ktmay96
May 22nd, 2010, 12:06 AM
Fictional story for my creative writing class. (this demonstrates that clearly i watch too many crime shows :] but hey, you can't stop a bones/criminal minds addict :] haha)
Snapping her head around, a young girl glanced over shoulder for the quickest second, before looking ahead to her path. Her heart seemed to restart, though what the young girl saw was not unexpected. The faint silhouette still raced behind her, following her every step. Pressure built up in her chest, and she fought the urge to scream. There’s no one here to hear you. She reminded herself solemnly as she raced across some one’s wet, abandoned lawn. Her feet were cold, her flip-flops lost and forgotten far behind.
Fearfully, she glanced back again. Then had a double take. He was gone! She slowed automatically. Jogging steadily, she stared back behind her. She stopped and turned, her curiosity overriding her survival instinct. She stood, staring, still in shock over his sudden disappearance. Shaking, she continued to shark inquisitively behind her. Then her gaze returned to the path before her, and she froze.
“Hello, Charlotte,” the killer said.
Charlotte screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morgan giggled and shoved Josh playfully, as the three girls poked fun at the two of them. She turned bright red and hid her face behind her thick auburn hair. Josh draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, flashing a bright smile. Haylee, Jen, and Charlotte all rolled their eyes and laughed at the show of affection. “P.D.A.” Jen mumbled, giggling, elbowing Haylee. Haylee burst out laughing, and a couple people turned to look at her. She smiled, completely unfazed by the attention.
After the laughter died down, Jen turned to Charlotte. “So, where’s Jordan tonight?” She inquired. Charlotte dropped her eyes, and mumbled,
“I don’t know.” Concern widened Jen’s eyes, and her brow furrowed.
“Are you two okay?” She asked, her voice saturated with real concern. Charlotte loved Jen for that. She always cared about people, true caring, no fake concern to get gossip.
“I don’t know. I asked him to come to the party with me, but he turned me down, saying that he had homework to do,” Charlotte paused and snorted, “As if.”
“So, you think he’s cheating on you?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think so. But he’s been ignoring me a lot lately. And he seems to always have something to do when I want to go out.” Charlotte frowned.
“You gonna talk to him?”
“Yeah, maybe later tonight.”
“Okay.” Jen suddenly looked around, and realized this conversation wasn’t exactly private. Haylee, Morgan and Josh were all staring at them. They all burst out laughing, and the serious air drifted away for now.
In the shadows, hidden from the flashing lights of the party, a dark form sat quietly, staring at the group of friends. His eye’s locked on the beautiful blonde, her blue eyes sparkling with laughter. A mocking smile formed on his lips. “Charlotte,” he hissed quietly, “You will be mine.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Whoa!” Charlotte exclaimed as she tripped over a rock. Again. Her friends laughed just as loud as before.
“Goodness, Char, if you’re ever going to die of natural causes, it’s going to be you naturally tripping over a rock.” Morgan giggled. They were walking to Jen’s house to retrieve their cars, and darkness was scaring all but Haylee and Charlotte, making them energetic.
A few moments later, Morgan groaned, “Can we please hurry up?” She stretched out the please, almost begging. “This dark is really creeping me out.”
“Oh, please! Don’t be such a baby Morgie. We’re not five. There’s nothing in this dark that can hurt us, silly. No ghosts, goblins, or ghouls.” Charlotte replied.
“Oh, my.” Haylee added, giggling.
The group turned a corner and spotted Jen’s house. Charlotte pulled her purse up and dug around for her keys. “Stupid cluttered purse,” she mumbled. Pulling out her keys, she dropped the purse down to her hip and unlocked her car. Her car lights flashing made her jump, and her keys clattered to the ground. She growled and kneeled down. As she reached for her keys, a glint of light caught her eye in the bushes. Inquisitive, she moved toward it; then she saw the face.
Her scream sliced through the silent air, stopping her friends. They rushed back to her as a shape emerged from the bushes. Terrified, Charlotte could do no more than back away and stare, wide-eyed, as the form unfolded into a man, cloaked in shadows, raising a knife. The steel of the knife glinted in the faint moonlight, and Charlotte opened her mouth to scream. No sound came out. The killer stalked towards her, taking a few slow steps, before pulling back the knife to kill.
Charlotte’s eyes snapped open seconds later, when she heard a piercing shriek, but felt no pain. The crazed man stood back near the bushes, the knife gone. Everyone’s eyes were locked on the ground at Charlotte’s feet, and her friend’s faces were twisted into expressions of horror and pain, frozen statues of fear. All but Haylee. She wasn’t in sight. Slowly, Charlotte glanced down at the ground, and then choked on her scream, stumbling away, and landing on her bottom, scraping her palms. Even as she sat on the ground she continued to move away, clamoring backwards, dragging herself away. As soon as she felt far enough, Charlotte sat and stared.
This had all happened in just a few seconds. Finally, Jen rushed forward, quickly tailed by Morgan.
“NO! No, no, no, no, no! No, Haylee, no!” Jen wailed, almost chanting “no” as she grabbed Haylee’s hand and wept. Morgan searched for a pulse, but the knife jutting out of Haylee’s chest told Charlotte that she was already dead. Frozen, Charlotte could do no more but sit and stare, wide-eyed, and chilled to the bone by fear.
“She saved you. How sweet.” The mocking voice startled her out of her trance, and she glanced up to the familiar but horrid face of the killer. Charlotte’s breath came and went quickly, making her head spin.
“N-n-nathan?” She choked out. Strange flashbacks of all the times she had turned him down, laughing, making jokes of his “pathetic persistence”, sped through her mind. A mocking smile flashed Nathan’s face before returning to its former composed expression.
“Good guess, Charlotte.” He breathed in a charming voice, so serene for a murderer. “Can you guess something else? Will you be mine?”
Dumbfounded, terrified, and frozen, Charlotte merely stared. Nathan chuckled. He stepped over Haylee’s body, disregarding Jen and Morgan, closing the distance between Charlotte and him in two quick strides. He grabbed her by the nape of her neck, and she hissed in pain. He seemed to enjoy that, her pain; he smiled sadistically. “The answer is yes.” He almost sang, before the blunt pain of the knife handle on the back of her skull turned her world black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charlotte’s eyes fluttered open, and her head swam; everything was shadowed and blurry. Groaning, she tried to sit up, but found no strength. Surrendering for a moment, she closed her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and blinked rapidly, confused by her surroundings. The dim, open back of a van lay before her, stunning her for a moment. Where am I? She wondered. She struggled to stand up in the constant bumping of the van, grasping the front seat. She crouched to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling, and glanced into the drivers seat. Her heart stopped, and her breath quickened. She fell backwards and stared at the back of the headrest on the drivers seat, frozen with fear for what felt like the hundredth time that night. As that thought entered her mind, flash backs from earlier assaulted her. Her heart dropped and tears ran down her face.
“Hello, Charlotte.” Nathan said in a sadistically charming voice. “Nice of you to wake up.” He let out a low chuckle. Charlotte sat, staring, a continuous flow of tears streaming down her cheeks. Nathan turned around and glanced at her briefly.
“Charlotte! Why are you crying?” he gasped in faux concern, a sadistic smile faint on his lips. The van rolled to steady stop and Nathan turned off the engine. He twisted his torso around to look at Charlotte, and then opened the door, stepping slowly out of the van. He slammed the door shut, and Charlotte could hear his footsteps outside. Her breathing quickened, and she struggled to hold herself together. Scooting back into the corner, she watched the van doors intently, waiting. Finally, the locks clicked, and the doors swung open. Charlotte bit her tongue to keep from screaming as Nathan’s face appeared in the open doorway.
“Why, Charlotte, you look so scared,” he said softly, sympathetic almost. She would’ve thought it real had he not killed her best friend. Disgust built, and inside her was a battle between fear and rage. “Honey, its--”
“Don’t call me that!” she spat, trying to control the fury inside her. “Where. Are. Jen. And. Morgan?” she said slowly, pronouncing each word, her voice quivering with fierce animosity. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for but a moment, not trusting him, and attempted to calm herself.
“Why, they’re fine,” he said innocently. Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief, but Nathan continued. “I’m sure they’re happy, wherever they are.”
No, was the single word that entered her mind, a solemn whisper in her head, yet at the same time, a agonizing scream echoing in her mind.
“They’re not,” she paused, holding back a sob. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “They’re not… dead?” She forced the thought out, not wanting to believe.
“Once again, my little Charlotte, good guess.” She snapped. An ear-splitting shriek ripped from her throat, like the ferocious snarl of a jungle cat, ready to kill. Her fury over the demise of her precious friends was overpowering, dominating her senses, and expelling every ounce of fear in her. Charlotte leapt at him, arms extended, and her eyes wild. She crashed into Nathan, throwing them both to the ground. She shreeched curses at him as she struggled to get up.
Finally on her feet, Charlotte’s anger cooled and was replaced by fear. She began backing away. Nathan lay on the ground, wide-eyed and confused. Charlotte was still shaking with fury, but it was diluted by fear; she continued to back away, before she spun and sprinted to what she hoped was safety.
The dark purple air of night made it hard to see, but she continued to run. It was quiet, barely the chirp of a cricket disturbing the night. Until Charlotte began to hear footsteps behind her as she ran, and they were getting faster. She glanced behind her. And screamed.
Nathan was chasing her. A crazed look sat on his face, twisted into fury and lunacy. Charlotte’s heart raced and she surged forward, adrenaline racing through her.
Glancing around as she ran, she realized that she had no idea where she was. It was a strange neighborhood of old, rundown houses and trashy yards. Garbage lay everywhere, making it hard to run. Also, it seemed to have rained, and it made the grass lawns slippery. The cold wind whipped Charlotte’s hair around and turned each breath into a cloud.
She glanced behind her once again, and her heart raced although she knew what she would see. Nathan still raced behind her, chasing her. She could feel her energy slowly seeping out of her, only the adrenaline keeping her going. Her breathing was rough and the cold made each quick breath painful.
The footfalls stopped. Automatically, Charlotte glanced over her shoulder, and slowed down. She blinked, and stopped. He was gone.
Where did he go? She wondered, staring, her curiosity getting the better of her. After a few moments of staring, she felt a soft whisper of air on her shoulder. She whirled around; and there he was, with the knife to kill her.
“Hello, Charlotte.”
Her scream echoed off the low houses, hurting even her ears. She was frozen solid with fear, wanting so bad to move, telling herself to move, yet still unable.
Inside one of the beaten houses, a light flicked on. Can’t get any peace and quiet around here, a man grumbled to himself, disturbed by the scream muffled by the closed window. I come in from work, and then I get this. Gun still in it’s holster, he opened the door.
Charlotte heard a booming voice after the echo of her shriek ceased.
“What is going on!” The thundering question startled her, a sharp click accompanying it. Her eyes popped open wide, and Nathan turned his head, momentarily distracted. There stood a man with a gun, aimed at Nathan.
Realizing the situation, Officer Ryan pulled out his badge, keeping the gun locked on the strange boy with the knife.
“Officer Ryan of Seattle Police. Put the knife down.” He ordered. Nathan seemed reluctant, and stared at Charlotte.
“Put it DOWN!” Officer Ryan roared. Nathan clenched his teeth, and lowered the knife to the ground at his feet, and put his hands on his head.
“Turn around,” the officer barked. Slowly, Nathan pivoted, and kneeled down. Rushing forward, Officer Ryan shoved his gun in it’s holster and pulled Nathan’s hands down to his back, and pulled handcuffs from his belt, clipping them on the boy’s wrists. Pulling a cell phone from his pocket, he dialed the police station.
“Yes, this is Officer Ryan,” a tense grin formed on his face as he listened to the other end, and then continued, “Yeah, the officer who never quits. Look, I’ve got a situation about 10 feet from my house. Boy with a knife, got a poor girl cornered.” Glancing back, as if just remembering her presence, the officer surveyed the frozen Charlotte, wide eyed and horrified. “Yeah, she’s ok. Physically I guess. Can’t even imagine her mental state right now. Yeah, I need back up, ASAP. Thanks, Chuck.”
Officer Ryan hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. He released Nathan’s cuffed hands and unclipped his gun, pulling it out. Pushing Nathan to the ground, he glanced back at the girl.
“Stay right here,” he ordered Nathan, “Or this bullet goes in your head.”
Ryan stood up and moved carefully towards Charlotte, kicking the knife away. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, and spoke softly to her, trying to pull her out of her trance and to calm her. Finally, she blinked and tears poured down her face. She started blubbering, and latched her arms around him.
“It’s ok, honey. It’s ok. Your ok.” He assured her, keeping his eyes on Nathan.
“No, no its not!” She wailed into his shirt. “Morgan, Haylee, Jen. Oh no.” She gasped.
“What's the matter?” Ryan inquired.
“He,” she said, pointing at Nathan, “k-“ She stuttered, before closing her eyes and letting a few more tears escape.
“He killed my three friends, Jen, Morgan, and Haylee.” She choked out. Officer Ryan’s face hardened, and his teeth clenched. A murderer, too. He glanced over to Nathan, lying still on the pavement, on his back, the only sign of movement was his chest rising and falling with each breath. Each sadistic, undeserving breath. Officer Ryan thought. Fierce anger built up in him, and he fought to control it.
“Its ok honey. He will pay.” He said, his voice barely under control.
In the distance, sirens wailed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several months had passed, and Charlotte was walking down a dark sidewalk with a group of friends; but unlike the rest of them, she wasn’t smiling or laughing. Her eyes danced from side to side, warily watching the shadows. A bush rustled beside her, and her ear-splitting scream startled the group.
“Charlotte! What's wrong?” They all inquired at once. A rabbit hopped out of the rustling bush as Charlotte’s heart continued to pound, and she began to quake. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she smiled tensely.
“Nothing.” She continued to walk. I was wrong, she thought, there are plenty of things in the dark that can hurt you.
Snapping her head around, a young girl glanced over shoulder for the quickest second, before looking ahead to her path. Her heart seemed to restart, though what the young girl saw was not unexpected. The faint silhouette still raced behind her, following her every step. Pressure built up in her chest, and she fought the urge to scream. There’s no one here to hear you. She reminded herself solemnly as she raced across some one’s wet, abandoned lawn. Her feet were cold, her flip-flops lost and forgotten far behind.
Fearfully, she glanced back again. Then had a double take. He was gone! She slowed automatically. Jogging steadily, she stared back behind her. She stopped and turned, her curiosity overriding her survival instinct. She stood, staring, still in shock over his sudden disappearance. Shaking, she continued to shark inquisitively behind her. Then her gaze returned to the path before her, and she froze.
“Hello, Charlotte,” the killer said.
Charlotte screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morgan giggled and shoved Josh playfully, as the three girls poked fun at the two of them. She turned bright red and hid her face behind her thick auburn hair. Josh draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, flashing a bright smile. Haylee, Jen, and Charlotte all rolled their eyes and laughed at the show of affection. “P.D.A.” Jen mumbled, giggling, elbowing Haylee. Haylee burst out laughing, and a couple people turned to look at her. She smiled, completely unfazed by the attention.
After the laughter died down, Jen turned to Charlotte. “So, where’s Jordan tonight?” She inquired. Charlotte dropped her eyes, and mumbled,
“I don’t know.” Concern widened Jen’s eyes, and her brow furrowed.
“Are you two okay?” She asked, her voice saturated with real concern. Charlotte loved Jen for that. She always cared about people, true caring, no fake concern to get gossip.
“I don’t know. I asked him to come to the party with me, but he turned me down, saying that he had homework to do,” Charlotte paused and snorted, “As if.”
“So, you think he’s cheating on you?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think so. But he’s been ignoring me a lot lately. And he seems to always have something to do when I want to go out.” Charlotte frowned.
“You gonna talk to him?”
“Yeah, maybe later tonight.”
“Okay.” Jen suddenly looked around, and realized this conversation wasn’t exactly private. Haylee, Morgan and Josh were all staring at them. They all burst out laughing, and the serious air drifted away for now.
In the shadows, hidden from the flashing lights of the party, a dark form sat quietly, staring at the group of friends. His eye’s locked on the beautiful blonde, her blue eyes sparkling with laughter. A mocking smile formed on his lips. “Charlotte,” he hissed quietly, “You will be mine.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Whoa!” Charlotte exclaimed as she tripped over a rock. Again. Her friends laughed just as loud as before.
“Goodness, Char, if you’re ever going to die of natural causes, it’s going to be you naturally tripping over a rock.” Morgan giggled. They were walking to Jen’s house to retrieve their cars, and darkness was scaring all but Haylee and Charlotte, making them energetic.
A few moments later, Morgan groaned, “Can we please hurry up?” She stretched out the please, almost begging. “This dark is really creeping me out.”
“Oh, please! Don’t be such a baby Morgie. We’re not five. There’s nothing in this dark that can hurt us, silly. No ghosts, goblins, or ghouls.” Charlotte replied.
“Oh, my.” Haylee added, giggling.
The group turned a corner and spotted Jen’s house. Charlotte pulled her purse up and dug around for her keys. “Stupid cluttered purse,” she mumbled. Pulling out her keys, she dropped the purse down to her hip and unlocked her car. Her car lights flashing made her jump, and her keys clattered to the ground. She growled and kneeled down. As she reached for her keys, a glint of light caught her eye in the bushes. Inquisitive, she moved toward it; then she saw the face.
Her scream sliced through the silent air, stopping her friends. They rushed back to her as a shape emerged from the bushes. Terrified, Charlotte could do no more than back away and stare, wide-eyed, as the form unfolded into a man, cloaked in shadows, raising a knife. The steel of the knife glinted in the faint moonlight, and Charlotte opened her mouth to scream. No sound came out. The killer stalked towards her, taking a few slow steps, before pulling back the knife to kill.
Charlotte’s eyes snapped open seconds later, when she heard a piercing shriek, but felt no pain. The crazed man stood back near the bushes, the knife gone. Everyone’s eyes were locked on the ground at Charlotte’s feet, and her friend’s faces were twisted into expressions of horror and pain, frozen statues of fear. All but Haylee. She wasn’t in sight. Slowly, Charlotte glanced down at the ground, and then choked on her scream, stumbling away, and landing on her bottom, scraping her palms. Even as she sat on the ground she continued to move away, clamoring backwards, dragging herself away. As soon as she felt far enough, Charlotte sat and stared.
This had all happened in just a few seconds. Finally, Jen rushed forward, quickly tailed by Morgan.
“NO! No, no, no, no, no! No, Haylee, no!” Jen wailed, almost chanting “no” as she grabbed Haylee’s hand and wept. Morgan searched for a pulse, but the knife jutting out of Haylee’s chest told Charlotte that she was already dead. Frozen, Charlotte could do no more but sit and stare, wide-eyed, and chilled to the bone by fear.
“She saved you. How sweet.” The mocking voice startled her out of her trance, and she glanced up to the familiar but horrid face of the killer. Charlotte’s breath came and went quickly, making her head spin.
“N-n-nathan?” She choked out. Strange flashbacks of all the times she had turned him down, laughing, making jokes of his “pathetic persistence”, sped through her mind. A mocking smile flashed Nathan’s face before returning to its former composed expression.
“Good guess, Charlotte.” He breathed in a charming voice, so serene for a murderer. “Can you guess something else? Will you be mine?”
Dumbfounded, terrified, and frozen, Charlotte merely stared. Nathan chuckled. He stepped over Haylee’s body, disregarding Jen and Morgan, closing the distance between Charlotte and him in two quick strides. He grabbed her by the nape of her neck, and she hissed in pain. He seemed to enjoy that, her pain; he smiled sadistically. “The answer is yes.” He almost sang, before the blunt pain of the knife handle on the back of her skull turned her world black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charlotte’s eyes fluttered open, and her head swam; everything was shadowed and blurry. Groaning, she tried to sit up, but found no strength. Surrendering for a moment, she closed her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and blinked rapidly, confused by her surroundings. The dim, open back of a van lay before her, stunning her for a moment. Where am I? She wondered. She struggled to stand up in the constant bumping of the van, grasping the front seat. She crouched to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling, and glanced into the drivers seat. Her heart stopped, and her breath quickened. She fell backwards and stared at the back of the headrest on the drivers seat, frozen with fear for what felt like the hundredth time that night. As that thought entered her mind, flash backs from earlier assaulted her. Her heart dropped and tears ran down her face.
“Hello, Charlotte.” Nathan said in a sadistically charming voice. “Nice of you to wake up.” He let out a low chuckle. Charlotte sat, staring, a continuous flow of tears streaming down her cheeks. Nathan turned around and glanced at her briefly.
“Charlotte! Why are you crying?” he gasped in faux concern, a sadistic smile faint on his lips. The van rolled to steady stop and Nathan turned off the engine. He twisted his torso around to look at Charlotte, and then opened the door, stepping slowly out of the van. He slammed the door shut, and Charlotte could hear his footsteps outside. Her breathing quickened, and she struggled to hold herself together. Scooting back into the corner, she watched the van doors intently, waiting. Finally, the locks clicked, and the doors swung open. Charlotte bit her tongue to keep from screaming as Nathan’s face appeared in the open doorway.
“Why, Charlotte, you look so scared,” he said softly, sympathetic almost. She would’ve thought it real had he not killed her best friend. Disgust built, and inside her was a battle between fear and rage. “Honey, its--”
“Don’t call me that!” she spat, trying to control the fury inside her. “Where. Are. Jen. And. Morgan?” she said slowly, pronouncing each word, her voice quivering with fierce animosity. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for but a moment, not trusting him, and attempted to calm herself.
“Why, they’re fine,” he said innocently. Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief, but Nathan continued. “I’m sure they’re happy, wherever they are.”
No, was the single word that entered her mind, a solemn whisper in her head, yet at the same time, a agonizing scream echoing in her mind.
“They’re not,” she paused, holding back a sob. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “They’re not… dead?” She forced the thought out, not wanting to believe.
“Once again, my little Charlotte, good guess.” She snapped. An ear-splitting shriek ripped from her throat, like the ferocious snarl of a jungle cat, ready to kill. Her fury over the demise of her precious friends was overpowering, dominating her senses, and expelling every ounce of fear in her. Charlotte leapt at him, arms extended, and her eyes wild. She crashed into Nathan, throwing them both to the ground. She shreeched curses at him as she struggled to get up.
Finally on her feet, Charlotte’s anger cooled and was replaced by fear. She began backing away. Nathan lay on the ground, wide-eyed and confused. Charlotte was still shaking with fury, but it was diluted by fear; she continued to back away, before she spun and sprinted to what she hoped was safety.
The dark purple air of night made it hard to see, but she continued to run. It was quiet, barely the chirp of a cricket disturbing the night. Until Charlotte began to hear footsteps behind her as she ran, and they were getting faster. She glanced behind her. And screamed.
Nathan was chasing her. A crazed look sat on his face, twisted into fury and lunacy. Charlotte’s heart raced and she surged forward, adrenaline racing through her.
Glancing around as she ran, she realized that she had no idea where she was. It was a strange neighborhood of old, rundown houses and trashy yards. Garbage lay everywhere, making it hard to run. Also, it seemed to have rained, and it made the grass lawns slippery. The cold wind whipped Charlotte’s hair around and turned each breath into a cloud.
She glanced behind her once again, and her heart raced although she knew what she would see. Nathan still raced behind her, chasing her. She could feel her energy slowly seeping out of her, only the adrenaline keeping her going. Her breathing was rough and the cold made each quick breath painful.
The footfalls stopped. Automatically, Charlotte glanced over her shoulder, and slowed down. She blinked, and stopped. He was gone.
Where did he go? She wondered, staring, her curiosity getting the better of her. After a few moments of staring, she felt a soft whisper of air on her shoulder. She whirled around; and there he was, with the knife to kill her.
“Hello, Charlotte.”
Her scream echoed off the low houses, hurting even her ears. She was frozen solid with fear, wanting so bad to move, telling herself to move, yet still unable.
Inside one of the beaten houses, a light flicked on. Can’t get any peace and quiet around here, a man grumbled to himself, disturbed by the scream muffled by the closed window. I come in from work, and then I get this. Gun still in it’s holster, he opened the door.
Charlotte heard a booming voice after the echo of her shriek ceased.
“What is going on!” The thundering question startled her, a sharp click accompanying it. Her eyes popped open wide, and Nathan turned his head, momentarily distracted. There stood a man with a gun, aimed at Nathan.
Realizing the situation, Officer Ryan pulled out his badge, keeping the gun locked on the strange boy with the knife.
“Officer Ryan of Seattle Police. Put the knife down.” He ordered. Nathan seemed reluctant, and stared at Charlotte.
“Put it DOWN!” Officer Ryan roared. Nathan clenched his teeth, and lowered the knife to the ground at his feet, and put his hands on his head.
“Turn around,” the officer barked. Slowly, Nathan pivoted, and kneeled down. Rushing forward, Officer Ryan shoved his gun in it’s holster and pulled Nathan’s hands down to his back, and pulled handcuffs from his belt, clipping them on the boy’s wrists. Pulling a cell phone from his pocket, he dialed the police station.
“Yes, this is Officer Ryan,” a tense grin formed on his face as he listened to the other end, and then continued, “Yeah, the officer who never quits. Look, I’ve got a situation about 10 feet from my house. Boy with a knife, got a poor girl cornered.” Glancing back, as if just remembering her presence, the officer surveyed the frozen Charlotte, wide eyed and horrified. “Yeah, she’s ok. Physically I guess. Can’t even imagine her mental state right now. Yeah, I need back up, ASAP. Thanks, Chuck.”
Officer Ryan hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. He released Nathan’s cuffed hands and unclipped his gun, pulling it out. Pushing Nathan to the ground, he glanced back at the girl.
“Stay right here,” he ordered Nathan, “Or this bullet goes in your head.”
Ryan stood up and moved carefully towards Charlotte, kicking the knife away. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, and spoke softly to her, trying to pull her out of her trance and to calm her. Finally, she blinked and tears poured down her face. She started blubbering, and latched her arms around him.
“It’s ok, honey. It’s ok. Your ok.” He assured her, keeping his eyes on Nathan.
“No, no its not!” She wailed into his shirt. “Morgan, Haylee, Jen. Oh no.” She gasped.
“What's the matter?” Ryan inquired.
“He,” she said, pointing at Nathan, “k-“ She stuttered, before closing her eyes and letting a few more tears escape.
“He killed my three friends, Jen, Morgan, and Haylee.” She choked out. Officer Ryan’s face hardened, and his teeth clenched. A murderer, too. He glanced over to Nathan, lying still on the pavement, on his back, the only sign of movement was his chest rising and falling with each breath. Each sadistic, undeserving breath. Officer Ryan thought. Fierce anger built up in him, and he fought to control it.
“Its ok honey. He will pay.” He said, his voice barely under control.
In the distance, sirens wailed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several months had passed, and Charlotte was walking down a dark sidewalk with a group of friends; but unlike the rest of them, she wasn’t smiling or laughing. Her eyes danced from side to side, warily watching the shadows. A bush rustled beside her, and her ear-splitting scream startled the group.
“Charlotte! What's wrong?” They all inquired at once. A rabbit hopped out of the rustling bush as Charlotte’s heart continued to pound, and she began to quake. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she smiled tensely.
“Nothing.” She continued to walk. I was wrong, she thought, there are plenty of things in the dark that can hurt you.