The Rebels | Vol 1 | New Dawn

3 | Murder In Lunacy

Brek Bannin stood in the snow in Lunacy Alaska. The snow up to his knees as he walked tried to walk through it in order to get to work. He was the sheriff of the small town so when he got into his office to find his Deputy, Elysia Mills at her desk going over filed reports. 

"You're late," she said annoyed.

"Well you try getting around in this snow it's hell out there, Elysia," Brek replied before going into his office to finish some paper work until the next phone call comes in for an emergency around town. He sat down at his Desk with a piping hot cup of coffee in his hand.

Elysia flipped through the pages of a case file on her desk as a man rushed into the precinct. Duputy Mills? Where is Sheriff Bannin? The McClain Brothers are at it again, they're fighting outside of Melinda's place,"

"Okay Kyle, thanks for letting us know. We'll take care of it," Elysia said as she got up from her seat to grab her coat. "Come on!" she yelled before Brek came out of his office tossing his now empty cup into the garbage. "I was looking for another reason to go get some decent coffee anyway," he said before getting into the car while Elysia got into the passenger seat reluctantly.

"I'm driving," Elysia said with a huff.

"That's cute, now just suck it up and get in the car Deputy," Brek said with a smirk. Brek got into the car and Elysia glared at him. "You're a jerk," she said folding her arms after fastening her seat-belt.

"Yeah, and you're pissy because the mayor hired me as the new sheriff and not you. You have a problem take it up with someone who gives a rats ass because honestly? It's been three months, get over it,"

Elysia didn't speak much after that and when they got there they were arguing and throwing hands like they always had ever since they were kids. They never could agree on anything. Brek raised a brow and then shook his head. "It's a damn shame isn't it? To see two grown men fight over nonsense,"

"Boys argue about stupid shit all the time, what difference does it make if they're grown or not?" Elysia asked as she opened up her car door. Brek rolled his eyes and then looked over at her. "At least guys know how to have fun. Girls are just buzzkills without a lick of sense and all they know how to do is complain about stupid shit.  I've seen some really mentally challenged women in my day too. Stupidity isn't male exclusive. It's idiot exclusive which I guess now includes you, deputy,"

Brek normally wasn't this negative but in Elysia's case she was able to dish it but when it came to taking it? That was something that she could never do all too well. She growled in frustration as she wished that Brek had never gotten the job offer in the first place.

"Fuck you Bannin, who the hell asked you?"

"You opened your mouth, it was fair game,"Brek said as they approached Melinda's Inn where the McClain brothers were beating each other senseless as always.

Charles McClain swung at his brother Eddie before Eddie took the opening tackling Charles in the snow however, it didn't take long for Charles to get a hold of of his brother putting hin into the sharpshooter. Eddie tried to form a snowball and throw it over his head to hit Charlie.

"Hey... you two break it up alright. What was the fight about this time?" Elysia asked curiously knowing that it was going to most likely be a fight that started over something stupid.

"Max Payne is the best Mark Walberg movie ever!" Eddie yelled.

"Hell no it's Ted dude!" Charlie argued as Elysia held back Eddie and looked over at Brek with a satisfied smirk on her face all the while Melinda's daughter, Laina was on her phone screaming at her boyfriend, Jackson over the phone. "No I wanna know why the hell you didn't like my picture on Instagram! Were you looking at pictures of other girls?"

Brek returned the smug expression and Elysia groaned in frustration. "Okay fine! You win!"  she said shaking her head. "Damn it," Elysia said getting into the car.

"Both of you are gonna get the hell out of here before I arrest you or you're going to be paying Melinda a hundred bucks each for creating a disturbance in front of her place of business. What do you say?" Brek said as the two brothers shared a look and then ran wickedly as if there was something chasing after them.

"Way to go Sheriff, glad you could come so quickly," Melinda said flirtatiously flipping her hair.

"Don't mention it Mel, I'll see you-"

"There's gonna be a party tonight and just about everyone in town is inviting. You should come too," Melinda said cutting him off. He might have considered it if it weren't for the fact that she had practically thrown herself at him since he moved into town two years prior. Plus she was nearly twice his age so she didn't interest him in the slightest.

"He'll be there with me Mel, don't worry. We wouldn't miss it," Elysia said before grinning at Brek and he mouthed the words thank you before getting back into the cruiser. "So can I drive now?"

Brek shook his head trying not to laugh before tossing her the keys. "Fine I'll take shotgun," Brek said before leaning back in his seat and looking out the window. "You're welcome," Elysia said before heading back to the station to get back to work.

"Personally I think Ted 2 was the best," Elysia said as they drove passed them.

"TED TWO!? That's his worst movie!" Eddie yelled back.

Later that evening...

Brek had arrived back at the inn where everyone in town was ready to celebrate the new year. Melinda was chatting with the mayor, Nash Tringham. He scanned the room looking for a face that might actually want to talk to him until he noticed Elysia standing over by the refreshments table. 'Guzzling down her third or forth drink by now I'm sure...' he thought before approaching her. "Some party right?"

"You're still getting used to this place? I figured you would have been gone or gotten used to it by now," Elysia said she sat her drink down. Suddenly a loud scream came from outside. Brek and Elysia walked outside seeing a woman screaming and the corpse of a dead dog and fresh tracks as well as a bloody hunting knife in the parking lot and a dead dog next to slashed tires."Look Elysia could you take this one for me?" His eyes locked on a mysterious silhouette from across the street.

Jason stood from across the road and had barely arrived in Lunacy just after the incident had occurred. "Who are you?" Brek asked him as they stood on the side of the road in the freezing cold. Brek waited for the man to lift up his head and meet his gaze but he never did. Something about him felt familiar though as if he had sensed a similar presence before. "Did you see who did this?" he asked.

"No, but if you help me, I'll help you track him down," Jason answered.

"Who even are you?" Brek asked once more.

Jason pulled out a file with Brek's name written across it. "Brek Bannin? You've been selected and you're coming with me after we get you your murderer behind bars," Jason said coldly. His tone as cold as the ice and snow on the ground.

Over the course of the next week Brek and Jason had discovered two bodies. One being a journalist for the local newspaper, Kevin James of "The Lunatic" the locals were up in arms and distraught terrified of who would be next on the killer's list. Then they found the body of man that had been frozen in time. A frozen body with a knife in the man's chest and frosted like he had been up there for years. Only to discover that it was the father of Charlene's daughter that had walked out for a hiking and camping trip up the mountain and never came home. All that had been found was an earring that didn't seem to belong to the victim.

The next few days flew by. Brek and Jason were closing in on whomever was responsible for the Murders in Lunacy. They went into the office to go over their evidence again. A bloody knife, an earring, The founders day parade of the town had begun earlier that day only for a woman to be held at gun point as the culprit. Kevin Ball held a gun to the woman's back. Jason had seen a picture of the same man wearing that same earring in a photo with Charlene as they were friends. Kevin had killed her husband for the money that he had came into thanks to a lottery ticket and was trying so hard to cover his tracks but he got sloppy as so many criminals do. Kevin got shot as he tried to run and the sheriff's department had now known the truth and had shown up to arrest him.

In the end...Brek Bannin said goodbye to lunacy and went on to Gotham alongside Jason Todd as the two had previously agreed upon. Brek got into the chopper and left that night, leaving Lunacy in the capable hands of Elysia.