Cold Darkness, Chapter 10

I dimmed the lantern and laid down, as I drifted off to sleep my memories engulfed my mind, my body and my very soul.  It was Halloween, 1992.


I was at the Halloween party with my parents, my brother and there was my Aunt Darlene, Uncle John, their sons, Tyler and Terry, my Grandma, and another Uncle of mine, amongst all the other people that were there with their families.  I was dressed up as Waldo in Where's Waldo, I had on a red and white striped shirt, hat to match, blue jeans and carrying a walking cane.

Everyone was laughing, eating trick or treat candy, there was music, dancing and alot of fun and cool costumes.  

As I walked around, talked with other kids, parents I eventually excused myself and made my way to the restroom, which all the way to the rear of the building, down a long corridor, and through 2 sets of doors.  Just as I approached the last set of doors, I heard the faint sound of someone crying, I stood close to the door and pressed my ear up against it, hoping to hear more, not sure if I should go in or leave?  But I knew I had to make myself open the door and walk in.

I ever so quietly opened the door, hoping it would not creak, and walked into the dimly lit restroom.  
The crying continued, and then seemed to stop.  But as it did, I heard some wrestling noses, feet moving, and then a slap.  And then a dark figure emerged from the shadows, as I tried to see who it was standing at the other end of the restroom, I could not make out the figures face just yet.  I asked " is everything ok in here?" are you hurt? I heard someone crying, was it you?  But the dark figure just stood there in total silence.  

I felt the need to run, run out of the restroom and never look back, I apologized for interrupting and turned to leave, as I began to turn, the dark figure went back to into the stall.  My intuition was screaming at me to run, but this did not feel right, like I was suppose to do something?  So, I pretended to open the door to go out, and instead I hid around the corner and got down on my hands and knees and looked under all the stalls.  I was right, something was wrong in here, there was a boy on his hands and knees, and the legs of the dark figure standing, facing the boy.  I then began to here more crying, and then moaning, laughing and then... more Andy, more!  

Oh my god!  I knew I needed to do something to stop this! This was wrong, so wrong, it was disgusting and sickening.  I got up, and began to run to the other end of the restroom, as I reached the stall, the door flew open, and the dark figure quickly emerged, his pants unzipped, and the young boy standing behind him terrified, tears trickling down his face.  I looked back at the dark figure, it moved towards me with a baseball bat in one hand, and that's when I saw his face!  

How can this be?  why him?  I felt like I was going to vomit, my stomach was turning, and spinning, my head began to pound, I felt water on my face, dripping onto my shirt, I stood there frozen.  I could not move in that moment, I just stood there looking at him, yelling "no, stop, please stop this, don't do this to me!"

Why are you doing this to him and to me?  Tell me why ...

Cold Darkness, Chapter 9

I lifted the lid once again and there it all was before my eyes.  Everything I needed to fill in the blanks.  The paper clippings were old, yellowed, and brittle, there was so many of them, all about missing boys, murders, kidnappings, and then finally one in particular caught my attention.  

The headline read "What Happened to Andy?"

Andy Jarrels- 8 years old, Has been missing for three weeks, authorities are still looking into the disappearance of young Andy, who was last seen at a Halloween party, which he attended with his parents, Tom and Tawny Jarrels.  What was suppose to be an afternoon of fun, costumes, candy and family entertainment turned into a real Halloween nightmare for the Jarrels.  

How does a young child just disappear without a trace, a clue, or any evidence?  No ransom has been asked for, nothing.  

What Happened to Andy?  

As I sorted through the other paper clippings, reading the stories, stories of young kids disappearing, murder and disgust, it all began to come together.  It was like a puzzle, and sick and diabolical puzzle.  

The dark figure is the person responsible for young Andy disappearing, which is not simply what happened, he did not just disappear.  No Andy was murdered by this sick S.O.B.  This monster killed him and blames me for all of this?  As I stood there, reading and re-reading each article, trying to remember that day, that Halloween when I(according to the dark figure) walked into the bathroom and found him and Andy together.  My head began pounding again, I was stressed, and exhausted.  

I dimmed the lantern and laid down, as I drifted off to sleep my memories engulfed my mind, my body and my very soul.  It was Halloween, 1992.