Sarah Clifford got the call just as she exited her part-time college class. Many on the force mocked her for taking college classes after she joined the force, but after seeing the vision crime scenes she wasn’t sure she could deal with that for a lifetime. No doubt her brother would be upset. He wanted her to do something noble like he was in the military, but Sarah, while adventurous, wasn’t sure she could handle it much longer. She was still young and could leave the force now and get a Bachelors Degree before she turned twenty-four. But her brother had been right about one thing, taking ancient history classes was not likely to land her a high paying job or even a job at all. He mocked her, telling her to practice ‘Do you want fries with that?’ if she left the force to pursue that career. A problem for another day. Hefting her heavy backpack over her shoulder the phone rang from her jeans. Feeling like she just jumped from an airplane and forgot her parachute she answered. Only the dispatcher knew this number…
“Clifford,” Sarah said into the phone. It couldn’t be another vision crime scene, not already.
“Sarah,” Detective Branson said. “We got trouble.” Sarah listened in silence not sure if she should be relieved or not. It wasn’t another vision crime scene but Phillips had gone off and done something stupid just as Carlos had warned her he might. There was a lot of talk about what happened to the people who killed his wife. No official charges were laid at Phillips’ feet but there was a lot of speculation. Had he killed those people? Was he about to do it again?
“I’m on my way,” Sarah said shutting off the phone and racing down the sidewalk sending students spiraling out of her way. Getting into her police car she peeled out of the parking lot, accelerating down the street with the speed of a professional NASCAR racer. As the car siren wailed Sarah grimaced as a feeling of doom descended upon her.
The traffic was terrible and despite experiencing carpal tunnel from pressing the horn repeatedly, it took nearly forty minutes for Sarah to arrive. When she did the scene before her was unspeakable. Stepping out of her car Sarah saw over a dozen parked police cars surrounding a massacre with bodies torn apart as if from cannon fire. In the center of the carnage was Steven Phillips. He stood there atop the farthest car in clothes so drenched in blood that they could have originally been any color. In one hand he effortlessly held a policeman by the neck fully suspended over the side the car. With incredible brutality Steven plunged his free hand into the man’s chest through skin, muscle and bone, tearing out a lump of pulsating flesh a moment later. The man’s frantic struggles ceased and he went limp altogether as blood pooled beneath him. Causally dropping the body to the ground Steven took a large bite out of the still beating heart, grinning widely. Despite this horrific action, it was his eyes that disturbed Sarah the most. They were gone. Only bloody ruins remained with dried clear goo on his cheeks like runny eggs. Looking into those empty sockets Sarah thought she saw a glimpse of a hateful red burning inside. Then the moment passed as gunfire snapped her back to reality, however crazy it had become.
Pulling her gaze from Steven, Sarah saw several cops huddled down taking shots at him, the fear palpable on their faces. She wanted to cry out, to tell them to stop. But the blood on Steven held her back. Sarah couldn’t make sense of the situation. Why was Steven doing this? Frozen by indecision she watched the unreal events play out. With insane reflexes and incredible agility for a newly blind man, Steven leapt from the car, dashing around obstacles with hummingbird precision before vaulting a car and landing next to two policemen. It was almost an act from the three stooges. Steven poked one man in the eyes, his fingers sinking deep inside until his knuckles were stopped by the skull. Twirling he slapped the gun from the other, grinning. Perhaps the man was going to scream but when he opened his mouth Steven shoved his entire hand into his mouth and with a violent jerk tore off his entire jaw. Blood sprayed through the air as the man stared at his own meaty jaw bone in Steven grip, his tongue hanging loosely down like a satanic necktie. Dropping the jaw Steven did an ear boxing move bring both hands together over the man’s ears. Instead of ringing the man’s head, it smashed his skull like squishing over-ripe fruit.
More gunshots erupted from nearby and even a loud boom from a shotgun. Steven jerked, stumbling a bit but was otherwise unaffected moving to the next nearest officer, a middle aged woman wearing an expression of pure terror as Steven reached for her. She managed a single shot that took Steven in the head, dropping him to the ground. For a brief instant Sarah thought it was over but Steven suddenly jumped up right in front of the woman where he pushed her gun aside and embraced her in a bear hug. Sarah could hear the shattering of ribs even from the distance separating them as a mist of blood escaped her lips. Shuddering as the life was squeezed from her Steven lowered his face to hers taking large bites. Sarah had seen enough. Terror nearly overwhelming her she got back into the car buckling up. Slamming the accelerator to the floor Sarah launched the entire car at Steven now holding the lifeless woman in his grasp. He turned just in time to see Sarah plow into him.
The impact shook her bones as the airbag deployed with a hiss that could be heard over the sound of crunching metal on metal as Steven was pinned between two cars. Rocketing forward into the expanding airbag, stars appeared before Sarah’s eyes as her seatbelt strained to keep her in place. Head throbbing, Sarah shook herself just as the figure between the cars moved. Looking past the airbag Sarah’s eyes went wide as she saw Steven, still alive, trying to push her car back. What on earth is he? Sarah thought. Punching down the airbag Sarah put the car, which amazingly still worked, in reverse . Immediately she saw Steven collapse to his knees, shaking himself. As he tried to get up Sarah didn’t give him the chance and hit him again, this time crushing his head between the two cars.
Shakily getting out of the car Sarah walked to the front on wobbly legs, gun in hand. Amazingly, impossibly, Steven was still alive though appeared unconscious. Around her the survivors looked down at the pinned figured, a former colleague, someone they knew who had wrought such havoc. Each of them had only one question in mind…WHY?
Weeks passed and the mystery of Steven went unsolved. It was quickly found that normal lock up didn’t work as Steven tried to kill anyone he could reach. He was now residing in Greenbroch Mental Institution, a place for dangerous individuals with chronic mental issues. The doctors said his violent personality and extreme strength was likely from an overdose of something, causing irreversible damage. The only time Sarah went to see him he was a pitiful sight. Wrapped in heavy chains bolted to the floor he leered at her, apparently having the time of his life. There was nothing left of the man she knew.
Early the next day Sarah got a call to yet another crime scene with vision but this time there was a survivor, someone who witnessed the whole thing. The early responders said the witness was Jerry Price, a frequent resident of the mental institution himself with a list of disorders longer than her arm. Listed as disturbed, but not dangerous he was released from Greenbroch Mental Institution just the previous day after claiming the wall ate his neighbor. Feeling like the rational world was peeling away she sped off to another crime scene. Perhaps this time she could finally get some answers.
The End.
This concludes the prequel to my book Shifter. I hope you enjoyed it.