The Scarecrow

A fellow officer and civilians have begun disappearing in a nearby town. Four decorated officers travel to the town to investigate, but they find themselves in danger; danger hidden in the corn fields

Prologue:

The cornfield was dense, and seemed like it went on forever. The stalks simply brushed past mostly, but here and there he would lose his balance and trip over. He jumped straight back to his feet and ran, trying to reach the edge of a seemingly endless field.

He risked a glance backwards, and saw the knife’s shimmer in the moonlight. It still had the glint of his own blood on it. His hand was pressed to his stomach, holding in god only knew what organ or intestine was trying to fall out. His heavy breathing made him cough, and blood splattered onto his boots.

If he kept running, he was going to die. Yet he knew that if he stopped, he was a dead man anyway.

He came into a clearing and saw the figure in front of him. It was just one of the dozens of scarecrows that were staked around here. I his bloodied and fearful state, Lionel emptied the entire clip into it, re-loading his revolver one-handed as he still ran.

Trees started appearing in the midst of the cornfield. A small branch bushed against one of his stomach wounds. He didn’t scream, but he swore like hell. He looked back, but o matter how fast he ran or how many times he changed position, the glint of the knife was always close.

He fired over his shoulder, again and again until his firearm ran out and his left ear was perforated. He dropped it, pushing himself onwards as fast as his losing body could allow. Blood was pumping from his stomach no matter how much pressure he applied. He was just thankful that he hadn’t s**t himself in the initial shock.

The sound of corn stalks snapping close behind brought his mind back. He was going to die. He knew it. After what he’d just witnessed, he knew there was no way of stopping it.

He came to a halt at a small clearing in the field where perhaps a large animal had rested.

No, he thought. If I die, it’s going to be my way. Rad, I hope that letter finds its way to you.

The man snatched the small oil lantern from his waist and fumbled for a match. He struck it and lit the flame, raising it in his right hand. He’d risked letting the hand leave his stomach, and a small length of intestine was sliding out. He vomited.

The sound of his pursuer was gone. He tried to search for the glimmer of the knife, but his night vision had been taken away by the lamp’s light. It didn’t matter though. He didn’t need to see them.

He raised the lamp in both hands above his head. ‘You see this!’ he shouted, a mixture of pain, desperation and fear touching his voice. He glared into the night. ‘I’m not running anymore. This is going to burn everything! Every last one of you in this evil town!’

He screamed as he approached death, muscles tensing to toss the oil lamp to the ground and set everything ablaze. ‘Die m***********s!’

Just as his arms started moving downward, a knife curved in from the side and punctured his stomach. Lionel vomited blood. A hand snatched the lamp from his and the knife went in again, making blood bubble from his lips.

He turned slowly towards the wielder. His eyes were wide as staring, though his eyes only looked down at the mess that was once his insides.

As his body went into shock the knife stabbed him again and again. He couldn’t feel it anymore, only the cold. It was still a horrifying sight to see your stomach slit open.

He fell t the ground, though they kept hacking and hacking. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he stared up at the sky, vision shaking every time the knife cut. His vision and his hearing all stopped as one as the knife pierced his heart.

He was dead... and they kept hacking.

Chapter 1: Dead man's letter

‘Did I ever tell you about my first arrest?’ Alex asked, his boots resting on his office desk.
‘Yes you did’ Jessica groaned, resting her face in her folder arms. Around them the police station was filled with the usual murmurings as officers filled out reports and had conversations, waiting for an incident to be reported. It was a slow day.
Alex went on as if he hadn’t heard her. ‘I tied up my horse outside the saloon, and when I turned around before I got in I saw the guy.’ He laughed. ‘That son of a b***h...’
The doors burst open, and Chief Detective Melanie appeared leading a giant man inside. He was in manacles, but he still looked threatening.
‘Let me go!’ he bellowed, trying to shake her off. The woman was half his size, but she held him in place.
An officer got too close and the man kicked him into a desk. He crashed down in a pile of paperwork.
Melanie kicked the back of his knee and he fell to his knees. ‘Damn it Derek! Stop wasting my time and walk. You’re the worst drunk I’ve ever seen.’ She hauled him to his feet. ‘Move!’ The wan walked forward, allowing himself to be led to the cells. It was a strange sight. A woman half his size was able to tame him the way she did.
She passed the Captain’s office on the way to the holding cells. The Captain caught sight of her and stopped her with a hand, gesturing her inside. The woman sighed and turned to the officer beside her. ‘Here, take him.’
The officer did, but he was pale-faced. Melanie stepped in front of Derek, grabbing a fistful of his hair and pulling his face down to her height. ‘Listen Derek. Derek! Don’t you look away from me.’ The man looked half her size now, not the other way round. ‘You’re going to go to your cell and then we’re going to sober you up.’
‘Yes miss’ he said, eyes down.
She patted his back and stepped inside the captain’s office. Derek didn’t protest as the relieved officer led him to the holding cell.
After a while the silence returned to the usual buzz of conversation. ‘So...,’ Jessica said mockingly, ‘you were talking about your amazing arrest?’
‘Shut up’ Alex said childishly, throwing a scrunched ball of paper at her head.
*****

As she stepped inside Hendrix’s office, she knew she wouldn’t like the reason. She rarely did. She took a deep breath and closed the door.
‘What was all the commotion out there about, detective?’ he asked.
‘It was Derek again’ she said. ‘It’s his birthday, sir. He drank too much whiskey and started breaking chairs.’
The Captain sighed. ‘Some things never change in this town.’
There was a short silence until Mel cleared her throat. ‘You called me in, Captain?’
‘Ah yes’ he said. ‘Take a seat detective.’
She did as she was told. She didn’t say anything, waiting on him. He struggled to find the words at first, and then, simply, he said, ‘I’m afraid you’re day can and will get worse.’
‘I thought I’d heard all of your ways of breaking bad news’ she joked half-heartedly. ‘This is allot less cleaned up, sir.
‘I’ll choose my words carefully’ he began. It was then that she saw his eyes. They looked tired, or maybe it was from stress. ‘I’m sending you away on a case. Lionel was posted on it for the last three weeks. You’ll meet with a contact at the town he’s been investigating...’
‘And you want to partner me up with him and Lionel’ she guessed. ‘Sir, does it have to be me? Lionel is so, uh. He’s... well... you know.’
‘Dead.’
‘What?’ she blurted.
‘He’s dead. Rather, he’s been MIA for weeks now.’
Mel was in shock. ‘Then who is our contact? And wait, what!?’
Hendrix interlaced his fingers, eyes travelling down to the file in front of him. ‘His code/file name is Raddits, and it says here that his file is classified, though it does list a military background interestingly enough.’ He breathed long and hard through his nostrils. ‘Lionel hasn’t been heard from in three weeks, the last report received notifying us of his arrival at a far-off town called Crow. He was investigating reports of disappearances.’
Missing? She couldn’t believe it. Her first feeling was of confusion, then guilt for the way she had talked about him. Lionel may have been immature and got on her nerves, but in a way she had liked him even if the two of them didn’t get along. ‘What makes you think he could be dead?’ she asked, keeping her voice even.
The Captain’s shoulders slumped visibly. ‘The Special Crimes Syndicate received a letter as well, though this one arrived just yesterday. They say that the letter was written in his handwriting, though it seemed rushed and precarious. I’ll receive a copy of the letter later today, though I’ve been told it’s not just the letter’s contents that raised allot of eyebrows. There were droplets of blood on the edges of the paper, and dirt.’
‘You think the blood is his?’ she managed.
‘It does seem that way. If it was written by his hand then it’s all too possible.’ He looked at her expression and his voice softened, becoming less formal. ‘He might still be alive, Melanie, and there’s still a chance that the blood isn’t his.’
There was so much to process, but the detective in Mel was still at work. ‘Tell me about the town’ she said, bluntly. It was the best she could manage.
Hendrix shrugged. ‘A farmer went missing by suspicious circumstances, and I guess it piked Lionel’s interest. He left on the three day trip a little over three weeks ago and sent the letter. The town isn’t even on half the maps we have, and I’d never even heard of it until the report came in.’
‘So we don’t know anything?’
‘Well...’ the Captain squirmed, ‘no, we don’t. All we know is what’s in this file, and you’re going to brief yourself on your way there. You’ll be travelling with two distinguished detectives with six years of practical experience.’
Mel froze. ‘Which ones.’ It wasn’t a question. She said it coldly so Hendrix knew her view on the matter.
‘Melanie, it’s not that bad. Those two have changed since the academy.’
‘Those two,’ she said through gritted teeth, ‘should never have been made detectives.’
Hendrix ran a hand through his hair. ‘Alex and Jessica have seven years of field work under their belt. They can handle the matter.’
‘But sir...’
He held up a hand. ‘Those are your orders.’ His expression softened again. ‘Mel, I know they’re both a******s, but they’re two of the best cops we’ve got.’
Mel sighed, resting her forehead on the table. ‘You’re right, sir. It’s just the three day trip to town that I’m worried about. Those two are impossible to deal with, especially in a confined space.’
‘You’ll manage’ he said, smiling. The frown lines on his face disappeared for once. He pushed the file forward. ‘I’ve arranged transport for tomorrow. Catch up on some rest tonight. Your current cases are being passed to Neil.’
Mel closed her eyes, praising whatever force was on her side for once. Neil was a brilliant detective, and she had no doubt he’d manage just fine. She took the file and stood, heading towards the door.
‘Wait, detective’ he said, stopping her. The smile was gone from his features. ‘The Special Crimes Syndicate is pulling rank on this one, Mel. Your contact will be leading this investigation.’
Melanie groaned. She didn’t exactly slam the door shut, but she didn’t have to. Hendrix winced, rubbing his temples.
*****

Early the next morning the three detectives boarded the carriage. As it set off to leave the city, Mel took out the brief and began reading. But surprisingly there was barely ten minutes worth of reading material.
She sat back with a novel and began reading in the light of the early sun. Everything was quiet and serene until two hours later when the arguing started. Alex and Jessica began arguing about the most pointless things. Alex claimed the carriage was travelling at his running speed. Jessica retorted that he hadn’t run in three years.
They shot arguments back and forth until Mel snapped. ‘For god’s sake, you two are senior detectives! Detect my mood and shut up.’
The two of them sulked at first, but later in the afternoon the arguments continued. Melanie rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing.
How could she put up with this for three days? She had no idea, and the next three days didn’t go quickly. Several times she cursed the Captain under her breath. He’d pay for this.

Chapter 2: Crow

Officer Raddits (not his real name) stood on the outskirts of town between two vast corn fields. They stretched over the distant hills, walling in the road that led towards the city. It was a simple trail of cleared earth without any gravel or something to make the wheels of a carriage travel smoothly. He could just imagine how uncomfortable the three days of travel would be for the detectives.
He turned back to stare at the distant town. It was past midday, and the sun was already starting its downward decent towards the hills. Those golden rays escaping from a reddening sky painted the town that same rich gold. The woods stretched out from the back of Crow, and it seemed as though the sunlight skipped right over them.
Rad shivered. Lionel, what was it that you found out here? Are you really dead?
He heard the carriage before he ever saw it. It distracted him from the thought, and he thanked it for that. The noise was unmistakable. Wheels always disagreed with the road.
It was a small carriage, with a maximum of four people he guessed. It was made from dark lacquered wood, though dust had painted the bottom half brown. It didn’t look the type of transport made for country travelling. He imagined it trundling through the streets over smooth cobblestones.
He was eager to meet them. He’d never met anyone from the agency except for Lionel and Neil. Those two were both excellent detectives, and had often mentioned Alex, Jessica and especially Chief Detective Melanie. His hand went the breast pocket inside his coat. If anyone was up to the task, he was sure these three would be.
The carriage was led by four horses where usually it would be two. He guessed the length of the trip would have been devastating for two. He admired the beasts. Their powerful legs pulled it forward, and he saw that the horseshoes had been switched for country travel.
He didn’t recognise the driver, but he gave him a polite smile then he pulled up. The driver returned it half-heartedly, shaking his head. He looked tired.
He returned his attention to the carriage. The door opened, and two people appeared. He guessed it was Alex and Jessica because they were both arguing and trying to squeeze through first. Rad forgot himself and allowed a smile to creep up on him. He was surprised though, when a boot appeared to blast them both forward and into a heap on the ground.
As the two stood rubbing their backsides, he studied them.