College Curse Murder

by Candy O'Donnell

  “Patsy Avery was the other girl the police pulled out of the pond,” Sandy mumbled.

  “Oh, yes, the Avery girl was the one we took down long ago.” Hubert grinned with evil running down his face.

  “But you’re here, Sandy and we will enjoy killing you like we did to let’s say the Rochester girl from 78’. What do you say, Hubert?” Samuel replaced his mask and attempted to take a step forward. “These knees are getting to me.”

  “Old age does that, Sam.” Hubert laughed. “We’ll be back for you in a bit. When the sun goes down, and we have our darkness to shroud us from prying eyes.” They both left Sandy alone to fight her shackles.

  It was of no use. Sandy used strength she didn’t have to release herself. They were too strong, and when she noticed one of the knots holding her legs, a memory came flooding back to her. “Yes,” she whispered to herself. “That was the one daddy taught me.” After working it with her hands still tied behind her back, she was at least able to loosen it a bit. Her fingers were tired, and she thought one might be bleeding, but she had to fight to live.

  After thinking about Monika and how she must have fought with all her might to survive, Sandy worked on the rope, and when it was finally undone, a smile crept over her face. Double jointed fingers worked the line holding her hands, and she was able to get those off. After standing and looking up at a small window high above her, Sandy exhaled softly. She walked to the farthest wall of the small concrete room and took in each detail of it.

  It was constructed of brick, and the room had three small windows lining the top where she spotted treetops outside. The wind was blowing through them. Sandy had to re-route her brain into thinking about how high to leap to the top which was about ten feet tall and out one of those windows. She looked around for something to break the glass. A head shake told her not to make any noise that might draw attention to her.

  Sandy kneeled down and remembered her running days. She could climb over the eight-foot wall at her high school. This was a different obstacle. Her mind placed her at the end of the room running to the wall where the windows were. It was still not going to be enough for her to reach them. She might sprain an ankle for something doing so. She had to gain more momentum. She bit her lip and jogged in a circle around the entire room.

  After going at this in a dead run, she leaped to the top of one of those rectangular windows and reached it. With fingers gripping the stone near the glass she lifted herself up. It was one of those old windows which she cranked to open. Sandy pried the frame open about ten inches, and it still was not enough for her to escape through. A naughty word came to her mind when she picked up her leg and kicked the frame outward with her foot. When it landed on soft grass below, she pushed herself through the window with only a half of an inch to spare.

  After teetering over the edge, Sandy felt herself fall to the soft ground below. She wasn’t hurt, and this was her chance to run for her life through the trees nearby. Sandy raced through underbrush and around some of the tallest trees she had ever seen. It was not the park she was used to. It must be that forest Robert told her about.

  Sandy continued to run over uneven ground as her body adjusted to what was underneath her feet. Exhaustion was there, but running for her life was more important. It was just like racing through the parking lot of her school with its potholes and vehicles. She conditioned her body to what was there, and she was right when her foot stepped into a hole over twelve inches deep. That was when she fell to the dirt with hands catching herself. “Crap.” She said a little too loud.

  Her ears perked up to distant water running not far from where she was. After she attempted to move her foot, pain stung her to her knee. She shook her head. It was not going to stop her when she pulled her foot out of the hole and crawled with it dragging behind her. When she arrived at a rocky cliff, a small stream was so far down below her it looked like a needle weaving its way through the forest floor. It wasn’t actually that far, Sandy surmised in her mind.

  Sandy sat in the dirt and listened to dry leaves cracking from the direction she had come from. She had to move quickly or be caught by them and killed. Her heart thudded in her chest when she pushed herself to the edge of the dirt precipice where clumps were falling downward. “It’s not a far drop, I hope.” She told herself before she tossed her body over.

  Chapter Eight

  With a thump, Sandy landed fifteen feet below the cliff onto a solid rock surface which afforded her a view of the forested valley below. Yelling and kicking of rocks above her head were still playing out when the two men searched for her. Sandy leaned against the hardened stone behind her back and squeezed herself as tight as possible. Her ankle throbbed and her back tingled from the fall. Otherwise, Sandy felt as if she had dodged a bullet with them.

  “Where is that girl?” Sam asked. Frustration could be heard in his voice.

  Hubert responded, “I have no idea. I wonder.” He must have been peering over the side as small pebbles cascaded down over her head.

  “I bet she headed in this direction.” Samuel’s voice floated down to Sandy.

  All Sandy could do was sit on that edge which was about twelve inches from the drop off as fear never struck her insides. Staying put was what she wanted to do until the two men’s voices carried in another direction. She inhaled and slowly moved to the edge where she saw another rocky outcropping twenty-feet underneath her.

  It wasn’t in her mind to jump to it, but fall she did, and this time she landed on both feet as searing pain pierced through her ankle. She was on her butt in no time at all. The bottom of this valley wasn’t far below her when she gained enough confidence to leap into pine trees below. After shimmying down one tree to the ground, the entire fall down wasn’t as far as she previously thought.

  With her ankle on fire by this time, Sandy limped to the running water and followed its movement. After half walking and half jogging along the banks, it brought her to a lake filled with wild geese and a wood boat sitting on the banks of the calm, dark water. Sandy searched all around her to see if Hubert or Samuel were around. No one was there as she climbed into the boat and rowed to the middle of the lake where she finally inhaled and exhaled to bring sanity to her brain.

  After rummaging through her pockets for her phone, it was gone. They must have taken it. Sandy continuing rowing until she saw another stream leading from the lake. It was smaller than the other one flowing into the lake. When Sandy arrived at it and pulled her sore body from the boat, she heard screaming coming from down-stream. It was Rena and by her side was Robert Fry and his grandfather.

  Sandy waved her hands into the air and yelled, “Hey, I’m over here!”

  What she didn’t expect was Hubert grabbing her from behind and pulling her back into the boat and holding her there while Samuel rowed into the middle of the lake. Mr. Fry shot a warning across the bow of the small wooden vessel, and when it poked a hole through one of the sides, a sprinkling of water began to trickle into the old boat.

  “We have to throw her overboard and get out of here.” Samuel was pushing Sandy over the side of the boat and into the water as a siren sounded.

  When Sandy looked up, it was Ralph and his officers standing on the bank with their vehicle lights on. Her body relaxed when she landed into the cold water. That was when Robert grasped her from behind and pulled Sandy to the surface as her body had begun to sink down into its murky depths due to fatigue.

  ~~~

  “How did you know I was here?” Sandy questioned Rena and those surrounding her.

  “I couldn’t find you, so I called Ralph, then Robert came up asking for you when I was at the entrance of the park waiting for the officers to arrive.”

  “That was when I came in.” Mr. Fry was holding his shotgun as Ralph scrutinized him. “Hey, at least it came in handy.” The old man lifted it to his shoulder and stepped back three paces to avoid his eyes grazing him any longer.

  “I’m glad you were here, sir.” Sandy stared at
him with a smile.

  “He wanted to help us out. Every year this happens, and they didn’t get their lady this time.” Robert shook his head.

  “I’m glad too.” Rena threw an arm around Sandy as she winced in pain.

  “I dropped down from that cliff there.” Sandy pointed at the high face of rock glaring down at them. When she realized how far it was, her mind could barely wrap itself around it. “I…”

  “Yeah, that’s really up there, Sandy.” Robert glanced up at the rocky face and shook his head. “It’s a wonder you didn’t kill yourself.”

  “She’s in good shape. I bet she could climb it with no problem whatsoever.” Mr. Fry held his weapon against his shoulder and nodded at Ralph who in turn nodded back.

  “You two be careful out there,” Ralph added.

  “We will. I have my pops with me. I’ll be fine.” Robert reached out and touched Sandy’s arm with a smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He turned and followed the old man back to where they came from or at least that was where Sandy assumed they came from.

  “They’re okay in my book.” Rena’s tone turned to concern when Agatha came rushing up to hug her daughter.

  “We’re heading home immediately. I cannot believe you were almost killed.” Her voice had a hint of weeping to it.

  “I’m fine, mom.” Sandy protested. “I got away, and here I’m safe and sound.”

  “I bet you have a sprained ankle.” She looked down at it. A wrapping was already around it.

  One officer nodded that it was possibly sprained.

  “She will go straight to the hospital to have it checked out. I promise you that, Agatha.” Ralph interjected.

  “Your promises are worthless to me, Ralph.” Agatha scolded the man.

  “Mother, stop that. I’m fine, and I’m not leaving school. You need to get off Ralph’s back about all of this too. He did his best to be there for dad. I think he was a good friend and now, he’s my friend, mom.” Sandy snapped at her mom.

  “I’m just so…” she cried, then sat next to her daughter and sobbed on her shoulder.

  Sandy exhaled with force. “Yeah, we’re all okay.” When she said that and remembered her sister’s body was among the pond, Ralph cleared his throat. “What?” She questioned.

  “Monika’s body was not the one wearing that jewelry in the pond. That was a friend of hers from college, Sandy. Apparently, your mother never told me that she borrowed that for a party. Your sister is still missing, Sandy.” His voice had a hint of optimism to it. Sandy wasn’t so optimistic.

  “I thought it was finally over. I thought maybe Monika was discovered and not still out there missing among the dead. We won’t give up, mother. I promise.” Sandy leaned forward. Agatha sat up and wiped tears from her eyes.

  “I agree. We need to have positive thoughts that Monika might still be alive and out there somewhere.” Agatha looked up at Ralph and gave a non-verbal apology.

  “In the meantime, Sandy, we need to get you well and back to class. Halloween is tomorrow night, and the dance is that night too.”

  “Jared, I need to ask him to the dance, Rena.”

  “You just did, Sandy,” Jared responded. Rena had him on the phone listening to the entire time. Sandy grinned and took the phone.

  “I might be on crutches, Jared.”

  “That will definitely be perfect, Sandy.” Jared’s soothing tone came through the speaker.

  Sandy attempted to smile when she looked up at her mother and Ralph talking together. Maybe, just maybe they might find common ground concerning her. Sandy prayed they would. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Jared.”

  About the Author

  Candy O’Donnell lives in California with her best friend and husband. This family also includes two happy dogs, a languid cat, and an energetic cockatiel. Today, Candy writes whatever story crops up in her imagination. She composes numerous genres as a way of expressing herself fluently.

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  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1866292.Candy_O_Donnell