Henry Franks(12)
Henry started to follow, standing at the transition between kitchen tile and hardwood floor, but stopped before he’d taken more than a step or two. A couple of doors stood open, one to a small bathroom and one to an unused office. At the very end of the hall, his father stood before the heavy oak door to the master bedroom.
“Been a long summer, Henry,” his father said, not turning around as he rested his hand on the doorknob. He looked back over his shoulder, sighed, and then opened the door.
The air-conditioner had yet to have much of an impact on the heat that had built up in the house. Henry wiped his fingers through his hair, coming away with a few remaining cobwebs, as his father’s door locked behind him with a deep thud.
In his room, Henry slid the scrapbook out and opened it up. A page ripped at the bottom when he turned it. Some of the pictures were no longer completely attached to the paper. He gathered his new supplies, switched the light on over his desk, and set to work.
The back of each picture was blank and he had to rely on his father’s shaky handwriting in the old scrapbook to keep them in order. One by one, he taped them down on the new paper and copied their captions as neatly as possible. When he was done, he started at the beginning, looking at each photograph of himself and trying to remember who he was.
William locked the door with a deep thud as the deadbolt slid home. He stood there for a long time, hand still gripping the knob, his breathing ragged and uneven, trying to find the strength to move. There was nothing there, no energy left. No motivation to do anything beyond collapse to the ground, curl up into a ball, and stay there until his heart finally gave out.
He shook his head, thin gray hair fluttering in front of his eyes. Reaching up, he grabbed a few of the remaining strands and pulled them out. The sharp pain brought relief from the lethargy and he ripped out another small handful until he was able to move from the door to the window. As he walked he let the hair fall from his fingers, landing on the dusty floor to join the rest.
Pushing aside the thick curtains just enough to peek out, he looked at the backyard, studying the way the shadows crawled across the barren dirt as the sun began to set. He stood there, a single trail of blood running down the side of his face where he’d pulled too hard, until the moon cast a pale light over the island.
He smiled, letting the curtain fall closed. “Time to hunt,” he said, his voice soft as he wiped the blood away.
Possible Second Head Trauma
Victim Discovered in Brunswick Brunswick, GA—August 18, 2009: Barely two months after Sylvia Foote’s death was ruled a homicide, the Glynn County Sheriff’s office has announced the possibility of a connected victim. Derrick Fischer, 31, was found off Route 17, half buried along the side of the road. “Along with the state forensics lab, FLETC, and the Brunswick Police Department, we have assigned a task force to look into these unfortunate events to determine if they’re related,” said Assistant District Attorney Brian Winters when asked if Fischer and Foote had any similarities.
Preliminary autopsy results on Fischer, according to unofficial sources, show that death was, as in the Foote case, allegedly caused by blunt force trauma, though what is believed to be post-mortem injuries make an exact cause of death difficult to determine at this time.
FLETC houses multi-departmental government training facilities for all branches of law enforcement throughout the United States. To assist with this investigation, Winters has announced that a liaison officer has been assigned by FLETC to coordinate with local police as a symbol of the concern they have for the community. “As of this time,” Winters said, “we will gratefully accept any assistance and do not believe there are any additional concerns in regards to the current matter that would necessitate FLETC involvement.”
Major Daniel Johnson of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) in Fort Belvoir, VA, who is in Brunswick as a trainer at FLETC, has been assigned to act as liaison but was unavailable for comment.
“Comedy of Errors” Leads to
Temporary “Escape” for GRPH Patients Brunswick, GA—August 18, 2009: During a recent field trip by residents of the minimum-security wing of the Georgia Regional Psychiatric Hospital in Brunswick to the Jacksonville Zoo, several patients were temporarily reported missing. Despite repeated calls for greater security due to previous errors in the intake process at the state-run facility, this is the first incident reported where convicted patients have allegedly not been under direct supervision.
“These non-violent offenders are no danger to the community,” said Dr. Jason Rapp, Chief of Staff for the hospital, after rumors of the temporary escape were reported in the Savannah Morning News. “At no time were the patients thought to have escaped. All current residents of the hospital are present and accounted for.”
Margaret Saville, PhD
St. Simons Island, Glynn County, GA
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Patient: Henry Franks
(DOB: November 19, 1992) Henry crossed his legs, pressing his palms into his thighs to keep from scratching. Despite the air-conditioning, sweat coated his skin. He pushed down and sighed.
“The heat index is over one hundred, Henry,” Dr. Saville said. “You don’t actually have to wear pants.”
He looked at her and moved his hands out to the side. “You’ve seen my legs, Doctor.”
She nodded. “Still, maybe something lighter than denim, at least?”