Over the edge

Chapter one. The dimly lit room smelt like rotting wood and puke. On closer inspection, one might even spot dried blood stains on the woodboard floorings and on the walls. The room looked like a low key abattoir..... For humans. And, that it was. A blood curdling scream pierced through the silence of the night. The source of the scream lay, spread out and naked, on the cold iron table. A girl, not less than twenty two. And, before her stood a burly man, clothed in a white singlet that now had blood splattered on it, and briefs. A silver knife glinted in the dark, as the moon poured in through the sound proofed window, just before it cut through the girl's skin and she let out a bone rattling wail. The young girl began crying.... Begging. She swore to do whatever he wanted. But the pleas fell on deaf ears. The man seemed to enjoy the torture. Slowly, he dragged the blade through her lips and across her left cheek. He did the same to her right cheek. With the gore slipping thro

The room was eerily silent and ink black. The air smelt like weed and crushed tobacco leaves. A girl lay, whimpering, on the ground. Suddenly, a door creaked open and the girl saw a shadow slip into the room. She knew who he was. And, what he was going to do. Noiselessly, she rolled herself up to her mattress. He hadn't seen her on the floor. While the shadow stalked towards her bed like a predator, the little girl shut her eyes tightly in a silent prayer. The shadow stopped right at the foot of her mattress and stooped down enough that he could see the outline of the child's face. She looked so relaxed and innocent. His hands shot forward and tugged at the girl's tank top. It slipped a bit revealing a bit of abdominal skin. Slowly, his thumb began to caress her skin, from one edge to the other. The teenage girl hitched an inaudible breathe in her throat. Unmoving, she willed herself not to cry. She was scared.. So scared that she felt she could pee in her pants. She heard him mak

The shrill sound of the alarm pierced through the steely silence of the room. That woke her from her dreamless sleep. Hitting the snooze button, Clarissa crawled away from her bed. Sunlight streamed into the room through the window. Apart from the occasional sound of vehicles driving by, the neighborhood was relatively quiet. She freshened up and dressed in silence. Only the sound of her ticking clock could be heard. The black gown she’d put on was loose in some places. She had lost some pounds. who wouldn’t after what she’d been through lately. At least, no attempt had been made on her life and she hadn’t received any auspicious gifts either. The FBI had nothing to say either. The radio silence was beginning to make her nervous. She had felt an ominous foreboding surrounding her. It never meant that anything good was about to happen. Shrugging on her coat, she rushed down the staircase. Skipping breakfast had become a norm for her since high school. She Locked her doors and as alw

‘visited Chance on the 19th of November.’ That was the last thing she wrote down before snapping the small diary shut and stuffing it into the pocket of her ash coat. She unfastened her seatbelt and climbed out of Marley’s ford. They had agreed to go see Chance before heading to Marley’s apartment. It was dreary and grey clouds hung very low in the sky. It wasn’t the perfect weather for a visit to the psychiatric home because it was common for patients to experience winter blues. The Osward home for the sick sign dangled from the top of the gate. Marley fell in step beside her. He had been silent since the ride over here. She understood the silence, so didn’t feel the need to make small talk. They walked into the compound together. They were met by a marbled trail. The click-clack of their shoes on marble was the only audible sound. Side by side on the trail, stood hulking green ash trees. Their branches sprung out in diverse directions, providing ample shade and giving an eery feel

‘We just found another body.’ The only sentence that kept echoing in her mind. The only thing she could think of. Gone was the little happiness she had felt moments ago. Trepidation now coursed through her body. She knew ‘56th Avenue. She lived in that same neighborhood. She knew the driver kept peering at her from the mirror.‘Take me to the 56th Avenue instead.’ She said to the driver. Her heart thundered beneath her sternum. Her boss hadn’t said anything to suggest that it was murder. Or that it had a connection to her case. But still, she couldn’t brush off that nagging that this was another murder just to get her riled up.She caught her reflection on the glass. Her skin had turned a pasty white, her tan, nowhere to be found. Not knowing what to do with her hands, she contemplated calling Marley but decided against it. This was her problem and she would handle it as such. She knew when they arrived the 56th. The steep rise of the road and quiet of the area told her so. But un