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Just Before Dawn (standard:mystery, 15155 words) | |||
Author: Sarah Spenser | Added: Feb 14 2005 | Views/Reads: 3448/2397 | Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes) |
Crime reporter Allison Shure uncovers the trail of a serial killer two decades in the making. Allison unwittingly becomes his next target. Can she survive this deadly game? | |||
1. Just Before Dawn 2. 1. On the Beat The alarm rang at a deafening volume, Allison opened her eyes sleepily and glanced at the clock. She squinted to read it through the blinding sunlight that was pouring in her window. The sun warmed and illuminated everything in its path, and reminded her of candles on a birthday cake. Even the corners of her tiny room were streaked with brilliant light. It was 6 O'clock and she knew she had to get up and start the day. She had never been a morning person, so she just laid in bed for a few more minutes, before drifting off to sleep again. She woke up several minutes later in a panic thinking she was late for work. Reluctantly Allison sat up and searched for her slippers. Finding them lying beside the bed, she reached for her robe and tied the belt around her waist. The floor creaked under her feet as she made her way slowly down the hall to the kitchen. The apartment was small, one bedroom, one bath, a modest living room, and a small kitchen. But it was all she could afford. Allison lived in Connecticut's lower district. Although Fallwood was a pretty town, it had its share of crime and run down buildings. The apartment building was back a few yards, set off to the side near some overgrown shrubs the locals called “The woods”. As she walked into the kitchen, Allison caught sight of a picture of her mother she kept on the counter. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered her. Allison looked somewhat like her, dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right into your soul and an awesome figure. As she poured herself a cup of coffee, she remembered her mother's reaction when she had first seen the apartment. Her mother had been appalled that Allison wanted to live there and was staunchly against it. Connecticut's lower district wasn't permeated by crime, but it wasn't immune to it either. They had argued about it for days, until her mother finally gave up in defeat and stormed out the door. While she was driving home, Marie Shure was flagged down by a motorist. He asked her if she had a cell phone, Marie always wanting to help someone in need reached in her purse. As she was retrieving it, the man explained that he was having car trouble and just needed it to call a family friend. The man took it grateful for her kindness and dialed his friend, who he claimed was a mechanic. Marie was about to drive away when the man turned on her and pulled out a gun. He told her to get into the passenger seat, she reluctantly obeyed and watched as the man drove along the street to the deserted area known as “The Woods”. He pulled over and got out of the car, she knew he was either going to rape her or kill her. Marie saw her opportunity, and grabbed her cell phone which was lying on the dashboard. Her heart was pounding and she shook with fear, but she quickly dialed 911. The man was infuriated and reached for his gun, he pointed the gun and fired. She was killed instantly by a single gunshot wound. After that horrific day, Allison vowed to bring her mother's killer to justice. Her father, Jack was broken hearted as was Allison. It was a struggle to go on every day, but somehow they both managed. Allison was her father's stabilizing force, as they both comforted each other through the traumatizing ordeal. Several months later, Allison graduated from college with a degree in journalism. She told her father on graduation day that she would be a crime reporter and help families find peace and closure. He applauded her efforts and Allison was soon picked up by WFTR a local news station. The crime rate had been drastically reduced, due to the hiring of a new police chief, so there wasn't much crime in Fallwood. So Allison settled into a comfortable slot as a news reporter and covered crimes when they happened. Allison was flooded with memories of her mother as she set her coffee cup on the counter and went to start the shower, while it was warming up, she fed her rose breasted cockatoo, Scarlet. He was beautiful with silky feathers, colors of the rainbow, and a massive beak. Even though his beak could do serious damage, Allison knew he would never hurt her. He was gray, pink and white, and reminded her of a magnificent rainbow. He had the most beautiful black eyes she had ever seen, and bounced on his dish when he saw her. As usual, Scarlet leapt on to her hand and kissed her nose. “Hi, Scarlet, how are you this morning?” he bounced Click here to read the rest of this story (1223 more lines)
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Sarah Spenser has 18 active stories on this site. Profile for Sarah Spenser, incl. all stories Email: memguitar@optonline.net |