by Rod Glenn
The first thing Wilkinson noticed was that a sizeable number of those rushing around were armed, including the soldiers, armed with L85 assault rifles and, what looked like the entire Armed Response contingent of Northumbria Police, armed with Glock 17 pistols and Heckler & Koch MP5 carbines. A cordon had been set up around the village with armed sentries and temporary gates set up to block the main entrance into the village. Unseen sniper teams would no doubt be setting up in vantage points in and around the village as well.
Overall, his initial thoughts were that of a war zone, not a crime scene. Wiping snow from his eyes, he noticed rows of black body bags laid out by the roadside further up the street beyond the Miller’s Arms. As he watched, more were placed there by shuffling soldiers and paramedics with each passing minute.
A uniformed police officer approached them at a stoop, holding his hat down with one hand as the wind from the rotor blades blew the snow from the top of it. As he approached, the helicopter lifted jerkily off the ground and rose up into the darkness, buffeted by the high winds.
“Chief!” he called to them above the din with more than a hint of relief in his frayed voice. He was panting hard from the cold and exertion, the cold air betraying him with every hot breath.
“Hasslebrook?” Hewitt asked, taking the man’s hand.
“Yessir. The search has uncovered over two hundred bodies so far, including Detective’s Wright and Mitchell and PC Bainbridge.”
Hewitt let out an angry grunt then asked, “Survivors?”
“One so far, but she’s in a critical condition, so we have not been able to glean any information from her at all yet. We managed to persuade the GNAA to fly her out about ten minutes before you arrived. They don’t normally fly at night or in these conditions, but under the circumstances …” His voice trailed off, unsure how to finish.
Hewitt nodded, content for him to leave it there.
“Still no suspects?” Wilkinson asked almost dreamily, his head unable or unwilling to move beyond the body count, and reeling to digest the sheer scale of the nightmare unfolding around him. With the helicopter gone, the swirling snow died down somewhat and the roar of the wind with it.
“We have one; a certain Hannibal Whitman who Wright and Mitchell were up here to interview.”
“Could one man possibly murder all these people?” Wilkinson uttered, his eyes starting to stream from the icy snow. He wiped his face with a gloved hand and glanced from Hasslebrook to his superior.
“Nothing’s impossible, son,” Hewitt said evenly, ruffling his collar against the bitter wind. He stood and surveyed the chaotic scene in silence for some time as fresh falling snow quickly coated his hat and shoulders. The faces of everyone who passed close by, including Hasslebrook’s, had a haunted sheen to them. Some mass primeval fear had been evoked from within this place. Even the air, despite the icy wind, felt … tainted somehow. They were doggedly going about their duty, ingrained training heaving them through this frozen hell, but this was one night that none of them would ever forget. The men and women around him would take these scenes to their graves, and would most probably have many a restless and sweat-soaked night from now on.
A young constable stepped out of a house across the road, clutching a Santa Clause hat close to his chest. He appeared dazed and confused as his gaze switched from the impossibly vivid red hat to the dark pandemonium around him. As Hewitt watched, squinting, he realised that the officer was weeping openly.
The events in Haydon would join the ranks of the Moors murders, the Ripper murders, Hungerford, Shipman, the Wests, but it would top them all by a long, long way. If it was Hannibal Whitman, then he had single-handedly managed to wipe an entire village off the map.
“This bastard has to be the devil himself,” Wilkinson muttered, his face deeply troubled.
Hewitt tore his eyes away from the young constable to the sergeant, then after a moment’s contemplation, said solemnly, “Maybe. He wears many disguises.” He continued to look upon the frenzied scene around them, then, as an afterthought, he added, “Well, what I say is, when you’re dealing with the devil, praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition.” His words were flat and humourless, and his sunken eyes settled on the black tree line of the woods beyond the borders of the village.
A killer was out there somewhere; a killer who was indiscriminate of age, race, gender or creed. This monster had to be stopped. As that thought consumed him, his chest began to tighten with the onset of another coughing fit.
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace,
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace,
Hate your next-door-neighbour, but don't forget to say grace,
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
EPILOGUE
3rd January.
The entry bell tinkled as the door opened to admit a new arrival. The DVD and Game store was crammed with wall and free-standing shelving, overflowing with games and films to rent or buy. Posters of films, past and present, adorned every square inch of wall and ceiling space; from classics like The Maltese Falcon, Psycho, The Birds, Casablanca and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to modern gore-fests including, Dog Soldiers, 28 Weeks Later, Land of the Dead and the SAW films, and everything else in-between. A big flashing red and blue neon sign on the far wall above the counter boldly declared, MOVIE MANIAC. To the left of the sign, a poster menacingly declared, Man is the warmest place to hide, and to the right; A motion picture destined to offend nearly two thirds of the civilised world. And severely annoy the other third.
A skinny man with badly pock-marked skin and greasy brown shaggy hair stood behind the counter, reading Empire magazine, dressed in a faded Snatch (Stealin’ stones and breakin’ bones) t-shirt.
As the newcomer approached the counter, Perry kept his eyes glued to the interview of cult horror director, John Carpenter.
“How you doing, dickhead?” Whitman said, offering his startled underling a beaming smile.
“Jesus, man!” Perry said, clapping a hand onto the glass top counter. “Scared the shit outta me there! Was just reading an interview with JC – the unholy one.”
“Cool; I’ll have to have a read after you.” Whitman was clean-shaven with a recently cropped crew-cut and dressed in dirty-wash jeans and a First Blood t-shirt. One arm was tucked under his leather jacket in a sling.
“Hey, what happened to the arm?”
“Fell off my damn bike, would you believe?” Whitman said with an unconcerned wave of his free arm. “A branch skewered my arm. Nice gash in my other shoulder too. Got great scars to show you.”
“Bummer, man. Mind, you never could ride for toffee.”
“Your heartfelt concern is touching, fella.”
Perry grinned at him. “Good to have ya back, buddy.”
Shrugging off his jacket, he slung it over the counter and said, “Cuppa wouldn’t go amiss.”
“No probs, bro.” Perry disappeared into the back office and proceeded to fill a kettle. “So, you got the book finished then?”
Whitman pulled up a stool and sat at the counter, glancing around at the old place; the shelves, posters and wall-mounted flat screen televisions depicting a muted trailer for the latest Disney film. His eyes settled on a poster with the faces of Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman which declared, The scariest comedy of all time! Somewhat distant, he replied, “Aye, just about. Doubt it’ll ever get published though.”
Popping his head round the doorframe, Perry said, “Doesn’t matter, bud. It’s a major achievement just to get it written.”
“True,” Whitman said, but could not draw his eyes away from the screaming head of Gene Wilder with a shock of mad scientist hair.
There was a clattering of cups which finally broke the spell as Perry said, “Much poontang down there then?”
A hesitation, then, “There was one – a nineteen year old – very sexy, but … I had to cut h
er loose in the end.” An image of Lisa flashed before his eyes, her face twisted with rage and her eyes burning with fire. He had to shake his head to dislodge the disturbing vision.
“Knew you’d get some though; you always do, you jammy twat,” Perry was saying.
Whitman forced a laugh and arched his back, stretching out a nagging ache. “You got a way with words, buddy.”
“Fucking lyrical gangsta, me!”
“Knob.”
“Charming!” Perry shouted as he squeezed teabags and added some milk. Bringing two mugs through, one The Empire Strikes Back and the other with the masked face of Hannibal Lecter, Perry continued, “I take it you weren’t that much out in the sticks not to hear about that crazy shit up in Northumberland?”
“They do have TVs and radios down there, you plonker.” Whitman took the Hannibal mug from his friend and stared into the brown, steaming liquid. After a moment, he muttered, “Terrible business.”
“That sorta crazier-than-fiction shit would make a helluva film, eh?”
Whitman’s snort was forced.
Casting the subject aside with a shrug, Perry said, “So, what’s next then?”
Whitman thought about this for a moment then, making eye contact once more with his friend, he said simply, “I’ll just walk the Earth.”
Sitting down, Perry smiled knowingly. “What ya mean, walk the Earth?”
“You know, walk the Earth, meet people ... get into adventures. Like Caine from Kung Fu.”
“Or Jules, eh?”
Laughing, they both took sips of their tea. Whitman glanced up over the rim of his Hannibal mug to study his friend. Perry was Perry, the Tarantino wannabe. Nothing had changed, except maybe a not insignificant part of himself, and that was certainly a change for the better. All was well. An easy smile touched his lips and he took another sip of tea.
THE END
CREDITS AND INSPIRATIONS (IN ORDER)
Storm – Robert Pack
The Wild Bunch – Dir. Sam Peckinpah
Good King Wenceslas – John Mason Neale
The Dream – Culture Club
Alien – Dir. Ridley Scott
Enter the Dragon – Dir. Robert Clouse
Scarface – Dir. Brian De Palma
Zulu – Dir. Cy Endfield
Apocalypse Now – Dir. Frances Ford Coppola
Where Eagles Dare – Dir. Brian G. Hutton
Natural Born Killers – Dir. Oliver Stone
The Great Escape – Dir. John Sturges
The Silence of the Lambs – Dir. Johnathan Demme
Pulp Fiction – Quentin Tarantino
Nightmare on Elm Street – Dir. Wes Craven
War of the Worlds (2005) – Dir. Steven Spielberg
Jumanji – Dir. Joe Johnston
Get Carter – Dir. Mike Hodges
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Dir. Peter Jackson
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Dir. George Roy Hill
Straw Dogs – Dir. Sam Peckinpah
300 – Dir. Zack Snyder
Father Ted – Created by Graham Linehan & Arthur Mathews
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas – Dir. Colin Higgins
Aliens – Dir. James Cameron
Easy Rider – Dir. Dennis Hopper
The Jackal – Dir. Michael Caton-Jones
Frankenstein – Dir. James Whale
In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins
Chariots of Fire – Dir. Hugh Hudson
The Prophecy – Dir. Gregory Widen
The Lost Boys – Dir. Joel Schumacher
People are Strange – Echo & the Bunnymen
When a Stranger Calls – Dir. Fred Walton
From Dusk Till Dawn – Dir. Robert Rodriguez
First Knight – Dir. Jerry Zucker
Star Trek the Motion Picture – Dir. Robert Wise
Spender – Created by Ian La Frenais and Jimmy Nail
M.A.S.H. – Dir. Robert Altman
Star Wars: A New Hope – Dir. George Lucas
Grease – Dir. Randal Kleiser
Throw Momma from the Train – Dir. Danny DeVito
The League of Gentlemen – Dir. Steve Bendelack
Opportunity Knocks – Original Host Hughie Green
(You’re the) Devil in Disguise – Elvis Presley
Platoon – Dir. Oliver Stone
Alien Autopsy – Dir. Jonny Campbell
Bladerunner – Dir. Ridley Scott
Jaws – Dir. Steven Spielberg
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Mandy – Barry Manilow
Doctor Who – Created by Sydney Newman
The Lone Gunmen – Created by Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban
James Bond – Created by Ian Fleming
Red Dwarf – Created by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
The A-Team – Created by Stephen J. Cannell & Frank Lupo
Wild Wood – Paul Weller
Here Come the Marines – Dir. William Beaudine
The Searchers – Dir. John Ford
The Maltese Falcon – Dir. John Huston
The Sweeney – Created by Ian Kennedy Martin
Joe Versus the Volcano – Dir. John Patrick Shanley
An Ungentlemanly Act – Dir. Stuart Urban
A Nightmare on Elm Street – Dir. Wes Craven
The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover – Dir. Peter Greenaway
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Dir. Stanley Kramer
Meet the Parents – Dir. Jay Roach
Mr Murder – Dir. Dick Lowry
The Goonies – Dir. Richard Donner
Sideways – Dir. Alexander Payne
Firestarter – Prodigy
Reservoir Dogs – Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Bagpuss – Created by Peter Firmin & Oliver Postgate
Day Trip to Bangor – Fiddlers Dram
Stormy Monday – Dir. Mike Figgis
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
The Waltons – Dir. Walter Alzmann & Gwen Arner
Sherlock Holmes – Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Good Will Hunting – Dir. Gus Van Sant
Kill Bill – Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Sometimes They Come Back – Dir. Daniel Zelik Berk
The Funeral – Dir. Abel Ferrara
Fight Club – Dir. David Fincher
Cheers – Created by James Burrows, Glen Charles & Les Charles
A Bridge Too Far – Dir. Richard Attenborough
The Wild Geese – Dir. Andrew V. McLaglen
The Medusa Touch – Dir. Jack Gold
There May Be Trouble Ahead – Nat King Cole
Moby Dick – Dir. John Huston
Hostel – Dir. Eli Roth
Fargo – Dir. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Halloween – Dir. John Carpenter
Psycho – Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Evil Dead Trilogy – Dir. Sam Raimi
The Fog – Dir. John Carpenter
The Perfect Storm – Dir. Wolfgang Petersen
City Slickers – Dir. Ron Underwood
Don’t Fear the Reaper – Beautiful South version (orig. Blue Oyster Cult)
I Predict a Riot – Kaiser Chiefs
Gone with the Wind – Dir. Victor Fleming
The Stand – Dir. Mick Garris (Mini Series)
The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash
Paint It Black – The Rolling Stones
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels – Dir. Guy Ritchie
Se7en – Dir. David Fincher
Da Doo Ron Ron – The Crystals
The Last Boy Scout – Dir. Tony Scott
Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man – Dir. Jeff McGrath
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) – Dir. Joel Schumacher
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – Dir. Kevin Reynolds
Balamory – Created by Brian Jameson
Murder by Death – Dir. Robert Moore
The Little Mermaid – Dir. Ron Clements & John Husker
<
br /> The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell
The Day After Tomorrow – Dir. Roland Emmerich
Donnie Darko – Dir. Richard Kelly
A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash
A Spaceman Came Travelling – Chris De Burgh
Family Fortunes – Dir. Richard Bradley, Bob Cousins & Peter Harris
Full Metal Jacket – Dir. Stanley Kubrick
The Scientist – Coldplay
Not Only But Always – Dir. Terry Johnson
Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Old Red Eyes is Back – The Beautiful South
Corpse Bride – Dir. Tim Burton & Mike Johnson
Carrie – Dir. Brian De Palma
Die Another Day – Dir. Lee Tamahori
The Princess Bride – Dir. Rob Reiner
Santa Clause is Coming to Town – Writer Haven Gillespie
Return of the Secaucus 7 – Dir. John Sayles
Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds – Dir. Luis Ballester Bustos & Shigeo Koshi
The Cracked Bell – Charles Baudelaire
The Stepford Wives – Dir. Bryan Forbes
The Wizard of Oz – Dir. Victor Fleming
Rambo – Dir. Ted Kotcheff
The Terminator – Dir. James Cameron
And Now for Something Completely Different – Dir. Ian MacNaughton
Blue Bayou – Roy Orbison
Battlestar Galactica – Dir. Richard A Colla
Batman – Dir. Tim Burton
Batman TV Series – Dir. Robert Butler & James B Clark
Big Trouble in Little China – Dir. John Carpenter
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – Dir. Gore Verbinski
Show me the way to go home – Irving King
Courage is not the towering oak … – Alice M Swaim
See you next Wednesday – John Landis
The Breakfast Club – Dir. John Hughes
The Singing Detective (2003) – Dir. Keith Gordon
Eve of Destruction – Barry McGuire
The Thing – John Carpenter
Life of Brian – Terry Jones