by Willow Rose
So, finally, they were able to move into their new house and begin a brand new life for themselves. It was in Sonderho, the second largest city on the island. A perfect place for the two of them to start all over.
They couldn’t agree on whether to pay for a moving company or just do everything themselves. Camilla thought it would be nice to have people do the hard work for her, while Mikkel said they had to be sensible with their money now…that they couldn’t just throw it around like she used to.
“We have a big car. We don’t have much stuff anyway. We can fit it in my sister’s mini-van,” he said. “We might have to make a few trips, but we’ll still save a lot of money.”
They fought about that for a couple of hours, and then settled on renting a moving truck, so they only had to make the trip once.
Now they had moved all their stuff and were standing in their messy living room filled with boxes and bags, Mikkel grabbed two beers, and handed one to Camilla.
“Light beer?” Camilla complained. “I hate light beer.”
“Yeah, well I love it,” Mikkel said and opened his.
Camilla opened hers, as well, even if it was a little reluctantly.
“To our new home,” Mikkel said, as they toasted.
Then they drank. Camilla wiped away her black hair that was constantly in her face. Her tongue was playing with the new piercing in her lip. “I don’t want the couch to be over here; I want it over there,” she said, and pointed to the corner.
“What?” Mikkel said.
Camilla drank from her beer. “That’s the way it’s gonna be, and you know it,” she said, after swallowing.
“Never,” Mikkel said.
“Why are you fighting me on this?” she asked. “You know I’ll get my way at some point.”
“No. Not about this. You got to choose that hideous couch. Now I want to say where it goes. If that thing is going to be in my living room, it has to be right there where I put it.”
“Nope,” she said.
“It will,” he said.
“No, it won’t,” she said.
“I don’t want it over there. That’s the worst place to put a couch. You can hardly get past it and walk into the kitchen. Why don’t you think before you speak?”
“Why don’t you think?” Camilla said, mocking him.
But Mikkel didn’t reply. Instead, he walked to the window and looked into the dusk.
“What are you doing?” Camilla asked. What was he up to? He was ruining a perfectly good fight.
“I think I saw something,” he said.
Camilla scoffed. “Like what? There’s nothing on this island.”
“It looked like someone was looking in,” he said.
“Let me see,” Camilla said, and walked to the window in her black army boots. “Pah, there’s nothing there.”
“There was someone. I’m certain. I’m not lying to you,” Mikkel said, his face turning red in distress. She always thought he was such a wuss. He hated that. “I’m not making this up.”
“You’re being ridiculous. No one is there,” Camilla said. “Let’s unpack a few more boxes and then go to bed.”
45
August 2014
MIKKEL GRABBED A few more books from the box and put them on the shelf. Camilla was upstairs in the bedroom, making the bed so they could soon get some sleep. Mikkel was exhausted. He hated moving, and hoped this was going to be the last time for many years. This was the place he wanted to stay; he wanted to have children here and grow old here. He wanted to grow old with Camilla.
Camilla was of a completely different opinion, of course. She wasn’t ready to settle yet, she kept telling him. She wasn’t like him. She wasn’t able to stay in the same place for long. She would always tease him about being too sensible, so boring, and she would call him an old man in a young man’s body. She wanted to live in many places, many different cities, and even different countries. Just the thought exhausted Mikkel even further.
But, he loved her. He loved her more than anyone he had ever had close to him in his life. He had no idea he was even capable of loving anyone this much. It was overwhelming. So, they fought a lot. It didn’t matter. They kind of liked it. Both of them did. Camilla was feisty, and it was very good for Mikkel to be with her. She was the perfect counterpart. She would keep him on his toes, and with her, he would never grow old and dull like his parents had.
That was his worst fear…ending up like them. He liked stability, yes, but there was a part of him that was almost as terrified of it as Camilla was. He had seen what it had done to his parents.
Mikkel smiled at the thought of their crazy wedding. It hadn’t been exactly the way his mother had pictured it, that was for sure. It had been held at a graveyard, the music was death metal, and everyone had worn black. Even Camilla.
It had amused Mikkel to see his mother’s face during the ceremony…her mouth looking like she had eaten a bitter lemon. Her lips had been tight and colorless. Oh, how he had loved it. And so had Camilla. It had been a perfect wedding, in her wonderfully twisted mind. It had reminded him more of Halloween or a movie by Tim Burton. But he had let her have it her way, even though it was strange for him as well…because he loved her and he wanted to make her happy.
Mikkel whistled and put more books on the shelf. Yes, there were many things the two of them didn’t agree upon, but their love was indisputable. They were going to be very happy in this cozy little house on this strange island. Mikkel just knew they would.
Mikkel looked inside the box to see how much was left.
It’s almost empty. Just a few more books, and then you’re done. Then, you can go to bed.
Mikkel whistled again, then reached down to grab the last books when he heard something. He looked up. It sounded like it came from the yard. Mikkel walked to the window, where he thought he had seen someone earlier.
Who was out there? A hobo looking through their trash? An animal of some sort? The house had been empty for a long time. Who knew what creatures might be used to living out there, or even humans maybe?
Mikkel had lived in a city all of his life and wasn’t used to the darkness or wildlife they had on this island. He peeked out the window, but couldn’t see anything. Then he heard another sound. It sounded like the garden door slamming. There it was again. Was it the wind? It kept slamming.
Better go out and close it properly, he thought to himself. With that noise it makes, we’ll never get any sleep tonight.
Mikkel found his clogs and put them on. It wasn’t too cold outside yet. Summer was almost over, and Mikkel didn’t look forward to the fall. He hated the cold, and had often dreamt about moving to a warmer country.
That’s it. Next time Camilla demands a change, I’ll tell her we’ll move to Spain. If I can’t grow old here in this house, then we might as well move far away. It would be good to get away from the old folks anyway.
He thought the thought, but knew he would never follow through. It was too much trouble. How would he even get a job there?
Mikkel walked out the back door and into the yard, where the door was slamming again and again. He walked towards it, when suddenly, lights were turned on.
“What the…?” Mikkel said.
The big tree at the end of the yard was dressed in colorful Christmas lights. Mikkel couldn’t recall the tree having lights in it when he was in the yard earlier today. He stared at it in disbelief, when suddenly, a big sign was folded out between two of the smaller trees.
WELCOME
Mikkel read it, not knowing what to make of it. Who had put it there? Who had put up the lights?
“SURPRISE!”
The words came from behind the tree. A man came out from behind it. He was wearing sunglasses, even though the sun had set long ago.
“Excuse me?” Mikkel asked.
The man approached him. He was holding a bottle in his hand. Mikkel found it all a little strange.
“Surprise!” he said again. He came up close to M
ikkel. He was smiling. “It’s a surprise party. To welcome you home.”
Mikkel looked at the man. Was he for real? What the heck was this?
“I…But…but no one is here. It’s just you?” he said, and scanned the yard to see if there could be others hiding behind the trees.
“I am your party,” the man said, right before he slammed the bottle into Mikkel’s head.
46
August 2014
VICTOR WOKE UP screaming that night. I ran to his room to help him calm down. His little body was shaking all over. His PJs were soaked in sweat.
“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!”
“I’m here, Victor. I’m right here next to you. It was just a bad dream.”
Victor lifted his head. I could tell he was looking at me, and I spotted his beautiful eyes between his curls.
“Scarecrows don’t talk, Mommy. Scarecrows don’t talk!”
I stared at my son. I didn’t understand why he was saying this to me. Was it something from his dream? “No, of course they don’t,” I said. “Did you dream of scarecrows?”
“No, Mommy. No. Scarecrows don’t talk. Scarecrows don’t talk!”
He was yelling at me now. I hated that I didn’t understand why he was saying this. I could tell it was very important to him.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I don’t understand…I don’t know why you’re telling me this.”
“It’s from that movie again.”
I turned my head and spotted Maya in the doorway. My heart dropped. “The same movie?” I asked.
Maya nodded. She yawned.
“But…but why? Why is he saying this in the middle of the night?” My heart was racing, while Victor kept repeating the same sentence over and over again.
“Scarecrows don’t talk. Scarecrows don’t talk…”
It was about to drive me crazy. My heart was pounding in my chest. I had a feeling I had to react to this somehow. The last two times Victor had quoted this movie, people had ended up dead. I couldn’t just listen to this. I couldn’t live with myself if someone was killed tonight and I hadn’t done anything about it. I had to do something.
But I had no idea what.
Then it struck me. The killer went after people who had just bought new houses!
“I’m going to do something about this, Victor, don’t worry about it,” I said, then stormed downstairs and grabbed my laptop. I opened my mailbox. I had subscribed to real estate listings a long time ago, while trying to find a house for my father when he wanted to move here. I received e-mails every day about new houses that had been placed on the market, and about houses that had just been sold. It was a long shot, but maybe…
I scrolled to the e-mail I had received earlier that day, but there were no sold houses. I slammed my fist into the table. It had been a long shot, I knew, but somehow, I had hoped that I could…
If they moved in today, then they would have bought the house earlier. Maybe a couple of days ago, maybe even longer.
I searched my inbox and found all the e-mails I had received from the local realtor for the entire month. I started opening them, one after the other. It didn’t take long before I found it. The latest sold house on the island was a small two bedroom yellow brick house on the south side, in Sonderho.
The other killings had been here in Nordby. Would he move away from his comfort zone? I looked at my watch. It was almost midnight. It took about fifteen minutes to reach to the other end of the island. It wasn’t a very long drive. But, I did, of course, risk that he was attacking someone here in Nordby while I was gone. I scrolled through a few e-mails. No, there hadn’t been any other houses sold on the island for weeks, it appeared.
It was a chance I had to take.
47
August 2014
“DO I HAVE to go?”
Sophia looked at me from the doorway. “I mean, I have the kids and everything.”
“Isn’t your mom still here?” I asked.
Sophia sighed. “It’s late, and I’m really tired. Besides, it’s just a hunch you have. Why do I have to be involved?”
“You’re the only one I know who owns a gun,” I said, and corrected my shirt. I had put it on backwards, getting dressed in a hurry, while telling Maya to look after her brother while I was gone.
“Hey, your boyfriend has one too. Can’t you take him?” Sophia asked, while getting dressed very reluctantly.
“Hurry up,” I said to her. “You know how things are with Morten. If I called him about this, he’d only think I was doing it to get close to him. Could you imagine if we drive down there and there’s nothing? It would be so embarrassing. He’d think I made it all up. He’d think I was all pathetic and desperate.”
“You are desperate,” Sophia said.
“That might be, but I’m not pathetic. Now, grab that gun of yours, tell your mom you’re leaving, and join me in the car.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A minute later, we were both in the car, driving out of Nordby. I had my navigation direct us to the right address. My stomach was feeling all kinds of things…mostly nervousness, I think, and a little fear. No, that’s a lie. It was a lot of fear.
“So, what you’re telling me is that you believe the killer is going to kill these people, and we’re heading there?”
“I just have to make sure these people are alright,” I said. “I won’t shut an eye till I’m sure they’re fine.”
“We’re going to be on the news, you know that, don’t you?” Sophia asked.
“I don’t care if they think I’m crazy. I just have to make sure.”
I looked at the gun in Sophia’s hands. I sure hoped it would do its job and protect us, once again, if it came down to it. But the fact was, neither of us was very handy with a gun. I had never shot one before. Sophia had hurt a guy once when he entered her house trying to attack her. But, even then, she had just shot him in the shoulder. Would that be enough protection? Neither of us really wanted to hold it, let alone shoot someone. I, for one, was terrified of killing someone.
“You have reached your destination,” the navigation said.
I parked the car in front of the yellow brick house. The lights were on inside. Sophia looked at me. Then, she shrugged.
“Here goes nothing.”
We got out of the car, and started walking towards the house. I felt awkward, like it was all a dream.
We walked to the front door. I had no idea what to do. Should we knock? There were two cars parked on the street. A gray one further down the road, and then a red one closer to the house. The couple’s car was in the driveway.
I found a doorbell and rang it. No one answered. I grabbed the handle. It was locked. Then I knocked, in case the bell didn’t work. Still, no answer.
“There was light on in the backyard,” I said. “Let’s go around and see if everything is alright.”
Sophia hesitated as we reached the tall gate leading to the door. “I really don’t want to spend the night in jail for breaking and entering,” she said. “These people are going to think we’re nuts, Emma. Is it really worth it?”
I grabbed the gun from her hand. It was heavier than I had imagined. Maybe it was the responsibility that came with it. “I’ll go in alone, then.”
“Be careful, Emma. Shoot first and ask questions afterwards.”
“Is that how you usually do it?” I asked.
“Just be careful. I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to you.”
“Then you better pray that nothing does,” I said, and grabbed the rusty handle on the old wooden gate. I pulled it open and stepped in.
I didn’t even feel the gun drop to the ground, until I heard the sound. After that, all I heard was my own scream.
48
August 2014
THE SCREAM MADE Jesper Melander stop what he was doing. From inside the bedroom, he had heard the doorbell, then the knock, but figured that whomever it was, they would go away eventually when no one answered the door.
/> But, they hadn’t. The bastards had walked into the yard and seen it. Seen his work.
But it’s not done yet!
Jesper growled angrily. The girl on the bed was moaning. He had knocked her out with the metal rod that was now on the floor with her blood on it, but he hadn’t killed her…not yet. First, he wanted to undress her and give her his present.
He had it in his bag right next to him.
Jesper sprang for the window and spotted a woman standing in the yard. He knew her. He knew who she was. She was holding a hand to her face and screaming. On the ground next to her lay something.
A gun.
Another woman came storming through the gate. Now, she saw his unfinished work as well, and started screaming too.
Jesper growled, then cursed. Why they were destroying everything for him? The whole plan, the masterpiece he was making in the yard.
Think fast, Jesper. Think fast!
The only way out, as he saw it, was to walk down there and attack the two women, kill them, and put them up on a pole next to the husband.
But they might fight; they might use the gun.
Jesper was terrified of guns. There weren’t many things that scared him, but guns did. Especially in the hands of unpredictable people.
Someone might have heard them scream. Someone might have heard them. The place will be crowded in just a few moments. It’s time to go. Time to run for it.
Jesper glanced at the beautiful girl on the bed. She was still moaning in pain. He felt so drawn to her at this moment. He enjoyed watching people in pain. It was his favorite part of it all. Now, it had all fallen apart.
Should I just kill her? Stab her right here?
No. There wasn’t enough time. He wanted her awake when he stabbed her. That was his favorite part of the killings.
There’s no time, you fool. Do it quick. Then get out of here!
Jesper found the knife and walked over to the woman. He lifted the knife into the air and closed his eyes. Oh, the smell of a fresh kill. He would enjoy it, make the best of it, even if she wasn’t awake to see how her life ended.