by Anthony Izzo
The waiting room door opened and a doctor with white curly hair entered. He was wearing surgical scrubs and had red Crocs on his feet.
He introduced himself as Dr. Cowell.
“How is he?” Chris asked.
“We had to take out a section of his stomach. It was damaged by the knife. We’ll have to watch him for infection and internal bleeding, but I think he’ll pull through. He’s in recovery now. The nurse will come get you when he’s up for a visitor.”
Aunt Megan said, “Thanks Doc.”
The doctor left the waiting room.
“I’ll come stay with you,” Aunt Megan said. “Hope, you can stay overnight.”
“Thanks. I don’t want to stay alone tonight.”
Hope had told the story of the intruder leaving the symbol in the house. The cops had asked her a bunch of questions, but she really couldn’t tell them much. She had thought the cops were out looking for the guy right now.
“We’ll go see your dad, then head home,” Aunt Megan said. “You guys hungry?”
Chris found that his stomach was growling, despite everything that had happened. “Actually, yeah.”
“I’ll get you guys McDonald’s on the way home.”
The red haired nurse, seated at the desk, picked up a phone receiver. She said okay and hung up. “You can go see him now.”
Chris fought back some tears.
His dad had a tube going in his nose. Another tube snaked out from under the blankets into a catheter bag. His eyes were half-open. Chris wasn’t used to seeing him like this. He was supposed to be fiddling around under the hood of a car, hands full of grease, a wrench poking from his back pocket.
“Megan. Thanks for coming,” he said, barely above a whisper.
“You had me worried, Dad.”
“Takes more than this to kill me. They catch him?”
“No. I think he tried to attack Hope, too.”
“You okay kid?” Dad said.
Hope nodded. “He didn’t get near me.”
A nurse popped in and checked Dad’s catheter bag. She also adjusted the pump that was dispensing his pain meds. “Just a few more minutes, folks. We’re moving him to ICU.”
“Is that bad?” Chris said.
“Standard. Once he’s a little stronger, we’ll move him to a regular room.”
They stayed a few more minutes, then Dad faded out and went to sleep. His pump whirred, dispensing more pain medication.
Chris patted his hand and Hope slipped her arm around him and gave Chris a squeeze. They left the recovery room to find the detectives standing in the hallway.
Maria spotted the kids who had gone out to the slaughterhouse coming down the hallway. They were with a woman who looked like she could front a punk band.
The woman was in the lead. The boy and the girl were following along, holding hands. “Chris, I heard about your dad. How is he?”
“In recovery. Then it’s off to ICU.”
“I’m sorry that happened. Did you see who did it?”
The woman with the purple hair approached. “Look, Detective, these kids have been through a lot tonight. Can this wait?”
“I’m sorry, you are?” Jenna said. She was standing beside Maria, the two of them in the center of the hallway. She hoped to stop them before they left.
“Megan Peters. I’m Chris’ aunt. These kids are tired and hungry. They need to go home.”
“We didn’t get a chance to find out what happened. It’ll just take a minute.”
Megan said, “Look-“
“I need to talk to these kids and that’s that,” Maria said.
“It’s okay, Aunt Megan,” Chris said. “What do you want to know?”
“Who did you see?”
“He had a hood and a long coat. I didn’t see his face,” Chris said.
“Same guy I saw outside my house,” Hope said.
Maria gave Jenna a look. “Chris, did you see where he went?”
“I was worried about my dad. I didn’t see where he went.”
The mystery hooded man that they couldn’t seem to find. Every officer they had was out patrolling, beating bushes, checking abandoned buildings. So far, they’d come up empty. They were chasing a ghost. “Do you have somewhere to go tonight?”
“I’m staying with them.”
“At the Peters’ house?”
“That’s right,” Megan said.
“We’ll step up patrols over there. Lock the doors. Do you own a gun?” Maria said.
“Never touched one.”
“You might want to arm yourself,” Martz said. “I don’t normally advise that, but this guy’s bold.”
Maria’s phone rang. “Excuse me.”
She took the call. It was the chief.
“Greco, we’ve got him cornered. The caves up at the town park.”
“I’m on my way. Excuse us. We have to go.”
Martz said, “What’s up?”
“They’ve got him up at the park.”
It wasn’t hard to find the site. Sirens lit up the night, a myriad of patrol cars in the parking lot. The SWAT truck was there; she saw the chief’s SUV as well. Maria pulled the unmarked into the lot and parked. Her and Jenna stepped out of the vehicle.
They took shotguns from racks inside the car. At this point she just wanted to spatter the guy’s guts on the ground. He’d killed multiple times and terrorized kids. Fuck him. It was dead or alive at this point.
The SWAT guys were suited up and ready to go. She saw the chief coming over. He was wearing a vest, although she didn’t know why. “You planning on going in with us, boss?”
“Just being cautious. Riot guns, huh?”
Martz said, “You didn’t see him the other night. He took multiple rounds and it didn’t touch him.”
“The SWAT guys get MP5s. We don’t want to feel left out, lack of firepower and all,” Maria said.
“Where’s he at?” Martz said.
“We’ve got guys watching the caves. He’s hemmed in. Guy walking his dog spotted the creep crossing he park. He called us, then get this: he follows the guy to the caves.”
“What’s he fucking nuts?” Martz said.
“Stupid as hell but he’s got balls,” Chief said.
“Guess that’s good for us,” Maria said.
She heard the rumble of a big diesel engine and saw a flatbed truck pull up. On it were spotlights and generators.
“Good. The light show’s here.”
Maria looked up at the caves, which were bathed in white light. It reminded Maria oddly of a movie premier. The spotlights were on loan from the National Guard. Apparently the chief had made some calls and got a favor granted.
The SWAT captain, whose name she found out was Gallagher, gave last-minute instructions to his men. They checked weapons, locked and loaded. The plan was to take the lower caves first, then progress upward. Maria was going with Gallagher and half the SWAT team. Martz was going with one of the SWAT lieutenants and the other half.
“You ready Gallagher?” Maria said.
“Let’s get it on,” he said.
They moved on the caves to the left, creeping up on three openings in the rock face. Cool air rushed out as they approached.
“The one to the left first,” she said.
They reached the mouth of the cave. Her shotgun had a flashlight mounted on it and she clicked it on. The SWAT guys flicked on flashlights secured their vests.
Maria and the SWAT guys moved in. The cool air chilled her skin. It was difficult to tell how far back the caves went. It seemed to swallow up the beams.
The SWAT guys were wearing coms and earpieces. Maria had one as well to keep in contact with the team.
They continued toward the back of the cave. Something shifted in the darkness. “There.”
There was a quick bark as an MP5 rattled. She heard a scream and saw one of the SWAT guys go to his knees, throat cut. Someone shined a light on him revealing the blood spurting from his neck. In the comm
, someone screamed for an ambulance.
She turned and saw the hooded figure weave through the SWAT guys. He slashed another guy’s neck and bolted for the front of the cave. One of the SWAT guys turned and fired a burst. The bullets pinged off the wall of the cave.
Maria took off for the mouth of the cave. When she reached the edge, she saw the man scrambling up the rocks for the upper caves.
“Jenna, he’s coming your way,” Maria said.
“We’re in one of the center caves. We’re ready for him.”
Martz whirled and saw the guy slipping past her in the dark. She raised the shotgun to fire, but there was a SWAT officer in the line of fire. She saw the guy duck low and slash one of the SWAT men behind the knee. He fell to the ground clutching his leg.
She nudged one of the men out of the way, saw the guy hustling to the rear of the cave. She leveled the shotgun and fired, the Remington giving a hollow boom in the cave.
The guy kept going. Then he was just gone.
She followed to the back of the cave. Like Maria, she had a flashlight mounted to the shotgun. The stink of the man hung in the air.
When she got to the back of the cave, he was nowhere to be seen. She swept the beam back and forth, thinking maybe he was crouched in the shadows. “Where the hell did you go?”
From behind her, the downed officer moaned. The call for a medic went over the comm. She was at a loss until she felt a breeze nip at her ankles. She looked down and saw the gap between the rock wall and the floor. The stone was ragged and had been chipped away.
There was just enough space for someone to fit through. She shined her light down the hole and saw a rotting ladder affixed to the wall. This was why Meyers couldn’t find him back in 2003. They had somehow missed this.
“Greco, you there?” Jenna said.
“Copy. Go.”
“There’s a hole in the floor. He ducked down there.”
“What the hell’s down there?”
“I say we get a town engineer on the phone and find out. Get blueprints.”
“I’ll get on it. I’m worried where he’s headed next.”
“The kids?”
“Let’s roll.”
Chris had a belly full of Big Mac and fries. They were sitting in his living room, Hope next to him on the couch. They were both looking on their phones. His aunt was typing furiously on her laptop, her face bathed in the bluish glow of the screen.
Hope rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head, enjoying the scent of her coconut shampoo.
They sat for another moment when he heard sirens. They were getting closer.
His phone rang. Didn’t recognize the number. “Yeah?”
“Chris, it’s Detective Greco.”
“I’m really tired. Do I have to answer more questions?”
“Listen to me. The killer is loose. We lost him in the caves. Make sure you’re locked up. We’re on the way over.”
“Shit. Where did he go?” Chris said.
“We consulted with the town engineer. He’s using a network of caves underneath the town. Now we’re watching to see where he could end up. He marked you both, so we think he’s coming for you.”
That sent a chill through him. “Okay. We’ll double check the locks.”
He ended the call.
Hope sat up. Aunt Megan closed the laptop.
“What’s going on?” his aunt said.
“They lost track of the killer. They think he’s headed this way.”
Aunt Megan jumped out of the chair. “Are the doors locked?”
“I locked them and double checked.”
“Triple check the front and side doors. Hope, come with me and check the back door,” Megan said.
Chris hurried to the side door. The deadbolt was in place. He peered out the side window that looked onto the driveway. No one out there.
From there, he went to the front door and found the deadbolt in place. He drew the front curtains just because it made him feel better. When the curtains were drawn, he pushed one aside a bit and peered out. No one was on the street. The streetlights gave off a soft yellow glow.
The sirens screamed. The police were almost here. Good.
Chris ran upstairs to his bedroom and opened the closet door. Propped inside was an aluminum baseball bat. He’d played little league for a season and his dad had gotten him the bat. It had been gathering dust in the closet for years.
He grabbed the bat and headed downstairs, where he found Hope and Aunt Megan in the living room. Aunt Megan was holding a chef’s knife. Hope had a serrated carving knife.
“When you carving the turkey?” Chris said.
“I can cut other things off with this,” Hope said.
“Save that for when you’re married,” Aunt Megan said.
Lights flashed against the front of the house; the cops were here.
Chris looked outside and saw the officer get out of his patrol car. He was a portly guy with a mustache and a flat top haircut.
He was coming to the front door. Chris unlocked it and opened it up.
The name on his uniform said Perez.
“Evening,” Perez said. “Everyone okay in here?”
Aunt Megan came up beside Chris. “We’re okay. Locked it down tight.”
“I’m going to look around. Sit tight. I’ll be parked out here all night.”
“Has anyone seen him?” Chris said.
“Not since he fled the caves. We’ve got all our people on patrol. He’s using a network of tunnels and caves that run under the town. We’re not sure where he’ll surface.”
“Thank you, officer,” Aunt Megan said.
Chris was about to thank him as well when he saw the man in the long coat creep from behind the patrol car. A small noise escaped his throat. The man seemed to glide, quicker than Chris could warn the officer.
Something warm spattered on Chris’s face. Perez’s head was cocked back. Something poked through his throat. It was only after a moment that Chris realized it was a knife tip. The hooded man had driven it through the back of Perez’s neck.
His Aunt Megan screamed. Perez fell to his knees, gagging and flailing. The hooded man pulled out the knife with a wet, splotching noise.
The hood slipped off of the man’s head; Chris saw the milky eyes, the flesh on his face melted by fire. He gasped.
Perez fell forward in the doorway, making it impossible to shut the door. Blood seeped into the cracks between the floorboards.
The intruder stepped over Perez’s body. Chris backed up, set his feet, and swung the baseball bat. It glanced off the side of the intruder’s head. Chris saw the skull indent a bit, but it didn’t slow the guy down at all.
He came at Chris with the knife, slashing in an arc. Chris blocked him with the bat. Hope came rushing in like a soldier performing a banzai charge. She screamed and drove the knife between the guy’s ribs. The knife stuck. Hope jerked her hand away.
The knife jutted from the man’s ribcage. There was no blood. None from the head wound, either.
The intruder slashed again. Chris backed up, hit the bottom step, and fell onto the stairs. He scrambled to his feet, backing up and ascending. The guy kept coming. He swung in an arc, the knife narrowly missing his legs.
This time it was Aunt Megan that charged. With a howl, she drove the knife into the guy’s back. A soft grunt escaped his lips, but again, it didn’t slow him down.
Chris was halfway up the stairs. He raised the bat over his head and swung downward. The man slipped to the side and the bat slammed into his collarbone. It gave with a crack. Still kept coming.
Aunt Megan was trying to yank the knife out of the guy’s back. He turned and swatted her. She lost her balance and tumbled down the stairs. Something popped and she screamed.
Chris hurried up the stairs, intent on luring the creep away. When he reached the top of the stairs, he said, “Come get some, you ugly motherfucker.”
The intruder took the challenge. He stormed
up the stairs. Chris got off a half-swing before the guy shoved him backward. He tumbled into the bathroom, dropping the bat.
The man was over him, the dead eyes looking down on him. There was no defense; the knife swung in a vicious arc. He put his arms up, but still the blade drove through and plunged into his chest.
It felt like someone knocked the wind out of him. Then the somewhat dull sensation in his chest turned into searing pain.
There was no breath. He tried to scream, but nothing came out.
Maria pulled up to the Peters’ home to find a shit storm. There was a dead cop in the doorway. It was Perez. He’d been dispatched to check on the kids.
“Shit,” Martz said. “He beat us here.”
She put in a call for backup and the two of them hopped out of the unmarked. They drew their side arms and moved to the front of the house.
Maria saw the amount of blood pooled underneath Perez. “Goddammit.”
Chris’ Aunt Megan was at the bottom of the stairs in a heap. She gritted her teeth. Her skin had gone pale gray. The worst of it was her leg: the bones below her knee were perpendicular to the rest of her leg. Both the bones had snapped when she fell down the stairs.
Upstairs, she could see the man, his back to her. He stood in the bathroom doorway. She didn’t hear Chris, and that terrified her.
She had nothing to use as a weapon; both the knives were still sticking out of the guy. He was a walking butcher’s block.
Hope heard someone behind her. She turned to see Detective Greco stepping over the dead police officer. She had her gun drawn. “Oh, thank God. She needs an ambulance.”
“Where is he?” Greco said.
The blonde detective, Martz, entered the house.
“Upstairs.”
“Get her an ambulance,” Greco said.
Hope looked upstairs; the intruder was gone. She could see the bottoms of Chris’ sneakers. He wasn’t moving. Dread pulsed through her; he hadn’t made any noise.
Detective Greco was the first one up the stairs; Martz followed right after.
Maria took a guess at which way the guy had gone. She leaned against the wall and swept the gun to her left, aiming at one end of the hallway. There were bloody footprints going into the bedroom; big ones.
