Face Behind the Mask

by Leo King

  Alexia felt her pulse and temperature increase. She was sure that if the culprit was still around, she’d cave his head in with a kick. “What happened?”

  The police officer pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Are you Miss LeBlanc? I’m Officer Ernest Penfold.”

  “Yes, I am,” Alexia said.

  Patty had buried her face in Mark’s chest and was sobbing.

  “What happened?” Alexia asked again.

  “Your friend here had a bit too much to drink and started fooling around with one of the fraternity boys. Things got a little heated, and he went overboard. You know how guys can be.”

  She felt her temperature rise even more. “Wait, he tried to rape her?”

  Officer Penfold shrugged. “I don’t think it got that far, Miss LeBlanc. Your friend here screamed so loud, half the party came running. They pulled him off and gave us a call.”

  She looked at the house. Music and artificial fog were pouring out. She harrumphed. “Doesn’t sound like they stopped the party for long. Can’t you shut them down?”

  “For what? They’re keeping the noise at ordinance level, and there aren’t so many in there as to break fire codes. The guy has been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. All we need is for you to get your friend home.”

  Feeling her blood pound in her veins, she said, “And that’s it? Some drunken douche tries to rape my best friend and this is all you do?” She stuck her finger under the officer’s nose. “I want that son-of-a-bitch arrested for sexual assault, do you hear me?”

  With a scowl, Officer Penfold said, “I’d put that finger down before you end up spending the night in jail. No one saw what happened, and there’s no evidence of an assault. Now, she has the right to press charges, but without witnesses, it’s gonna be a tough case.”

  “No evidence?” Alexia said, incredulous. “Her fucking dress is half ripped off!” She only swore when truly enraged.

  Mark cleared his throat. “Alexia, please.”

  Grinding her teeth, she glowered at him.

  He ignored her. “Officer, forgive her. Patty is her best friend. Let us just take her home and call it a night.”

  Officer Penfold looked back and forth between her and Mark, then snorted. “Fine, but just watch your asses going back to campus. Remember, some Emory students are still missing.” He spat to the side and got into his car.

  “We will, Officer. We will.”

  Alexia was still glaring as the officer drove off. When Mark approached her, half-dragging Patty along, Alexia pointed at him. “And you! What the spit was that about? I’m trying to look out for my friend here.”

  Although Mark stepped back, he locked eyes with her, his gaze unflinching. “I’m not your enemy, Alexia. I know you’re angry, but you were about to get in serious trouble. Don’t you remember you’re on permanent probation? You know, from kicking that sorority girl in the head during hazing? One more slip-up, on or off campus, and you’re done. No more scholarship and no more Emory.”

  She sighed, feeling the will to argue drain from her. It was why she made sure to miss when throwing pens at people. She was constantly walking the line. “Fine. Let’s just get Patty back to the dorm. Think we can get those frat boys to call us a cab?”

  Patty, who was still sniffling, looked up from Mark’s shirt, which was now soaked. “Actually, Alexia, can we walk?”

  Shaking his head, Mark suddenly sounded nervous. “Um, that is not a very good idea. You heard what the policeman said. It’s not safe.”

  “Please, Mark. Pleeeease!” Patty eyes were pitiful and doe-like. “I need the fresh air and a chance to clear my head.”

  When Mark looked helplessly at Alexia, she said, “I think we’ll be fine. We can cut across the Druid Hills Golf Course.”

  “But, Alexia…” He was so anxious, his forehead was sweaty.

  What’s with him? She put it aside for now, figuring that if there was something going on, he’d tell her. After all, they didn’t keep secrets. “Don’t worry, honey. No one will mess with us. I am in a right good ass-kicking mood.”

  Mark sighed, defeated. “Fine. Just… let’s be careful, OK?”

  She clenched her fist. “Like I said. This is the wrong night for someone to mess with me.”

  The Druid Hill Golf Course, a private country club, had a tall wall around the property to ward off intruders. However, the locks on the gates were perpetually broken, and it was common knowledge that although Emory students were forbidden to go there, pretty much everyone used it as a shortcut late at night. And at that moment, Alexia couldn’t care less about school rules. All she cared about was getting Patty safely home.

  Walking along the fairways, the scent of freshly mowed lawn all around her and the grass crunching at her feet, she could see house lights on one side and the darkness of Fernbank Forest on the other. Ahead was Emory’s campus. She figured that they had about an hour before they got to their dorms.

  Mark quietly walked by her side, holding her hand, while Patty was on her other side, hugging her arm for protection. Suddenly, Patty stopped walking. She just stood there, her head down. “Hey, guys?”

  Alexia, who had been keeping an eye out for potential threats, let go of Mark’s hand and rubbed Patty’s shoulders. “Yeah? What’s up?”

  Patty’s lips were trembling. “Thank you. Ya know, for always being there for me. I know I’m a dummy. I always make terrible choices like tonight. But whenever you two are around, I feel like I can make it.”

  Alexia’s heart swelled. She kissed Patty on the top of the head. “I’m here for you. All will be well, I promise. You’ll be OK.”

  Mark came up behind Patty, still seeming nervous. “Yeah. You’ll be fine, Patty. Let’s get back to the dorm and make some of Alexia’s special herbal tea.”

  “Yes,” Alexia said. “We can listen to your favorite music, too. Anything you like.”

  Now Patty smiled, soft and trembling. “That would be nice.” Then she started shifting from foot to foot. “Only one problem. I really, really gotta pee.”

  The sudden change in topic was so abrupt, Alexia couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing that they were at the ninth hole, she scouted ahead until she saw a set of restrooms. They were unlocked, with the doors open and the lights off.

  “We can use those,” Alexia said, leading the others over.

  Mark bit his bottom lip, eyes darting around. “All right, but hurry up.”

  She tapped his shoulder. “You OK?”

  He nibbled his lip. “Just don’t want to get in trouble.”

  But she could tell he was hiding something. She frowned. “What’s wrong, honey?”

  When he shook his head, she said, “Humph. Fine. Let’s just go to the bathroom. Then we can get out of here, Mister Nervous Nelly.”

  It only took them a minute to do their business. The bathrooms were surprisingly spotless and smelled of pine cleaner. Mark, who said he didn’t have to go, kept a lookout. That only made Alexia frown more. She felt like he was hiding something.

  Outside, Patty was cocking her head toward the men’s room. Curious, Alexia went over and did the same. Inside was heavy breathing, followed by a deep guttural groan.

  What the heck? Is it a wild animal?

  Alexia gathered her nerve and crept forward. Patty grabbed her hand and pulled back, terrified. “No. Don’t!”

  “It’ll be OK. I’m just going to look. If it’s some sort of dangerous animal, we’ll need to call the police.” She patted Patty’s hand, then held it and glanced back toward Mark, who was several yards away and scanning the course. “Come on, before he notices and gets all anxious or something about us going into the men’s room.”

  She slipped forward along a short stretch of interior wall that opened into the main restroom. Patty snuck along beside her, clutching her hand with a vise-like grip. At the edge of that wall, Alexia steeled herself, said a quick prayer, and peeked around the corner.

  She was not expecting what she saw.
r />   Chuck was standing at the far wall while Marcie was on her knees in front of him. Even though her head obfuscated what she was doing, it was absurdly apparent. His moans of pleasure, resonating in the bathroom’s acoustics, made the low guttural groan Alexia had heard.

  Her cheeks were burning as she ducked back behind the wall.

  Patty’s expression instantly went from scared to inquisitive. She ducked under Alexia and stuck her head around the corner. Her shoulders dropped. “Jeez, Marcie! Can’t you wait to get back to the dorm?”

  Alexia heard Marcie cry out in panic and Chuck stumble around. Rubbing her face, she then joined Patty. Marcie was busy trying to fix her hair, and Chuck was zipping up his pants, irritated. “Fucking hell, Mar-mer. You said no one would come by here.”

  “Oh, screw you, Chucky-Chuck!” Marcie washed out her mouth in the sink and glared at Alexia and Patty. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

  The fire still glowed in Alexia’s cheeks as she looked away.

  “We were using the other bathroom,” Patty said, folding her arms. “Although we were being quiet compared to you two.”

  Alexia’s cheeks just grew hotter as Marcie paused and then slowly grinned.

  Oh, come on. That’s not what we—

  “Oh, I get it now,” Marcie said, smirking in a rude and condescending way. “Now I see why you won’t let poor Mark into those pants of yours. Awesome Alexia is a carpet muncher.”

  Slapping her palm to her forehead, Alexia said, “No, you dumbass, that’s not it at all. Tell them, Patty. Please.”

  Instead, Patty put an arm around her and started running her fingers around her stomach. “Oh, yes, you know it, Marcie the Martian Man-Mounter. Alexia and I are so gay, we make Ellen Morgan look like she loves the dick. And Alexia here is so butch. Can’t you tell? Did you know she had a tattoo of Emily Dickinson on the inside of her right thigh?” She quivered and sucked in a shudder.

  “Are you out of your freaking mind?” Alexia pushed her away, glaring.

  Patty shrugged and motioned at Marcie as if to blame the entire thing on her.

  And Marcie apparently bought the outrageous story as she laughed cruelly. “Wait until I tell everyone tomorrow. Oh, this is going to go in the campus dirt rag. I can see it now, ‘Awesome Alexia Digs Skinny Chicks.’”

  Chuck laughed as well. “No, no, wait! How about this: ‘Angry Alexia Now Lesbian Lexi.’”

  “Uh-oh,” Patty muttered.

  Alexia’s jaw tightened and her temples pounded. That nickname was one of the few things that could make her lose her temper. She rushed over to him, grabbed his collar, and pulled his nose to hers. “Never call me Lexi, you dick!”

  Just then, a loud, deep croaking sound tore through the night air like the rumble of approaching thunder. The fluorescent lights of the restroom flickered on and then went off. Alexia was momentarily blinded.

  Marcie cried out. “What the hell was that?”

  Alexia let go of Chuck, who stumbled back into a stall, yelping. “Ah! Mar-Mer!”

  The air started getting chilly, more so than usual for a spring evening. In the dark, Patty grabbed her arm. “Alexia? What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know! I don’t—”

  The lights flashed on again, and Alexia saw Marcie stumbling around, crying out, “Chuck? Chucky-Chuck?”

  Then the lights went out, and Alexia was blind again. She heard Mark from the entrance of the bathroom. “Alexia! Patty! Where are you?”

  “We’re in here!” she yelled.

  Again, Marcie called out, “Where are you, Chucky-Chuck?”

  The lights flickered on again, and Alexia saw Marcie in the center of the restroom, her hands out as she blindly moved forward. Chuck was staggering at the entrance of the stall where he had fallen. The lights went out again, and Alexia was blinded once more. Patty buried her face against her arm.

  This is freaking me out! Alexia thought.

  As Marcie continued to plead for Chuck, another loud, deep croaking sound flowed through the air. Marcie and Patty squealed, and Alexia’s body locked up as fear rippled through her very being.

  Then Mark shouted, “Get out of there, now!”

  The lights flickered back on. Chuck was nowhere to be found.

  Patty bawled, “What the hell? Where did he go?”

  “Chuck? Chucky-Chuck?” Marcie continued tripping as the lights went out again.

  “Alexia! Patty! Please come out!” Mark sounded frantic. “I’m coming in!”

  This time, Alexia had been ready, closing her eyes as the lights went on and then opening them right after they went out. The result was that she could see better in the dark than before. She met Marcie, who was stumbling blindly around, in the center of the restroom.

  “Who’s that?” Marcie whimpered.

  “It’s me, Alexia!”

  “Where’s my honey? Where’s my Chucky-Chuck?”

  Alexia couldn’t see him. “I don’t know. He was right there, and now he’s gone!”

  Patty whined. “Alexia, let’s go. I’m scared!”

  Closer now, Mark said, “Everyone, please listen. We have to leave.”

  Another deep croak rumbled throughout the room, making the light fixtures shake. Marcie stomped her feet. “Enough! Enough! Enough!”

  Then the lights came back on, and Marcie grabbed Alexia’s shirt. Mark was to the side of them both, his face pale with terror, reaching for them.

  Alexia pulled back. “Let go, Marcie!”

  “Shut up, you psycho-bitch! Everyone’s right, you’re a damn time bomb waiting to go off. You tell me where my Chuck is, Lexi, or so help me—”

  Marcie stopped as liquid started dripping on her and Alexia’s faces. Alexia smeared some off and inspected it. It was hot, had a pungent, metal smell, and was a deep, dark red.

  Blood.

  Patty started blubbering, “No, no, no, no, no, no…”

  Slowly, their faces paling, everyone looked up.

  Chuck was pressed up into the ceiling as if his body was a part of it. His arms and legs were pulled back and covered by a pool of deep red blood. His skin was as white as porcelain, his veins as black as pitch, his eyes bloodshot, and his jaw opened so wide that it seemed unhinged. All around him were tiny black tendrils worming in and out of his flesh like maggots eating carrion. His eyes were filled with pain and panic as he focused on everyone. His throat tensed, his tongue dripped down like a droplet of water on a string, and from his mouth issued forth the most disturbingly deep and rattling croak.

  Alexia, Patty, Mark and Marcie all shrieked as the lights went out.

  Still screaming, Alexia and Patty stumbled back. In front of them, Marcie screeched even louder as the blood dripped down on her like a deep, crimson shower.

  As Patty trembled against Alexia, Mark grabbed her shoulders. “We gotta go.”

  Then Alexia’s survival instincts kicked in. She scrambled to her feet and yanked Patty with her. “Patty! Run!”

  Mark grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the exit. All three of them stumbled out of the bathroom into the cool night air. They tripped at the entrance and fell over each other. Her breasts impacting the ground was painful, and she rolled to the side, crying out. Someone had hit Mark in the groin, and he fell back and retched. Patty clung to Alexia, crying like a little kid. “Ohmigod, ohmigod! What was that?”

  Scooting away from the door and gripping her cross locket, Alexia fought to stabilize the shakes. Despite the courage she thought she had always possessed, this was something she wasn’t prepared for. Every part of her shook with terror. “I don’t know, Patty. I don’t know!”

  From inside the restroom came another cry. Alexia felt helpless as she realized that Marcie was still in there.

  “We need… to run,” Mark groaned.

  Alexia struggled to her feet. “Marcie’s trapped! I gotta get her. I can’t leave her!”

  Patty clung to her and pulled. “Nooooo! Don’t go in theeeeeere!”
<
br />   “I have to! I have—”

  She stopped as Marcie staggered to the door of the restroom. She was covered in blood and had a large gash along her stomach. She held her guts with one hand and reached out with the other.

  “Alexia… Help me… ,” she said. Then suddenly, she was thrown to the ground as if someone had grabbed her feet and pulled.

  Falling to her knees, her body locked up again. Alexia watched in horror as Marcie tried to crawl out. All she could do was reach out to her. “Marcie… ?”

  “Help… me… ,” Marcie said once more, her voice weak. Saliva dripped from her lips. Then she let out a blood-curdling squeal as something yet unseen pulled her back into the darkness of the restroom. The door swung shut.

  Then there was silence.

  Trembling, Alexia stared at the door. Patty was sobbing into her arm. Mark was throwing up. Pushing her fear down into her stomach long enough to engage the flight response, she got up and then helped both Mark and Patty stand. “We’re going. We’re going now. Run. Just run.”

  The three of them sprinted all the way back to campus.

  Chapter 28

  Lullwater

  Date: Saturday, April 22, 1995

  Time: 9:00 a.m.

  Location: Druid Hills Police Station

  Druid Hills, Atlanta, Georgia

  Officer Penfold stopped writing long enough to rub his balding head, scratch his thick, trimmed mustache, and push his glasses back up. “So you saw the first student get sucked inside the ceiling of the restroom and saw the second one dragged back into it by an unknown assailant?”

  Alexia nodded, straining to keep her eyes open. It was nearly nine in the morning, and she hadn’t slept yet. As soon as they had reached the dorms, Mark had told them to stay put until he returned. Then he’d run off.

  But Alexia knew she couldn’t wait. Something inhuman had murdered Marcie and Chuck, and it was likely the same thing behind the other student disappearances. Thinking about what Michael would have done, she contacted campus security, who immediately brought them to the county police.