Myth

Fuck this, she said and moved over to the drivers seat. The car was still running and she got herself situated behind the wheel when she heard the passenger side door handle click. Someone was trying to open it but she had locked it when they first parked.

Mary looked out the window but didn't see anything and didn't see a need to stick around and wait for whoever it was to show themselves.

She pulled the lever on the steering column and threw the car into reverse, backing down the access road as fast as she could without running off and hitting a tree. She was terrified to look out the front window and see the spot she had just left but curiosity overrode fear and she looked.

There above where the car had been parked, Jake hung from a tree, a rope around his neck, his legs still twitching. Mary screamed and stopped the car. She wanted to go back to him but knew that whoever had done that was the same one who had tried to get in the car. She knew that by driving away she had probably sealed his fate, the roof of the car being the only thing stopping him from strangling and she was filled with grief.

Mary regained her senses after just a few moments and started driving again, backing out onto the main road and going as fast as she could back to the campus. She only wanted to get to her dorm. It would be safe there and she could call the police. She was driving dangerously fast but didn't care, she had to get back.

Once Mary was in the parking lot, she relaxed for just a second, feeling safe now that she was in a public place. There were only a couple people outside, it was still very cold and curfew was near but a couple was better than no one at all.

She got out of the car and went towards the dorm, she had to use the phone, let the police know so they could go out there to where Jake was. She had only taken a few steps when she remembered her cell phone. It would be a lot faster than walking all the way to the dorm, she though and went back to the car, going to the passenger side where her purse was.

She had only taken a step when she stopped, her mouth opening to scream but nothing coming out. She stood there and trembled, cold chills running all through her body. Hanging from the door handle was a hook. Light from the outside lamps reflected off the steel as it swung back and forth. There were scratch marks around the handle where the person had tried to get in, the point of the hook apparently having trouble finding the door latch.

Mary finally found her voice and screamed, louder than she ever had in her life. The few people in the area came running and one of them finally called the police.

Stuart and Bert sat in the interrogation room and stared at the man sitting across from them. He was a little man, barely five feet six and couldn't weigh more than one hundred fifty pounds soaking wet. In one hand he held a cigarette, holding it to his lips and sucking in the smoke as he stared back at the detectives. His other hand was missing, a bandage that had been put on by the local hospital took it's place.

They had found the man in the ER after looking for him around the school. He worked on the maintenance crew and they had interviewed him after each of the murders. After the incident in the woods, he was forced to go to the hospital because the hook being ripped off his hand had caused the stump to tear open. The hospital had called the detectives as soon as they saw him, having been faxed a request to report anyone with a prosthetic limb who might come into their facility.

The man just sat there and smoked, not saying a word. He knew they'd find out who he was before long. They'd know he had escaped once before so he had to make his move soon, before they took extra precautions.

The three men sat there and stared at each other, neither of them saying a word. Stuart and Bert had agreed before they came in here that something was wrong with the man. He was too confident. He didn't deny the charges but acted as if he were innocent. He didn't ask for a lawyer and so far the only words he had spoken were to tell them he wanted a smoke.

Stuart could wait him out. He was a patient man. All it took was time and eventually they all talked. In the meantime, they would simply sit here and look at each other. Hell, he didn't have anywhere else to go.