DR. GRIMM: You can get up now.
With his hands tied behind his back, it takes some work, but Bromley gets up.
DR. GRIMM: (Takes the gun back out and points it at Bromley)
I’m your doctor, John. You can’t outsmart me.
Dr. Grimm smiles and takes several steps backward away from John Bromley.
DR. GRIMM: (Dr. Grimm’s smile grows as he talks)
I’ve got you! You’re all mine! No one will ever know you escaped.
(Laughing)
You’re mine John! You’re mine!
Dr. Grimm laughs some more before finally taking in a deep breath and letting it out.
DR. GRIMM: Whew.
Dr. Grimm continues to hold the gun on John Bromley as he wipes his sweaty brow. He then looks down at the coffee table at a glass of water sitting there.
DR. GRIMM: It’s like I always say. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
He reaches down, picks up the glass of water and gulps it down in one drink. Dr. Grimm lets out a refreshing “ahhh” sound and starts to chuckle again.
Slowly his smile begins to fade. His eyebrows crinkle as something doesn’t feel right. His face begins to tighten into a look of pain.
DR. GRIMM: Owww. Ohhh.
Dr. Grimm begins to cough and his body begins to convulse in pain. A white, foam begins to ooze out of his mouth as his coughing becomes more severe and his body and face continue to contort.
John Bromley looks on curiously as Dr. Grimm drops the gun and falls to his knees, continuing to cough violently as the white foam turns red and streams from his mouth. His body begins to spasm as he falls forward and lets out a few more wheezing coughs before death causes him to lie still.
◆◆◆
FLASHBACK
FRIDAY
Early Afternoon
Ski Mask and Melissa sit in the living room. Both have water in front of them.
MELISSA: A damper?
SKI MASK: The little thing that you open when you’re burning a fire, so that the smoke goes out the chimney…
As he is speaking, Melissa takes a small needleless syringe holding about 3 ccs of clear liquid and quickly pushes it into Ski Mask’s water. She swiftly puts the empty syringe back into her purse as he finishes up his fireplace speech and turns back to her.
SKI MASK: So how’s that water?
Melissa takes a drink.
MELISSA: Good. How’s yours?
She smiles.
◆◆◆
FLASHBACK
THURSDAY
Afternoon
Melissa enters her living room. As she turns the corner she sees Ryan leaning back in a chair staring at her. Ryan is a skuzzy man in his 40’s. His hair is messy and greasy. He wears a white t-shirt with food stains spattering the front.
RYAN: Well, well, well. There she is. I’ve been waiting for you.
Melissa stops in her tracks. Hints of both fear and anger overcome her face.
MELISSA: Ryan. What are you doing here? I told you never to come here!
Ryan launches himself from the chair and slaps Melissa, sending her reeling back against the wall. He gets his face right up to hers.
RYAN: I’ll come here whenever I damn well please!
(Pause)
You forgot to log off of your computer dating site today! I saw all the messages! Planning a date are you?
MELISSA: (Blood drips down her mouth and she dabs it with the back of her hand.)
That’s none of your business!
RYAN: None of my business? I’m your husband!
MELISSA: Bullshit! The divorce will be final next week!
RYAN: And until then I’m still your husband.
MELISSA: All we’re waiting for is paper work! This marriage is over!
RYAN: Don’t you say that! Don’t say it!
MELISSA: Get out of my house!
RYAN: This is my house too!
MELISSA: I owned this house before I even met you! This is my house!
RYAN: Until the divorce is final it’s my house too! You got a problem with that, call the police! Go right ahead, and I’ll tell them all about your little medicine bag.
Melissa quickly calms down and lets out a breath.
RYAN: That’s right. We don’t want to open that can of worms do we sweetheart?
Melissa stares at him, disgusted and furious.
RYAN: (Eases up a bit)
C’mon baby. Give me one more chance. I don’t want things to end like this.
MELISSA: It’s too late.
RYAN: Why? Why does it have to be too late? All I want is for things to be like they used to be. Remember all the good times we had? Remember what it used to be like?
The good old days when you would go out on a date? Remember how we worked that? He’d take you back home. I would hide outside while you poisoned the guy. Then you’d let me in and we’d watch him die together. Do you remember all those times? It was beautiful! We are perfect together! We always have been! Why do you want to throw that all away?
MELISSA: It all changed the day that you hit me! I won’t tolerate that! It’s over! You just have to learn to accept the fact that it’s over!
Ryan’s face turns into a threatening snarl as he grabs Melissa by the throat and crashes her against the wall.
RYAN: It is not over! Give me another chance Just one more chance! Dammit!
(Presses her harder against the wall)
I won’t hit you anymore I promise!
MELISSA: (Stares hard at Ryan before finally speaking)
Friday night.
RYAN: What?
MELISSA: The date is for Friday night. When he takes me back to his house, I’ll let you in and you can watch.
(Smirking, slightly sarcastic)
Just like old times.
Ryan smiles, relaxes and takes his hand off of her throat.
RYAN: That’s my baby. That’s my baby doll.
He kisses her, very sloppily, his tongue going all around her mouth.
Melissa is not kissing him back. She is simply bracing herself, frozen like a statue, seemingly in a numb trance.
◆◆◆
FRIDAY
Late Afternoon
Ryan walks into the living room with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He’s wearing a gas station attendant’s shirt with a name patch of “Ryan” on the left hand side. He stops to take a drink of beer, followed by a drag off of his cigarette and then he subtly scratches his crotch.
He walks into the kitchen, snuffs out his cigarette in an overfilled ashtray on the counter, opens the refrigerator door and pulls out another beer. He swallows down the remainder of his opened beer in one gulp and tosses the can in the trash. As he opens his next beer, a note held up by magnets on the refrigerator door grabs his attention. He pulls it off the refrigerator and reads it.
Ryan. I lied to you. My date was for this afternoon, not tonight. By the time you read this, the date will be over, as will the life of the man I had the date with. I will have watched it by myself. I will have savored every moment. Not just of watching the man die, but reveling in the fact that you are not there to watch with me. It excites me to know how furious you will be as you read this. And I do not fear your wrath, as you will never ever see me again. I’m leaving the state as soon as my deed is done. However, being that I’m not as cold hearted as you, I thought you might like to see my handy work one last time. Below are directions to the house. I’ll leave the door unlocked. Think of it as my going away present to you.
Asshole.
Sincerely, Melissa
Ryan crushes the note in his fist.
RYAN: Bitch!
Ryan exits in a rush.
◆◆◆
FRIDAY
Evening
Ryan walks to the front door of the white Victorian style house. He looks around and knocks gently. He waits a moment and tries the knob. It’s open. He walks in.
Ryan stops and has a pec
uliar look on his face as he sees John Bromley with his hands tied behind him. He is rubbing the rope on the side of the stair bannister, trying to get loose. Dr. Grimm’s body can be clearly seen sprawled out in the middle of the room.
RYAN: What the hell?
John Bromley is wide eyed and surprised.
BROMLEY: Oh, thank God! Untie me quick!
Ryan cautiously walks toward Bromley and eyes Dr. Grimm’s body on the floor.
RYAN: What the hell happened here?
BROMLEY: (Indicating Dr. Grimm with a nod)
This crazy guy burst in and started killing people.
Ryan pans around the room and sees Melissa’s dead body in the chair.
RYAN: Melissa!!!
He rushes to her and stops; his jaw is dropped as he stares at his dead wife.
BROMLEY: Do you know her?
RYAN: (Nods)
She’s my wife.
BROMLEY: Your wife!? Are you sure?
RYAN: (Nodding and sullen)
Yeah. I’m sure.
BROMLEY: I’m so sorry. Uh, look, I don’t mean to come across as insensitive, but would you mind untying me?
RYAN: (Half hearing him)
Huh? Oh, yeah, sure.
Ryan walks to Bromley and begins untying his hands.
BROMLEY: I was talking to her earlier. She never said she was married.
RYAN: Yeah. Well, we’re in the process of getting a divorce.
Ryan finishes untying John Bromley. John lets out a sigh as he rubs his wrists.
BROMLEY: I don’t believe in divorce myself. Once you’re married, you’re married. Until death do you part.
RYAN: (Not really listening to Bromley)
What the hell happened here?
BROMLEY: (Motioning to Dr. Grimm)
This crazy maniac came in here and killed your wife, along with a couple other people. He was going to kill me too, but then drank something from that glass there and he died.
RYAN: (Giving Bromley his attention now)
What glass?
BROMLEY: (Motions to the glass on the floor by Dr. Grimm’s body)
Right there.
Ryan bends down and looks at the glass. He picks it up, inspects it and smiles as he looks at the glass and then at Melissa.
RYAN: (Quietly)
Didn’t turn out quite like you planned, did it darlin’?
BROMLEY: I’m really sorry about your wife, mister. Nothing could be worse than losing a spouse. That is the main ingredient to the perfect family.
RYAN: Well, she had it coming.
Bromley doesn’t appreciate the comment. His expression says so.
Ryan walks to Melissa and kneels down in front of her. He doesn’t even notice John Bromley walking across the room and picking up a shovel that had been sitting in the room. He doesn’t notice John Bromley stepping up behind him and raising the shovel up into the air…
RYAN: (Smiling)
Yep, till death do us part, bitch.
John Bromley brings the shovel down with such force that it instantly caves in Ryan’s skull.
***
John Bromley picks up a knife and brings it down. The knife cuts deep into a cake which is sitting on a platter. Bromley slices it into equal portions and then picks up the platter and walks into the dining room.
Once inside the dining room he stops and smiles.
JOHN BROMLEY: Thank you everyone, for being present during the happiest day of my life. For it is today that I finally have achieved my lifelong dream. And I couldn’t have done it without all of you. The perfect family.
The bodies of Dr. Grimm, Ski Mask, Melissa, Alex & Ryan are all propped up in chairs.
The table is done up in a traditional dinner, Turkey, Dressing, various side items. What one may expect the table to look like on Thanksgiving.
Bromley smiles as he holds the cake and takes in the sight.
A radio is playing in another room of the house and a news report can be heard.
RADIO ANNOUNCER: ...there has still been no official word from the Madisonville Psychiatric Hospital regarding the escape. As far as we know, an escaped mental patient described as extremely dangerous, is still on the loose.
THE END
Maniac on the Loose is also a feature length movie that can be seen for free on Amazon Prime or the Indie Rights Movie Channel through Roku.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“Hudgins is a Horror-Meister to reckon with”
VICTOR MILLER – Writer of Friday the 13th
Steve Hudgins is not only an award winning writer, but he’s also an actor, director & producer.
Steve is the founder of the award winning Production Company, Big Biting Pig Productions.
Steve wrote and directed the movies Maniac on the Loose, GoatSucker, Hell is Full, Spirit Stalkers, The Caretakers and It Lives in the Attic.
He also co-wrote the stage play Killer Cast Party with creative filmmaking partner PJ Woodside and directed the world premiere.
Steve has become so well known for his plot twists that Rogue Cinema compared him to M. Night Shyamalan.
Steve uses a unique style of writing he simply refers to as the “Hudgins Style”.
It’s similar to that of a movie screenplay, but with chapters and slightly more description.
This style tends to keep descriptive portions of the story more generalized, allowing for the reader’s imagination to fill in the remainder of the details.
The “Hudgins Style” pushes the story along at a brisk pace, permitting for an extremely easy read.
You can find out more about all of Steve’s movies and books at:
bigbitingpigproductions.com
Maniac on the Loose Page 7