Something Wicked This Way Comes

[CrimethinkRebel]

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Something Wicked This Way Comes
A Game of Serial Murder
A Literate Role Play
GM: CrimethinkRebel
Rated M for Mature:
Excessive violence; strong/controversial themes; harsh language; gore
Please be 18 or older!
Or a very mature 17...

[ OOC ]

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There they all stood, bathed in the sickly yellow light from the parking lot. Some clung to the fence, noses sticking through the links in an effort to see some form of movement, a sign of life. Others stood back, waiting. The spectacle was about to begin and they didn't want to miss a thing. From within the fence, shadows shifted and morphed across the grounds. The shapes were vaguely human, moving with purpose to specific posts. Excited whispers were uttered and hushed, escaping reprimanding when feedback squealed over a loudspeaker. A countdown had begun. The crowd outside the fence murmured in anticipation. When the numbers reached one, every light, every ride, every song, every game burst to life in an explosion of colors and cheers. For the briefest moment, there was awe amongst the civilians of Wickford.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, I welcome you to: The Carnival"

A thunderous applause complete with screaming and laughter ripped apart the stark calm that had blanketed them. The screech of metal gates opening was barely audible amongst the jubilation of the town. The only thing that mattered was the sound of church bells striking the midnight hour.

It was officially the 4th of July, the opening day of The Carnival. This private exhibition was a tradition kept alive by the townspeople. They would have the first tastes of cotton candy. They would enjoy the first rides on the Merry-Go-Round. They would win the first stuffed animals from the game booths.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please remember that the ceremonial fireworks will begin promptly at half past 12. It is now 12:10. You have 20 minutes until you are late for the biggest night of the summer. Thank you and carry on."

Those prophetic words resounded over the area with clarity and promise. People were sure to set their watch alarms and cellphones to go off 5 minutes early. Not a single soul would want to miss this. The day would surely go down in local history, whether they knew it or not.

[ARandomHeretic]

It had been quite some time since Ken had last attended the opening night of The Carnival. The sights, smells, sounds, and the overall feel of the place brought him back to his adolescence. Smoking pot at the top of the Ferris wheel, bringing in backpacks stuffed with beer, or water bottles full of liquor. What more could a teenager want? Inebriation was a must. Maybe a quickie behind the Port-A-Potties. A scrap between conflicting cliques.

Ken sighed. Those days were far and gone. Now, sitting alone at a picnic bench with a cigarette in one hand and a plastic cup full of Coors in the other, he couldn't help but wonder where the time went. He was still so young, yet he felt aged. Pushing the thought out of his head, he took a drink from his cup of beer and dragged heavily on his cigarette. A few specks of ash fell slowly onto his ACU jacket.

All around him people were buzzing about to and fro. Children running and laughing. Drunken adults sharing the daily community gossip with one another. He took another drag from his Marlboro and looked at his watch.

12:15

Almost time for the fireworks. Taking the last bit of life out of the cigarette, he put it out on the soft earth and chugged the last bit of his beer. "Better find a good spot," he thought.

[Security of Mem]

12:15, 4th of July

It was truly a date and time for the patriot. His father and mother plus his three brothers had never really went to the carnival. As dad always put it, this was the lazy way of showing you were a patriot. You needed to bust a few noses of the bad guys to America before you could call yourself an America. Of course he wasn't directly talking to Thomas. Thomas was a nobody to his father and he really actually didn't mind it. His father frightened him enough. He dislike the gaze his father would give him. The carnival though in itself was making him feel nervous. There were to many people around and even though it was a wide open area, he was feeling crowded. He was also feeling a little sick. He didn't like social situations. They made him nervous and he couldn't stop the trembling when in these situations. So instead he slipped into somewhere most people don't go. The mirror house. It was quiet in here and very few people came in. He liked it in here, kind of dark and spacious. And he could sit alone.
There wasn't noise and bustle, he didn't have to touch anyone, or even run into anyone from school. He didn't have to listen to his brothers and he didn't have to listen to his father. It was perfect in here. Very few people walked in, but then again he wondered if anyone would worry if he were in here. He sat arms cross over his legs, a sitting fetal position.

He checked the time only once and he sighed. His father wanted him to meet them when the firework display was going to go off. But Thomas didn't really want to walk outside into the swarm. There was just to many people and when he did decide to get up he could feel that feeling again and he just sat back down. His father was going to be angry. He could almost imagine his father dark glance at him right now. And even worse yet would be his three older brothers who would like to take the opportunity to teach him a lesson. He just wanted to disappear. He didn't want anyone to find him in here. He couldn't go out there, it was to claustrophobic for him.

[CrimethinkRebel]

"Again! Again, Mommy! Again!" The four year old poster child for the Aryan race insisted upon riding the Ferris Wheel for the hundredth time that night. Alicia couldn't help but wonder why he was still up. Sure the fireworks were cool, but he was a toddler. Weren't they passed out by now? Nevertheless, she strapped the overtired mother and her ADHD influenced son into the cart and moved the wheel around. All she could hear was the screaming laughter from Adam-- that was his name, you see. The mother told him to calm down.-- and it made her cringe every time. Luckily, she was rescued by her supervisor.

"Hey Ali, I need you to check the booths and stuff. You know: Haunted houses, hall of mirrors, things like that. Mayor O'Dowd wants everyone to be at the field to hear some important speech or something. Can you believe that guy? He's such a fat fucking douche." Now, Mayor O'Dowd's intentions could have been a public service announcement for the starving children in Ethiopia, he still would have been a fat fucking douche. So, it was no surprise that she suddenly hated her easy enough task, simply because it was influenced by the man with his own gravitational pull. Seriously. He was that obese. People used to joke that when he walked by, you could actually feel the gravity shift. Hardy har har.

As it turned out, the large majority of the booths were empty. There were a few teenagers trying to scare people in the Haunted House, but that was about it. Ali's last stop was the Hall of Mirrors. Having had several years experience, she new that one didn't have to traverse the maze to find people who were stuck. The place had fantastic acoustics; echoes traveled throughout the entire thing. "Hellooooo? Anybody in here? The Mayor wants everybody in the clearing for some pointless speech. Nobody home? Great." She emphasized the 't' and it's echo was the longest. The effect was rather cool.

Alicia was on her way back when a woman in her mid-thirties stopped her. "Oh please, could you help me? My little girl Kimberly has gone missing. I left her with her friends, but they don't know where she is."

"Sure. Can I have her age and appearance please?"

"She's 8 years old, wearing a pink Hello Kitty t-shirt, blue jeans and light up Barbie sneakers. She's got blonde hair and hazel eyes."

"Thank you. I'll notify the staff to start looking for her."

12:25

The crowd fell silent when a man one would describe as rotund lifted a megaphone to his mustached lips and began to speak. This was Mayor O'Dowd. Nobody cared for him; he was a jerk. Usually if you were that fat and had such a great lacking of personality, you'd at least be nice to people. Not him. No, he enjoyed decision-making and bossing people around way too much. People weren't sure how he got elected this year.

"Could everyone please pay attention?" Note the fact he doesn't say the obligatory thank you once everyone has their eyes on him. Maybe it's because he knows that paying attention to him wasn't much of a task, seeing as his midsection was, in a word, behemoth. "I'd like to show my gratitude for everyone's efforts this summer. The 2009 Carnival will be the best yet. Please sit back and enjoy the show known all around as New England's favorite event of the year." No enthusiasm. No sign of sincerity. Simply using his office for some strange form of personal accomplishment. Of course, once he lowered the megaphone and walked off, people began giggle and jeer about his ever-growing size.

Everyone eventually fell quiet once more as a gaggle of elementary schoolers stood in front of the crowd. This was yet another tradition. They were dressed up in Uncle Sam-type garb and held a sparkler in each hand. The National Anthem would be sung and an interpretive dance displayed at the end.

[CrimethinkRebel]

The child first caught my attention with her wailing cries for Mommy. She was crouched behind some rusted popcorn cart on the outskirts of the fairgrounds, seemingly inconsolable. Snot and tears mixed into a viscous fluid that pooled beneath her nose. Her Barbie sneakers lit up every time she stomped the ground. It was then that Loathing's gentle caress warmed my body. I forced it up and everywhere. I let it travel to my hands, fingers curling in disgust; my feet, toes pressing against the soles of my shoes until they hurt; my head, the throb of rage and increased blood pressure comforting and disconcerting all the same. It consumed me. I allowed it to. We needed each other.

But this girl ruined it! She wouldn't shut the fuck up! This little shitfaced bitch. Grow the fuck up. All you have to do is walk to the fireworks and ask someone to help you. Jesus Christ. Dumb shit. Mommy probably doesn't even fucking want you. Why else would she have left you? Hell, I would have left you. You're annoying as hell. And ugly. And fucking stupid.

Hate. Rage. Hate. Loathe. Hate. Kill. Kill... Kill the little bitch. Kill her! Do it!

I repeated the mantra in my head over and over and over. I must not have noticed that I was saying it out loud. The girl looked up and asked who was there. I was faced with an option. On one hand, I could walk way, enjoy the wonderful feeling of hate on my own and believe me, it felt fucking good. On the other hand... No! The idea was absurd! I couldn't possibly... Or could I? It wouldn't be that hard. She was just a kid. She couldn't fight back... No! This was lunacy! I am not that kind of man. I mean, I'm a sick bastard, but kill? No. It wasn't me. I wouldn't. I couldn't. I won't.

Yes you will... Do it for me. Don't you love me? Don't you love the way I make you feel? I would never do you wrong and I promise you, you'll love it. You'll feel so powerful, so perfect. It'll be better than anything you've experienced before... Do it. Do it for us. You need this. It'll help you. Once you get this out of your system, it'll never happen again. You'll be able to get those nasty thoughts out of your head. Do it. Do it for you.

Well. As long as I was doing it for myself...

"Who's there? Mommy?"
"Nope. Not Mommy. But I know where Mommy is."
"You do?! Where is she?"
"She's on her way. She asked me to stay here with you until she comes. She doesn't want you to get scared." I was incredulous. How easy was this?! The dumb bitch actually believed what I was saying. Jesus. This kid was practically leaping into my arms to save her. "What's your name, Sweetie?"
"Kimberly... What's yours?"
"Mr. Peterson, but you can call me Jimmy. All my friends call me Jimmy." She smiled at that one. I suppose the thought of having a new friend was exciting.
"How old are you, Jimmy?"
"Me? I'm a dinosaur. I'm 35." She giggled. Just then, the first firework went off. People were clapping and cheering. The noise carried over the field. Kimberly wiped the snot from her face and sighed. Apparently her mother never missed the fireworks, and they'd be there for a long time. I reassured her that was fine. We weren't going anywhere. She hugged me then and I knew that was my chance.

My hands cradled her, stroking her hair as I cooed words of comfort. She kept saying thanks over and over again. Ugh. Stupid bitch.

Stop fooling around. Kill her! Look beneath the popcorn cart!

I did as I was told. There was a bit of broken metal pipe lying on the ground. I smiled and reached for it. She asked what I was doing. I told her I didn't want her to get cut on the pipe. Then, I grabbed her by her hair and slammed her on the ground. She started to scream and cry. I hated it. It was one of those girly, high-pitched bullshit screams that make you want to kill someone...

Speaking of which, I sat on top of her. Her legs kept trying to kick under my weight. My hand bared down on her skull and I heard a crunch. I think it was her nose, since it started to bleed after that. The screaming kept getting louder and I couldn't fucking take it anymore. I poised the pipe at the back of her head, in that little notch above the spine. She stopped moving then. Her breathing was ragged and she sobbed silently, whispering to let her go. I told her I was going to let her go...

Seeing my handiwork gave me a strong sense of pride. The pole stuck straight out. It pushed her vertebrae, making this ugly bulge on either side. Finally, she was quiet. He could properly enjoy his hate.

Good. Very good my darling. But you aren't done yet! Cut off her scalp. And her eyelids. That way you can remember. I promise, you'll love it. You can keep them in that treasure chest thing you have in the basement. It'll be our secret treasure.

Our secret treasure. I relished the thought. Anything that made us happy was good. And just to make things that much better, I added my own little twist to it all. I took two nails from the popcorn cart and rammed them through her thumbs. It was fun watching the sheath lift off the skin, stringy little fibers trying to keep it attached. My Loathing complimented me, saying it was classy. I looked up to see the finale of the fireworks. The crowd roared. It was time to go. Bye bye, Kimberly. I hope you find Mommy.

And to think I didn't even want to come to this damn Carnival.

After the Fireworks

"Kimberly! Kim, Honey! Where are you?!" It had been some time since she started looking for her daughter and there was still no sign of her. The staff was no help at all. They figured she'd turn up during the fireworks. When she didn't, they started flagging each other down to form search parties. Ugh, she hated teenagers.

"Kim, you come here right this second! You're grounded for a month young lady! KIM!" She was becoming frustrated. Little girls were supposed to listen to their mothers. Well, this Mommy was getting sick of walking around. She had come all the way to the edge of the fairgrounds. All that was here were some old port-o-potties and useless equipment--

"Kim? Baby?" A note of worry had weaved its way into her voice. A familiar flicker of light had gone off in the grass, scaring the raccoon that was gnawing on the Barbie sneakers. "Kim!" Mommy ran to the old popcorn cart where the shoes were. It was too dark and she bumped into something on the ground. Using her cell phone as a light, she peered into the night to see was she had stumbled upon...

The piercing scream that spilled forth from her throat was unmatched by anything the town of Wickford had ever heard before. The only thing that could compare was Kimberly's own screams, but then again, nobody had heard those...

[Security of Mem]

"Hellooooo? Anybody in here? The Mayor wants everybody in the clearing for some pointless speech. Nobody home? Great."
Thomas had heard someone's voice in the mirror house. But he slipped himself more into the house so no one could see him. He actually didn't want to leave to see the fireworks. He actually didn't want to be in the crowds. He wasn't sure why fireworks were so amazing. Or why anyone cared for fireworks. And he knew most of the kids from school would be there. And that frightened him the most now that he thought about it. There was the kid who locked him in the schools boiler room for the weekend. The kid who almost drowned him. And then the kid who made fun of the way he walked. Thomas held onto his knees tighter. He wished he had brought his writing and sketching notebook. But then his parents would see his hobbies and what he did. And he didn't want to be criticized for his hobbies. So he kept it a secret. If his parents couldn't see then he wouldn't be criticized or embarrassed in front of them. The way he was at school. He closed his eyes for a moment, maybe longer.
It took the banging of the fireworks to wake him up. How long had he been sleeping?
As time passed he could hear the ground finale. It was almost worrying that his parents hadn't discovered he wasn't there with them in the crowd. Or that he never met in them in the middle of the carnival. Did his parents really not need the baby of the family?
Some time had passed again. He wanted to leave the mirror house. He was actually becoming worried and almost scared that his family wasn't looking for him. Thomas got up and walked out of the mirror house. He was scared and upset that his family wasn't looking for him. All the crowds and the smiling faces though, made him think that he wanted to be invisible again. And then someone grabbed him from behind. He was going to struggle and fidget even scream, but he was given a hug. He turned to his assailant, to see it was his father. Large, timbering muscular body, with the straight general soldier look. Crew cut and standing 6 feet tall. Taller then Thomas.
"We have been looking for this whole entire time," his father said sounding annoyed and relieved.
"So..so...so..so..sorry, sss..sir," Thomas stuttered.
"Did you get swept up by the crowds?" he heard his mother say.
Thomas stared at the woman who was caught in a time capsule. She was very fifties with a fifties fashion. It was embarrassing to say the least.
"K..k..kind of," Thomas said.
He saw his three brothers also giving him a look. Though this was a snark and distasteful look. Which meant they missed the show because of him. They looked like younger and older clones of his father. He was the only one with soft features, and a baby face. Who looked more like their mother, if their mother was even modern enough.
"Sss..ssory," Thomas said again.
"No matter, it's time to get home anyway," his mother said.
"We're going to have a talk though," his father said.
"I..I..I got...I got..I got lost," Thomas said.
He lied to cover his house. Afraid of what his father was going to say. So he rather his father think something else. Then the truth, which could get him in a lot of trouble. On the way of walking to the parking lot they heard a scream of a woman. His mother stared near the entrance, his father went off towards the scream. And out of strange curiosity Thomas followed his father.

[CrimethinkRebel]

"May I have a large blue slush, with whipped cream on top?" The gaggle of preteens were staring at their leader who had boldly ordered a large blue refreshment from the cute Carnival employee. His name was Aaron. He couldn't read very well and was a tad slow on the uptake. He also wasn't listening, as the cash box, in all of its advanced technological greatness, was giving him issues. This was when Alicia stepped in.

"Sorry girls, he's a bit preoccupied, but I can help you. Your total will be $4.25." The pubescent girls apologized and walked off. Apparently all they were interested was the illiterate dream-boat. Turning her attention to the now cursing Aaron, she forcefully took the cash box and began opening it. It was jammed. "Hah. See. I'm not stupid! It was stuck!" Ali rolled her eyes, smiling. The big idiot wasn't always the best for conversation, but he was nice and often times made her laugh.

In the process of opening the box, Alicia broke a nail, immediately whipping out a nail file to fix the problem. Unfortunately, she was unable to begin filing because at that very moment, an ear-shattering scream broke the sound barrier and made everybody's hair stand on end. The resulting fear was interrupted by a walkie-talkie's static.

'Alicia. Aaron. You two are closest. Go check it out. It's probably just some kids fooling around, but just to be sure...' Without a moments hesitation, the two carnies lept over the counter and sprinted to the old equipment area. Something inside them knew that this was no joke. People didn't just scream like that for nothing. The two were almost afraid of what they might find.

A mother, collapsed and passed out, the shock of seeing her baby girl dead too much. A child, mutilated and impaled on a pole, her eyes forever open to stare in a questioning gaze. People started to arrive, investigating the source of the commotion. Once they realized what was happening, the air grew thick with horror. Mother's gasped and covered their children's eyes. The fathers huddled in a group, trying to decide which testosterone-fueled action would be best. Alicia contributed to the panic by yelling at the top of her lungs for someone to call the police, the hospital, anyone. Aaron was trying not to be sick. The two of them clung to each other for support. Nothing like this had ever happened before. What were you supposed to do? Hell, people around here didn't even watch crime shows on tv. Nobody had any idea what to do.

The sound of sirens in the distance was the only thing that offered any guidance. The police were here. Everybody move out. They would handle it. Everything would be okay. Everything would be okay...

[Security of Mem]

Before the Murder...

Jade had been calling Thomas all night. His phone continued giving her voicemail. She left a few messages, of course since she was with friends they weren't exactly what she wanted to say. But this gave her a interesting idea.
Her friends and her had went to the carnival as it seem to fun to stay out late. And she knew Thomas was going to be here, she usually had this feeling. She called Thomas's phone once again.
Please leave a message after the tone, said the monotonous female answering machine.
"Thomas, please answer...come one, you never leave your phone off, I thought we were going to meet at the square," Jade said her voice slightly quivering.
She hung up and started crying. The girls she was hanging around immediatedly turned around to her.
"What's wrong?" one asked.
"He never leaves me hanging like this," she said through fits of fake tears, but these girls were suckers and they couldn't see a lie very well.
"Who, your boyfriend?" another girl asked.
"You know Thomas," Jade said.
"Oh my god, he doesn't seem like the type to do something like that,"
"Yeah well, I don't know...."
She took a deep breath.
"He's been ignoring me as of late...."
Taking another deep breath and trying to fight back the tears.
"I don't know what I did...."
Another breath and more fits of trying not to ball.
"I feel...I feel..."
She starts balling and the girls come over to comfort her. In reality she was smiling inside her head. She felt pleasent almost that these girls had fallen into her hands.
"I'll go look for him," said a girl.
She pretended the hug made her feel a little better, wiping some tears away, taking a seat on the ground, but still looking sad. She didn't feel any regret or guilt about what she had just done. Nor did she really feel any regret in telling the whole school, she was going out with Thomas since middle school. People were surprised by the announcement, but they accepted it. It stopped one of the girls from confessing to him. And Jade got rid of her quickly.
Suddenly they were being called to go into the group. To watch the fireworks. And they were being forced away from all the attractions. It annoyed Jade. But she knew she would have her opportunity soon.

After the Murder During the Scream....

Jade's friends had no luck finding Thomas. And Jade had suffered through such a boring firework display. Most people stared in awe and amazement. As the finale died down and people were walking to go to the parking lot, some teenagers were trying to get on the rides again, Jade bit her lip. Things like this situation really annoyed Jade. She hadn't gotten as much satisfaction as she normally would have had.
The girls were just the cake, she needed the frosting as well. She stuck her hands in her pocket and rubbed a wallet covering, the kind people used to put pictures in. And would annoy and bother people with the many growths the children went through. She took out the plastic covering to stare at a picture of Thomas. He was in his freshman year of high school. That's when she reckoned he got cuter.
And that is when she wanted him more then ever. She put the picture back in her sweater pocket. And then her friends and her heard a scream. They quickly walked over to see all the fuss was about. A woman was looking at her dead child. The dead child was mutilated and almost seemed to have fear bred in her last stare.
But as Jade skimmed the crowd of horrified and shocked people. She had a pleasant smile as she saw Thomas, following closely by his father. She knew his father would soon lose sight of Thomas. And it was time for her to pounce.
She quickly pushed through the frightened people and pulled Thomas into a tight hug. From what it would look like to her friends later one, was the comfort between a couple.
They were to busy being disgusted that they wouldn't realize the real situation. Jade liked when things went in her favor.

-----------


Thomas and his father were the first few that came there. At first Thomas couldn't really see much. And more people were piling over. There was some sort of horrified silent gasp from some people, some screamed which was slightly unnecessary, and some just had their mouths open in wide shock. Thomas was able to maneuver around the now building up crowd. To see a mother staring at her dead child's corpse.
Now unlike most folks here, none of them had seen detective movies. No CSI or any horror movies. Then again Thomas had his secret life in his room. He had seen bodies before in television and in pictures when his father was showing off his war pictures. But none in real life. It horrified him slightly. And he was already shaking from the crowd and people getting to close, but this sent a shiver down his spine. To him it was worse because it was a little girl. He actually was kind of feeling sick. Maybe a different reaction from most people. He didn't know if he should continue looking in fascination or if he should throw up. If he seemed to have any interest in the body, the crowd might suspect him.
But he had always been the very strange kid, he realized things that other people wouldn't realize. Like while the kids were walking and talking down the sidewalk. They may see the roadkill, but they never saw it the way Julian did. But this beyond roadkill. This was a human being. And maybe his fascination was also feeling sorta sick. So he backed out in order to calm down and not to feel so sick. He was doing deep calming breathing. Trying to relax the best way he could. And then he felt a familiar tight and controlling embrace. It was a familiar smell too. A very rosy smell.
"Thomas I have been looking all over for you," Jade said.
He could feel his sickness dissipating into anxiety. And he felt his heart start to race. The kind of racing where it was going way to fast and he was afraid he was going to have a heart attack. He could barely take a breath at the moment as she hugged him.
It was bad enough she was taller and older, but the things she had done just make it worse. And he knew he had no way of escaping.
"J..J..J..Jade what...what...what...what a surprise," Thomas said his words felt like butter or that his mouth had been numbed and he couldn't even speak properly.
"What's wrong?" Jade asked with that twinkle in her eye.
"No..no...nothing," Thomas stuttered, "I'm...I'm...I'm...I'm glad to see you."
"I knew you would be,"
He was beginning to lose focus at the moment. He was feeling his anxiety taking over. Even though she had let go of the tight hug, her presence was still there. And she was watching him. She was just watching him. He actually began to forget how to breath. He was actually choking on trying to breath.
He knew she wouldn't let him go. He knew he couldn't walk away from her. It was only until she would walk away from him that he was safe. But she stayed beside him.
And when the cops came he felt almost relieved as they pushed everyone away. But oh no Jade wasn't going to be done that way. Thomas anxiety was reaching a peek. He had a feeling what she was going to do next. Maybe because she had realized his anxiety. And had been hearing choke up a little.
"Someone come quick, I think this boy is sick!" she said loudly.
He just wanted to disappear now. He didn't want anyone to see him. He wanted to be invisible. He closed his eyes in hopes that no one would see him. Especially his father.