When the Man Comes Around: A Story from South Holden

By Victor Kilroy

Sasha and Tom met for the first time on what she thought was the worst night of her life. Sasha was saved from being brutally attacked, not by Tom, but by a mysterious savior who would pluck Sasha from the grips of a violent end not once, but twice. The motivations of the savior are not clear but are later revealed to not be as helpful or kind as he appeared to be.

Tom was the young cop who picked up the pieces of Sashas shattered life and tried to put them back together. Sasha found Tom at a time in his life when love and romance were not even a consideration for him. Together, they would kindle a flame that would be threatened by the mysterious savior, who harbors a dark power known only to him.

Love, loss, murder, and death are only the beginning of the trials that Sasha and Tom need to face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543423143

Victor Kilroy

Victor Kilroy grew up in Northern Indiana. He spent nearly a decade in the United States Military before returning home to become a police officer. Victor drew on inspiration from his real life to write the book "When the Man Comes Around". While some of the characters and events are loosely based on real people and situations others are total fiction. Victor makes his home in Northern Indiana with his wife and child. While the city of South Holden, Indiana isn't real, in many ways it’s the town Victor grew up in. The cities problems and positives are real enough for any city in America.

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Copyright © 2017 by Victor Kilroy.

ISBN:                     Softcover                    978-1-5434-2313-6

eBook                         978-1-5434-2314-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 05/12/2017

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Contents

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter six

Chapter seven

Chapter eight

Chapter nine

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank his wife and children for their willingness to put up with his constant writing and the missed hours of play time.

The author would also like to thank the officers of the South Holden Police Dept. Thanks for being there, brothers and sisters.

Acolyte-defined ac·o·lyte

noun

1. One who assists the celebrant in the performance of religious rites.

2. A devoted follower or attendant.

[Middle English acolit, from Old French, from Medieval Latin acolytus, from Greek akolouthos, attendant; see anacoluthon.]

The City of South Holden.

The area was originally settled in the early 19th century by fur traders, and established as a city in 1885. The St. Culver River shaped South Holden’s economy through the mid-20th century. River access assisted heavy industrial development such as that of the Hoover Corporation, the Milton Plow Company, and other large corporations.

The city of South Holden is the fourth largest city in the State of Indiana. Its position in Northern Indiana along the border of Michigan and equally distant between Chicago and Detroit made it a prime location for manufacturing businesses to thrive in the early 20th century.

With the decline of industrial development in the area this left the city with a vacuum which needed to be filled. The Upstart Harbor Technology in 1985 brought new life to the cities revenue base and cultural makeup. The city transformed from relying on heavy industry to micro technologic advances thanks in large part to Harbor Technology. Harbor Technology quickly became a leader in the research and development of military projects for the United States and other allied countries. Harbor Technology created the largest and most advanced communications network for the United States Military.

The St. Culver River Valley was long occupied by Native Americans. The earliest known Tribe to inhabit the area was the Kutichen Tribe. At around the same time French explorers entered the area the Kutichen Tribe disappeared. The French explorers only learned about the existence of the Kutichen from other Native American Tribes still in the area. The other tribes told stories of the Kutichen Indians being fierce warriors and great protectors. The tribe was forced to flee or die out due to some sort of plague. The accounts of the French explorers and Kutichen Indians is incomplete as of this writing.

The Population of South Holden declined after the loss of the major industrial companies in the mid to late 20th century. The population decreased from approx. 150,000 in 1900 to 125,000 in 1970. The population has been on the up slide ever since 1985 when the Harbor Technology Company moved into South Holden.

The University of St. Francis was established in 1880 and actually predated the City of South Holden by five years. The University was established by the Catholic Church as a foothold in the newly formed State.

The proceeding excerpts were from Guide Book of South Holden, Indiana

Chapter one

1

City of South Holden, Indiana

25th October, 2009

The Acolyte stood back, behind a tree with a knife in his hand waiting for his charge to walk by. His hiding spot in the cemetery had afforded him a good vantage point, out of the light rain and a place to silently contemplate his mission at hand. The lord had told him the date, time and place to be in order to save the girl. All the Acolyte could think about was his charge. He had made it his life’s work to watch over and protect the girl. The girl who, in his opinion, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. His master had not allowed the Acolyte even the briefest meeting with her until tonight. This had been because the girl could not know who was protecting her or why. To know these things would break her mind, the lord had said.

The Acolyte had watched many couples and groups of young people walk past the cemetery to campus. The young couples were oblivious to his presence. Not much longer now the Acolyte said quietly to himself. He had built a life of discipline and service but he allowed himself those four words as a way to prepare himself for the battle that was quickly approaching. The word battle did not suit the upcoming events and the Acolyte knew it. What was coming was a slaughter, thats what you did with an animal that needed to die. The Acolyte finally saw the couple he had been waiting for, how could he miss her long red hair flowing in the breeze…

2

The fall night was slightly chilly with the light rain. Sasha and Jerry were walking hand in hand together back to their respective dorms. The route home took them past the Saint Frances cemetery on the South side of the University of the same name. Jerry was drunk, he had drank too much and had been very obnoxious about it. The party they had come from was thrown by several of Jerry’s friends who lived off campus. Sasha had declined a ride back to her dorm with her friends because Jerry had wanted to walk. He said the night air would clear his head.

Sasha was in love with Jerry but he had been pressuring her lately to have in her estimation what was dirty sex. They had made love several times, in the back of a friend’s car and in her dorm room with her roommate out but Jerry wanted to Do it in strange places. Like the time he had practically torn off her shirt after theology class in the rectory building. She had dodged that attempt by claiming it was her time of the month.

Sasha looked over at Jerry and saw a strange look in his eye. How about we go fuck in the cemetery. That would be fucking great. Jerry said with a mix of beer and whisky on his breath.

In stunned silence Jerry pulled Sasha into the cemetery past a few rows of headstones before she could regain her senses and protest the disgusting offer. Sasha pulled back from Jerry and quietly said No.

Jerry grabbed her arm tighter and moved farther into the cemetery. Sasha was terrified of what Jerry was proposing, sex in a cemetery was the most disgusting thing she could think of. Sasha told him in a louder tone No, I won’t do it.

What the fuck Sasha, I’m getting tired of your bitchiness. You’re gonna give up that snatch. Jerry slurred out.

Sasha knew the tone Jerry was using, it meant he was going to get what he wanted whether the other person wanted to give it willingly or not. Without warning Jerry threw Sasha to the ground and forced her onto her back. When she hit the ground she struck her head on the cold ground and the edge of a grave marker, she had blacked out but for only a moment she was sure.

Sasha looked up to see Jerry was on top of her with his pants and boxers around his knees with her skirt up around her waist, he was pulling on her panties. A strange thought went through her head, ‘my mother had given me those panties over last summer break.’ Sasha came to her senses and slapped Jerry in the face…hard, as hard as she muster. She yelled out NO! NO! NO! Jerry was enrage by the slap and punched Sasha in the face. The punch split her lip and slammed her head back to the ground in. Sasha lay limp in unconsciousness and totally helpless.

Stupid bitch. You’re gonna love this. Jerry continued to fumble with her panties with his drunken fingers. Finally he was able to grab hold of the elastic band at the top and pulled, the underwear tore off her in his hand.

Jerry was about to penetrate Sasha when he felt a hard thump on the right side of his chest. At first Jerry did not feel any pain with the impact. He thought Sasha must have hit him again when he wasn’t looking. When he looked down he saw a strange object protruding from his chest, the handle of a knife. The searing pain came with the realization there was a knife sticking out of his chest.

Jerry was taking ragged breaths, he looked down at Sasha but she was out cold. He looked up and saw a ghost. The ghost was standing about twenty feet away dressed in all black, only his white face and hands were visible. The ghost reached into an inner coat pocket and removed another knife. Jerry could see the blade catch the light reflected from the streetlights. The streetlights were so far away, ‘If only I could get to the street I’d be OK’, Jerry thought.

Jerry scrambled backward on all fours from Sasha and cried out Don’t hurt me, in the voice of a small child. Take the girl. I don’t want her anyway.

The lord wants your soul and I am to deliver it, the ghost replied and raised the knife in a lazy arc over his head and then moved the knife back forward with lighting speed. Jerry did not see the knife fly through the air, he did feel it when it struck him in the left side of his chest. With two knives in his lungs Jerry could not breathe. All he could do was flop onto his back and look at the trees overhead swaying in the breeze.

Sasha woke to feel the light fall rain on her face. She lifted her head which hurt and saw a man wearing all black was kneeling over Jerry. The man appeared to have been pulling on Jerry. Sasha called out in with a tongue too thick for her mouth. What happened?

The man in black stopped what he was doing and looked over his shoulder, Quiet now princess. Everything is fine. The man in black stuffed a package in his coat pocket. He stood and walked to a nearby shadow before facing her. You should call the police and tell them what happened here.

Sasha was very confused, what had happened here? Before she could form the question into words the man in black was running out of the cemetery toward the wooded area beyond with his long coat flapping behind him like a cape.

Sasha looked over to where the man in black had been and where Jerry still was. She saw a mound of clothing on the ground near her feet. She got to her knees and crawled forward. In the weak light Sasha saw crimson liquid had been spattered on the clothing. A little farther along she saw Jerry. He was spread eagle on the ground, naked except for a look of terror on his face and his socks. His chest had been cut open and his guts were on the grass at his feet. Sasha screamed and screamed and screamed…

3

Officer Thomas Campbell got the call from dispatch. Female screaming in the graveyard on the South side of the university. Great, probably another college freshman was forced into the graveyard on a bet again, Campbell thought to himself. Unit 67 clear Campbell grumbled into the radio mic. Campbell hated Halloween time in the city.

Campbell had only been on the South Holden Police force for nine months but he was very clear on how the college kids behaved. He had grown up in South Holden and spent his entire life there except for the time he was in the Marines. Campbell had left home a twenty-one to join the Marines, spent time overseas in the war with Iraq. He had kicked ass and taken names. At least that’s what he had thought.

As Campbell approached the graveyard he saw the group of kids milling about on the sidewalk. They appeared scared and unable to move. This did not bode well, Campbell thought.

All right, what’s going on here Campbell called out as he pulled himself from his squad car. Those gathered just looked at him in silence. That’s when Campbell heard the moans from the graveyard which made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Campbell shined his flashlight into the graveyard and saw a girl partly hidden behind a headstone twenty or so yards in. She appeared to be dry heaving between the moans.

A tall athletic kid in a leather coat that probably cost more than Campbell’s entire wardrobe walked up and said, I saw him. The guys all fucked up. What the hell was this preppy kid talking about? Campbell thought to himself.

Campbell rushed through the gate of the graveyard with his gun and flashlight drawn. He found the girl on all fours leaning against a headstone crying. She had thrown up several times by the look of it, she continued to dry heave. Her face was bleeding and her skirt was ripped up the side exposing her backside. Are you all right? It was a stupid question but he had to ask. The girl looked up and just pointed her finger further into the graveyard.

Campbell followed the girl’s finger to an image that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He saw a red mound of looping intestines on the ground in the scope of his flashlight, then the leg then the torso. What Campbell saw at the torso made his blood run cold. Campbell moved closer and saw the torso had been splayed open like a freshly cleaned deer. The chest cavity was empty as far as he could tell. Campbell had seen dead bodies before, some pretty messed up but nothing like this.

Campbell’s hearing suddenly came back to him, he had not realized it had left him. He heard the girl crying behind him. Campbell turned around scooped up the girl in his arms and ran out of the graveyard. He put her in the back seat of his squad car wrapped in his patrol jacket and called over the radio the one radio call he had hoped to never have to make. "Dispatch, Unit 67,