Judgment day in Eden Hills (standard:action, 3793 words)
Author: Jimmy Mason	Added: Aug 25 2007	Views/Reads: 3883/2433	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Hell on earth starts in a small town called Eden Hills.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

on the right detective Holloway, just fallow the noise.” When Mary 
stepped in she understood what he was talking about. From the stairwell 
came clamoring commotion and Mary headed up. At the landing she met two 
people a girl who was bawling and a boy kneeling in front of her who 
was doing a bad job of not bawling himself. Mary got a sudden 
overwhelming fear as to what exactly she was walking into. There was a 
tangle of people near the door being kept out of the room by two 
officers. Some were standing against the wall, and some milling about 
trying to get a look inside the room. All of them were talking in low 
conspirators voices, making their own assumptions no doubt. After many 
“excuse me's” and “pardon me's” Mary made it to the door and flashed 
her badge, the officers stepped aside. 

The room was like any other dorm room. Rock & Roll posters lined the
walls, a large stereo stood on a shelf with four stacks of C.D. cases 
next to it, Against one wall was a bunk bed set and a desk witch didn't 
seem to get much study time judging by the beer bottles littering it's 
surface, on the other wall was a single bed. Sitting on this single bed 
was a man Mary knew and a young man. Mary was not surprised to see Joe 
Pinkerton here, he was the college counselor when Mary had gone here 
and he still was. They nodded to each other and he pointed towards the 
bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and as she approached she could 
tell Lenny the photographer from the station was already inside. The 
quick rapid flashing told her that he was already high on the 
shutterbug flight. “Coming in.” Mary announced as she slowly pushed the 
door open with her elbow. Lenny stepped back and turned his baseball 
cap forward and half smiled. “Hey Holloway. How the hell are you?” He 
asked chomping on chewing gum as always. Mary closed the door behind 
her. “I'm o.k. Better than some.” She said this last as she looked at 
the lower leg and foot that hung over the rim of the tub. When she 
moved closer she saw the body submerged in pinkish water. “Jesus. Where 
are his eyes?” Mary asked. Lenny shook his head. “Not here.” 

Mary crouched down pulling on latex gloves and leaned over the tub. It
was a male in his mid-twenties. His eyes had been removed and she would 
later find out his tongue had also been removed. At this moment she was 
concentrating on the victim's thigh. “Did you get a shot of this 
Lenny?” The photographer moved forward to look at the thigh Mary had 
raised out of the rose hued water, there were words carved into the 
skin of his thigh. “No I didn't Mary, I can't believe I didn't see 
that.” He turned his cap backwards again and brought his camera up. He 
took several pictures from a couple different angles, righted his hat 
and glanced out the window. “The coroner is here. I'll develop these 
right away and have Richard drop them by your office after lunch.” 
Lenny then excused himself. Mary hardly noticed she was still staring 
at the cuts on the victim's leg. The victim's name was Malcolm Steep. A 
twenty five year old computer student here at the university. The young 
man sitting on the bed with Joe was one of Malcolm's roommates. Twenty 
five year old Aaron Moat, an art student. The coroner came in to take 
the body and Mary took Aaron outside to let him smoke a cigarette and 
got his statement. Last night he and his two roommates went to a party 
across campus. Around one in the morning Malcolm told Aaron that he was 
as drunk as he wanted to be and he was going to catch a ride with their 
other room mate back to the dorms. 

Aaron woke around nine a.m. He arrived here at his dorm room at ten o
clock and found Malcolm, then he phoned 911. Aaron hadn't seen his 
other room mate Brian Kelly at all since he left with Malcolm at last 
night‘s party. Mary was already exhausted, was this what she signed up 
for? She guessed so. She drove back to the station with the windows 
down allowing the smell of death to waft away. This was her only 
peaceful moment in this the last day of so many lives in Eden Hills. 
Back behind her desk she typed up the reports on today's murders with 
one hand and slugging coffee with another. Paperwork always came first 
it seemed in police work. As the monotonous work went by in clicks and 
clacks of information Mary's mind clasped on to Brian Kelly. Where was 
that kid? He was in the university on a football scholarship and met 
Amanda Kingston one month after arriving. Had he found his girlfriend 
cheating on him with his room mate? Mary visibly ticked her head to the 
side. No, she thought not. The heinousness of these crimes were far to 
grizzly for that. Mary was contemplating all this when Richard rapped 
twice on her door jam around eleven thirty with another folder in hand. 
He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Here is the folder on Malcolm 
Steep, coroner's report, and photos.”  Mary took the folder from him 
and smiled. “Hey Rich, Calm down. It will be alright.” She said this in 
regards to Richard's panicky body language. He looked at Mary with 
large eyes. “But Mary, there hasn't been a murder in Eden Hills in over 
twenty years. Let alone two in one day!” “I know.” Mary said sitting 
back in her seat. “It's like all hell has broken loose here in town. 
Any word on the whereabouts of Brian Kelly?” Richard shook his head. 
“No, not yet but I'm sitting in at dispatch.” Mary nodded and Richard 
left her office. Mary opened the folder and sifted through the pictures 
till she came to the one of Malcolm's thigh. Just as in the case of 
Amanda Kingston, a phrase had been carved into the flesh. The words 
were puffy and distorted from soaking in the water but still quite 
clear. They read. “ Temptation is all that you were needing. I am the 
snake in the garden of Eden.” Mary shook her head. This person who was 
killing her town's people was totally out of his mind. Mary figured it 
to be a man, non-local, and probably a sociopath, but she really didn't 
know enough about the psychology to be sure of that fact. 

Mary was frightened for Brian Kelly, she was sure he wasn't behind this.
However that only left the option that he will be or already has been a 
victim to this madman. Mary's personal line on her desk rang startling 
her. She placed the folder aside and answered on the second ring. 
“Hello, Detective Mary Holloway speaking.” At first there was only 
silence and then. “Hello detective. I understand your having a rough 
day.” Mary's brow creased with confusion. The cool, calm, voice brought 
back that overwhelming almost crushing fear she'd felt entering the 
dorms. “Who is this?” She asked sternly. “Let me ask you first, 
detective Holloway?” the voice said “Why haven't you found your culprit 
yet? Why are you just sitting behind your desk? Contemplating the handy 
work of a mad man are you?” Mary shuddered at the fact he'd used the 
same word that was on her mind. “Are you the one doing all this?” Just 
then Richard came in and mary quickly put a finger over her lips. 
Richard stopped short and the voice spoke again. “Yes detective. Just 
listen to Mr. Kelly here.” It sounded as if the boy was gagged but the 
man was putting the receiver up to his mouth, Then Mary herd a thump 
with a crack accent and the muffled screams of the boy. Richard nodded 
as mary pointed to the receiver made an arc to her desk top where her 
finger went around in little circles, and he left the room quickly. 
“Sir!” Mary said “Please don't hurt him any more. We can resolve this 
I'm sure, just tell me what you want.” A slight laugh answered this 
with another thump, crack, and muffled scream. “But detective I'm 
having so much fun.” Mary was so scared she was going to have to listen 
to this psycho kill Brian while Richard traced the call. “Mr. Kelley's 
having fun too. Aren't you Brian.” Mary herd muffled shouts. Richard 
came in and mary looked up just as she heard a gun shot loud through 
the phone and a muffled scream. “Sir! Sir! Did you just kill him?” She 
looked back up to Richard. “No my lady. I just shot him in the 
kneecap.” Richard gave mary the thumbs up and she stood up. “You'd 
better hurry.” Mary slammed the phone down picking up her jacket. 
“Where Richard, Where?” She was stalking out her office through the 
department with Richard fallowing close behind. “He's at the green 
garden hotel.” Richard said as he held open the door, Mary started 
running now and called over her shoulder. “Get dispatch to have two 
units meet me there.” 

Mary jumped into the black and blue cruiser and was off with screeching
tires and smoke. A half hour drive out to the hotel witch right next to 
the interstate took Mary twelve minutes. Her blood roaring through her 
and her mind on auto pilot she swerved through traffic and blazed past 
the people of Eden Hills with her sirens on full blast. When she 
screeched to a halt in the green garden parking lot two other cruisers 
were there as instructed. Two officers trotted over to her, one was 
Jacob Coleridge and the other was Larry stockman. “Detective.” Jacob 
began. “ Officers Lemay and Jensen are covering the back. Stockman and 
I got a peak in the office and it didn't look good. We were fired upon 
from the basement window.” Mary popped the trunk and got out walking to 
the back of her cruiser. She tossed her jacket in the trunk and pulled 
on a bullet proof vest. She refastened her shoulder holster and took 
her shot gun from it's locked cuff. She could see the window officer 
Coleridge talked about, there didn't seem to be anyone there now. She 
looked back at Jacob. “Any contact with the perp?” “None as of yet, 
other than the shooting.” “No one was injured?” Mary asked and stockman 
turned away from the hotel very slightly. “I don't think he was 
actually trying to hit us Detective. We were right at the front door 
damn near point blank range.” Mary nodded Mary chambered a round. 
“Let's go, let's be fast. Tell the boys in the back to enter on the 
count of ten.” 

Larry used the radio on his shoulder to relay the message. He and Jacob
both had out their nine millimeters. On the count of ten they charged 
the door preceded by a blast from Mary's  shotgun. The glass door blew 
inward and all three dove through. The radio's sprung to life. “We have 
entered the back, over” Mary chambered a new round and the spent casing 
bounced off the bloody check in counter. Mary peered over the counter  
and saw Milt Strathmore dead with the top of his head gone and his chin 
burnt and black. After checking out the lower floor officers stockman 
and Coleridge rejoined Mary and they informed her that it was clear. 
Lemay and Jensen came down the stairs telling her the upper floor was 
clear. They were standing in the main lobby hallway and Mary hardly had 
time to register Lemay's words to her before his face exploded outward 
with the sound of a gunshot. Mary's face was covered in the man's 
blood. Two more reports sounded and on the second Stockman's left calf 
seemed to have a blowout. He fell to the floor dropping his gun and 
screaming, Mary jumped onto the blood soaked counter as three more 
gunshots coincided with holes that formed in the floor. Coleridge hid 
behind a large planter and Jensen crouched on the staircase. Mary 
peeked around the corner to look down the hall, Stockman was whimpering 
on the floor and then two more gunshots ended Stockman's pain. He 
arched like he was doing a back bend and his chest burst open in two 
large red plumes then he fell back to the floor dead. “Holy Shit! 
Larry!” Jensen screamed. A moment later they herd a door open slowly 
with creaking hinges. They all braced themselves but none were ready. 

A happy sounding voice came down the hallway softly. “Yoo-hoo. Anybody
out there?” Mary shivered at the sound of the voice, She definitely 
recognized it. It was him he'd waited here, and that didn't make sense 
to Mary. She slipped out her compact and opened it, using the mirror 
she looked around the corner. Mary saw a boy who could only be Brian 
Kelly being held and directed by the scruff of his neck. His eye's were 
purpled and panicked, his mouth gagged with a bandanna that probably 
started out white but was now red and glossy. A forty five caliber gun 
barrel was stuck deep into his right ear, and Mary caught sight of one 
focused orange yellow eye peeking over Brian's left shoulder. The voice 
floated down the hall again. “Come out, come out where ever you are.” 
The eye then looked directly at Mary's mirror. “There you are 
detective.” Mary tossed the compact away. “Let him go!” Mary demanded. 
Moving closer, shuffling footsteps over even rhythmic strides. “Oh, I 
don't think that will do detective Holloway.” Mary's fear jumped a 
notch, she was sure she herd a suppressed laugh behind that statement. 
She rolled off the counter and into the hallway with her shotgun. “Ahh 
ah ahhh.” The barrel was pushed harder into Brian's ear “You don't want 
this young man to die do you?” Mary got angry and a little less scared 
and said. “Your not walking out of here free as a bird.” and Mary 
regretted saying that, She saw the man behind Brian shrug. “Yeah I 
guess your right.” The blast blew the left side of Brian's head on the 
wall and the slide was locked back. The man came into view as Brian's 
body fell and Mary was so close to blowing the smug smile that graced 
the man's face right off with her shotgun. Her trigger finger twitched 
and then relaxed. The man tossed the empty gun on top of the dead boy's 
body. At Mary's motioning Jensen and Coleridge came out of hiding with 
gun's trained on the man. He slowly put out his hands and as Jensen 
covered him, Coleridge slammed the man against the wall and cuffed his 
hands behind his back. Mary noted that this man made no attempt to 
resist arrest and had a faint smile on his face throughout his arrest. 
Coleridge punched the man in the back and even then he smiled. “You 
fucker.” Coleridge said to the man. “Jacob. That's enough.” Mary said. 

Mary walked the man to her cruiser and once he was safely in the back
seat she turned back to the other officers. “Alright. I need you guys 
to call in the coroner and get this mess here cleaned up. I'll take him 
to the station. When you guys are sure that they have it under control, 
meet me back at the station. This is going to be one hell of a 
debriefing.” She got back in her cruiser and began driving back to 
town, searching her glove compartment for tissues. 

“What do you mean we're not going to make it?” Mary asked. A small
chuckle and that calm voice that accompanied the clattering of the 
cuffs he wore. “You, detective don't believe in the supernatural do 
you?” Mary glanced back at the man. “Your hardly supernatural. Your 
just a guy with screwed up brains and a twisted sense of living. Now 
tell me, why we're not going to make it to the station.” The man 
laughed and then said. “Because that's not the way the story 
Gossssssssssss.” Mary looked into the rearview just in time to see a 
tail slide through the mesh to her side of the car. She looked over to 
the passenger seat and saw a large black snake with burning yellow eyes 
coiled there in the seat. It darted up and struck her in the side of 
the neck. Mary's vision instantly blurred and her muscles seized. The 
cruiser swerved back and fourth and then went careening off the left 
side of the road, bounced up over a ditch and came to rest on a large 
metal beam that wavered but didn't fall from the impact. The black 
snake poured out of the broken passenger side window and slithered past 
the metal beam and into the underbrush. The metal beam was connected to 
more metal beams and fixtures that formed a billboard. The billboard 
was adorned with rolling hills and a portrait of a family standing in 
front of a happy home. Large green words read “Eden Hills, God's 
Country.” The snake slithered back towards town. All of  Mary's sins 
came back to her, and the billboard was the last sight she saw before 
she died in agony. 

The End 


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