The Crunchie Corner

Xavier had already gone to work and Sam was going through the mail when she seen a small red envelope.

“What’s this?” she asked herself. It didn’t show who it was from. She opened it and put the envelope on the table. In her hand she held the plain white piece of paper. Unfolding it she read:

Do you remember the day we met?

You told me it gets harder, well , it did

I’m coming back from this cell and I’ll take you home with me.

I’m gonna take back the life you stole.

This prison you put me in, HA!, it wasn’t strong enough

You’re running out of places to hide Sam.

Soon. I’ll find you soon.

Sam almost broke down right there. She scrunched up the note and through it in the bin. Running her hands through her dark hair, she didn’t know what to do. Was it a sick joke from those stupid teenagers or was it really him?

‘It couldn’t be him, he’s in jail and will be for a long time.’ She thought. She didn’t want to remember why, but this note opened the doorway to them. The pain, the blood, she had almost died that night, but luckily her boyfriend, Xavier, came in time.

Days passed and Sam calmed down a little about the note.

“It couldn’t have been Damien” she assured herself, over and over in her head.

The phone rang. Sam rolled over and took it off the hook.

“Hello?” she asked sleepily. She glanced at her watch. Twelve thirty-four. No one had answered.

“Hello?” she said again, siting up, slowly getting worried. Dial-tone. They had hung up. She stared at the hand piece and then put it on her bed side table. Sam lied down, not thinking, not moving, just fearing to sleep. The calls came every night at twelve thirty-four. She became edgy, and hardly slept. This went on for weeks but then one day, they stopped. Sam didn’t let her guard down though.

Walking through the town Sam stepped inside the butchers.

“Hi dad, how are you?” She looked at the older man behind the counter.

“ I’m..” he looked down at the counter. 

“What is it?” Sam asked.

“Your mother never came home yesterday afternoon, I’m worried about her.” he said

“I called Raven, your mother’s boss, and he said she left as usual.” He looked at Sam sadly.

“I hope she’s okay” Sam said, but she couldn’t ignore this scared feeling in her stomach.

“Me too sweetheart, me too” Matt said and came around the bench and hugged her.

Sam finished her grocery shopping and put the food in the boot. She walked around to the drivers door and got in the black 2007 Skyline and headed home. It didn’t take long for her to get home because it was a small country town with a river going through the east plain. Heading up into the drive way, Sam noticed a ladder that wasn’t there before. Intrigued she hopped out of her car and headed over to take a look. When she seen it, she wished he hadn’t. Hanging of her second story veranda was a body. But this body had no skin, the internal organs, didn’t seem to be internal anymore. Guts were hanging down and blood was dripping down into a bucket which had a paint brush next to it, sitting in a crimson patch of grass. Running down the walls of the house were the words:

I WANNA SEE YOUR INSIDES. I WANNA KNOW IF THEY ARE THEY AS TASTY AS YOUR MOTHERS!

She ran back to her car and threw up. The image went through her head over and over. She walked unsteadily to the front door, groceries forgotten. Sam screamed. Nailed to the door was the missing skin from the body, now she knew why her mother never went home last night.

The police station was warm, but all Sam could feel was the ache in her heart and the terror in her soul. She looked around the place and seen a little box on Xavier’s desk. It looked like it was from the jewellers. 

“hmm” she mumbled. Before she could pick it up to look, Sergent. Xavier Davies and Lieutenant. Nathan Stoker came in the dingy little office and sat down next to her. For a few minutes they said nothing. Then Sgt. Davies said

“Sam, You can’t go home, but you can go to your father’s farm. Now he knows about your mother I’m sure he’d want some company”.

“Thanks Xavier I’d appreciate that.” She got up and took the coat Nathan handed her.

“Thanks Nath” she said.

“No problem Sam” He replied. “Take my company car Sergent it’s closer to the back entrance.”

“Yes sir” said Xavier. He picked up the little box and put it in his pocket while Sam had her back to him. Xavier put his hand on her back

“Come on Sam” He led her to the back door and held it open for her. She walked outside and the cold air whipped her dark hair around her tanned face. Something caught her eye. Looking at the bushes, she walked a little closer to Xavier. The company car was fairly new and recently cleaned. She got in and sighed. Xavier started the car and a deep rumble filled the night. Slowly, they headed to Matt’s farm.

The headlights shone on a sign out front. ‘Private Property’. The house was two story and made of fibro and wood, painted light blue on the outside.

“Well here we are” Said Xavier“Go on and get some sleep”. Sam nodded and kissed him goodbye.

He picked the lock, grabbed his rope from of the ground and opened the door slowly. It was dark.

“Perfect” he thought. Damien looked around. Pictures hung on the wall, Sam was in most of them. Turning to the left he saw wooden stairs leading up. He walked over slowly, so he didn’t make any noise and started to climb them. He started to feel excited. He hadn’t tasted raw flesh since he killed Lilith. Now, he was craving it. He paused at the first  room and opened the door. He saw Matt sleeping. Raising a double edged dagger, he brought it down across his neck. Blood splattered on the wall and flowed out of the gash.

“No need to play with this one” he thought. Going back out he checked another room but Sam wasn’t in it.  Retreating from that room he saw that there was only one door left. He heard shuffling, so as the door opened he pounced onto Sam and looped his rope around her neck and pulled. She tried to fight but he pulled harder. She tried to scream out but he pulled harder still. Sam tried to grope for it but it was no use. Slowly she slumped to the floor, Damien let go. He knelt beside her and was ready to carve in, but he had let go of the rope too early, she fell on purpose. She brought up her fist and punched him in the face. Taking the distraction Sam jumped up and started to run downstairs. The door was open so she flew out. Knowing her father kept his car in the barn she started to run for it. Damien was following her but she still had distance between them. Opening the barn door violently she went in, over the other side was a 2006, white Ford Falcon. She went over to the car and tried to open it.

“Dammit. I didn’t get the key”. She started to feel closed in and trapped. Damien entered, and a crooked smile played on his lips.

“Now I have you Sam. No police boyfriends to help you this time.” With that he lunged. Sam was too scared to move and was stabbed. She cried out in pain. While he was regaining footing she turned around to the tool bench and found a small sickle her father used on his fields. Grabbing it she turned around and brought it down across his back. He fell to the floor, blood making a pooling around him. He writhed in pain and she backed out of the door. Running back to the house she burst in and threw herself at the phone and picked it up and dialled Xavier’s number. He answered.

“Thank god” she said to her self.

“Hello?” He said, sounding tired.

“Xavier, please come over now. Damien is here and I hurt him, but I don’t know how long he’ll be out for  ”. she slid onto the floor and sobbed

“Shh .. its gonna be ok. Im getting in the car now. He wont hurt you again I promise.” He said and hung up.

 Still sitting in the living room she decided to go back out to the barn. When she got there however he wasn’t there. Horror swelled up in her brain and a lump formed in her throat. There was a sharp crack as Sam was hit on the head from behind. She fell to the floor. Rolling over she seen Damien standing over her. Pain elevated through her arm. She looked over and seen he had nailed it to the floor. She looked back up at him and seen he had he fathers electric nail gun in his hand. Blood was finding it’s way down her arm and to the floor. She tried to lift it but the nail was in too firmly.

“Why are you doing this” she cried.

“WHY IS IT ME?!”  He didn’t answer. Instead he got her other arm and held it down. More pain. Another nail lodged itself through her other arm and into the floor. She was swinging her legs wildly trying to kick him but he dodged her attempted attacks. She broke down and  swore at him, asking him why he was doing this to her. Still he didn’t answer. He smacked her across the face. She whimpered and he laughed. Walking away for a moment she heard the clinking of tools. When he came back she seen a gutting knife her father used to use on the fish he caught.  Damien ripped off her night shirt and used it to gag her. Sam’s skin was smooth and moistened with sweat. He got the knife and slowly he traced over her skin, not hard enough to make a mark, but hard enough to hurt. She watched, sweating and scared.

“Please hurry Xavier” she thought. He licked her sweat. Up her stomach and around her breasts. She closed her eyes  in disgust.

‘Plese let this end. PLEASE’ she was calling to Xavier harder and harder in her mind. Damien hardened his grip on the knife and sliced a deep straight line through her. From the bottom of her breasts to the bottom of her belly button. Blood was spilling out of her.

“We cant leave a big mess now can we?” Ray said. So he leant forward and started lapping it up like a hungry dog.

Sam tried to move but she was too weak. Dizziness made her vision blurry. She knew she was going to die. The pain was ebbing at the line of her consciousness, then, every thing became dark and there was no more pain.

Xavier sped through the town up to Matt’s farm, hoping Sam was alright. He would never forgive himself if she wasn’t.

Damien had finished his little drink so he reached into Sam’s dead body and started to carve away. Like a lion, he ripped into it, chunks slipping down his chin and falling to the floor. When he was finishing up he heard a car pull in. She must have call the police when she had knocked him down. Silently he climbed out of the barns back window and disappeared into the night.

Xavier ran up to the front door and up the stairs. Seeing the first open door he went in and saw Matt, throat cut and dead in a pool of blood. Backing out he went in to the others but Sam was nowhere. Running back down stairs he checked the rest of the house. Nothing. He hurried out side, worried. That’s when he saw the barn door was wide open. Rushing over he went in. He scanned the inside of the building, and he seen her.

“No … NO please no.” He fell to his knees next to her body. It was a horrible sight. Half naked, sliced, mutilated and nailed to the floor, she lay. He pried her arms from the floor and held her close. He felt her blood seep into his clothes, but he didn’t put her down.

“Sam” He said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you this time, I tried, I did but I was too late.” He laid her down and called on his belt radio for a morgue team and back up. Going back to his car to wait,  he got out a little box and opened it, inside was a gold ring.

“I was going to marry you Sam, BUT YOU KILLED HER BASTARD!.” He slammed it shut and shoved it in his pocket. He slid to the ground and wept. He yelled at himself for not getting there in time, and he yelled for not saving Matt or Lillith and he cried for Sam. Regaining composer he looked to the sky and making a vow, he said

“I will find him Sam, but next time ... he wont be going  to jail.” He fingered his gun as his words were carried off into the night.