stepped into the vacant area.
The clown’s grinning face searched the shadows for any signs of life as he held the shotgun in one hand – dangling it next to his leg as he walked. His boots left behind faint prints of blood as he walked pass the boxes behind which Eric, Matt and Alice hid. He stood in one spot for a moment; letting his eyes search the rest of the floor. All he saw were boxes and plastic. The floor seemed abandoned so he turned around and walked back to the doorway.
Alice held her breath as the clown walked pass them and prayed to God they didn’t make the slightest noise for him to hear. Her heart was beating so wildly it felt like it was tugging at her and she was almost certain the clown could hear her heartbeat… but he didn’t hear them and continued walking away.
The sound of the clown’s footsteps faded as he walked farther away from the boxes and it seemed they were in the clear. He didn’t spot them and would continue on his murder rampage elsewhere.
Without warning Alice’s phone started vibrating loudly and her eyes widened with terror upon realizing that he could hear the vibrations. She had completely forgotten about the phone she stuck in her bra.
Hastily, she reached into her bra, grabbed the phone and switched it off. The clown fired off a shot in the direction of the noise; sending a box flying through the air to the left and Matt to the right. Before Alice could scream Eric cupped his hand over her mouth and dragged her into the shadows and out of sight.
Matt lay on his back screaming in pain with his left shoulder a raw mess of blood and flesh where the bullet hit him. Blood gushed out of the wound and Matt tried to stop the bleeding with his hand while crying and trying to crawl away, but he was in too much pain. The clown stepped closer to Matt and stood watching him a moment as if revelling in the man’s suffering.
“Why are you doing this?” Matt cried.
The clown didn’t answer and simply stared down at Matt with his dark, empty eyes. The clown stepped closer, lowered the shotgun and the muzzle of the shotgun against Matt’s heaving chest as he tried to back away, but couldn’t. The loss of blood left him weak.
“Please.” Matt pleaded, “Don’t do this.”
The clown pulled the trigger and the shot went off that jolted Matt; leaving a gaping wound in his chest and a crater in the floor beneath his lifeless body. The clown pulled the muzzle out of the wound, shook off the excess blood and flesh and then lifted the shotgun.
The clown glanced across the dark room once more for signs of life, but didn’t’ spot Alice and Eric hiding in the shadows so he turned towards the door again and left.
When the coast was clear, Alice shoved Eric aside and jumped up. Her chest felt tight and she found it hard to breathe as a piercing pain shot through her lungs. Her entire body was shaking and she felt like throwing up. They simply hid like cowards and watched that crazy man kill Matt in cold blood.
“I can’t breathe.” Alice gasped.
“Keep your voice down.”
Alice started pacing up and down; trying to calm herself down and catch her breath until she finally stopped and stared down at her hands - they were trembling uncontrollably like the rest of her body.
“I can’t stop shaking.” Alice whispered.
She tried to shake off the fearful feeling, took a deep breath and paced back and forth again. Her throat felt dry and then she was overcome with a warm burning sensation in her throat before spewing out vomit. She bent forward and coughed out the last bits of vomit from her mouth before she started crying again.
“Just try to stay calm.” Eric said.
He was just as terrified, but knew that he had to keep a level head. Alice wiped away vomit from her lips and glanced over at Matt’s lifeless body that lay in a pool of blood. They could’ve at least tried to save him, but they simply hid.
“I think I’m gonna throw up.” Alice mumbled.
“You just did.”
Alice leaned against a pile of boxes with one hand and heaved sounds of dry vomit, but nothing came out. Her stomach was churning and wanted to react to the situation, but it was empty.
Eric grabbed her by the upper arms and stared her dead in the eyes.
“Get yourself together.” He insisted, “What just happened was horrible, I know, but if you lose it we won’t get out of here alive. I need you level-headed. Can you contain yourself?”
Alice nodded and whispered, “Yes.”
Alice gulped and wiped her mouth again as she took a couple of deep breaths and glanced down at her hands. She continued to stare at them until they stopped shaking.
Alice’s phone vibrated again. She quickly grabbed it and stared at the LCD screen – the caller ID showed that it was her sister, Wendy so she answered the call.
“Hello?” Alice whispered.
“Alice?”
“Wendy.” Alice sighed with relief, “It’s so good to hear your voice. I thought I’d never hear your voice again.”
“What’s going on? Your office building is on the news. The newsman says that there’s a hostage situation. Do they want ransom?”
“No. I don’t know what he wants, but it’s just one man. He’s wearing a clown mask and just shooting people at random.”
“Oh my God.” Wendy gasped, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I’ve had a few close calls.”
“Can you get out?”
“No.” Alice whimpered, “The elevator’s out of order and he started a fire in the stairway. We’re heading to the roof and hope we can find a way out.”
“We?” Wendy asked confused, “Who’s we?”
“Eric and I.”
“I think it’s your best option. The building’s surrounded with police. Someone’s bound to see you on the roof.”
Alice walked over to one of the windows, stared out to the street below and saw police vehicles, policemen, reporters and a large group of onlookers. Why weren’t the police storming the building? Something was wrong. The situation was probably worse than she thought.
“Wendy,” Alice said, “I don’t want mom to see this. I don’t want her to worry.”
“I’ll do my best.” Wendy said.
There was a moment of silence that felt like forever as Alice thought of everything she wanted to tell her family before she died. Alice wanted to take the moment to tell her family she loved them. She knew that they were in a very dangerous situation and that she might not make it home.
“Wendy,” Alice said; trying to control her emotions, “I want you to know I love you.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Wendy pleaded.
“I don’t know whether I will make it out. I just want to let you know that I love you and mom very much.”
Wendy whimpered on the other side of line, “I love you too.”
There was a thud and the floor shook beneath them during which Alice tried to keep her balance until the floor stopped shaking. Alice and Eric looked at each other with tremendous fear… That was no gunshot.
“What was that?” Eric asked concerned.
Boom
Constable Josephs ran up to Sergeant Wilson with a bunch of documents in his hands and dropped a file as he ran, but picked it up and continued on his way as he scurried to his impatient senior.
“Sergeant...” Constable Josephs called out.
Wilson turned around as Josephs reached him; panting for air as he was quite unfit and not used to running around.
“What do you have for me, Josephs?” Wilson asked.
“Sir, I went through the company records for anyone who was let go in the past five years.”
“What did you find?”
“Jack White,” Josephs said, “Was let go twelve months ago after disorderly conduct, but he died in a car accident a few weeks ago. Maggie Black was let go two years ago because she was caught stealing. She currently lives in Sutherland and local police went over to her house… She’s not our guy.”
“Do we know who our guy is?” Wilson asked annoyed.
Josephs
was wasting valuable time by giving him irrelevant information – time they could use to save lives and bring down the shooter.
“Godfrey Williams, sir.”
Josephs handed Wilson a file and he paged through it.
“He was let go a few months ago.” Josephs said, “His quality of work started to decline and he became more and more unstable.”
“Unstable?”
“Yes sir. According to one of the line managers Godfrey Williams started ranting about seeing winged creatures that talked to him. Apparently he was convinced that he was working in a building filled with demons.”
“Demons?” Wilson asked worried.
If their shooter was imagining demons he was more disturbed and dangerous than they expected and time was not only of the essence, but running out. One thing Wilson learned through years of experience was that the disturbed didn’t value life like normal people and that every second counted when dealing with a madman.
“They tried in-house counselling” Josephs said, “and referred him to a therapist, but saw no improvement. They eventually let him go in fear of him hurting someone. He was prohibited to enter the premises to protect the staff and the CEO even went as far as getting a restraining order. Police went over to his apartment, but he wasn’t home. Neighbours say they saw him leave wearing a mask this morning… a clown mask.”
Wilson looked up from the file and stared up at the building. They had found their guy and his motive. The question now was how to stop him and prevent more deaths? He knew he’d have to put himself in the shooter’s shoes to understand the situation as there was nothing random about the shooting; he had a plan – he was working his way up and killing everyone along the way. What was at the top?
“Where are the managers’ offices?” Wilson asked.
Josephs opened the blueprint of the building and threw it onto the hood of a police car as his eyes searched through the plans. Wilson grew agitated that Josephs took long to locate the offices on the blueprints and pushed him aside. He hated rookies.
“The managers and CEO offices are on the top floor.” Josephs said.
“That’s where he is heading.”
“You think he’s going after the managers?”
“Wouldn’t you?” Wilson asked, “He is unstable and probably blames the managers for losing his job. I think he is out for revenge. If he thinks his co-workers are demons then the CEO must be the devil himself. ”
“Why not just start at the top?”
Wilson stared at the building. It was a good question. Why didn’t he slip past everyone on the lower floors and simply kill everyone on the top floor?
“He wants them to be terrified.” Wilson said in thought, “He’s blocked their way out. They’re stuck on the top floor with no way out. That’s why he’s killing everyone as he makes his way up. He wants the CEO and managers to panic. They know they’re next and can’t escape the wrath of a madman. We have to get into the building.”
“I studied the blue prints, sir. There‘s a back entrance in the alley. It’s an old delivery door from when this building was still a food distribution company.”
“Take three men and go.” Wilson ordered.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Josephs couldn’t help but smile. It was his first big case and he was actively involved. His mom would be so proud of him. He had finally made it. He was a real policeman.
“Yes sir.” Joseph said proudly.
Wilson turned around and faced a group of police constables a few feet away, “Johnson, Patricks and Steward!”
The three men stepped closer.
“Go investigate the back door with Josephs.” Wilson said.
The men nodded and followed Josephs. The four men ran across the parking lot, down the alley and slowed down when they reached a large dumpster. Josephs led the group of men as his eyes searched for the door as they walked and then he finally spotted the back door.
“This is it.” Josephs said.
They walked up to the door and Josephs took a hold of the handle. He turned the handle and as he opened the door a