Dead by Dawn—A Short Story of Terror and Bloodshed Read online

  The stern detective leaned forward and interlaced his fingers. "So, Ed was wearing the same outfit that you're wearing now?"

  Lee's frown was now one of confusion as he looked down and opened the blanket to see his clothes. The green T-shirt he wore was speckled with dried blood, as were his camouflage trousers.

  Lee jumped up from his seat and backed into the corner of the small room. "No. No. No. This isn't right." Sympathetic detective rose from his seat and leaned over the desk, patting the air down with his hands as he encouraged Lee to 'take it easy'.

  "You switched my clothes when I passed out! You're trying to set me up! I saw that cop killed along with everyone else, but there wasn't anything I could do to stop it!"

  Stern detective stood. "There is no Ed, Lee. You're the one all the witnesses saw walking down your street, talking to yourself as you shot everyone in sight."

  "No." Lee placed his hands over his ears.

  “You're the one Mrs. Donna Melling places in her house, pointing a rifle at her as she held her two-year-old baby in her arms. You spoke to somebody called Ed, then answered in a different voice. There is no Ed. You did all of it!"

  The dark place consumed Lee once again as he sank to his knees. Stern detective continued to talk about the crimes, explaining how Lee began with shooting his parents, the motive, they said, was intense rage at the revelation of his adoption, just the day before. Lee cried and continued to hold his hands over his ears, desperately trying to block out the terrible words.

  Of course Ed was real. They were trying to set him up because Ed had escaped.

  He was vaguely aware of being handcuffed and led from the interrogation room. After mugshots, fingerprints and blood tests, Lee was placed in a holding cell by himself. As his door slammed shut and the sound of the lock clanked through his brain, Lee sank to the ground and wept.

  He was sobbing into his raised knees when a sudden, mean laugh startled him. Raising his head, Lee saw Ed sitting on the fold-down bed immediately in front of him.

  "Interesting day, eh?" Ed said. "How are you holding up?" He stood and regarded Lee, his expression amused. "I guess the answer to that is — not very well."

  Lee wept as Ed's laughter echoed in his head. "I'm not crazy," Lee wailed. "I didn't do it. I'm not crazy!"

  "I beg to differ," Ed chuckled, "but you're a complete fruit loop. You'll live the rest of your life in a teeny, tiny cell, with only me to keep you company." Lee held himself and sobbed as Ed laughed. "Don't you worry none about forgetting— I'll make sure to remind you of your horrific crimes every day."

  As Lee did during times of extreme emotional stress, he completely shut down. Lee's character slept a deep sleep, allowing Ed to take over completely. He rose to his feet and wiped Lee's tears from his cheek, disgusted and amused at the same time. He clenched his fist and began to pound on the door, calling for an officer's assistance.

  Ed smiled as the younger officer's face appeared through the letterbox type peep-hole in his door.

  "You wanna know what happened today when I shot that pig down? You get those other pigs back, I'll tell them the whole story."

  The End.

  Dear Reader,

  Thanks for reading my short story. Your opinion means a lot to me and if you have the time, I'd love to hear your feedback. If you could leave a review, I'd be very grateful.

  Thanks again, and have a great day.

  Lorraine Taylor.

  Further titles by Lorraine Taylor—

  Stalked—A Psychological Thriller

  A Deadly Affair—The Femme Fatale Series #1

  You can friend Lorraine on facebook here— www.facebook.com/lorrainetales