Lakewood: The Next Chapter

Issues

Luka helped me at school since I had to use crutches. Ugh, I hate crutches. They're uncomfortable and hurt your armpits.

"Will you stop complaining?" Luka asked me.

"I can't help it. Do you have any idea what this is doing to my OCD?" I asked as Luka gave me a knowing look.

"I thought it was better?" He asked.

"It is, but when I'm stressed, I want to clean my room, and I can't," I groaned, not realizing I didn't tell Luka what happened stresses me. Luka looked at me curiously as I realized what I said. Well, shit.

"Malia? Why didn't you tell me what happened stresses you?" He asked.

"Well, because, uh," I stammered, trying to think of something. I got nothing.

Luka wrapped his arms around me, giving me stability. "Look, it stresses me too, but I have something that helps," he said.

"Like what?" I asked with a defeated look.

"You," he answered as I looked at him. "You keep me grounded, and you helped me when I found out the truth. You keep me from losing my shit."

"That's romantic," I joked as Luka rolled his eyes. He leaned down and kissed me.

"How about I take you to the cabin this weekend and help you distressed?" Luka asked. I arched an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes. "You have a dirty mind." Luka released me and got my books as I giggled.

While I teased Luka, I caught Simon staring at me.

"Okay, that kid creeps me out," I whispered.

Luka turned his head to see Simon looking at us.

"Simon collects comic books and can get the difficult ones. Yeah, he's weird but harmless," Luka assured me. I had my doubts.

Then I saw Taylor, who was acting stranger than usual. What is with these guys acting strange? Can't they act normal, but then again, Lakewood is full of weird people.

Luka closed the locker door, and I hopped to my class with him carrying my books. Maybe it was me, but I had a bad feeling about things.

While Luka helped me, the killer watched us. He made a point of watching our every move, feeling the need to kill, but had to wait. The person walked through the hallway, seeing the others, knowing they had to change their M.O. We were on the person's hit list of eliminated, knowing we knew too much.

First things first, the sheriff needs to eliminate to conceal the identity of the killer. Since the sheriff is in jail, the killer would find a way to end his life without anyone knowing.

After school, the killer made their way to the jail and watched. How do you leave the prisoner unguarded to finish the job? You create a distraction that would take the others out of view. Being a small town, it wasn't hard to do; you need to know what to do.

It would start with a fire, then escalate to murder. The killer picked someone people wouldn't suspect of dying from a killer. The victim was a hermit on the outskirts of town. He drank and smoke, so a fire is plausible.

The killer arrived at the hermit's house and knocked on the door, then waited. It took a few minutes until someone answered the door.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, slurring his words.

"No, but I can help you," the killer answered, holding up a bottle of alcohol. "I need you to invite me in, and you can have this bottle." The killer smiled as the man waved him through the doorway.

The man stumbled in and over to his recliner as he sat down. The killer walked in and looked around. The house is a shack. No one would miss it.

"I know you," the man slurred.

"How about a drink?" The killer offered.

The hermit nodded as the killer filled his tumbler with liquor, making sure he didn't touch anything. The man picked it up and drank the contents of the glass generously as the killer refilled the glass.

That continued until the man passed out from the drugged liquor, which the killer proceeded to empty the contents of the bottle around the room. He held the empty bottle in one hand and pulled out a lighter with the other hand, flicking it, igniting a flame. The killer placed the flash against a piece of paper igniting it, then left, careful not to touch anything.

It took a few minutes before the fire moved to engulf the house. With the home in shambles, it was a matter of time before the entire thing caught fire. The killer got into his car, then drove back to town, making sure to toss the evident into a wooded area.

It was time to wait until the local sheriff's office was empty to finish the job of eliminating the town sheriff. The sheriff is the one person who knew the killer's identity since the killer is his son.

The sheriff's station, along with the fire department and paramedics were alerted about a fire on the outskirts of town. Everyone left, leaving the sheriff alone in his holding cell. The killer walked in the building, grabbed the keys that are dangling from a hook, and made his way to the holding cell.

The sheriff sat up as the killer stood there.

"What are you doing here, boy?"  The sheriff asked.

"Tying up loose ends," the killer answered, emotionless.

The sheriff stood up as the killer put the key in the lock and unlock the cell, then stepping inside with the sheriff.

"They'll catch you," the sheriff warned.

"You think so?" The killer asked.

"I know so," the sheriff replied.

With those final words, the killer was quick, strangling the sheriff in the cell until the sheriff died. He laid the body down, then grabbed a sheet, making a noose, placing it on the sheriff's neck. He picked up the body and tied it to a bar, then put a chair underneath the frame, kicking it, so it fell to the side. No one would suspect anything differently than the sheriff hanging himself in his cell.

The killer wore gloves to conceal fingerprints, leaving a mystery of its own except for the ligature marks around the sheriff's neck. No matter how well you think you cover your tracks, you never cover them well enough.

Some serial killers can disguise their killings, never getting caught while others become sloppy. The Oakland Child Killer never caught. The person killed four children, then stopped leaving unanswered questions and no identity to the killer. It was one of Michigan's mysteries.

Is the killer still alive?  Who knows?  It sent terror in people, and a curfew was put in place, hoping to catch the killer. The killer never found.

I remember Dad telling me about this and wondering what goes on in the mind of a killer?  Then he brings us to Lakewood with the hopes of a simple life. Who knew there would be a killer running loose?  We didn't.

I'm beginning to think Detroit wasn't so bad now.