Perfect World. (On Hold)

2: Discovery

Please note; Minor gruesome scenes, readers beware.

Name: Jamie
Location: Somewhere In The Black Hills
Time: 0400

I was running out of time before the sun would come up by the time I reached the tiny shack where a friend of mine lived. I had reached the edge of the trees surrounding the tiny homestead, when suddenly the hairs on my neck rose. Something wasn't right. 

God, am I just being paranoid? No reply. Taking a deep breath, I silently made my way towards the back door of the house, weapon in hand. I peered into a window, trying to see if my friend was home, but the windows were filthy and I couldn't see a thing. Jack was a typical hermit, not really caring to keep his home tidy. 

I studied the door knob carefully. It was scratched. Now my hands started to shake a little. Either it was just aged from the outdoors, or someone had picked the lock. I wouldn't go in through this door, if it had been picked, someone could've set a trap.

I looked around carefully, quickly locating the cellar. I climbed in, shining my flashlight ahead to make sure there wasn't something living down there. Slowly creeping around, I located the stairs and worked my way up them, wincing as one of the steps creaked. There was still no movement upstairs. Maybe he was gone? No, he would've alerted me and my other friends if that were the case.

I gently pushed the panel up, peering around at the floor of the old shack. A stench hit me, revolting. I knew that smell. Blood. Maybe he just butchered a deer or something. I slid the panel aside and shone my flashlight around the room.

Suddenly the beam hit a pair of eyes staring straight at me! I gasped, lost my footing, and tumbled down the stairs.

Dust flew up around me as I hit the bottom, air was sucked from my lungs. I bit my lip, inwardly screaming at the sight I'd come across. Jack had been killed brutally, hung from the rafters of his shack. 

As air worked its way back into my lungs, I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back the sobs. I didn't have time for this, I needed to get out before I was spotted. The cops would surely be watching this shack. I forced myself back up the stairs, grabbed the panel, and started to close it. My hand stopped. Why had Jack been killed? I had to find out.

I crawled out of the hole, turning off my dim flashlight. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark, then began to scan the room carefully. My eyes finally settled on the desk, where a notebook sat. I tip-toed to it. It was one of the few things not covered in dust. It was Jack's journal! I slipped it into my bag as my eyes found his Bible. 

One look at the thick cover warned me that it would likely have a tracking device within the cover. I glanced back at the journal, which was made of thin paper. Did it too have a tracking device? Maybe they had overlooked it, focused more on the Bible. And anyway, carrying a journal wasn't illegal, they probably had hardly noticed it. At least, that's what I was hoping.

I quickly creeped back down the stairs and closed the tile behind me. As I let the cellar, I found a can of spray paint and dug into my pack till I found a glove. So what if I got caught doing this, I had to make a warning to the other believers.

I quickly sprayed a large X on the side of the house, dropped the can back into the cellar, and hurried back into the trees. I had only one more place I could go on foot. I prayed that someone would still be there for me...