Dead Silent

Silence shrouded the woods. Mist covered the forest floor, making each step an act of courage. Sheila knew one wrong move could lead to disaster. Unfortunately, she had to keep moving. Stopping would mean certain death, whereas moving left the option open.

Quietly emerging from behind the giant oak, she crept forward, one cautious step at a time. The sweat dripping into her eyes burned, nearly blinding her. Pausing to wipe her forehead, she sensed movement to her left. Panicked, she started running.

Her frantic dash ended when she tripped, smashing head first into a tree. Her last thought before passing out was she should have listened to her mother when she warned of picking up strangers.

***

Carl picked the fallen girl up, carrying her easily through the forest. She was very small, just the way he liked them. He’d been watching her all evening. There were many women at the party, but she stood out from all the rest. Her carrot red hair shone in the light, a beacon he couldn’t resist.

Laying her gently onto the cave floor, he ventured back into the forest. He had things to do before he could begin enjoying her. Everything had to be perfect. She deserved the best.

***

Sheila awoke, every limb shivering, with a pool of water under her cheek. Have I been drooling? She wondered, pushing herself upright. With tingles shooting from every nerve, she stood. Grabbing the cave wall for support, her head spinning, she looked around. How did I get here?

A faint light for her guide, she made her way to the mouth of the cave. Darkness cloaked the forest in a coat of black. “What am I going to do now,” she groaned to the darkness. “I’ll never find the road.”

Buck up, girl, she could hear her mom admonishing. You can do anything you put your mind to.


Gathering her courage, she pushed into the darkness. “Thanks, Mom,” she murmured.

***

Whistling, Carl made quick work of his task. He was in a hurry to return to the cave. Thinking about the girl lying there, hair spread out around her creamy face, was making it hard for him to concentrate. Shaking himself, he set about finishing.

He entered the cave quietly, not wanting to disturb her if she were still sleeping. Noticing she was missing, he dropped the firewood he had collected. He knew she couldn’t have gone far. The knot on her head was fresh. It would make moving painful. Cursing under his breath, he set out to find her once again.

***

Sheila was exhausted. Her head felt like it was going to split in two, her feet were swollen, but her worst problem was being lost. She knew the highway had to be close, but she couldn’t find it. Should have listened more when maps were taught in school, she thought, then maybe I’d know what to look for.

She’d lost track of the times she’d fallen down. Her knees were sore from the abuse. Pushing ahead was becoming harder with every passing moment. The only thing keeping her going was the knowledge he was out there. I don’t think he’s the giving up kind, she thought. Maybe that’s because the last thing you heard him yell was that he’d find you no matter what, she reminded herself.

“Why did he pick me, Lord?” she beseeched. “What did I do to deserve this?”

When no answer was forthcoming, she trudged on. The forest was even denser in this part. She could no longer see her hand in front of her face. It was early fall, so she didn’t think she’d freeze to death even though it was cold. Her biggest worry by far was the lunatic chasing her.

“What was that?” she asked the night, stopping dead still. “Cars! I hear cars!” she cried.

In her excitement, she didn’t hear Carl creep up behind her. Winded from his frantic run through the woods, Carl was quietly trying to catch his breath. Seeing the girl sprint into the distance, he cursed, “Shit,” then took off after her.

***

A car rounded the curve. Sheila was waving her arms trying to get the drivers attention when she felt a presence behind her. Turning, she saw Carl towering there. The look on his face terrified her into stillness, giving him the last advantage he needed.

Sheila snapped out of her stupor as Carl swung the limb above his head. Her scream reverberated through the forest, then silence filled the night once more.

Author Website

I would really appreciate if all of you would check out my new author website. Bookmark the site to keep abreast of important events in my writing career. I hope there will be a lot to report!

I am excited about the upcoming anthology in which two of my poems will be featured. Once the book is released, a link will be provided on the author website. The anthology is going to be sold in bookstores such as Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobel.com, and others.

Please let me know what you think of the author website. All suggestions are welcomed. I want to make it look professional, but keep “me” in it. Thanks to everyone who checks it out! Don't forget to sign the guest book.

Angel Sharum's Author Website

Pricision

“Hello, beautiful,” the man said as he walked into the room and turned the overhead light on.

“Go to hell!” Elizabeth spat as she pulled against the ropes binding her to the bed. She had been in total darkness for so long she thought she’d lose her mind, wishing someone would turn the light on. She wanted it back off now. What she saw literally stopped her heart.

“That’s not any way for a lady to talk,” he replied with a sneer.

The look made the scar stretch even more on his cheek. Elizabeth looked away with revulsion. The man saw her and smiled. Anything to add to their discomfort just made it all the more fun for him.

“If you aren’t going to act like a lady, I guess I don’t need to treat you like one, do I?” her captor said with a shake of his head as he turned to the table in the corner.

“What are you doing?” Elizabeth demanded. “No! Stay away!” She cried when the man picked up a butcher knife and walked slowly across the floor towards where she lay, captive and terrified.

***

The hospital was abuzz with the news of the latest of the ‘Barry County Butcher’s’ victims. The newspaper was saying the latest murder was the most gruesome of all. The victim, Elizabeth Connelly, was only twenty-seven years old. Her parents were devastated and police were no closer to catching the Butcher than before.

“How can there be no evidence?” the head nurse whispered to the orderly.

“It seems the killer knows what he’s doing. No finger prints, no semen, nothing for the cops to go on is ever left behind. He even washes the bodies before he burns them! He’s leaving nothing to chance,” replied the orderly with a shiver as he thought about the way the women died.

“He’ll slip up one day. Let’s just hope it’s before another woman dies,” said another nurse.

“I don’t know. The sheriff’s department is saying they’ve never saw anything like it. I’ve heard rumors they think it might even be a cop because of the lack of evidence,” the orderly offered.

“I haven’t heard that. Who told you they think it might be a cop?” the head nurse asked.

“Bob over in pathology. You know we’ve got every one of the bodies here for autopsy, right?” the orderly answered.

“Yes, I was aware of that. All the killings happened within ten miles of the hospital. Doesn’t exactly make me feel safe leaving here after dark, but what can I do about it?” The nurse shook her head. “I heard the hospital has performed more autopsies in the last three months than the rest of the year combined,” she informed the others.

“I hope it’s not a cop. You like to think you can trust the cops to protect you,” the other nurse said with a sigh.

“I wouldn’t trust a cop as far as I could throw him,” replied the orderly. He’d had some run-ins with the local cops in his younger days.

“It makes sense if you think about it,” he continued. “Who would know better than a cop how to destroy evidence and make it to where he’s never caught?”

“What do you think, Dr. Monroe? You think one of Barry County’s finest is the Butcher?” the orderly asked the only person standing at the nurses’ station yet to offer an opinion.

“Could be, Jackson. You never know what goes on in someone’s mind. It could even be someone here in the hospital,” he said with a frown.

The nurses all looked down. They respected Dr. Monroe, but it was hard to look at him. That scar put everyone off.

Cow Patty Prank

“Hey, Elbert, watch this.” Dale whispered.

“What did you do this time?” Elbert inquired.

“Shhh, he’ll hear us.” Dale admonished.

Thomas was in a good mood. He was whistling when he walked into the barn. Until he stepped in the big glop of cow manure.

“Damnit!” he muttered, hopping on one foot toward the grass to clean his boot.

“Wait a minute,” he said, looking at the cows in the paddock behind the latched gate. “How the hell?” he continued, after cleaning his boot and walking over to make sure the latch was still secure.

He only had two cows in the small paddock. Since it wasn’t very big, he decided to check the fence for problems. After walking around the entire thing, and finding no breaks in the fence, he headed back into the barn, mumbling, “I just don’t get it. It’s not like the cows grew arms and opened the latch.”

“Actually I did,” Dale stated.

Thomas poked his head out the barn door. Great, now I’m hearing things too, he thought, after assuring himself that no one was there.

With a shrug, he turned back inside. Once he had the tool he’d came for, he made his way back to the house.

Dale was laughing so hard, milk was squirting from his utters. Elbert jumped when some hit him on the leg.

“Hey, watch it,” he snapped.

“Sorry, man, but that was great.”

“He’s going to figure it out one day and you’ll be sorry,” Elbert admonished.

“Nah, they never figure anything out,” Dale replied with a smirk. “They’re still trying to find the people of Roanoke.”

The Other Woman

Sally watched Jason kiss the “other woman.” She felt the hatred well up. Her stomach was rolling, the sight made her so sick. How can he touch the whore with the same hands he caressed me with this morning, she wondered.

“You had to bring her to our favorite restaurant, you rat bastard,” she whispered under her breath. “Never worrying one of our friends might walk in.”

When the woman laughed it made Sally seethe. Her hand clinched so tightly the metal bit into her skin. When their hands laced across the table, she moved forward.

The look on the woman’s face was enough to convince Sally she knew Jason was married. Her shocked, “Oh my God, your wife!” only cemented her fate.

Arriving at the table, Sally calmly removed the gun from her pocket, shot the woman, then turned to Jason who was sitting in stunned silence. “At least you only lied to one of us,” she proclaimed before shooting him in the crotch. “If you live, I doubt you will have to worry about cheating on another woman,” she continued before raising the gun to her own head then pulling the trigger.