Mind of a Killer Read online

  “Has some one moved it,” he asked Karl.

  “The room is largely the way it was found.”

  “But the mirror was right over there, someone must have moved it.”

  “Rivers, there was no mirror here,” replied Karl. Rivers frowned and then walked over to where the mirror had been in his dreams. The floor beneath where the mirror had stood was unmarked. There were no indentations or depressions to suggest a mirror had recently stood there.

  Rivers staggered back into Karl who stood close behind him. Never before in one of his visions had he ever seen inaccuracies or things that had not been there.

  “Looks like you were wrong this time Rivers,” said Karl as he helped steady his friend.

  “You don’t understand Karl. I have never been wrong before. When I looked into the mirror The Hacker was looking right back. It was if he had been waiting for me. When I met his gaze he reached out of the mirror and dragged me into it...”

  “Perhaps the vision led onto a nightmare?” suggested Karl

  “You have been following this case very closely now for several months. Rather than him invading your dreams, perhaps your subconscious has vilified or embodied him as your fears. I'm no psychologist but there must be something rational behind it.”

  Karl paused a moment before continuing. Rivers could see bad news was about to come his way. It was clearly obvious Karl had been finding the right moment to say it.

  “The chief wants to see you at the station. I think he wants you off the case.”

  Rivers was taken aback. Although it was a shock it was something he should have been expecting.

  “I am sorry Rivers..,” said Karl as he saw the distress on Rivers’ face.

  “You’re emotionally compromised, let alone that The Hacker is targeting your family. It’s just too much of a risk to keep you on board the investigation.”

  Chapter 4

  It had been two weeks since Ian Rivers had been removed from the case. In that time The Hacker had not struck nor had Rivers been visited by him in his dreams.

  Removed from the case and on paid leave from work, Rivers struggled to keep himself occupied. The loss of his sister had hurt him deep. Although they had not been close, it was his fault, his responsibility that she had been targeted. That she had become The Hacker’s next victim.

  Their parents long dead, it had been left to Rivers to organise the funeral. She had no partner or significant other to speak of. She as Rivers himself had found it difficult to become close to anyone after what had happened to their parents. It was nearly 15 years ago that they had lost both their parents.

  That night had been buried deep in Rivers memory. He remembered his sister had been away for the weekend. Rivers himself had been at home at the time. There had been no indication about what would happen that night in his parents’ behaviour or language. His Mom had said they were both heading out for a bit and not to expect them back for a while.

  The recent years had been hard on his parents. With his constant nightmares and visions his parents had struggled to look after and support him whilst he was assessed and treated. Rivers’ condition had been put down to a form of psychosis originally but over the last few months he had discovered it for what it was when his dreams unfortunately proved to be real.

  Although the police saw his talent as a useful gift, Rivers viewed it as more of a curse. The horrendous visions in his sleep felt as if they stabbed at his very soul. The pain, suffering and torture he witnessed was unbearable. The stress the condition caused his parents was obvious. He could see them slowly breaking down from the years of medical assessment and sleepless nights looking after their son as he screamed through the night.

  “Do you need us to bring anything back Ian?” asked his Mom hesitantly whilst she hovered in the doorway.

  “You have been fighting again haven’t you?” asked Ian concerned. Although she tried to hide it, it was clear they had been.

  “What makes you say that?” asked his Mom.

  “I can see it in your eyes. It’s over me again isn’t it?”

  “Your Father just finds your condition difficult to accept. Now that the specialist has been unable to diagnose let alone treat your condition your Father is worried what will happen with you.”

  Rivers could not bear to see his parents fight over him. If he could be rid of his curse then he would do it in a flash for his parents’ sake. Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done for him. He was stuck with the visions and the nightmares.

  “Where are you going,” asked a young Ian Rivers.

  “Nowhere in particular. We just need to escape for a little while...”

  As his Mother finished her sentence she embraced Ian tightly.

  “What's that for Mom?” asked Ian unsure what to make of the unexpected show of affection.

  “Don’t expect us back for at least a couple of hours.”

  Ian suspected that they were actually leaving the house to argue. They tried their best not to fight in front of him as he had enough to deal with already. The public attention had also done a lot of damage to their relationship. The police had tried to help keep the press at bay but the smell of a story always had the media flocking around them.

  Ian had thought nothing of it when they had left. Several hours passed without Ian hearing anything from them.

  His sister had called to let them know she would be away for another night. With their parents gone Ian said he would let them know when they returned home.

  A couple more hours passed before Ian had felt hungry. With his mother out Ian decided to check the freezer in the garage to see if there was anything for him to eat. His mother had always done all the cooking. It was rare that he was left to fend for himself.

  Ian descended the staircase of his parents’ house. He noted the silence of the empty house. How quiet it was with only him there. Leaving the staircase Ian approached the kitchen. As he moved closer he could smell something peculiar. It took Ian a moment to place it as the smell of exhaust fumes.

  The smell grew stronger as he reached for the door. The thickening fumes began to sting his throat as he inhaled them.

  Opening the kitchen door released a thick gas of fumes which assaulted Ian’s senses.

  His eyes stung from the cloud of exhaust fumes and they began to stream tears in response. Ian collapsed to the floor as he choked on the smoke. The smoke now able to escape into the house flooded in, allowing Ian to look into the kitchen. He strained to find the source of the smoke which appeared to be coming from beneath the door to the garage. Focusing on the door, Ian could now hear a deep chugging noise of a running engine. Stretching out Ian reached up to the table and removed a dish cloth. Holding it across his mouth he tried to filter some of the fumes.

  Ian kept low as he still choked against the burning sensation in his throat. Slowly he crawled towards the garage door to check what was causing the smoke.

  Reaching the internal garage door, Ian reached up and clasped the door handle with his right hand, whilst holding the towel across his mouth with the other. Pulling down on the handle, Ian opened the door to reveal the source of the smoke.

  Inside the garage the air was thick with smoke. The room was dark as the lights were switched off. The noise of the running car was loud and overpowering in the confined space of the garage. Struggling for breath, let alone being able to see, Ian struggled to find the powered garage door’s operating switch. Fumbling around the wall for several moments he finally found it. Flicking the switch he watched as the garage door slowly opened.

  The fumes began to overwhelm Ian as the little protection the dish cloth offered became insufficient to protect against the gas in the air. Feeling light headed Ian collapsed to the floor. With the garage door now wide open the air began to clear out as the fumes escaped up into the open air.

  With the air clearing, Ian coughed loudly as he cleared his lungs. His lungs felt burnt and sore as Ian rolled himself outside of the garage into t
he cold night air. Pushing himself up onto his hands and knees, Ian looked back to the garage. A large familiar car sat idling away in the centre of the building. Clearly visible through the front window screen were the silhouettes of two figures.

  Taking a deep breath, Ian pushed himself on to his feet. He felt light headed as he stood upright and stumbled towards the vehicle. Ian’s head hurt, he felt a banging and thudding sensation as he came to a stop and rested against the vehicle.

  Through blurred vision Ian could see the figures more clearly now he was up close. Although it was quite dark within the garage, street lighting provided sufficient illumination for him to recognise that the motionless figures within the vehicle were his parents.

  In panic Ian lunged for the passenger door handle tripping as he went. With a crash Ian landed on the floor in a heap. Forcing himself back up Ian knew he had to help; he had to hope it was not too late.

  Taking hold of the passenger door handle again Ian attempted to open the door but it would not budge. The door was locked. Out of the corner of his eye something strange caught Ian’s attention. Hanging out of the rear passenger window was a garden hose pipe which led round to the back of the running vehicle. Thick smoke poured out of the end that was inserted through a gap in the window which continued to fill the cabin with thick smoke.

  Trying to open the rear passenger door, Ian found it to be locked too. He pulled hard against the handle but the door would not budge. As he continued to pull hard against the door he was met only by the resistance of the solid locked door.

  The toxic fumes continued to hiss into the car’s passenger cabin. Letting go of the door handle, Ian took hold of the hosepipe and yanked it free from the vehicle. With a sharp tug the pipe was free. Discarding it to the floor, he took a firm grip of the top of the window which was only open an inch and pulled with all his strength. The window began to bend before the flexibility gave way to the glass’ rigidity. There was a loud shattering sound as the window fell to the ground in a million pieces. As the shattered window fell to the floor, so did Ian. With a thud he landed on his back with the cold concrete floor beneath him. Again getting back onto his feet this time covered in broken glass Ian reached into the vehicle and attempted to open the door from the inside. Ian could only assume that the vehicles child locks had been activated. Grabbing the sides of where the window had been housed, Ian pulled himself into the vehicle.

  The air inside had already begun to clear since the rear passenger window had been removed. Ian coughed and wheezed loudly again as he choked on the toxic fumes. Taking a hold of the driver’s seat in front, Ian pulled himself into the front of the vehicle. Sat in their seats, the figures of Ian’s parents still remained motionless. Putting his panic to one side for a moment Ian reached across his Mother to open the front passenger door. Closing his eyes tightly, he dared not look directly at her. He could not let himself think about what they had done. As he brushed past her he found his mothers skin cold to the touch but he would not think the worst. Taking a hold of the front passengers door handle, Ian gave it a good pull. With a click the lock mechanism released but the door did not open. Releasing and pulling hard on the handle Ian pushed hard with his other hand. The door swung open into the garage followed by Ian who tumbled out of the vehicle following it. Ian remained motionless for a few moments as he comprehended his situation. With the impact he had twisted his arm awkwardly rendering it useless. His eyes stung again from the fumes and were streaming with tears. Wincing in pain, Ian rolled onto his back to find his Mother leaning precariously out of the door. Reaching up, Ian tried to deflect the impact as his mothers corpse crashed down on top of him knocking him unconscious.

  It was the following morning before he was found. Ian’s sister had returned home early to find her younger brother stuck beneath the cold dead corpse of their mother…

  “Are you OK, my son?” asked the Vicar concerned.

  “Yes, sorry father,” apologised Rivers as he realised where he was. The death of his sister had deeply affected him, digging up bad memories. Although he was sorry she was gone, at least his sister could forget about what had happened to her and to their parents. A luxury that Rivers now longed for as the vicar began to conduct his sister’s funeral.

  Chapter 5

  Rivers sat several feet from the closed casket. The casket itself was suspended above the burial pit by a power assisted lift system; waiting to descend into the earth.

  All around him Rivers was surrounded by family and friends. Some faces he recognised, some he had never seen before. Although single, his sister had been very popular. It was evident now by the number of people who attended the service.

  Rivers sat still as he watched the Vicar slowly walk over to the waiting casket. The Vicar wore long flowing robes and held a bible which was stuffed with hand written notes for the service. The assembled mourners fell silent as the Vicar signalled for their attention.

  “We are assembled here today to bid farewell too our much loved friend, sister and niece Jessica Rivers. She has been taken up into our Lord’s waiting arms in the prime of her life and we ask our Lord Jesus Christ to look after her now.”

  Rivers watched on as the funeral progressed. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes as the Vicar read the prepared eulogy.

  The graveyard itself was a very well maintained and beautiful place. Their parents had both been buried here along with other family members. The church had been close to the Rivers family for several generations.

  As the Vicar continued with the service, Rivers’ mind began to drift. The people behind him stretched and disappeared into the distance as the people beside him faded into nothing. The casket which lay in front of him seemed to look exaggerated as the sky turned a blood red in colour. Wind began to blow debris and smoke across the graveyard as everything else around him burst into flame.

  Rivers remained as calm as he could. He knew he had slipped into a psychic trance and expected to see something at any moment. A terrible moaning sound erupted from the casket as something banged from inside. The thuds grew louder and more menacing as the wooden casket began to blacken from the surrounding heat.

  The Vicar still stood behind the casket conducting the service oblivious to what Rivers could see.

  The sound from within the casket played on Rivers’ nerves. He felt unsettled as he listened to the torment. Unable to resist anymore he shouted out to the Vicar.

  “Let her out!” Rivers shouted at the top of his lungs.

  “She’s still alive in there, can’t you see?”

  The Vicar looked stunned at the outburst as Rivers was dragged back to reality. He found himself standing up and pointing at the casket with his right hand. His free hand was held by the Aunt he sat next to, who pulled him back down to his chair.

  “It’s OK Ian. It’s all in your mind,” she said as she squeezed his hand tightly.

  Rivers took a moment to recognise his Aunt Rebecca or remember where he was. He needed to re-order his thoughts.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” replied Rivers as he settled down. He nodded to the Vicar to continue who looked back at Rivers with concern.

  Rivers’ Aunt Rebecca gave the Vicar a reassuring smile to confirm it was okay for the service to continue.

  “Unfortunately Jessica met a tragic end early in her life. Such as an extinguished candle, her light has been put out. However, such as a candle it can be relit, and relit it will be by our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven…”

  As the Vicar continued, Rivers noticed a figure in the distance walking towards the ceremony. The figure was dressed in black with its face covered by a hood. It strode purposefully towards the service as Rivers again was dragged back into the vision.

  The sky returned to blood red, the guests disappeared and faded away. The ambient temperature rose as fire erupted across the graveyard. The closer the figure got the hotter it became.

  Rivers had a bad feeling about the figure which seemed somewhat
familiar. The figure came to a stop behind the Vicar. Rivers looked left to right and back to where the Vicar had stood. As he carried on with the proceedings the Vicar remained completely oblivious to the presence behind him.

  The figure stepped out from behind the Vicar into full view. Slowly it raised its hands towards its hood. The hands were deathly grey in appearance as they slowly took hold and pulled back on the hood which obscured its face.

  The face, as the hands, was deathly pale in colour. The eyes were glazed over and the now exposed neck, red with blood. The figure looked towards Rivers, accusation written across its face. Rivers recognised who it was immediately.

  Rivers opened his mouth to say something but a hand firmly pushed down on his shoulder, as the figure before him pointed a finger directly at him accusing him of the deed.

  As Rivers stared transfixed at the pointing finger, the person who held him down by his shoulder spoke out.

  “She was very satisfying you know.”

  Rivers was still unable to remove his gaze. As he looked deeper into the dead eyes of his sister she began to howl loudly back at him.

  “I can not tell you how much I enjoyed her death Ian. The look in her eyes as she pleaded for her life; for me to spare her. The sound of Jessica choking on her own blood...”

  With his free hand The Hacker made a gun gesture towards the ghostly image of Rivers’ sister. Pretending to fire at her, Rivers’ sister screamed loudly as she turned into dust which was rapidly blown away into the gusting wind.

  Rivers sat quietly for a moment before responding to the unwelcome visitor.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked without turning his head to face The Hacker. The words were mumbled quietly under his breath so as not to be noticed by the funeral guests who sat around him in the real world.

  “I thought it appropriate to say my goodbyes,” The Hacker said as he took a seat next to Rivers.

  “After all, what better opportunity than a funeral to pick out my next target? So many people related and associated to you, I am going to be quite busy ruining your life!”