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Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day

Chapter 11 – Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day

Marilyn was growing increasingly frustrated  talking to the police... particularly since they seemed to be getting nowhere. And, finally, he voiced this. “She’s nobody…why would they take her?”

“Do you really want the answer?” the sergeant asked, frowning as he was handed something.

“Yes.” Marilyn replied confidently, but he wrung his hands anxiously in his lap.

“It’s not her he intends to hurt…” the sergeant looked at Marilyn over the folder in his hands for a moment before placing it in front of Marilyn and spreading out several photo’s; Marilyn’s hands shook and his eyes clouded with rage. “It’s you…he’s going to get to you…by getting to her…”

***

{Five hours later…}

“She foresaw all this…” Marilyn dragged his hands down his face as the police sergeant began making his way towards himself and Twiggy. “And then some…”

“Mister Manson,” the sergeant began hesitantly. “Would you follow me to my office?”

“Has something come up?” Twiggy asked, standing immediately.

“Just, please come with me.” The sergeant replied bluntly before turning and walking towards his office. Marilyn narrowed his eyes briefly, but followed him and Twiggy into the sergeant’s office anyway, raising an eyebrow as the door snapped shut behind him. “Now we’re alone, I can tell you what’s transpired.” The sergeant sighed as he placed seven or eight folders on his desk. “We were approached, about an hour ago, by one of the security guards from the venue from which the young lady was taken with security camera footage…from which the kidnapper is clearly seen following, and then incapacitating,” he paused, clearly not remembering her name.

“Winter.” Marilyn folded his arms as he leant back against the far wall. “Her name is Winter.”

“Yes, forgive me.” The sergeant made an apologetic gesture as he continued. “Now, the kidnapper wore a mask…probably knowing there were security cameras… but, more importantly, the cameras got a clear shot of the vehicle he bundled Winter into…and the number plate of said vehicle.”

“So…you can trace it to find her!” Twiggy all but shouted as it hit him.

“We did…it was reported stolen last week by a local florist.” The sergeant replied with a frown. “Which would explain why he didn’t care if we saw the plates… but he didn’t count on the florist placing a GPS tracking system in the van in case it were ever stolen.”

“So…you know where she is?” Marilyn asked, trying to rein in his frustration.

“Not yet…we’re downloading it’s last taken route now and-” the sergeant stopped as someone knocked and then entered. “Usually one waits for a ‘come in’…but we’ll wave that for today, Atkins.”

“Sorry sir…it’s just… the tech boys got a lock on the van’s location, sir… it’s at that old, abandoned farmhouse…the one the local kids all think is haunted on the edge of town.” The young man who’d entered replied with a shaky look between Marilyn and Twiggy. “Sorry about this awful circumstance Mister Manson…I’m quite the fan, actually…” he trailed off when Marilyn thanked him and left after he shook his hand.

“Alright, so, you know where she is.” He pursed his lips as the sergeant began writing something down. “Now go and get her!”

“I need a search warrant before I can send a task force in there,” the sergeant replied, calling the young man back in and telling him to run down to the DA’s office for a warrant post haste. “Please, Mister Manson…I need you to swear you’ll leave this to us.”

“Of course,” Marilyn deadpanned before turning and leaving with Twiggy. “Not.” He finished his sentence once out of earshot. “By the time you get a warrant and mobilise…you’ll be too late to save her…” he cringed inwardly as a little voice in his head continued, ‘Just like I was…’

***

“You can’t just go barrelling in there, guns blazing, thinking you’ll save her!” Lacey screamed at Marilyn as he told Chris, Ricky, and Devin where he was going.

Marilyn sighed. “I’m not going in guns blazing, Lacey. That would give away the fact we were there.” He paused. “And I don’t think I’ll save her.”

“What?!” Lacey blanched.

“No, I’m more in the vicinity of ‘I know I’ll save her.” Marilyn shot her a dark look.

“I can’t believe you’re even considering this after…” Lacey trailed off, looking uncomfortably at Ricky and Chris.

“After the dream progression and how they’ve come true up til now?” Marilyn raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged. “They know. We, unlike others, accept that there are things in this world that simply cannot be explained…” Marilyn added as he and Twiggy walked away. “Like how Ricky saw you coming…”

Marilyn smiled ever so slightly as he heard Lacey’s voice ask softly before the bus door closed. “What?”

***

Marilyn looked over to Twiggy as they pulled up outside what looked like an abandoned old farm house, a random cow tethered in the front yard. It was the only place out along this road and everyone they’d asked had pointed them in this direction…so it had to be it.

Quickly and quietly, Marilyn and Twiggy moved through the house; checking every room for signs of Winter. Marilyn froze, however, when he found a room that seemed to double as a ‘whole room’ shrine…dedicated to himself and Winter.

“Well…the cops got it wrong, it seems.” Twiggy said, crinkling his nose. “He was after both of you…” Twiggy paused when he saw Marilyn bend to pick something up. “What?”

“He’s not planning on killing her…” Marilyn replied solemnly, handing Twiggy the photo he’d picked up; pointing to the red ‘X’ across his face. “It’s me.”

“Well, fuck that-” Twiggy stopped mid-sentence as the sound of muffled scuffling came from the door behind them. Twiggy and Marilyn looked at each other as Twiggy pointed at the door in question…which led to the wine cellar. “Found her…” he murmured uncomfortably.

With a final look at Twiggy and a cruel sneer tuning his lip, Marilyn turned the door handle and let the door creak open…

***

Winter’s breathing was heavy and laboured as she desperately tried to find her way out of the pitch black that surrounded her. She screamed but her voice fell away into the darkness around her. Her hand found a wall as she heard threatening footsteps behind her. Winter ran blindly through the dark, her cries for help swallowed by the void around her.

And then she was falling. Down and down until… ‘thud’. She landed on the cold hard floor of…a basement? A dim light filtered down above her; Winter squinted, her eyes focusing on a dark figure looming over her, a sharp, glinting knife dangling from his right hand.

Winter began to cry, curling into a ball as a door opened above her and the dark figure. “Help me…he’s going to hurt me…” Winter whimpered softly as the dark figure approached, cowering against the far wall as the figure slowly raising the knife above his head. Winter looked up as she heard a door creak open

There, at the top of the dark stairwell… was… Marilyn… “Please…find me…”

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Thoughts?

-sigh- well, i had to happen eventually...yes, we're nearing the end of this little adventure. Took me damned long enough! Haha :)

As always, your votes and comments are welcome and much appreciated

Much lve to you all,

         Shan~Leigh