Killer in The Neighborhood
Charlene Smith had only been four years old when her parents were murdered and ended up living with her aunt until she died, she lived in Columbus, Ohio; and she ended up in the foster system and bounced around from foster home to foster home. The killer that murdered her parents was never caught. The investigation lasted for about a year until the cased closed and was unsolved, they did have one suspect Nick James but when they questioned him, they couldn’t hold him due to lack of evidence. When she was finally sixteen emancipated herself and decided to get a job and her own house. Charlene was tall, and beautiful she had chestnut brown hair, and hazel eyes, she was quite attractive. All the guys would fight over her just to catch a glimpse of her or to get her number. Charlene worked hard at her job she was a counselor at the local Boys and Girls Club and she also a big sister and mentor to the kids there. After two years of working hard and saving up her money Charlene was able to get a loan and buy her own house, she moved from her studio apartment to a quaint neighborhood in the Cleveland. The house was a three-bedroom bungalow and was close to her work, restaurants, and shopping. All within walking or driving distance. All her neighbors were friendly, nice, and outgoing. Except for one neighbor that live behind her; the back of her house faced his backyard. Anytime Charlene was out he would tell her to stop staring into his house or his backyard, Charlene thought he was paranoid, creepy, and weird. Anytime she saw him she’d get the creeps or feel sick in his presence. But what was it about him that was off, she quite couldn’t put her finger on it, but she’d find out. One day he came with chickens which she found that was odd because chickens weren’t allowed in the city without some type of permit. She would hear them cluck and making noise being loud. Then one after Charlene got home from work, she was out gardening in the backyard, and she saw her neighbor with an ax and killed the chickens and rooster one by one. She found that very morbid and disturbing. She quickly looked away in fear of being caught watching her neighbor, she finished her garden and went in. Later that afternoon the neighbor took his quad and through the chicken remains at the back of his property near the fence, the smell was absolutely disgusting; the smell of rotting chickens lofted through the neighborhood which brought in cats, rodents, and turkey vultures. She had only seen him close one and she was totally creeped out by his appearance. Nick was tall, skinny, Caucasian, he had tan skin like a farmer’s tan he had blue eyes, sandy brown hair, and he wore jeans and maroon tank. He reminded Charlene of a red neck hillbilly. She could guess his personality and demeanor he was paranoid, maybe schizophrenic, crazy; he was angry, and very secretive like he had something to hide. He totally creeped her out in the worst way, she saw creepy men before, but he took the cake. The sight of him made her sick and gave her the willies. Nick James was born and grew up in the city of Canaan, Ohio and he had a very rough life his dad was abusive, and his mother left never to return. The only love he felt was from his grandparents, his grandfather especially. Something traumatic happened one night when father was drunk something in him snapped and he took a butcher knife from the kitchen and stabbed his father. After all the beatings Nick had developed severe paranoia and went insane. He called his grandfather and told him what happened he ended up covering it up and told the police his father got killed by a robber, his grandparents took him in but his fear, and paranoia only grew worse. It was years later, and Nick was in high school and he was a troubled teen, he got into drugs and hung out with the wrong crowds he was even thrown in juvie a couple times. It wasn't long before Nick's grade started dropping because he was always high or skipping school. Nick's grandparents didn't understand why their grandson was acting like this, their Nick was good boy. His grandparents tried everything, therapy, pills, a counseling, he was even put into a mental institution and he would just break out. His grandparents were at their wits and, tired, stressed, and weak; they couldn't take it anymore they had no choice but to kick out their grandson. Nick had no- where to go, couldn't hold down a job so he moved in with friends. It didn't matter Nick would be forever traumatized after what his father did to him. He was angry, cold, and heartless. His newfound rage had overcome him, and he headed down a bad road one he never go back. A year later Nick's grandmother died of a stroke and his grandfather ended in an assisted living facility where he died two years later of a heart attack. Nick was alone all he had were his friends and whatever extend family Nick had didn't want him around. Nick was a murderer, he went out stalked women, kidnapping them, and eventually killing them. Nick finally had gotten himself on his feet, he got himself a good job and bought himself a house in suburbs of Cleveland. He loved the neighborhood; he tolerated his neighbors but tried his best to like them even though deep down he couldn’t stand them. If he had it, his way he’d build an underground bunker ad become a recluse. He tried to be as sociable as he could around his neighbors, he was fearful of them finding out what he really was and what he was capable of. One night when Charlene was sitting out on her deck she swore she could hear someone scream, she lived in city, so she was used to hearing screams, so she thought nothing of it until she heard it again, this time it was louder. Charlene carefully walked towards the fence to see what was going on, she saw two figures Nick and some girl with a bag over her head and he was leading her into his house. “Oh my god, oh my god, Charlene said over and over, what did I just see?” She didn’t know what to do should she call the police or let go in fear for her own life? No, she’d catch this slime ball herself. Later that net morning one of her neighbors knocked on her door. She answered it and her neighbor Elsa who lived next door. “Hi Elsa come on in Charlene said with a smile, can I get you some coffee? She poured a cup for her neighbor and one for herself and set on the table and sat down. “Thank you, Elsa said taking a sip, did hear about James’s wife getting abducted? She took her dog for a walk and never returned, the dog showed up back home, but she didn’t, and James reported to the police.” Charlene shook her head in disgust, Elsa I shouldn’t be telling you this or anyone, but I think I know what you’re talking about, you know that neighbor behind me the strange one, she asked? yeah, the creepy one? Did you know some of the women from our neighborhood has been found dead or missing? “No, I didn’t know that Charlene retorted. Yes, last night Charlene continued I saw him and someone else maybe a woman and he as leading her into his house. Elsa gulped loudly, oh no she said, you have to call the police, Elsa said with worry.” “Ok, Charlene agreed, I’ll call them now.” Elsa left and hugged Charlene tightly, “let me know how goes she whispered in Charlene’s ear. Ok I will bye.” Charlene called the police and told them what she saw, they immediately came out to her and questioned her. They told her they would checkout the place. But they never did, she even called to check but all she got was they were looking into it. “Oh, my goodness, she thought to herself. It’s like the police didn’t even care or it wasn’t important like they had more important matters to attend to. If the police won’t check it out I will she said continued in thought” So later that night, when Nick was gone, she’d walk over to his street and checkout his place herself. She pretended to take a walk, walked to the street over from, she made sure she grabbed her pepper spray, flashlight, and knife. As she walked, she made sure she wasn’t being followed. She made to Nick’s house, his big red Ford truck was gone, Nick had left in hurry and forgot to lock his door; Charlene walked right in careful not to touch anything she looked around his house it was as creepy as he was. Weird pictures hung on the wall, and there were no pictures of family or friends. She carefully walked through the house using her sleeve to open doors. She came to a back room assuming it was his and the master bedroom she opened and started to rummage through the dresser, in the top drawer she found something that looked oddly familiar to her; it was her parents’ jewelry that mysteriously disappeared it was the missing jewelry that the police couldn’t find all those years ago. “How did Nick end up with it, she asked herself?” She placed in the pocket of sweats and closed the drawer placing everything back the way she found it and then closed the drawer and went to leave as she was about to leave she heard a muffled screams she followed the sound till it lead to her to door, she jiggled the knob but it was locked and since Nick wasn’t the smartest he hid the key in the most obvious place, she grabbed the key and slowly opened the it creaked she down the steps, there was her neighbor to the right and a another room to the left that was locked. She went to her neighbor and said “don’t worry you’re safe now I’m going to get you out here, she untied her and the other missing women and went to the room that was locked and the same key that opened the basement door had opened the door that was in front of her, she slowly opened it there was a room filled with dirt and smelled of dead rotting bodies. She took her hand and dug through and she screamed at what she saw it was her dead parents, but they were skeletons. “Oh no she cried out, Nick killed my parents all those years ago,” I got you now you slimy creep”, she said as she covered up the bodies as they were before she found them. Her and the neighbor went upstairs locked the door placed the back where she found closed the door and left. Just then Nick came and found someone had been through his house the basement door was wide open and he walked to the basement and Charlene and the neighbor untied. He got so mad he started yelling he ran upstairs to grab a knife, Charlene chased after him. He held the knife to Charlene as if he was going to plunge the knife into her but Charlene sprayed his face with pepper spray and took the knife from him and just before she plunged into his chest she said, “this is for my parents you slimy scumbag”, and Nick died choking on his own blood. Charlene stood there smiling, watching the killer die and she finally got justice for her parents.