Guilty
2016 © All Rights Reserved
Accusations point towards Kolby in the recent serial killings of the town, but being the obvious choice doesn't always mean guilty.
FBI Agent Justin Keller stood in front of the camera. He grabbed the edges of his jacket, unbuttoning it and buttoning it again. His hand reached to his neck, adjusting the midnight blue tie wrapped under his collar feeling like it was slowly tightening, coiling around his neck so tight to constrict air from getting to the lungs. The red light on the camera in front of him turned on, in that moment all of the nervousness left his body leaving him with a confident demeanor in front of the camera. "I would like to assure the public we're doing everything we can in our power to find this person. We have our best people working on it, but there is some things we want you all at home to do." He cleared his throat, "Do not go out unless you have someone with you. Lock all of your doors. Do not answer the door to anyone you don't know. And please, I urge you to stay away from Vance Vogel Park."
The media standing in front of him went on a frenzy as he finished speaking, "Do you have any suspects?" One shouted.
"We have one in mind." He answered them, regretting it the second he let the words slip from his mouth like a loose lipped teenager always wanting something to gossip about.
"Who?" A woman asked, her voice barely audible through the other voices filled with outrage and confusion.
"You haven't arrested them?" A man roared, "What the hell has the police been doing?"
"Sitting on their asses, I bet." An old man whispered to the angered one currently too busy screaming to pay attention to what the elderly man was saying.
"You say you're doing everything to find them when you already have a suspect. Why not arrest them and bring them in? How long has this person been suspected?" A reporter spoke calmer than the chaos around them.
Keller acknowledged them, trying not to sweat too much under the pressure the public was starting to cause him, "We don't have enough on them to bring them again. We have brought them in once but there's no physical evidence to make any charges. They've been suspected for about a week or so now, but we need to focus our priorities on actual evidence if we want to solve this case." Sweat started to dribble down his forehead in the heat of the sun and building furious attitudes in front of him.
His attention centered on the only calm person in the crowd, the reporter as he could faintly hear other shouts.
"You already solved the case, you're just too much of a bitch to arrest the person!"
"We expect these imbeciles to protect us? Hah, they're nothing but a joke."
"Are you allowed to release the name of the suspect?" The reporter asked.
Keller looked over at the people who were above him in his work, searching for answers from them. One shook their head. He turned back to the crowd, "No, I am sorry. Not until we are certain."
"I know who they arrested and questioned! I was there when they arrested him!" A man, his face almost as round as his stomach, "It was that kid Kolby Molina!"
"Is this true?" The crowd calmed down for a moment to listen to him for the first time since he spoke.
Keller swallowed hard, "I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to comment on that. Please just go home and let us do our jobs." He walked away from the camera, away from the adrenaline filled audience. All expressing their annoyances with the work of police.
The reporter turned to the crowd, speaking in an attempt to soothe their frustrations, "We're all scared, yes. But you can't expect them to do their jobs and try to keep most of you from going into a panic if you make it harder on them. Let's respect that they are trying. Go home and lock your houses down. Be with your family." She spoke with caution.
A woman stepped forward, "How are we suppose to sleep when there's a killer lurking through the town? I say we take care of this guy ourselves!" The crowd of people, excluding the reporter shouted a war cry, agreeing with the woman.
"Calm down, don't get yourself arrested! Don't hurt an innocent person."
"Innocent?" She scoffed, "I know that kid Kolby, ain't nothin' innocent about him. Not since his mother done fucked him up."
The camera, still rolling caught the townspeople's conversation on camera, airing it to the whole town as it was on live tv.
~
Kolby sat at home, watching the live broadcast. "Who's with me?" The woman shouted once more and with willing town members, they began their trip to Kolby's house.
His heart raced and for a moment his body was paralyzed to the leather recliner he spent his day glued to. When the broadcast stopped, sending it to a commercial, he snapped out of it. The seat released him from the grip it had on him and out the door he went without a single possession except for the clothes he had on, the keys to his car and a bag with a note stapled to it, words written across the paper in black Just in case.
By the time people made their way to his front door, he was at the Vance Vogel park, once filled with people having parties or picnics, now deserted from the recent slayings of genders and ages of all kind. He walked down a sidewalk then eventually trailed off, walking down a path to lead him to a river.
Flashing memories flooded his brain. His mother taking him to this park. She held his hand as the both of them walked down to the river. He could remember the sounds of the little pebbles skipping across the water as he attempted to make it go further each time. Then there was the sound that would forever haunt his dreams and image that seared into his young brain. Turning around, he saw his mother on the ground, brain matter and blood soaking everything around her. The gun still partially in her hand with a note next to her, splatter of remains staining into the crisp white piece of paper.
I love you, Kolby.
Kolby couldn't cry at the memory, all he could feel was impassive. He opened the bag, a gun resting inside of it. "I love you too, Mom." He looked up the river where he stood when he was younger. The cold metal rested inside of his mouth at an angle. He could already see his life flash before his eyes. He pulled the trigger when the memory flashed once again in his mind of his mother doing the same.
~
Justin Keller stood in front of camera, this time less overwrought and now beaming with confidence. Hints of the train wreck he was last time on television vanished. "As all of you know, you can rest easy now knowing the killer isn't out there anymore. Not a murder has happened in the few weeks since the unfortunate suicide of Kolby Moli-"
Keller was cut off by someone in the audience, "Unfortunate?" He scoffed, "That boy did us a favor."
Ignoring the man's comment, he continued, "We must come together as a community and mourn the lives lost too early in the darkest times this town has ever had to face. Tonight at 8pm in Vance Vogel park a vigil will be held in honor of them," he looked away from the crowd and into the camera, "Come and support the community please."
~
The community gathered, all huddled around a shrine made for the victims of the killings. Families mourned for their loved ones and friends shed tears for their other halves. Fifteen year old Christine stared at her girlfriend's picture, Samantha, the first victim. She thought on the last memory they had together.
"You sure you don't want me to come help you look for him?" Christina asked Samantha over the phone.
"Don't worry, I don't think my dog got that far. He loves the park, he's probably there."
Christina hesitated before speaking, "Be careful. I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'll be fine, gotta go now." She hung up and made her way to the park, unknowingly walking into the presence of a serial killer ready to answer their calling. The next morning her body was found throat cut, laying face down next to the steady flow of the river.
Christina's tear fell into the tea light candle, burning out the flame.
Samantha's mother stood next to Christina with the same sorrowful look in her eyes. "Do you want me to relight it?"
Politely, Christina objected to the offer, "I'm gonna go by the river and say goodbye to her."
Samantha's mother patted her back, "Tell her I love her." She smiled, genuine but still full of hurt.
Christina weaved around the crowd, avoiding the tears and vacant looks of the people standing around her. As she walked towards the river, she looked back to see the crowd of mourning once more before heading down the trail to her destination. Her shoes mushed into the slightly damp dirt from a light sun shower earlier that day. She used her memory to remember where to and not to step in the darkness as she headed down the steep dirt hill. Her hand grabbed onto a branch to keep her balance as she slid partially down the hill.
Taking a lighter from her pocket, she returned the lost flame to the candle. In she breathed for a moment to keep the tears and emotions at bay, when the breath escaped from her lungs, the tears sneaked out as well. The burning flame glowed, casting a flickering orange tint upon her face as well as warming it in the cold atmosphere the town has recently been infected with.
"Sam," she spoke softly, closing her eyes imagining her lost love was there in front of her, "Your mom says to tell you she loves you. I miss you so much, I would do anything to see you again."
In front of her, someone using the darkness as their shield to hide them stepped into visibility, the candle fire beckoning them closer. In front of her, they stood. Watching. Examining the look on the fifteen year old's face, she was so peaceful with a hint of sadness. Christina's eyes remained closed until she felt an unnerving feeling creep upon her.
Opening her eyes, her heart jumped a few paces higher and body stood still in place, rendered motionless. The person walked closer while she stayed, hopeless. The moment she wanted to scream her loudest, her voice disappeared. "You'll be reunited soon."
Christina fell to her knees, sinking into the dirt. Bringing the small tea light candle close to her face, she blew out of the fire. The action confused the stranger in front of her. "I love you." She whispered as the smoke dissipating into the night. With her big brown eyes, she gazed up at the person who she knew would take her life without blinking, "I'm ready. Bring me to her." Her eyes shut.
Not a nick of sympathy went through their mind, the thought of a willing victim made their excitement shoot higher than their adrenaline, having to stop themselves before they got too crazy with the kill.
Clean and elegant. They reminded themselves.
Behind her they stood, with one hand they gripped her chin, angling upwards. A sweaty hand held tight onto the handle of the knife. Christina's nerves decreased as her body became less tense, it wasn't the idea of death that bothered her, but the waiting. Even though she could tell it was coming, the idea of not know exactly when made her nervous.
The cold thin blade teased against her skin, prolonging the wait while torturing Christina's emotions. Pressing the knife into her jugular, a stinging sensation forced a cry of pain from her lips. With a swift slice, Christina dug her hands into ground, pulling up roots and grass. An arterial spray soaked the ground in front of her. Her fingernails dug deep into the palms of her hands.
She toppled forward, just as her girlfriend did when she was murdered in the same fashion. Her vacant eyes stared off into the distance where the vigil was still going on. Her eyes glimmering from the light of dozens of flames.
The killer knelt down, grabbing her hand with their own. In the bloody palm, a note was placed with a message to the people who still lived in the town.
"The killer is gone!" they shouted, as another one fell victim to the person who seems like a ghost. There but you can't seem to see them.. Don't feel safe now, you haven't caught me yet.
(Side note before I continue the story, it took all of my will power to not write: another one fell victim to the hash slinging slasher. Onto the story now..)
The killer closed their palm around the note then walked away from the park, undetected by the people too focused on the sadness they felt inside for the dead.
~
Justin Keller stood again, his confidence lowering every time he had to do a public announcement with bad news. "In a sad turn of events, we haven't captured the madman behind these gruesome crimes. Please do not panic, we will find the person and bring them to justice. They will not get away with this. Now, until we catch-"
A person came up from behind him, holding them with all of their strength for just a moment as they took the same blade used in all of the murders and sliced their neck. It happened in the matter of seconds, taking everyone in the crowd by surprise. People screamed, some ran in the direction of the attacker.
"Everyone, get away now!" An officer yelled and pointed the gun towards the killer.
The woman looked up at everyone in front of her and dropped Justin Keller, his dead weight bringing him to ground as his blood spurt in front of him, his eyes wide and in shock. She let out a smile as the cop opened fire on her, shooting her in the abdomen. Stumbling backwards, she dropped the knife gazing down at her wound, the red splotch becoming bigger with each second. Her body hit the ground, eyesight staring directly in Justin Keller's, pure joy on her face even in death.
~
Two weeks ago
"Joy, I mean you can look through his stuff but I wouldn't want anything to remind me of him. He's a killer." The landlord said as he brought her into Kolby's room.
Joy rolled her eyes, "You honestly don't believe he's the killer, do you?"
"He's the man behind all of those killings, I just know it." He looked around the room and shook his head, "You only think he's innocent because he's your cousin.
"How do you know it's a man? Could be a woman." Joy asked, "Yes he's my family, but I just don't believe he did it. Even if he wasn't related to me that wouldn't change a thing."
The man laughed, even snorted a little, "No woman could be that vicious in this town. You're all too sweet and fragile." He ruffled her hair, "I'm heading out. Make sure to lock up before leaving."
Joy walked around the room, her eyes observing everything. A sadness hit when she acknowledged the fact he was gone. A photo of Kolby and his mother when he was younger sat on the desk among other things. Papers, unfinished drawings and writing materials.
She laid on his bed, a hard surfaced greeting the back of her head as she laid down onto the pillow. "What the fuck?" She reached inside the pillow, grabbing whatever was inside. To her surprise, it was a notebook. A part of her felt bad for wanting to open it, but she couldn't bring herself to close it either.
The first one, I wasn't going to do it at first but she was there. It was life handing me this girl. Who was I to deny the gift? I was nervous, of course. I held her close as I sliced her pretty little neck. It was messy, but so beautiful. Even with the amount of blood, something about it was so clean. It held it's own elegance. The feeling of her blood running down my hand gave me a thrill. Nothing will beat the first one.
Joy was hit with reality. Closing the book, she didn't want to read another word. The truth had finally come to her. The disturbing image of her cousin and the first victim, Samantha invaded her mind in it's already fragile state. She could hear the choking and coughs of the dying girl as she lost her life in his arms. "No.. no he didn't do this." She cried, shaking her head not wanting to believe it. With the notebook in her arms, she left his house, locking the door behind her.
On the way home, emotions of disbelief and anger mostly towards herself overcome her whole body. "How could I not see it? I'm so fucking stupid to believe he was innocent." Almost choking on her words, she pulled into her driveway. Her eyes looked into the rear view mirror. "Why did you do it?" Her fists hit the steering wheel and breaths became shallow. The racing of her heart brought an immense pain inside of her chest.
Joy could hear the nasty things in her mind people had said about Kolby.
That boy is a piece of scum.
Did us all a favor blowing his brains out.
Crazy, just like his mother.
The thought of people saying bad things about someone she cared about, the only person who was ever there for her, destroyed her. He's just a sad boy who did bad things. She repeated over to herself inside of her racing mind. In the moment of clear thinking, the pain went away while her heart returned to it's normal pace. She looked away from her reflection. "Kolby you didn't do this," A tear fell down her face and dripped onto her neck, "I did."
Author's Note: I like to think this ended sweet. She brought out the meaning of doing anything to protect the one you love, even if it wasn't in a very legal way. I hope you all enjoyed it. :)