Legends of Windemere

(Running out of funny things to post here for the links.)

Ohio University

Coach Warner stands on the other side of the soundproof study room, his unblinking eyes never straying from Jennifer. A ring of black hair is around his head, which has been polished to shine when struck directly by the hanging lamp. Taking off his green jacket, the teacher exposes his burly arms that makes the student think of a tattooed bear. He casually rubs his precious collection, which are a patchwork of pictures that vary in style, color, and subject. Scratching at his leg, Coach Warner reveals that he has more on his legs, which are toned and look like they could kick through concrete. Satisfied that the silence has done its job on Jennifer’s nerves, he takes out a folder and drops it on the table. Pictures of Natalie and James’s dead bodies slide toward Jennifer, who clenches her eyes shut and looks away.

“Either you didn’t do this or you’re a better actress than your grades imply,” the Coach says, his chiseled face showing no sign that he is joking. Taking a seat, he pulls out a notepad and repeatedly taps a pen on the cover. “Now, the police seem to think you’re the one behind this. I told them they’re wrong, but my word isn’t going as far as it should. Too many people are aware of your roommate’s attempts to drive you away, which gives you motive. At the very least, you will be taken away for a while in order to be watched. That is unless you can give me an alibi or something that shifts the blame to someone else.”

“Why is the hockey coach doing an interrogation?” Jennifer asks, blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. A wave of fear ripples through her body when the teacher snarls, his eyes appearing to turn black. “I snuck into the library and slept in one of the study rooms. There was too much noise in the house and I didn’t want to drag my friends into this. How can anybody believe I did this? James was snapped in half and suffocated while Natalie had her eyes gouged out by glass that was found lodged in her throat. Whoever did this had to be insanely strong and have cuts on their hands. Neither of those apply to me.”

“I agree, but the police have no other suspects,” Coach Warner mentions while he watches her face. Seeing her avert her eyes from the pictures, he nods his head and scrawls a barely legible note. “To answer your first question, I am here because I have some contacts with the police department. Old friends who owe me favors, but a double homicide with this amount of brutality is too much for them. Word has already spread and some people are thinking you’re a blossoming serial killer.”

Shoving the pictures away, the weeping student puts her head on the table. “I can’t believe this. Did I hate Natalie? Not really. We didn’t get along, but I only wanted her to stop bullying me. Killing her would have been a ridiculous and stupid move because of exactly what is happening now. Our problems weren’t a secret, so I’m the logical suspect. Did it ever occur to the police that she was angering other people and one of them waited until I was in a position to take the blame? I mean, we’re dealing with insane scenarios, so why not go into a full conspiracy theory? Natalie made an enemy of someone with the strength to snap her beefy boyfriend in half like a twig and then kill her with broken glass. How about it being two killers? Anybody talk to Bigfoot and Bloody Mary yet?”

“This is not the time to get angry and irrational.”

“It’s the perfect time for that!”

“Have your outburst, but I still have a question.”

“I don’t need your permission to get upset!”

Coach Warner leans back in his chair and stares at the young woman, her body quivering from fear and rage. He considers putting the pictures away, but he prefers the sight of them keeping Jennifer on edge. The man’s eyes narrow as he examines every movement and inch of her for hints that she is lying. While he doubts that she has the strength to kill James, Coach Warner can think of at least two of her friends who could work together to do the deed. As far as Natalie, he knows a thick pair of gloves would have protected the red-haired student from injuring her hands. Although, he doubts she could have accomplished such a meticulous murder without getting hurt in the struggle.

“I will see what I can do with the police,” Coach Warner finally says while attempting to soften his voice. Hating the sound and feeling phlegm in his throat, he goes back to his stern and gravely tenor. “There is only one piece of information that I need. You said that you snuck into the library, which is something administration will overlook. No sign of you on the security cameras, so I need you to tell me if anybody else was in the building. Did you see Marcy, a janitor, or even another student?”

“Didn’t even know there were cameras,” Jennifer sheepishly admits. Feeling a little more comfortable with the promise of help, she leans back and stares at the hanging lamp. “I didn’t see anybody since I didn’t want to be caught. There were voices from the basement. Not sure if they were the janitors, but I did hear Marcy. Possibly Charlene too, which was weird. To be honest, I was really tired and could have been wrong. None of them knew I was there, so I don’t think this can be of much help.”

“Actually, I should be able to work with that,” the teacher replies as he finishes his notes. He taps his fingers a few times while considering other questions. “Please go back to the sorority and wait in the lounge for one of us. Your time as a pledge will be over, but Charlene is already looking for another room. Aurora Chambers is an option since we recently learned that her roommate dropped out. We’re sorry about the delay, Ms. O’Connor. Thank you for being patient with us.”

Happy to get out of the room and find something to eat, Jennifer grabs her bag and hurries out the door. The lights flicker and start to dim as Coach Warner collects the pictures, the man taking a moment to examine each one. He licks his lips at one that shows the lopsided bed, which the police never took a second look at. Putting the folder in his satchel, he is stricken by a mild pain in his skull that rolls to the base of his spine. It takes several minutes of the sensation running up and down his back before he falls to his knees. Taking in a gasping breath, Coach Warner looks at the window that has been blackened from the outside.

“I was told that we had more time, but you are in charge,” he whispers, blood-tinted drool falling from his mouth. Scratching at his arm, he winces when he almost pulls off one of the tattooed skin patches that have been grafted to his own flesh. “Most of them aren’t ready, but things can be pushed ahead. I agree that patience is not easy to maintain. We will do what we can to increase the speed of our work. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you again. It has been far too long for all of us.”

Coach Warner waits until the aches in his body fade away before he stands, his legs shaking slightly. Keeping his eyes on the window, he backs out of the room and closes the door as softly as possible. The instant the deadbolt clicks, a flock of ebony ravens burst off the side of the building and let the sun shine into the empty lounge.

(Anybody call for a link to yesterday’s post?)

Benedictine College

Jennifer staggers down the walkway of the sorority house, her awkward movements caused by fatigue instead of alcohol. One of the sisters starts walking toward the younger woman, a joyous grin appearing at the thought of yelling at someone. She skids to a stop when her potential victim yawn so wide that the sound reminds everyone of a lion. Wavering on her feet, Jennifer rubs her eyes and makes it to the door where she nearly falls asleep with her forehead against the poster-covered wood. She slaps herself in the face and gets inside where she holds up a textbook as a sign that she was studying. Approached by two more members, she breathes in their faces to prove she has not been drinking. The mixture of soda and hot peppers nearly knocks one of them out, the other struggling not to gag. She remains in front of them until they jerk their thumbs at the staircase and go back to a paused video game.

With a lopsided smile, Jennifer takes the steps by twos and stays against the wall to avoid falling over. Making way for a group going out for the night, she gradually goes down the hallway. She pops a cough drop into her mouth as she reaches her door, a pang of anxiety striking her stomach. Putting her ear against the lock, Jennifer carefully listens for movement and voices. Hearing some shuffling and muffled words, she knocks three times and wiggles the knob to give her roommate a warning. When her neighbor steps out, she puts a finger to her lips and waves the drunken girl away. Bracing herself for the worst, the red-haired woman opens the door and walks into a situation that she has always feared.

“Dear God, you’re naked and on top of him,” Jennifer blurts out as she turns her back on her roommate. To her chagrin, a new mirror has been hung from the door and she is forced to close her eyes. “Most people put something on the doorknob or leave a note. Even so, I knocked and made enough noise to let you know I was outside. You could have at least thrown something over yourself or . . . dismounted.”

“Nothing can be done in the heat of the moment,” Natalie casually says while she gets off her nervous boyfriend. She smacks his hands when he tries to cover himself up, but he manages to pull the covers up to his neck. “Don’t be such a prude. Not like you have anything she hasn’t seen some version of. Well, I’m not done with our romantic evening. So, you either go somewhere else or try to sleep over there. Keep in mind that staying here will result in me spreading the word that you’re a voyeur.”

Unable to keep her eyes closed without falling asleep, Jennifer does her best to walk further into the room and avert her gaze. “I’m too tired to deal with this, but you’re not giving me much of a choice. Please stop being a bitch to me for tonight and I’ll give you the room tomorrow. I just want to sleep. If I go to the lounge then all the noise will keep me up and I won’t be able to get to my classes.”

“Don’t say a word because you’ve already disappointed me once tonight,” the black-haired roommate snaps, stopping her muscular boyfriend from speaking. Moving to remain in the other girl’s line of sight, she puts her hands behind her back to help push out her chest. “I don’t really care about your classes. Flunk out and let me get a single because this place would be better without you. Always practicing your lines and never let me smoke in here. I should be with my best friend down the hall, but they had to put me with you. The only way I can get rid of you is for you to quit as a pledge or as a student. Considering how much I hate you, I want you out of the school.”

“Why do you hate me so much?”

“Because you’re annoying.”

“We’ve only known each other for half a semester.”

“And it feels like years.”

“Fine, I’ll try to sleep in the lounge. Have fun bumping herpes sores.”

Jennifer angrily slams the door behind her, which causes the mirror to fall and smash against the floor. With a victorious smile, Natalie locks the deadbolt and skips over to the bed where she yanks the covers off her boyfriend. She is about to crawl onto the narrow mattress when a cold breeze strikes her skin and threatens to calm her down. The irritated woman reaches over to turn off her roommate’s desktop fan and violently yanks the plug out of the socket. Using a scissor to cut the cord, Natalie drops the broken device in the garbage and happily skips back to the bed where her boyfriend is starting to fall asleep. A stronger blast of cold air hits her, the frigid gale giving her goosebumps and making her shiver. The blinds move to reveal the open window where a raven is calmly sitting, its back to the room.

“Get lost, bird,” Natalie hisses as she shoves the animal away. Closing and locking the window, she flips off a person outside who pulls out a camera to take her picture. “Why did you turn on the fan and open the window? We barely did anything that would make you work up a sweat. Wake up, James, because I’m not done with you.”

“Weren’t you a little too mean to her?” the young man asks while grabbing a nearby water bottle. He gets up to stretch his legs and rub his back, the cheap mattress and box spring making his muscles ache. “I know that you don’t like her, but having sex to get her out of the room might be a bit too far. Kind of tough to stay in the moment too. Not that seeing you naked isn’t helping, but I keep fearing that she’ll come back in.”

Tiptoeing to the door to avoid the glass, she closes the chain lock and rattles the knob to prove it will not open. “Even a key can’t get her back inside, so she’s gone for the night. Look, I’m really sorry about putting you in an awkward position. Let me make it up to you for the rest of the night. All I ask is that we have sex in her bed. Give me that one gift and I will make it worth your while for a month.”

“That’s why you changed her sheets,” James mutters as he wonders if he has any control over the situation. Eyeing the other bed, he notices that it looks more comfortable than the creaky one that his girlfriend was given. “My back and knees could really use a break. Not that I’m saying we stop, but the springs over here keep poking me. Do we have to tell her that we did anything? That sounds like something you could get in trouble for. I mean, me and the guys have certain rules when it comes to this. One of them is that you don’t have sex in a roommate’s bed unless you’re ready to buy them new sheets. After all, things happen when you really get into it like that time last week.”

“You’re never going to stop gloating about that one,” the black-haired woman says, a faint smile on her face. Running a finger along Jennifer’s desk, she sits in the chair and shifts until she is comfortable. “As far as I know, there is no rule against it, but I would only get in trouble if she finds out. You’d never tell her about what we’re doing because you don’t want to upset me. My back would appreciate the change too. Please, let me ride you on my roommate’s bed, which has a better bounce.”

James hesitates until Natalie licks her lips and stretches her arms over her head, a lustful look in her eyes. Unable to hold back his desire, the young man finishes his water bottle and grabs a condom from a jar. He gives a final look at his girlfriend, who shows no sign of changing her mind. As she gets to her feet, James pulls back the heavy blanket and jumps into Jennifer’s bed. The instant he lies down, the bed snaps shut with enough force to break his spine and slowly suffocate him in the soft material. His toes stick out of the top of the folded mattress, only one of them twitching.

Natalie grabs James’s flailing arm and tries to pull him free, but the limb tears off at the shoulder. She chokes back a scream out of fear of being blamed for what she assumes is a horrible accident. With people knowing about her aggression and pranks toward Jennifer, it would not be a surprise for anyone to consider she boobytrapped the bed. Her mind spiraling into paranoia and panic, Natalie drops the arm and backs to the door. The soles of her feet are sliced up by the broken mirror, the pain momentarily snapping her out of her fear. She turns around to undo the chain, but her arms shake too much for her to get it open. Backing to the middle of the room, she looks down at her bloody footprints. A burning pain runs through her body and she holds up her hand to watch a glass shard come out of her palm. Coughing up blood, Natalie feels more of the mirror pieces weave their way through her insides. Amazed that she is aware of what is happening, the black-haired woman collapses to the floor and reaches out to take her boyfriend’s severed arm. The last thing she sees is her vision splitting as two shards slowly push out through her eyes.

(You in the back. I saw you sleeping through yesterday’s excerpt. CLICK HERE please.)

Ayers Hall at University of Tennessee

“Can we really call this a club meeting without Professor Soleman?” Harvey asks as he drums his fingers on the table. Leaning back in his chair, he cranes his neck to see if Marcy is still at the reference desk. “Not that I’m confused on what we’re doing here. It’s only that we called it a club meeting when we aren’t talking about mythology and haven’t told our adviser about this. Besides, that librarian gives me the creeps and she could tell Professor Soleman about this. He wasn’t happy last time we met in secret.”

“That’s why this is nothing more than friends hanging out,” Thomas whispers, slipping the taller student a candy bar. Stretching his arms, he smiles at everyone who are patiently waiting for him to reveal the reason for the meeting. “Anybody else notice that something weird is going on? Putting aside everything that happened in Professor Ramel’s office, people keep disappearing around here. I’ve talked to a lot of students and everyone has a story of a friend or classmate disappearing. Not that they see them disappear, but one day the person is nowhere to be found.”

“I believe it’s called dropping out,” Aurora suggests, the book in front of her more appealing than the conversation. Looking at her friends for agreement, she senses that her brother is on Thomas’s side. “You can’t be serious. Let’s go through what happened. The windows slammed shut because the frame broke, you already knew that a bird was in the room, the cold was in your own heads, and Chris already admitted that something went wrong with his phone. Everything else was probably a prank left by students. Professor Ramel was a respected teacher, but he was tough. Someone must have failed his midterm and booby trapped the desk drawer. You four just happened to show up in time for it to go off.”

Jennifer timidly raises her hand, her legs curled against her stomach. “That doesn’t explain the anatomy dummy. I had that before Professor Soleman took it. As far as I know, nobody did anything to it. My roommate is a chemistry major, so she could have done something to get me in trouble. Unless another girl put remote control blaster caps in the dummy and set it off after seeing you guys inside. You know, never mind what I’m saying. Aurora is right that nothing strange is going on.”

Before Thomas can argue, Chris taps the underside of the table with his hockey stick and nods toward the front of the library. They can see Marcy heading towards them with a cart full of returns, the librarian moving with a slight limp. Not wanting her to overhear their conversation, everyone picks up the book in front of them and reads a random page. The woman is about to pass the group when she stops and slowly turns around, her eyes narrowing into slits. A chill ripples through the air as Marcy walks toward Chris, who is anxiously peeking at her over the top of his textbook. With a surprisingly firm grip, she takes the book and flips it around so it is no longer upside down. Fixing each student with a piercing gaze, the librarian smiles in approval and goes back to her returns.

“I know I shouldn’t ask this, Chris, but how did you make that mistake?” Apollo asks, shaking his head. He pulls out his notes and begins doodling, the pictures nothing more than mindless swirls on the page. “As ridiculous as Thomas sounds, I can’t shake the feeling that the answers to these mysterious are not that simple. It could be students dropping out, but that doesn’t explain why some of them left their stuff behind. What are the chances of two window frames breaking at the same time? Not to mention those booby traps would have been sitting there for at least twelve hours. Even if the anatomy dummy was remote controlled, it doesn’t explain the soda going off. That should have been flat no matter how much it was shaken the night before.”

“You’re also forgetting about Trina,” Bryce interjects, trying hard not to look Aurora in the eyes. Sensing that nobody is angry, she sits up straighter and puts her wringing hands on the table. “I’m with Thomas and Apollo on this because what happened to her doesn’t make any sense. Forgetting that there shouldn’t be a way for a human to . . . die that way, I was making out with her beforehand. Whether it was a disease or poison, I should have been affected too. Don’t try to say I’m immune because that would be too coincidental. Maybe this is nothing, but all of this is rather odd.”

“Why didn’t the anatomy dummy go off when Professor Soleman have it?” Harvey asks as if stirring from a dream. He jumps at the sound of a book falling on the floor, his breathing remaining rapid for a minute. “If the trapped dummy was supposed to get Jennifer in trouble then wouldn’t it make more sense to get Soleman than Ramel? She doesn’t take any science courses right now, so she would never be a suspect. I assume you were supposed to sneak it back into the office instead of giving it to another teacher. It’s entirely possible that what is going on is targeting people that we simply happen to know.”

“Or it could be accidents and embellishments,” Aurora snaps, the conversation making her nervous. Seeing big tears welling up in Bryce’s eyes, she sighs and puts a hand on her friend’s wrist. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you were really drunk and Trina was found by someone else. By the time you got into the bathroom, somebody had put a jacket over her and you passed out. Please don’t believe the more outlandish stories, Bryce. Your girlfriend died a natural death and not as the victim of some madman. Believing the wilder stuff will only hurt you more.”

Thomas clears his throat and sneaks a sip of water into his mouth, the bottle popping slightly as he puts it back. “I have to agree with Aurora here. She also said it better than I could ever say it. Besides, everyone loved Trina. Nobody would ever target her for death. Well, bigots might, but they tend to use fists and blunt objects. Crap, I didn’t mean that, Bryce. It’s just that it really does feel like an accident while Professor Ramel doesn’t sit right. We should probably call it a night since we aren’t getting anywhere.”

“More that you got shot down too often,” Chris jokes while he reads a comic book.

“Let’s give Thomas some credit,” Apollo states with a smile. He pauses when his sister rolls her eyes and makes a small, indignant noise. “He put a lot of thought into this. So even if there are ways to poke holes in his ideas, it’s impressive that he could piece together such an interesting story. I mean, Thomas has put more thought into this than what major he is finally going to take. Until today, I had no idea he conducted interviews and had one of those conspiracy walls in his closet.”

Feeling embarrassed, Thomas leaves the table and heads for the door. With a sigh, Apollo grabs his friend’s jacket and hurries after him. Bryce and Harvey are not far behind, the pair curious to hear more about the mystery. The three remaining club members continue to read their books, all of them aware that Marcy is watching from the front desk. Feeling uncomfortable under the librarian’s hawk-like gaze, Chris mutters his goodbyes and leaves. He groans when his hockey stick knocks over a spinning display of romance novels, the crash causing everyone in the library to shush him. It takes the young man a few minutes to clean the mess, his pride pushing him to refuse help. Even though most of the novels are upside down, Chris wipes his hands on his pants and heads for the doors.

“My roommate won’t be in tonight if you want her bed,” Aurora says, snapping Jennifer out of her trance. She can see the hesitation on her friend’s face, but there is a spark of thankfulness for the offer. “I know you’re having trouble with Natalie. Take one night away from your room and pledging. Tell them you drank too much and passed out in my room. Heck, I can write you a note if you want.”

“That’s cute, but I’m only allowed to drank at the house. Unsupervised boozing means I get kicked out,” Jennifer replies with a half-hearted smile. Checking her watch, she licks her lips and briefly reconsiders the offer. “Maybe I can hang out with you for a few more hours. Part of me wants to contact the sisters and ask for permission, but I’m already feeling too much like a heavily controlled teenager. What possessed me to take on this challenge? Aside from my mom being so proud that her little girl is following in her footsteps. The one time that woman shows interest in what I’m doing and it has to be this.”

“I’ve figured something out about all of us.”

“What is that?”

“We really have some issues.”

“Guess we should have scouted a psychology major for our club.”

“To help us or see if we could make them regret their life choices?”

Laughing while putting on their jackets, they are immediately silenced by Marcy dropping a book on the floor. Standing on the front desk, the librarian glares at the loud students while crawling back down. Aurora and Jennifer cannot look away from the woman as she watches them, her unblinking eyes making them practically sprint from the library.