The Books that Never made it

Darkness Falls

Blue and red lights flashed at the crime scene. Police officers from nearby towns gathered everywhere, talking and muttering to each other with grim looks on each other’s faces. It was almost midnight, but that didn’t stop Sherriff Cassidy from waking up to a phone call that was so urgent he had to leave the warm comforts of his bed, careful not to wake the wife and kids before sneaking out.

          “So whaddya think?” his deputy Reese said while handing him a cup of coffee. Cassidy took it into his cold hands as they both observed the corpse that was displayed on the cold and wet cement with a white and bloody blanket over the body.

          “It’s a little early for deceased, ain’t it?” Reese went on. He was young and still got all adrenaline jumpy when they were on their way to a crime scene that had blood. Just give him a couple years, Cassidy thought as he took a slow swig of his coffee. He grimaced, it was bitter, but the best you would get around here.

          “Yeah, it is.” Cassidy nodded towards the examiner. “Kathy, whaddya got for us tonight?” he said in a very plain broadcasted voice, running his fingers through his ruffled brown hair.

Beside him, Reese was twitching with excitement even though he tried hard to hide it.

          “The usual, Sherriff, slit throat and drained completely of blood.” She flipped back the cover and let the two of them gaze.

          “Oh, god!” Reese mumbled under his breath, walking back to the patrol car, holding his stomach with a paling face.

Cassidy rolled his eyes and bent down to get a closer look.

It was a girl, in her teens most likely. She was one of the missing locals that had made the paper later that week. There were so many of them now, it didn’t get that much press anymore.

          “What kind of sick bastard would do something like this?” Cassidy said under his breath as he reached over to her cold cheek with his fingertips, flipping her head over so she faced him. Her lips blue, eyes closed and neck was sliced open. “This was done with a..?” Cassidy questioned straightening.

Kathy shrugged. “A knife, razor, or maybe even a scalpel; something that made a nice clean cut and really sharp too. It didn’t take much force to make the wound.”

          “Thank you Kathy, have a good morning,” Cassidy said smiling.

Kathy smiled and bagged up the rest of her files and supplies. “No problem, Cassidy. Say hi to the wife and kids for me, kay?”

          “Will do.” After that, Kathy hopped into her car and drove off out of the crime scene like bat outta hell.

          Cassidy made his way back to the patrol car with his coffee still in hand and skin rising to this grim occasion. Reese was around in the back, bent over, coughing into some bushes.

          “Weak,” Cassidy said shaking his head, as he opened his side of the car. In the corner his eyes something flickered. He turned to glance into the trees. It was dark and the flashing lights made seeing no picnic, but for a split second, Cassidy thought he saw two yellow eyes looking back at him from the darkness that fell over the high bushes and thick tree branches.