A Sinister Case

By

Patricia Shannon

The rain poured down and reduced visibility to near zero, yet some drivers were bold enough to pass. Meryl didn't like it, especially not on this particular evening. She was on her way to a murder scene, a most sinister case with two victims. The circumstances of their death were quite unusual, according to the coroner. Not exactly what she wanted to hear because it meant a long, tiresome investigation. She'd been fishing for more information, but the coroner wouldn't fill her in. "You have to see it for yourself," he said. "I don't want to influence your judgement."

It was odd and unheard of. She had never experienced this before in her 20-year career as a homicide detective. Irritated and at the same time extremely curious, she tried not to think about what she might find at the crime scene. Besides, for now she had to concentrate on the wet road. It was still a ten-minute drive to the address.

She glanced in the rear view mirror. Her face showed signs of fatigue, her black curly hair was all tangled up. "Slashing winds and rain, such perfect weather to commit murder," she thought bitterly.

She became aware of a pair of bright lights closing in on her. "What's that idiot doing?", she said out loud. "Is he out of his mind?" Once more she looked in the mirror. This time however, she freaked out. She almost hit the brake instantly. She was certain a dark shadowy figure swept over the back seat behind her. "I'm hallucinating," she reasoned, "how ridiculous! There's no such thing. It probably was the car behind me. Where is that car anyway?", she wondered. "I haven't seen a turn-off anywhere. Oh well, I probably missed it." She shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to the road ahead.

When she arrived at the crime scene, the coroner's car was still there.

She entered the hallway of the house. It was quiet, too quiet. She felt observed, it was ominous.

She looked around, but she didn't see anyone.

When she entered the living room, the sight was horrific and overwhelming. The coroner was right, this was beyond imagination and quite revolting.

All of a sudden, a fleeting shadow of a distinctly human shape passed rapidly over the far wall. "What on earth was that?" she called out. She was vigilant and already pulled her pistol, when a voice spoke from a dark corner in the room. "Now you've seen it with your own eyes," he said. She soon realized the words came from the coroner. "Jesus Christ! You scared me!" she exclaimed nerve-wracked. "I could have killed you!"

He walked towards her. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to frighten you! Have a look at this," he continued. He handed her a smart phone and showed her a picture of a dark, human-like entity with no eyes, no facial features. Somehow though it radiated evil intent. Meryl shivered.

"That freaky-looking thing killed this poor couple," the coroner said. "It slashed them to bits with this." He showed her an ancient looking sword.

At that moment, the black shadow re-appeared. It came out of nowhere. It began to swirl around the relic and covered it completely. Meryl froze, her lips tightened. Before she knew it, the coroner's throat got slashed. He fell to the floor, right before her feet. His blood drenched her beige suede shoes. She screamed. This was beyond reasoning. Something untouchable, and evil. She disregarded her task and fled the room as fast as she could. She promised herself she'd never come back to further investigate these murders, before this ghastly thing would kill her too. Hastily she closed the door of her car. Suddenly, a shadow hovered above her. "Who's the idiot now?" it chuckled. She had no time to escape, the darkness engulfed her immediately. Meanwhile, it stopped raining.

The End.