if he doesn’t get his facial injury seen to quickly he will more than likely bleed to death before sunrise.

But luckily for him a passing paramedic notices his predicament and pulls over to offer some assistance

The two paramedics are stunned at the extent of the injury and all they can do is remove the damaged organ and apply a bandage until they transport the patient to hospital.

Audley knows that he cant let his two saviours take him to hospital where surely the cops will be summons and they would ask a lot of questions about how did he manage to be stabbed in the eye.

But being only two foot tall Audley knows that he will need help if he is get away from the paramedics.

And without an ounce of regret he calls on an inner demon and in a puff of smoke his maker the devil appears reducing his sons enemies to nothing but two piles of cinders and bone.

Bernie still cant believe that the boy that he brought into this world is just an evil motherfucker who tried to throttle him with his own umbilical cord.

When Audley fled after failing in his attempt to kill his parent he ripped the umbilical cord from Bernie’s body.

Bleeding profusely Bernie knows that he is in mortal danger so he to calls upon an inner strength.

‘God as you know I am not a believer but if you do exist can you please heal my wounds so that I can find Audley Creed and beat the shit out of him and bring him to justice before he can harm anyone else.

( As he whispered his prayer Bernie had no way of knowing that Audley with some help from the dark side has already committed the ultimate sin twice )

‘And God if you really really do exist can you please deposit $ 1 million into my bank account to pay for my funereal if you cant find in your heart to save me ‘

‘But if I do survive I promise to spend the money on my quest to track down Creed and a little on beer hookers and sundry expenses etc etc etc.

Thank you Jesus thank you Lord.

Audley Creed is almost back to his old self after the Devil held his hot trident to his eye suturing the cavity closed.

Losing an eye is a inconvenience but it is a small price to pay to be able to follow his father into the darkness.

Being the Devil’s spawn gives him a huge advantage in ensuring that all goodness and well being is destroyed forever so now the bad men in the black hats will bring pestilence and corruption for eternity.

Bernie wakes from a deep sleep with a slight headache and a full bladder.

As he stands before the throne is surprised that he doesn’t feel any more pain from his injured stomach and when he lifts his shirt he is surprised to discover that the massive wound is healed ,there isn’t even a scar.

Thank you Jesus thank you lord.

Feeling the best he has in years Bernie goes into town to celebrate the second he has been given at life but first he has to visit the bank to check if a second miracle has befallen him.

After standing in a queue for 20 minutes Bernie asks the teller if she could check the balance of his account when she tells him that currently he has $1,000,527 available.

‘Oh my God Bernie did you win the lottery or something’

Bernie has no words all he can do is sit down before he falls down.

After running a few errands Bernie still cant believe that he has over $1 million in the bank.

If God is willing to give him a shitload of money maybe he could ask for a fridge full of beer that never runs out or free flights to anywhere for the rest of his life.

He is still smiling as he pulls into his driveway when his phone pings alerting him that he has a new message.

The message is from a PRIVATE NUMBER and Bernie wouldn’t normally reply to a message from anyone hiding behind their device but this time he relents ‘Hello Bernie God here ,don’t push your luck because what I giveth I can easily take back’

“To earn your money Bernie you need to find Audley Creed and destroy his evil soul because he has just teamed up with the Devil and together those two could threaten the very existence of mankind’

‘Kill the fucker Bernie kill him dead Yours Truly God’

The message instantly disappears from the screen leaving Bernie to wonder whether having $ 1 million is really worth the hassle.

500 miles away Audley is wandering the streets of San Diego seeking food and a place to rest for the night.

He now sports a black patch over the ruined eye and every now and then he will rub the spot where his eye used to be and when he rubs Audley thinks about Bernie Torrence the man who gave birth to him and how good it will feel to slowly torture the cunt then send him on a one way ticket to hell where he will meet his original father ,the Devil.

As he saunters along he pretends not to notice the looks strangers give him as they pass by him.

It isn’t easy being two foot tall with an eye patch with a shock of orange hair.

If only the fuckers knew that with only a whisper he could have them all burnt to a crisp.

When he gets close to Jefferson Park he notices a huge big top tent set up.

The circus must be in town.

A dozen or so people have formed a line to buy tickets and Audley attempts to pass unnoticed but no such luck’Hey freak where are you going? You should join the circus because you would fit right in’

Audley eyes the creep with eyes of fire ( I should say eye of fire ) and the mouth seeing the danger in the little freaks features backs away.

Audley could easily call his father to burn the fucker but he doesn’t want to attract too much attention to himself before the Devil can end existence as we know it.

The owner of the circus a huge bear of a man who closely resembles the serial killer Ed Kemper eyes Audley suspiciously as he approaches.

Lowell Payne is not only obese but he is meaner than a wolverine and he doesn’t take kindly to trespassers ‘Hey asshole where in the fuck do you think you are going? This is private property so go back and stand in line like everybody else’

Audley looks up at the giant feeling a little like Jack in the beanstalk ‘I don’t want to buy a ticket you dumb chunk of shit. I need a place to stay for a while so shut the fuck up and give me a job and stop wasting my time’

Lowell is about to squash the potty mouthed tom thumb like a bug but he has to admit that the one eyed midget has a lot of spunk plus he is the perfect size to get shot from a cannon ‘Okay Tom I hope you have a head for heights and like the smell of gunpowder’

Today must be your lucky day because it just happens that there is a current vacancy so be here at 7 o’clock sharp tomorrow morning and don’t be late’

‘My name is Audley Creed asswipe and don’t you forget it’

‘I have nowhere else to go so I will start immediately ,now show me where I can bunk down for the night and make it snappy’

For once in his life Lowell Payne is lost for words and he glumly leads Audley to a bunch of trailers out the back.

As he follows his new boss Audley rubs the patch over his right eye with one hand while his other hand gingerly touches a pair of nodules breaking through the skin on both sides of his head.

Audley’s horns are making an appearance.

At home Bernie is perched on the edge of his seat demolishing a can of Millers Lite as he ponders the best way to locate Creed without earning the wrath of the Devil and the hell of horrors.

God has graciously given him a lot of cash and hopefully he can catch Creed without spending too much of the heavenly money.

But all that can wait until tomorrow because right now he has plans to sink a few more beers and watch some porn on the XXX channel.

Hopefully God will have his back turned and his hands out of his pockets.

Not quite in the mood just yet Bernie channel surfs and soon comes across a documentary on CBN about the plight of millions of refugees and misplaced people the world over who had to flee their homes to escape poverty and government corruption.

Transfixed Bernie forgets all about pleasuring himself watching porn and his beer is now flat and unappealing.

He vows then and there to help his fellow human beings even if it means spending every cent of God’s kind donation.

Bernie’s phone once again pings and PRIVATE NUMBER lights up the screen and this time Bernie answers immediately ‘Hello Bernie good to see that you are going to help the people because I cant do it all by myself’

Bernie you will need to use your generous heart to destroy Audley Creed because if you try to fight fire with fire you will lose and than the Devil and his one eyed apprentice will drag you down to hell where you will burn and smoulder for damnation’

Before Bernie can get a word in the message again deletes automatically and once more the born again Christian ponders whether having a lot of money is worth getting roasted alive down in the Devils basement.

He will to remember to go to the drug store and buy some super doper sunburn cream.

At the circus Audley is making a lot of new friends even though he knows that soon they will all be burning a slow burn.

He is rooming with lobster boy who has claws instead of hands plus rubber man who would win the game twister every single time.

Every day he has lunch with his room mates ,the bearded lady and a few of the clowns who all help him adjust to circus life under the big top.

Getting shot out of a cannon three times a day takes a lot of getting used to especially the hot wick burning his butt and the safety net could be a tad wider.

Audley no longer rubs his eye patch even though the still holds a hate for Bernie Torrence.

He now rubs the two horns that recently sprouted on his head.

Like father like son.

Bernie is now a fully fledged man of God and now he walks the street in a long white gown and has let his hair grow’

The only disappointment is his scraggly beard that wouldn’t look out of place on a pimply faced teenager.

He bought himself a bible from a secondhand store and reads the scriptures to anyone who will listen and next week Bernie will celebrate the opening of a new soup kitchen.

Audley along with two pointy horns now has an itch above his butt crack where a tail is beginning to form plus his skin is now a deep red colour.

He is now officially a little Devil.

And his new appearance hasn’t gone unnoticed Lowell Payne who is keen to cash in because when it comes to the circus there is no such thing as too many freaks.

Audley is due at the office to pick up his pay check and when he does Lowell will tell him days of getting shot from a cannon are over because now is will be the circus’s new star attraction Lil’ Lucifer.

Lowell is busy calculating how much money his new freak will bring to the circus when the horned one enters his office.

Audley takes a seat and listens as his boss tells him about his new role but as Lowell talks his balls do a somersault in their sac when he comes to realise that Audley is actually a readers digest condensed version of the prince of darkness a real life Devil with horns a tail red skin and a temper to match.

Realizing the danger that he is in Lowell attempts to flee but the one eyed mini lucifer is having none of that and he rubs his hands together furiously causing sparks to fly around the room disorientating the scared circus owner.

Then Audley swings his newly formed tail and the barbs on the end sink into Lowell’s rotund belly who falls to the ground sirloined and purloined.

Lowell Payne is now nothing more than fresh kibble.

The Devil is watching his protégé on CCTV live from his over heated basement with pride burning his black heart.

His demon seed is progressing well and if all goes as planned planet earth will become a wasteland.

Satisfied that Lowell has been burnt to a crisp Audley gathers up his tail and runs outside where he shoots more sparks into the big top and into his co- workers trailers.

Then he stands back and watches as flames ignite spreading quickly devouring the tent and trailers and all persons within.

All up that night 280 people lost their lives as evil tries to take control from the good and steal the souls from the living.

Bernie Torrence is busy in his kitchen serving up the soup of the day and as he ladles out another bowl of chicken noodle soup to one of his regulars his eyes steal a glance ata small TV attached to a wall.

His eyes widen in alarm and recognition as he listens to a news report from San Diego.

He becomes increasingly worried as the reporter ,Penny Waffleon gushes ‘News just coming in from San Diego ,a fire has burnt down the big top and surrounding trailers of a visiting circus killing all 230 patrons and circus workers’

‘Even more disturbing is that the police believe that the fire was deliberately lit with an eye witness telling them that he saw a person of a small stature fleeing the scene.’

‘The suspect is described as being only two feet tall with a patch over his right eye and I know this will sound strange but he perpetrator is said to has horns and a long tail’

Now over to Dan Druff with the weather ,Dan’

Bernie tells his cook to take over and he rushes out to his car and begins the two hour drive to San Diego.

As he drives Bernie half expects God to ring with instructions on how to stop a sunburnt midget from starting complete mayhem.

When he reaches his destination Bernie still hasn’t heard a peep from his maker but he isn’t that concerned because he can feel God’s presence all around him.

The area around the crime scene is taped off with homicide detectives scanning the surrounds looking for clues but unfortunately there is no sign of Audley Creed.

50 metres away Audley smiles when he sees his Bernie over near the police containment line.

He has taken refuge behind a dumpster having been unable to escape and so far he has managed to stay hidden from the cops.

Now with his birth father unknowingly coming to his rescue Audley knows exactly what he needs to do.

Unseen he sidles up beside his dad and grabs hold of his hand.

Bernie almost died there and then when he looked down and saw who was holding his hand immediately he tried to break free but Audley was holding him in a vice like grip, ‘Why you little Devil you are even more evil than I ever imagined and you are definitely no son of mine so just give up and accept your punishment’

Before Bernie can alert the police he falls to his knees in intense pain and to his astonishment his belly button from where he gave birth to Audley opens up and the evil little fucker crawls inside like a joey kangaroo returning to the pouch.

The genie is back in the bottle.

The Devil is disappointed that his protégé couldn’t achieve his objective this time because he has been waiting for eons to bring darkness to mankind so a few more months shouldn’t make much difference.

Up amongst the clouds God is relieved that the ultimate fight has been put on hold for a while and he is still confident that Bernie want let him down.

Plus if he needs to step in and perform a miracle or two to help save humanity than he will.

THE END

PART THREE is coming soon so keep an eye out.

Thanks for taking the time to read one of my stories and please if you means will you consider making a donation to go towards me fulfilling my dream of becoming a fulltime writer. Thanks again Steven.

stevenjohnstonblog

~ Short stories about anything and everything

Category Archives: stories

‘The Case of the Missing Socks’

‘ Billy Johnson’s Black Pig’

‘White Raven’

‘Hands Of Vengeance’ ( 2 )

Rocking Horse ( Chapter Two )

‘A Little Place Called Hell’

‘Roadkill ( Mantlepiece of Death ) 2.

Mister Transistor.

‘The Stairwell ( 2 )’

‘Goiter ( 2 ) Soul Sacrifice’

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: