Nighmares IX
Blitzen 1999
FBI agent Eric Renden keeps his eyes on the road as he drives down the street. His foot seems to stay positioned on the pedal of the car, unmoving like a dead weight. Next to him sits Lieutenant Conner O'Brien. He watching the buildings as they fly by them, staring into nothing. O'Brien takes a deep sigh as his mind seems to return to him. He clears his throat, and turns to Eric.
"Look, Renden, it's been three weeks."
"Three weeks, three notes, Conner." He replies, his eyes still focused on the road.
"Look, I realize you want this guy." O'Brien says, trying to sympathize. "But we'll get him."
"Get him, Con? Get him? What does that mean?"
"Uh, well, it means...we'll lock him up." He responds surprised.
"Ha. Yeah. Thats what I thought you'd say."
As Eric continues to drive, his eyes see a strange occurance ahead. Two men struggle in front of a house. One of the men beats the other, landing blow after blow onto the other. Eric's eyes seem to lock in on the site, and his body becomes paralyzed, unable to do anything but watch.
As their vehicle draws closer, a sudden flash of light is seen from the battle between the two men. One of them drops to the ground, and the other slowly backs into the street. Eric grits his teeth as his finger grip the wheel. His foot pounds down on the pedal, and the car begins barreling toward the shooter.
"Eric, what are you doing?" O'Brien asks confused. Eric doesn't waver, his eyes don't blink. He continues to drive toward the man. As the car grows closer, the man looks up and sees them coming, the steel of the police car shining through the darkness of the night. He jumps out of the way at the last second as Eric swerves to avoid the building a head. The police car spins and crashes into a telephone poll, knocking the wooden pole to the ground.
Like a tree falling in the forrest, the pole crashes slowly. Eric shakes his head, almost as if coming out of a trance. O'Brien shakes his head, his hand carressing his neck as he recovers from the crash.
"Renden..." He says in a soft tone. "What the hell?"
"I'll be back." Eric says as he loads his gun. He violently opens the door to the car, and jumps out onto the sidewalk. He steps over the dead body of the other man, his blood staining the pavement as it runs like a river into the grass. Sprinting across the dying lawn, Eric runs toward the house, noticing the open door.
Without thought, without breath, Eric runs into the house. He stops as his feet pass the threshold and stares into the dark abyss a head. Like an invisable barrier, the shadows mask all light, eating it like a hungry lion, leaving only broken pieces and scattered rays on the ground.
Eric takes a few slow steps forward, his feet passing from the light and into the dark. He holds his gun ready, his senses alert and aware. He knows he's here, he can feel him. Eric sneers as he slowly looks around the room, waiting and watching for any movement. As he passes by what he thinks is a couch he hears the soft whisper of a man.
"Renden..." The voice says, the emotions of hate and anger lingering on the hissing tone.
Eric turns around, looking for the body who uttered the word. His eyes fail to see, but his ears hear the word. It takes a few seconds, but it suddenly registers in his brain. The word. A name. His name. Could it be him? Could it be the killer who left the notes?
The voice sounds again, repeating its message in the same tone, and the same pitch.
"Renden..." It hisses. "You..."
"I know you're here, killer! Come out now and you'll make it out alive." He smirks. "Maybe."
"I warned you..." It says from the shadows. "Leave me alone."
"I'll give you one chance to come out. Then...I start shooting."
"Shooting?" The voice asks. "Killing..."
"I saw you kill the man outside! I'm a witness!"
"You're about to be a victim..." The voice retorts, leaving a lingering laugh as the sounds fade out.
"What are you going to do, huh? You're trapped! I have you right where I want you."
"If you do...then why can't you see me standing next to you?"
"What?" Eric turns to his side quickly, his whole body moving as one. His eyes see a shadow figure, its features, its colors, its details obscurred by the darkness. The figure opens its mouth and laughs, its teeth marking where it stands. Eric hears the sound of a gun clicking, the metal parts shifting as the bullet is prepared to be passed. He swallows hard, fear taking over his body.
The man laughs as he pulls the trigger, and the loud click of the hammer hitting the bullet echoes for only a second. The light sound is soon drowned out by an even louder "bang". The bullet passes through the barrel, and into Eric's left leg. He immediately falls to the ground, the pain surgering throughout his whole body like a ripple.
Eric cries out in pain as he drops his gun. His hands cling to the wound, gripping it as if to hold pieces of his body together. The pain grows worse and the blood flows, soaking his pants and filling his hands. He hears the man's steps, he is moving somewhere. But where?
"Should've listen, *****!" The voice scoffs. He pulls the trigger again, and Eric closes his eyes. Waiting for his death, Eric listens for the click of the gun. The parts shift and the click sounds. Eric's ears listen and wait for the bang, waiting for the nothingness of death. To his surprise, he hears no bang. He hears nothing. He opens his eyes and looks around the room. All he sees is black, no lines, no light, no shadows. Am I in hell, he thinks. Did I die before I could hear the sound?
Suddenly he hears the angered grunt of the killer behind him. He hears something drop to the floor followed by the sound of heavy footsteps.
"Damn gun!" Eric hears. "You're parents, Renden! You're parents are dead! Watch 'em die, *****! Watch 'em burn! And then! Then I get you!"
Eric hears the sound of a door slam as the man sprints out of the house. He tries to get to his feet, desperately clinging onto the hope of stopping the madman. He lifts himself off the floor, standing on one leg. He feels the pain surge through his body once more. He feels a heavy weight on his pants. He shakes them, trying to lighten his load. He soon realizes the weight, his blood, filling the fibers of his clothing.
Eric hobbles to the front door, his eyes squinted and his teeth clenched. Passing through into the light, he sees O'Brien waiting outside by the car. O'Brien sees Eric hobbling down the stoop and quickly rushes to his side.
"Renden!" He exclaims. "My God, what happened?"
"Need...Car..." Eric responds criptically. "Parents...killer...must..." He groans in pain as the leg tenses.
"I called the station. They got three units coming here right now."
Sirens sound loudly as a squad car pulls up over the curb and onto the grass. The lights flash brightly on top of the car, blinding those who gaze at their illuminations. Eric pushes O'Brien aside and begins moving quickly toward the car.
The officer of the vehicle steps out, and begins walking toward Eric. Eric nearly falls, the pain causing his leg to give out. The officer catches him, lifting him back to a stand.
"You okay, bub?" He asks. Eric sneers and pushes him away. He grabs the open door of the car and throws his weight onto it. He wrecklessly flops into the seat of the car, lifting his legs into the vehicle. He cries out in pain again as he lifts the leg into the vehicle.
He grabs the door and slams it shut. Pushing his foot onto the pedal and putting the vehicle into drive, Eric drives off the lawn, and drives out of sight faster than the two police on the lawn can comprehend. The officer looks at where his car once stood as O'Brien comes up behind him.
"What the hell happened?" The officer asks in a daze. O'Brien frowns as he stares at the blood on his hands. He looks at its color, the red staining his skin and smearing like paint. He looks up from his hand and up to the officer in front of him, his eyes showing his worried and concered feelings.
"Nothing good, kid."
A loud siren sounds as two more police cars pull up onto the lawn. Conner runs to the side of one of the cars and opens the door. He jumps into the seat and slams the door quickly. With a heavy breath, he turns to the driver and yells in a paniced tone.
"Police car just left. Went right down South Street. Follow it! NOW!"
The officer nods and backs into the street. He flips on a switch and the sirens begin to scream once again. Shifting the car into drive, they take off down the road, and begin their pursuit of Eric's car.
"Renden..." O'Brien whispers to himself. "What happened, man? What happened?"
