The Binsted Crawler

2

It didn't take long for Billy's disappearance to be noticed. When he didn't return home for dinner that evening, his Mother wasted no time informing The Police. Mrs.Dale was engulfed by worry and fear for her sons safety, she wept into a soggy handkerchief as her statement was taken. She explained that Billy had left early that morning to go birdwatching in the woods and that he was due back by six that evening. She made it clear that her son was a good boy and was always home on time.
Binsted Police Force was comprised of just three officers. Being a small town in the middle of the English countryside, crime was at a very low rate and consisted mainly of thievery and domestic disturbances. It was also a common occurrence for people to get lost in the woods, but they always turned up, a bit flustered, but safe. This is what Sergeant Paul Jones told Billy's mother. Sergeant Jones was the most senior officer of Binsted Police Force and a war veteran. A charismatic man in his late thirties, tall and reasonably handsome, he was well respected amongst the small community. He took charge of the case. Sergeant Jones was a natural leader and by seven o'clock that very same evening, he had managed to gather thirty or so Townsfolk to form a search party.
Sergeant Jones asked Mrs.Dale if she knew which route Billy had taken into the woods, fortunately she had a good idea, "I always told him to take the public footpath, he said something about a stream I think." This was a good lead for Sergeant Jones, the footpath was the only official public access route into the woods and he knew of the stream Mrs.Dale spoke of.

Before the search party headed off, The Officers handed out lanterns to the Townsfolk, to assist them in the search should they not find Billy by nightfall. It took half an hour for the search party to reach the public entrance to the woodland. Sergeant Jones looked up at the darkening sky, even though the days were longer in the summer months, he was aware that night time was fast approaching. With haste the search party headed down the footpath, calling Billy's name as they went. After what felt like a lifetime, Sergeant Jones finally heard the sound of running water, they had found the stream. He ordered the townsfolk to fan out on either side of the stream, "keep an eye out for any clues as to Billy's whereabouts, check every thicket as you go," he advised.

After an hour of searching along the stream, they had still not found Billy. Night had fallen, and all hopes of finding Billy had drastically dropped. Another hour passed and Sergeant Jones made the difficult decision to call off the search. He had a duty of care for all the townsfolk, the woods were full of hazards and injury from falling was likely, especially at night. As another officer, a young, baby faced man by the name of Peter Manton led the search party back to the safety of the footpath, Sergeant Jones realised that the old abandoned hunters cabin lay just ahead. It was a long shot, but maybe Billy was using it as shelter. Holding his lantern out infront of him, he approached the dilapidated structure. It was small, not much bigger than a shed, and moss and lichen covered the rotting wood.
Sergeant Jones called out Billy's name, there was no answer. He pushed open the wonky door of the cabin, that creaked as it swung inwards. He slowly entered, the smell of dust and urine filling his nose. He held out his lantern to illuminate the small room. It had obviously been used by a tramp, old bedding lined the floor and one corner of the room was obviously used as a toilet at one stage. As Sergeant Jones, turned to leave, something caught his eye at the far end of the room, propped up against the damp, wooden wall. He moved closer to get a better look. It was a backpack, the size of one a small boy would use. He crouched down and picked it up, it was covered in blood. The Police Officers heartbeat increased dramatically at this realisation. He placed his lantern on the floor and unzipped the bag. Inside he found a notepad, a pencil, and a pair of army issue binoculars.

*

Ben Hyde awoke around midday, rejuvenated after a good nights sleep. Being a young teenager, and being the summer holidays, Ben, like most boys his age, saw no need in getting up early. He hauled himself out of bed and lumbered towards his bedroom window. He threw open his curtains and was almost blinded by the bright rays of sunshine, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes to help them adjust.
The Hyde family home was near the centre of the town and Ben's bedroom window backed onto the street below. Ben watched as people went about their daily business, he watched local kids play in their front gardens. He had agreed to meet his friends at the local playground that day at about two o'clock. Ben turned away from the window and walked over to his chest of drawers. He removed the clothes he wanted to wear that day and dressed. He attempted to comb his unruly black hair, to no avail.

Ben made his way downstairs and entered the kitchen. His father was sat at the table, in silence. Ben asked his father where his Mother was, "she has gone over to see Mrs.Dale," he replied. Ben grabbed a piece of bread and munched into it, "Ben come and sit down, I need to tell you something." Ben took a seat beside his father, he noticed his father's normally stern features were somehow softened. Mr.Hyde cleared his throat, "something has happened to Billy, I wanted to tell you before you saw it in the paper." Ben's heart dropped and his blood ran cold. His father continued, "Billy went missing yesterday, in the woods, the police found his bag, in the old hunting lodge, it was covered in blood, they think it's Billy's."
Ben couldn't believe what he was hearing, his core filled with despair and he burst into tears. The thought of one of his friends being presumed dead was too much for him. Mr.Hyde hugged his son as he cried into his shoulder. After a while the tears began to subside and Ben regained a fraction of control over his emotions. His father explained that the police were still searching for the killer, as well as Billy, but for the meantime, he warned his son to stay away from the woods and never go off on his own.

Later that day Ben went to the local playground to see his friends, as planned. They were sat on the freshly cut grass waiting for him by the time he got there. Olly, Sam and Jack stood up as Ben approached. Olly Palmer was Ben's closest friend, they had been inseparable since they were very small and the boys embraced eachother and started crying. Jack and Sam joined the group hug, now more than ever, they needed eachother. Little did the four friends know, the death of Billy was just the beginning.