The Feast Part 4

“That’s Sheriff Jackson, and I was just doing my job.” He was tall and wide, and his southern accent wasn’t subtle like the 911 operator’s. His face was expressionless as he walked toward Mark and then looked from him to the motionless wolf lying on the dirt road. After his curiosity or concern was satisfied he looked back to Mark.

“Sally said something about you finding bodies?”
“That’s right…they’ve been half-eaten or something. It’s pretty bad.” He was sort of dazed from the recent events of the night and barely was able to answer the question but he was able to express the basics in a low voice, almost a whisper.
“Show them to me.”
Mark was shocked and really didn’t want to go back to that house.
“What? No, I don’t want to go back there and why should I have…”
“I want you to show them to me,” Interrupted the lawman. He said it stronger this time, almost like a parent reiterating a command or a warning to their child.
“We’ll take my cruiser, come on.”

Reluctantly he followed the sheriff as he walked back to the police cruiser. The headlights shone in his face, forcing him to squint. He didn’t notice the sound of his footsteps this time, he was too busy thinking of the bodies, that smell, and the horror show he was about to step back into – and for what? He had no idea why he had to show this sheriff the bodies. He knew what house he was talking about, it was the only one he’d seen on the street. And since when does anyone have to give law enforcement a tour of a crime scene? He got into the back of the cruiser and the sheriff started the engine. They ran directly over the wolf carcass with a thud as they rolled down God-forsaken Hollow Drive towards that house. The silence in the car puzzled Mark. The big man in the front seat said nothing. No, “What’s your name?” or, “What are you doing out here?” He just stared at the dirt pass under the cruiser as they went.

They came to a stop in front of the house and the sheriff got out, walked around to Mark’s door and let him out. They slowly walked side by side up the porch steps and into the sad house, which now to Mark seemed worse than a prison.

“Show me where they are.” The big man with the badge said, so low and raspy that Mark could barely understand him. He walked in front of the sheriff, and led him down the hallway of pictures, pictures of the dead. As they walked into the living room the smell hit Mark strongly again and he winced in queasy disgust.

“There and there.” He gravely articulated and motioned to both the corpses as he said it. “I think the other one is upstairs.”

The lawman looked at both the bodies, but he didn’t seem surprised or disgusted in anyway. He took a step forward in front of Mark, his heavy shoes making deep thuds on the hardwood floor. Then he turned towards the college kid and began to speak in a deep raspy voice.

“Yep, it’s pretty gruesome. If you lived around here and knew what kind of people they were you might not feel so bad, though. Jack never attended church (he pointed towards the man), Ruth over there in the corner never did contribute cookies or a pie to any events around town, even though we all knew she was an excellent cook, and I have it on good authority the boy was producing and selling drugs. Right here on Hollow Drive, can you believe that? It is gruesome though.” The sheriff repeated again. Mark had a look of pure perplexity on his face as he stared at the law enforcement officer. After taking a moment to pause, the sheriff continued.

“But do you know what the real tragedy about all this is? They didn’t even taste that good.” And with that, the sheriff pulled a knife out of his pocket and with a quick and powerful jab, thrust the object into Mark’s throat. If he had lived to experience it, a wave of a realization would have accompanied the sudden rush of blood in his throat. Instead there was a sharp pain and then blackness, and then whatever comes with death. As it was, the lawman stood over the college student’s dead body and reveled in his catch. Maybe this one wouldn’t taste like raccoon.

Everyone has their demons, and every town has demons among them. Sometimes it just takes a while for the true beasts to succumb to their hunger and feast. And that’s what the sheriff on Hollow Drive did that night, feast.