CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Business was booming at The Tasty Treat café this Saturday. It seems that everyone associated with Hershel wanted to be a part of any conversation regarding the deaths of Hank and Hazel. There was no such thing as private of secret information with a town like Hershel. Most of the majority of towns folks had been here for over hundreds of years. The town had been officially settled in Eighteen-Forty-One and from there the towns people all had history and ancestors from the beginning of the township.

  As far as the town was concerned there hadn’t been a murder in this area since the early Nineteen Hundreds. Most of the people didn’t even remember the name of the last murders name. This was one of the safest places to live as far as the towns’ people idea. Now, not only were there two murders, but one was aa suicide and the murder was a woman that everybody loved.

  The common question being asked was why would Hazel shoot Hank? Had she experienced a breakdown of some sort? Was Hank a hidden abuser? How could this have happened and no one ever saw a sign of her falling apart? These were the most prevalent questions on everyone’s mind.

  The bell sounded it’s light tingling ring when Leland walked in looking for a table to occupy. He found a booth tohis left in front of the big window where he could see out to the main street. He seated himself down and waited for his server to take his order. He watched very slyly as the citizens were a buzz with the news of hank and Hazel demise. He pretended to be picking out his breakfast items, but he was actually listening very intently to every conversation.

  How the opinions differ from person to person about what’s and why the shooting took place. There were several conversations about the kiss at the football game which would become a huge debate. This is exactly what Leland had hoped for as he listen with amusement. No matter how these stupid creatures tried to twist the story not one of them could imagine why it all had come about.

  The was a great sense of pride for Leland that no one had connected him to what was actually happening. He had lite the fire with a word here, a suggestion there. He imposed his feelings and thoughts on people in a way that made it seemed as though the victim was the curator of the crime.

  Leland was finally having fun as much as he could and at the expense of these little Maggots lives. Funny how none of them could see what would happen next. Every single incident that took place the next thing that would fall on them would be even bigger and worse. He had only begun to unravel the cord that held this town together and soon he would watch as it all burned to the ground.

  The smashing of their souls had begun, a darkness that was always well hidden deep down inside of each one of them. He would bare those craving to destroy each other and to rid each of them of their goodness. Evil has a way of seeping in when you least expect it to and when it finds the opening in your soul it will never let go till you are empty of all good deeds you believe you possess.

  Leland smiled as the young server stood in front of him with pencil in hand and order sheet ready to be filled in, “ Good morning, sir, what may I get you?” she asked with bright blue eye and beautiful blond curly hair.

  Smiling his victory smile Leland looked up saying, “ Lovely day to eat at The Tasty Treats. Everything looks so wonderful, what would you suggest for an old stranger visiting for the first time.” His sharpen teeth barely showing through his awfully thin lips.

  The sun rose bright and beautiful on the Town of Hershel, but just beneath the sun’s rays was a thin line of dark, decaying ooze waiting to overcome the souls of all those unexpecting citizens who believe that good always over comes evil.

  The day had just begun and what was yet to come would rock the town even more than just two murders.

  Sometimes evil will prevail.

  CHAPTER TWENTY –TWO

  As The town of Hershel prepared for the double funerals of Hank and Hazel another conflict was burning at a slow pace. The night before had set a whirlwind of flames twirling up upon Troy’s reputation and as the morning grow on so did the gossip regarding the kiss of the century. Troy had not slept all night as he tried in vain to understand how he’s life was falling apart. All of this hell because of Kelley and her jealous sister Renee. He couldn’t even talk with Becca because she wasn’t taking his calls. This was a huge mess and Troy had no way of knowing the outcome.

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  The phone rang at Troy’s house just a few minutes after nine o’clock. Picking up the receiver he was hoping that maybe Becca had changed her mind and wanted to talk now. Instead, he was met with the voice of Principal David Jones who had been the principal for fifteen years and a very good one at that. This wasn’t exactly what Troy had hoped for, but he knew he had no other choice but to continue,

  “ Hello?” Troy answered nervously.

  “ Good morning, Troy. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time?” David said politely.

  “No, not at all. What can I do for you Principal ?” Troy replied.

  With a heavy heart Daivd continued,” Troy I need for you to come in to my office today let’s say about two. I need to have a meeting with you. We have things to clarify and for now you need to square away what and why what went down last night has a reasonable explanation. There’s a lot to talk over.” The principal relayed to Troy.

  This was it, the moment when everything that he had worked for was on the line. Just how bad of a fall out there was to come Troy could not tell. All he could do was tell the truth and pray for the best. He knew with a doubt that his ass was in the hot seat and he also knew that this was exactly what Renee had planned on. In one brief moment his entire life’s plans had come to a crushing halt all at the hands of an old high school girlfriend who had a long running vendetta.

  All that was left was for Troy to try again to speak to Becca and iron this all out. He knew how these stories of the girl accusing the teacher always turned out. Troy at least wanted to give Becca the heads up about the meeting. If she would not talk to him on the phone he would stop by the hotel and try again.

  All he could think was how in the world he had ended up here and why now all of sudden had Renee chosen to screw him over. If he could he would face her and get to the truth for his sake, his career and his wife. Troy turned to go take a shower and hopefully prepare himself for whatever would come next.

  Sitting at the booth in the corner of Tasty Treats Leland looked out to the main street enjoying not only his breakfast, but the somber emotions within the town. His plan had finally lit the fire and with ease it would certainly spread to every inch of this dreary little hole in the wall of a town was turned upside down. His dark evil had only begun and he knew that the next victim’s destiny had already been written.

  He always reveled in the moments of the after math. That was when no one was expecting the other shoe to fall with plenty of shoes falling in all directions. For Leland the best part of all of this havoc was that he only had to speak to people little by little. Just loosening up those hatred feelings, that envy, jealousy, anger, need for retribution was all that was required. He had honed his ability to play on those deepest, darkest secrets that the majority of good people pushed way, way, down inside their soul.

  To unleash the unexpectable was his greatest talent and the master knew this and counted on it. Leland just sat casually listening to the conversation around him. He took in every word spoken and every thought not spoke and devised his plan. He would turn these very knitted together communities against one another and reveal the true evil that each held in their hearts.

  For Leland there was no greater power on earth than the power of revenge and retribution, to get even, to set someone aside and make them pay. These silly little humans were all the same really. They may look different and at times act different, but their hearts would always retain just a small amount of hate and evil. He had seen it all play out a billion times before through the centuries and never once had he fail to achieve his goals. People no matter where they came from in the end, they were always so easy to control and influence.

  The noon hour arrived as the town was a buzz with two different stories floating around. The town’s people hadn’t had this much gossip to chat about in years. Leland strolled ever so lightly back to the hotel. He didn’t want to miss the next act in his play of, “Let Them All Fall Down.” He needed to arrive back at the hotel in time to watch Troy gravel at the feet of his estranged wife for forgiveness that he really did not even need. He loved watching the biggest egos fall flat like a baby crying to be fed. Entering the hotel lobby he took his time stopping to take a paper just to see how the news was written regarding Hank and Hazel’s demise. Certainly, there possibly could be something in small print about that surprise kiss last night. Either way he just wanted to wait around for Troy to show up and he did.

  With great joy Leland took a seat on the comfortable couch pretending to read, but actually watching and waiting. The stage had been set as the players were all here and now came the entertainment.

  The moment of truth was only seconds away and Leland’s thin lips stretched far as his evil smile appeared on his face. The devil had come to play and play he would. The ambers of a once soft flame now began to burn bright. The day of the Devil’s due had arrived, the dark knight had begun the slaughter and soon the bonfire would give up yet another sacrifice to King of darkness as they all would come tumbling down.

  “Itzy, bitsy, ambers do glow as we watch them consume us so slow.

  So, we wait to see them fold into the monsters of fire so bold.

  Ash to ashes and dust to dust each single one us will become his

  feast of lust.”