Showman's Rest

In forest park, Illinois, there is a rather large cemetery known as Woodlawn cemetery. By looking at the place you would think it's just like any other cemetery, but it's far more than that. Tragedy, adversity and sorrow are only some of the words used to describe the events that happened here on June 22nd 1918.

The Illinois town or village as it's know as, is in fact rather strange in itself, seeing as the ratio of people who are dead outranks those who are alive by a staggering ratio of 30-to-1. The village actually at one point had the name of "Village of Cemeteries" because of the amount of Cemeteries that forest park has in it.

So on June 22nd, a train containing the circus know as the Hagenback-Wallace circus was on its way to Indiana for one of their many performances while on tour, when an issue occured. The train started to have some mechanical problems and the conductor Karena decision to stop near Hessville, Indiana to take a look and see what exactly the issue was.

This was where tragedy struck, as another train that ignored the warning lights of the stopped train, came crashing head first into it, causing a massive amount of damage and a fire them erupted from the collision.

The sounds of the crash could be heard from a distance. People who remember hearing it said that the most terrifying part of it all wasn't the deafening sound of the collision, but it was the sound of the animals screeching in pain as the fire burnt through and left nothing more than just rubble. 85  circus performers in total had lost their lives that day.

Luckily or perhaps more coincidentally, the showman's league of America had in 1913, purchased 750 acres in the Woodlawn Cemetery so that the women and men of the circus could have a place to be buried when they passed away, but no one thought those graves would be filled so soon.

Another sad part of this unfortunate story was that 54 out of the 85 casualties were unable to be identified. They have markers on their gravesite that are just marked "Unknown Male" or "Unknown Female". Those that could be identified were buried and marked by their stage name only as many within the circus didn't know the real names of the other performers. One was labelled "Baldy" for example.

It was mainly elephants that were on board the train with the rest of the animals being mostly made-up of farm birds. The animals were said to be not given a burial at all, instead just disposed of in the easiest and quickest way possible. For this reason it is said the the birth of the haunting of the cemetery exists.

Late at night when there is a stillness about the place, there is said to be the sound of the cries of the burning Elephants, along with people even reporting to spot the ghostly figures roaming the land. To this day remain the reports but no one can ever capture the cries or visual on camera. 

If you ever go to the resting place of the showmen, then you will see a statue of an elephant next to the burial places. This statue is thought to hold the spirits of the large mammals that are waiting to be seen given a proper burial to be set free.

Whatever you believe, no one can underestimate the tragedy that occured on June 22nd that year, but as time went on it has become etched more into the back of people's minds. The problem here is that although this happened many years ago, the real tragedy is said to continue to this day.......

Little Angie

She arrived one evening on a rainy October night, brought by two social care workers from out of town. On the outside she was so innocent and beautiful, on the inside she was darker and more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

Her original parents were Polish, she barely remembers them as they gave her up when she was four, prisoners of their own individual addictions. Now 10, she spent the last six years in and out of different homes. She stayed for two years with her granduncle before he passed away from his battle with a terminal illness and after him there were no family of hers left, well there might be some distant long lost cousin back in Poland but no one that could be traced, and besides it's a long way from Central America. 

From ages six to ten she moved about but things never worked out for one reason or another, she had actually spent more time under the guidance of social workers than families. Long blonde hair with large adorable green eyes, she went by the name of Angie. Little Angie was her preferred name of choice as this was the name of her favorite character in a book her mother used to read to her at night, her only real lasting memory of her. 

Her latest family were warm, loving and stable, something Little Angie was never used to. As the weeks went by she started to get enrolled in school, make new friends and felt at ease here, again something she was never used to. She finally had a place that not only could she call home but also felt like home. 

Her birthday was coming up, January 3rd she was told, although they could have told her any date and she wouldn't of cared. Her last birthday came when the sun was at its hottest she remembered and the one before that she could see the leaves on the trees starting to grow again but this didn't matter too much to her, she was happy and for once truly excited for her first real birthday party.

In they arrived one by one, each as snotty nosed and loud as the child in front. It was like a colony of ants carrying leaves to their nests, but rather than leaves it was presents, and none like what Angie was used to. The house and garden was decrorated the way any little girl would want it. They had served up all sorts of sweets and cakes, there was a bouncy castle out in the garden and a jukebox with all her favourite songs on it (even if she never confessed to liking any song). It was all part of the perfect birthday experience.

In arrived the birthday cake; the biggest and tastiest looking cake little Angie had ever set her eyes on. She was asked to blow out the candles and close her eyes and make a wish to which she reluctantly stepped up to the cake and was about to do. Just as she inhaled in she started to feel dizzy and foggy brained, her eyes started to roll into the back of her head and now all she could hear was the laughing of the other kids as they sang on the karaoke and the constant noise of laughter. 

The sensation continued but no on seemed to notice anything wrong. Her new foster parents stood there pointing their cameras at her while asking her to blow out the candles and put on the gleefully wide smile. Angie's head was bowed down facing the candles, as she raised her head to the demands of the party she changed. The sweet little girl was no more, she now looked different, her skin falling from her young face, yellow rashes broke out all over her body and perhaps most haunting of all, she spoke with a deep echoing accent.

Shock filled her foster parents face, the kids continued laughing, finding humor in what they thought to be a joke or some sort. Angie, or what was Angie, thanked the parents for setting her free by making Angie truly happy, revealing that she was waiting in her host for eleven years now, bound by her misery. "There were four of us created, Endo, Oxyto, Dopa and me, Sero, all four of us are demons of happiness. Before you think us demons are on your side, we are not! We serve true evil, we were bound to innocence by powerful magic, pure innocence that was never supposed to feel real joy and they call us the evil ones. So this is where I thank you for showing this girl that happy feeling but this is where my thanks and your time ends".

Sero leaned back, made a frightening growl then leaped forward on to the foster parents, clawing and ripping through them both in a matter of seconds. The seemingly never ending laughter of the playful children had now stopped. Smiles turned to frowns and laughter to tears as Sero finished up devouring the bodies of the adults. Her attention now turning to the children.

It approached each child one by one, patting each on top of the head and telling them not to worry in that deep, echoing and eery voice before once again bowing its head down and when it rose up a few seconds later all the transformaty and demonic look had gone, it was Angie once again. 

Angie walked to the front door, opened it, looked back at the kids and said to herself "Innocence huh" before walking out and was never seen again.

Night Night

Ed and his cousin Aaron were as close as cousins could be. Both of them had no siblings so they grew up very close, as close as brothers as they would put it themselves. Now in their 40's they got news that an uncle of theirs had sadly passed away and decided to go together to the funeral which was about a three hour drive out of town. 

Ed being the older one decided to drive as he knew funerals, as much as they aren't really anyones thing, certainly weren't Aaron''s thing, as he always had an intense fear of death and all that surrounded it. Ever since they were kids together watching cartoons every Saturday and Sunday morning it was always Ed who was the more outgoing and in control of the two. Aaron had a more nervous disposition of which he had for the most part grew out of while going through college, but still had that nagging fear etching away at the back of his mind surrounding his and everyone he cared abouts mortality.    

They decided to head on up the night before the funeral as it was taking place very early in the morning and they wanted to make sure to have a good rest beforehand. This was mainly Ed's thinking, he knew a tired and nervous Aaron would be an extra stress he and everyone else didn't need. The drive went surprisingly smooth as far as Ed was concerned, Aaron mainly was calm and read his book throughout, only asking a small few questions regarding death such as "When you die would you like to be buried or cremated?" and " What would your last thought on this earth be?". Not ideal car journey conversation but situation considered it wasn't as bad as Ed had thought and they actually shared a laugh or two about it.

Accomodation was proving a problem in the days leading up to the funeral. Their uncles house was a small country family home that had no room to accommodate them,  even the couches were took up by the children of the family. Ed and Aaron''s parents weren't arriving until the morning of the funeral since their journey was a little shorter and they didn't have a nervous wreck to entertain, something Aaron''s parents were both worried and relieved about. Online Ed came across a motel just a half hour away from their uncles home called " Night Night", a rather stupid name he thought but as long as it had two beds and some snacks it was good enough for them.

On arrival the one thing they both noticed was the fluorescent look about the place, especially the sign with name of the motel, which happened to be missing the N of the second word. They checked in and entered their room. The door was very stiff to open but as far as complaints would go, that was it, the room was immaculate inside and everything they could hope for in a last minute motel booking. The decor was funky in a good way, it was spotless all over and they even had their own mini bar filled with drinks and snacks. 

As the night was passing it was pretty much uneventful with Ed laying on his bed, shoes off relaxing just watching some TV to pass some time away. Aaron, on his bed was still reading his book but the morbid talk had stopped and looked calm in himself. They had something in common though, and that was that their beds were full of chocolate bar wrappers and empty cans of soda, "When in Rome" Said a smirking childish like looking Ed. 

A couple of hours later and they both had nodded off, Aaron's face planted in his book and Ed snoring over the left turned on TV. It stayed that was until Aaron grumpily rose from his slumber to take a much needed bathroom break. Still half asleep wobbling side to side while peeing more on the ground than in the toilet itself, he noticed something, there was a bright large light that kept shining through the room every couple of seconds or so. He zipped up his jeans and went over to the stylish curtains, pulling them back to see a car driving slowly in circles around the empty small car park.

He closed the curtains again but left enough of a gap so he could peek out but not be seen. The more he watched the car the stranger things got as he noticed that not only was it odd to see a car going around in circles in the middle of the night with the headlights on full but that there was seemingly no one driving the car!. ...

He struggled but managed to open the front door and continued to look at the car while making the short few metres walk over to reception. Just as he was about to reach reception the lights on the car had gone out and the car also had stopped, but it didn't just stop in its tracks, it stopped, turned towards Aaron and faced him directly as if addressing him. Aaron looking a mixture of confused and worried ran to the reception door while saying to himself "I really hope this is a bad dream". He tried turning the door knob but it wouldn't move so he knocked on the door which transitioned to banging on the door but the reception guy was nowhere to be seen.

He turned around slowly, facing the car which was still facing him and he could of swore that the left front light of the black Alfa Romeo classic had winked at him. His room door wide open he decided to make a dash for it but as he picked up pace so did the car. The lights shone and engine roared on, causing Aaron to panic. The room seemed so far away as every lunge brought a sense of intense fear. The car right on his trail and gaining momentum, Aaron got to the room but struggled with closing the door. Just when the car was about to crash right into the room, it stopped again and just parked there again as if it was staring at him.

The commotion brought Ed to wake, he jumped straight out of his bed, wrappers falling off his bed like leaves blowing in the wind and was asked intensely "What the hell is going on". All Aaron could say was "The car" in a nervous stuttering manner while pointing out the open door. Ed looked out but was blinded immediately by the headlights which again turned on. Before he could ask who's that in the car, the front door slowly opened. 

There was no person visible but they could hear the steps of someone walking towards them. Together they managed to shut the room door closed but the sound of someone walking didn't stop, they infact got louder and louder which only meant one thing, it was right next to them! 

The cousins tried to move away but couldn't, they tried talking but again couldn't. Everything they tried wouldn't work, they were stuck in a paralysed state. The thud of walking now was circling them along with the sound of a gentle whisper but it wasn't anything they could understand. Ed moving his eyeballs looked over at Aaron and knew the fear that was going through his younger cousins mind and that he was helpless to do anything. As that thought started to linger, the two started to move out of their control. They were placed on their individual beds, both facing each other as the whispers continued.

Slowly their eyes started to get heavier and heavier, everything felt drowsy and started to darken. Just as they were about to fade away they could finally understand one of the whispers, it said "Night Night" then they both faded away. The car started up again, drove around to reception and the door opened again. This time out stepped the reception guy who opened his office, sat there for a minute before ringing the police.

Aaron's last thoughts were filled with terror and panic. Ed's last thought was of Aaron.

Together Forever

Their eyes made contact and that's all it took, it was instant. Time stood still as they gazed at one another from across the cafe. All that needed to be said was told in that couple of seconds and before they knew it they were in his house, on his bed. 

He was a quiet, reserved and very meticulous man. Routine controlled his day along with a touch of OCD he had since a kid. Never one to approach a lady, not that he wasn't a handsome man, he just didn't have that self-esteem to do so. This all changed that moment in the cafe. Looking at her he felt alive for the first time, he felt awake, bold, all the things his life lacked. Adrenaline was pumping through his body as he stared at her naked body on his bed, this was a day of many firsts.

She begged him to take control, asking to reveal that inner wild side she knew he had. Everything she asked him to so was totally alien to him but in that moment he was under her spell and her wish was his command. His hands around her neck, he was feeling an intense amount of pleasure he never felt before. Harder she asked, don't hold back, make me bruise. His eyes rolling back into his head, this was like an outer body experience and one he never wanted to stop but he could feel the climax about to happen.

One hand around her neck while the other covering her mouth, both as a result of her placing them there. The euphoric feeling of the orgasm made him totally lose control of his bodily sensations and everything went numb. Once finished he rolled over totally exhausted and he had a sense of fulfillment, this had been 37 years in the making. He reached out and held her hand before looking over at her with a huge smile on his face, but what he seen soon got rid of that smile. 

She was dead. Her body lay there lifeless, he tried shaking her but to no use. Now he was in a state of total panic and didn't know what to do, he knew if he told anyone then he would go to prison so he decided to lift her upstairs to the spare room and place her in the bed and lock the door. 

As the weeks passed he started to decorate the room her body was in a lot more such as placing flowers around her bed. He also dressed her by buying an outfit each week and changing her every Sunday. This was all very creepy but the most creepy part was that he kept getting very intense sexual urges that he tried to suppress but the severity of them started to drive him crazy and finally he gave in. He would climb upon her, carefully lifting up her dress and relive the events of that night all over again. After this he would kiss her forehead, sit there and cry into his hands.

This would start to happen more often, and he even started to buy her gifts every Thursday as this was the day they met. He was aware of what he was doing but didn't care, he had developed such love for her he was unable to stop. 

A couple of months later he bought her a ring and placed it on her finger, even throwing a fake wedding for them both and of course consummating their marriage that night in her wedding dress. The weirdest thing was that everything that day they met happened so fast he never actually got her name so he would just refer to her as general names as "My love", "Lady" and now "Wife". 

As he grew old he knew that his time was running out, especially after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her body was now so decayed so bad she was just a skeleton corpse lying there. She was a long way from the beautiful girl in the cafe many years ago. He was heartbroken at the thought that she would be left here alone when he passed away so he spent every second of the day at her bedside, talking and reading to her before his urges would once again take over.  

His condition deteriorated dramatically and now it was a matter of days. He decided to make one last choice "For her", he cut her finger with the wedding ring on it off and placed it in his pocket. Many years ago after she first passed away he made a decision to take herr organs out and keep them stored in a cooler, this was to keep parts of her alive. One of these body parts was of course her heart and on his final day he went down to the cooler, took out her heart and shockingly started to eat away slowly at it. He then went up to the spare room, lay down next to her and closed his eyes one last time. 

She was the only woman he ever had, she took his heart and now he took hers. Together they lay forever.

Well Well Well........

We all have a best friend who we can rely on and just be ourselves with, and for Derek and Harry this was no different. Two men in their mid - late 20's; 26 and 27 respectively, grew up on the same middle class street and shared all of their childhood, adolescence and young adulthood with each other. Their houses were close, their bond even closer. They laughed together, drank together, got into trouble together and sometimes even fought together but ultimately they would die together.

Derek was the driver, Harry the passenger, as they went smoothly along the open road, their destination was a small fishing village just fifteen minutes outside their town. They pulled up, parking at the top of the slip that led down to a small harbor where they would go to sit, chat and unwind for a while. It was a spot for fisher and trawler men at day time but at night it turned into a hookup and recreational spot for teens. Luckily for the two friends it was midday and all that was down there were docked boats and pesky seagulls. 

Just as they were walking down they stopped into a small shop to get something to drink, the norm went would go like this -  Derek would go for a hot drink, mainly coffee and Harry something cold, preferably with alcohol, but today Harry decided to get something hot, tea was his drink of choice, he never got the whole coffee fascination with the modern world and Derek even changed his drink, opting for a bottle of overpriced water. Creatures of habit no more they said to each other in their own unique humorous way that only they could understand.

Walking down the long harbor slip (they even walked in a way that only they again could understand) they noticed a sort of sign that was never there before, the two would frequently come out here. They both went over to take a look as it read; "Welcome to the haunted well where once a year on July 6th spirits take over the harbor slip". Harry looked at Derek asking "What date is today", Derek replied with "Hold on......6th of July......some timing". Under a picture of the well on the sign was more writing - "Besides the hand that lived in the well, the ghost of Mary Houlahan and the spirits of two teenage school girls haunt these parts, when you hear the cry you know its your time to die"

"What well!!" asked Derek. "Erm see that small well that was never here before but looks like it was here for hundreds of years behind you" Harry pointed in the direction of Derek's shoulder. They looked at each other in confusion for a moment before bursting out laughing at the idea that they both knew the other one was believing the story but  none would admit it, again it was almost like they could read each others thoughts and feelings. They walked on down another few yards, almost at the bottom of the slip now.

Out of nowhere the laughter of young girls could be heard ringing around, as if it was somehow trapped in the shallow breeze. "Do you hear that Harry or am I totally after losing it" Derek said very meekly,  "Unfortunately I do" replied Harry. They again both looked at each other smiling but this time their smiles weren't as wide or pronounced. The laughing got louder and closer but there was no sign of where and who was doing this until at the slip's end two projections of school girls flickered in and out very briefly. As they seen this the sky quickly changed from bright and blue to dark and grey. 

Rain started falling heavily, the shallow breeze turned into stormy wind and the young men now looked at each other with fear in their faces. They both turned around trying to run up the slip to the car but right in front of them kept appearing the teenage girls and now even their laughter turned to crying which rang so loud into Derek and Harry's ears that they could do no more than fall to their knees, holding their ears in pain. Up at the top of the slip they could now see an older woman looking as old as time itself standing there, mouth opening wider and wider.

She levitated towards Harry, as Derek tried to stand up a hand came out from the well grabbing at his ankles. He couldn't move, no matter how much he struggled he could not get away. They could both see their friend in danger but were as equally as helpless to do anything as each other. The ghostly old lady pinned Harry to the ground, directing his attention towards his friend who was now also lying on the ground with his legs tied by the wrinkly hand of the well and body held by the teenage spirits. Harry could hear movement coming down the slip, it was Derek's car sliding backwards down it, gaining momentum on the way.

"Nooooo....don't" Shouted Harry but all this done was make the school girls giggle. Derek's head now perfectly in line with the oncoming car, he gave Harry one last look, said nothing and smiled at him in a way that only they would understand before the car rolled over his head, crushing it completely. Death by his own car, which was what they once joked about a few years back after a near crash together and indeed this what what the smile told.

Harry closed his eyes upon impact, he could not watch his friend of over 20 years die like that. When he opened them things didn't get any better for him, the old lady was still over him, so close that he could smell the sickening stench off her breath. Her mouth still wide open she looked into his eyes and said "Your turn young man" before biting into his stomach, causing it to rip completely open. As she was feeding on his insides the worst thing was that Harry was still alive for most of it., feeling her grazing through his intestines and organs like it was spaghetti.

After this the three spirits stood by the well and watched as the sea eerily came up and dragged what was left of the two bodies into the water along with the car. As soon as this happened the sky turned back from grey to blue, the rain became sunshine and the stormy wind became that pleasant gentle breeze once again. The sign and well had also vanished and nobody ever knew what happened to such quirky but beloved best friends.

Bound

Hunting hares was a very much enjoyed sport for the locals of this time. Farmers, hunters and anyone who enjoyed the "Sport of real men" as it was called, could join in as they pleased. Big Dale Easton was the man who traditionally led the monthly hunt across the open forestry of Cleveland in the North-East of England. Dale always stood with his chest puffed and lower lip out stiff as he inhaled the smoke from his pipe. He had no time for the weak minded no more than he had for people's nonsense. No one would question what he said, even though often he would be wrong they would never correct him for fear of retaliation of his caused embarrassment. 

On the face of things he had no enemies, well maybe just one and that was the Nanny of the Woodlands. Her and Dale never got on, they were similar in age and knew each other nearly as long as they knew themselves but pride from their opposite social hierarchy prevented them from talking to one another. She hated everything he stood for, especially his love for hunting innocent wild animals. He hated her dirty, hermit, reclusive ways he just could not understand why someone would choose that life.

About twenty five years ago was when things got really bad between the two. They were both approaching thirty when one of the Nanny's beloved Red Squirrels was found dead outside her small residual cottage, stomach blown open from a gun shot. She furiously approached Dale that day in the village, spitting and scowling while trying to claw at his face. Dale's men held her back, pushing her to the ground and laughing. Dale too was laughing and wondering why she cared so much for these feral furry creatures so much. This was when she was christened her name. 

Over the next few years she would never show her face in the village again. When the monthly hunt was on she hid inside, gathering up all the surrounding animals she could and keeping them in there until the hunt was over. Dale knew she was doing this but although he wanted nothing more to kick her fragile wooden door down even Dale wouldn't be that brave as he knew if he done so then he would have to kill her,  she would then be similar to that of a cornered rat she would fight till her death and have no problem doing so. Dale had the village people on his side and killing an innocent woman might be a bit too far and turn them against him. They eventually made a pact that any animal on her land would be safe from the hunt, a pact they both reluctantly agreed on.

On Dale's fifty fifth birthday he organised a special hunt to commemorate the occasion. Him and the village men all sat around drinking and shooting at propped targets mainly consisting of the empty beer bottles they had just guzzled. Dale stood up and ordered that someone bring him the largest hare in the woodland and he who does so will be rewarded in turn, this led to a cheer followed by some drink fueled singing.

They waited for dusk time as this was the best time to hunt. They marched out into forest area in double file as if they were in a marching band. The drunk singing had well stopped by now and each one of them focused on the nights task. Gunshots rang out and Dale was brought three dead hare's. He examined each carcass but threw they all away grabbing three of the men in a close huddle. Taking turns he looked them all directly into their eyes while boisterously demanding bigger over and over again before letting go of the grip he had on their back necks.

Only a few moments after this pep-talk one of them men spotted something up ahead. The closer he sneaked up the more he realised his luck, it was the largest looking hare he had ever laid eyes on, it was as if the Easter bunny was actually real. The hare sat there feeding on the green grass, one of the hunters tried approaching as close as he could to get a clear shot, he knew he couldn't mess this up. As this was going through his head he stood on and snapped a twig only about fifty feet away alerting the hare who ran off deeper into the forest.

The hunter dashed after the fleet footed mammal who now had crossed over on to the forbidden land of the Nanny, but once there it stopped running and sat there looking directly at the hunter. He cocked his gun, aimed directly at the hare knowing well that this was against the pact but didn't care, when was he ever gonna come across one as big as this. He pulled the trigger and the bullet struck the hare right in the center of its body, killing it upon impact. The dead body was thrown over his shoulder and he marched back to Dale beaming with delight.

Back at the base camp where they had set up Dale was now lying on the ground, badly wounded from a bullet in his stomach. The hunter carrying the hare dropped it on the ground in confusion and ran over to Dale who was getting worse by the second and asked him what happened, he responded with his last breaths; "The Nanny......the nanny done this", before departing this life.

The hunters angrily marched towards the grounds of the Nanny, barging into her home but what they seen took even the most irate of person by surprise. She lay on her bed with the same wound as Dale had and indeed the hare. She laughed uncontrollably pointing at to the right hand side of her cottage before she also passed away. The hunters edged over in trepidation. They came across a stack of voodoo drawings and writing, most of which they could not decipher but the part they could brought great fear among them all. "Should a killing happen on forbidden territory then whom are bound in this pact shall die also, and should revenge be sought then impending doom shall come to those who seek it"

The spell was signed with the blood of the Nanny and a long brown hair she had managed to get from Dale some twenty five years back.

Tunnel of Death

In the sewers of the River Thames, London, was said to be a murderous and twisted man. He doesn't discriminate against who he kills. No matter if you are male or female, tall or short, skinny or fat, he was said to not care for your type but only for your blood. Eleven bodies found down along the sewer lines in the past six months has provided the need for a red alert, with a luxurious reward put on anyone who has information. The manhunt for this killer had truly begun.

Sixteen tons of sewerage flow into the water each year from this system but now for the first time body parts are included in this. Each victim has had some part of them missing; fingers, toes, ears eyes and even the tongue. No murder is the same, there is no M.O. linking the bodies together, other than the fact that they are found in the sewers and most likely have been killed down there.

The latest missing person was a 21 year old girl who was last seen heading out the door down to collect her laptop from the repair shop. Her sister Jennifer reported her missing after repeatedly trying to contact her but to no avail. She tried the laptop repair shop to which they confirmed that she did indeed collect the laptop and the camera outside showed her walking down the street that would of been in the direction of back home..

After three days the police had no links to where she would of disappeared to and assumed the worst. They checked the sewers but unlike the rest of the victims there was no body laying there, nor was there any floating limbs on the bed of the sewerage. Jennifer tried everything she could before deciding one night to head down to the sewers herself. She had to go by night as it was a sectioned off area and under darkness she could sneak inside, and do that she done.

The drop down was about five feet to a splash of dirty water hitting her under her nose. Not a greeting Jennifer would be used to. Walking through the murky tunnels she was determined but frightened, her sister is the only family she has left since her brother passed away a few years ago and her parents when she was young. Death seemed to be something she would be familiar with and the sewer tunnels reeked of it. Nonetheless she continued on.

There is an eeriness about the place, which is to be expected since bodies have been found mutilated but still there is something else in the aura that words just can't explain. Jennifer armed with just a flashlight and a Swiss army knife which as it happens was her missing sisters. Up ahead she could hear someone walking. That distinct sound of footprints in water reminded her of when she was a kid hiding in the cold streets on London from her teachers at school when she was in trouble which was often after her parents passed.

The steps got closer and closer, there was a bend in the tunnels up ahead where she hid behind, it was a blind spot for anyone coming up the way towards her. Sweat was dripping from her body, out through every tiny pore there was. She knew this could and was possibly the man who took her sister. The shadow of the person passed by, she was ready, knife in hand,   3.....2.....1............

Stealthily creeping up she was right behind him now, she could smell his scent but her hands started to shake , she couldn't go through with it. The man was well past her now as she sat crying into her arms thinking of how she was such a coward. Her self-esteem issues from when she was a kid all came back now, she cussed herself endlessly until she heard a scream coming from the direction the man went down. A scream of utter terror and pain rang through the tunnels. She got herself together, thinking who done this if that was the killer?

Just a few feet away she could see a body up ahead. In the water which now had a hint of that blood red colour there was an ear and finger floating down towards her. Stuck between seeing who this person that lay there was and running back the other way because whoever done this would be close she decided she had to take a look at the body. Another self-esteem breakdown wasn't something she could go through right now.

On the body she could barely look at the man's face but on his shirt she noticed a badge, it was a City of London Police Force badge. The relief over not stabbing him moments ago quickly vanished, this was a death no person deserved. As her thoughts were starting to get darker there was a sound of movement coming from the walls. That infested sound that would often intrude on houses around the London estates in Winter time.

Out through a passageway in the walls came what must of been hundreds of sewer rats just as big as a house cat. These rats weren't just ordinary rats, their eyes were red, saliva drooled from their mouths and they made a very hostile screeching sound that sent the fear down Jennifer's spine like a shock of electricity.  Time was not much longer, one rat pounced at her but she was able to kick it away like an out of place balloon.Another tried but the same fate was in store. A third and fourth one hurdled at her together but Jennifer swiped at them with the knife, slicing open their stomachs. The rats then circled her, inching closer by the second.

Before Jennifer knew it they were all over her. From her waist down they covered every inch of her body, nibbling at her flesh. The rats now had her in their grasp and on to her knees she fell as they now completely had her at their will. She could fight no longer.  Just as she was fading away she looked to her right into the passageway which the rodents came from and she could see the dismembered corpse of her sister laying there. This was the last image of her death stricken life.