"Floor Four" - A Novella of Horror (Haunted)

Chapter 7 - Reunion

The next three weeks were a blur for Brandon—a feeling he had grown accustomed to. His head hung low, chin to his chest, as the medication coursed through his body. A nurse pushed him down the hall for yet another round of mental observation and diagnosis. With his arms and legs strapped to the wheelchair, the ride seemed to take forever. The mild sedative given to him left him feeling weak and lifeless, but his mind remained clear and he always knew what was happening around him.

After three weeks in the detention center, things had not changed for Brandon. His mental state had deteriorated to the point that he was going to be transferred to a mental hospital for a more thorough evaluation.

The killings started again the first week in October with Gary Holloway murdered in his bed, while he slept. His throat was slit, and his chest impaled by a sickle. Police could not find a motive.

The shocking double-murder of Mark and Jean Ellis followed the next week. They were found by a family member, murdered in their barn, hung from the rafters with chains, their faces slashed beyond recognition—one of the Mangler's trademarks. Mark and Jean had escaped Coleman's murder attempt years earlier.

Anyone who sees me must die.

Most alarming was the death of Doug Sellers, one week later. While recovering at home from the stab wound and the fight with Brandon, his mother found him in a sitting position with his back wedged in the far corner of his room. Even in death, his terror-filled eyes remained open and gazed upwards. The coroner ruled his death a heart attack, but his unofficial opinion of Doug's death, was shock, as if he was scared-to-death.

Oddly, in the short amount of time between his death and being discovered, the first stages of rigor mortis had set in, locking him into that sitting position in the dark corner of his room.

Because of the murders, some residents began questioning all logic and even entertained the thought of the Mangler being responsible. Reporters asked investigators about the Ellis family's connection to Coleman and the murder attempt years before. They answered with the standard, no comment.

Law enforcement, from local police to the FBI, knew they had a serious copycat on their hands. Not one of the investigators believed this was the work of Coleman or the ghost of the Mangler. They didn't deal in the supernatural. The facts were the facts—Coleman was dead. Around town, no one felt safe, and an after-dark curfew was finally issued for anyone under eighteen.

In his mental state, doctors did not allow Brandon access to the outside world and was not told of the recent killings, especially Doug's death. His parents did their best to help him pull out of his withdrawn state, but nothing seemed to work, and because he was not making progress, and on medical advice, the court decided to admit him to a secure mental hospital, better equipped for his condition.

The hidden, dirty truth was Brandon was trying to reconnect with Coleman ever since stabbing Doug and tasting blood for the first time. It was Coleman who mentored and took care of him, and that's how he saw him, not as a monster, but as a role model. But since that night in the alley, Coleman had not appeared in his dreams or within the strange supernatural world as he did before.

Brandon kept mental notes on everything around him, but he would not respond to his parents or the doctors for fear that Coleman would not approve.

Brandon believed his fight with Doug proved to Coleman, he was capable of doing his work. He regretted he had attacked his mentor last Halloween, and hoped the serial killer would forgive him. He had to keep up his charade with the doctors to allow him enough time to make contact with Coleman.

                                                                             HALLOWEEN