Sinema: The Northumberland Massacre Read online
Sinema
The Northumberland Massacre
Rod Glenn
www.rodglenn.com.
A Wild Wolf Publication
Published by Wild Wolf Publishing in 2011
Copyright © 2011 Rod Glenn
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed by a newspaper, magazine or journal.
First print
All Characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-907954-07-8
www.wildwolfpublishing.com
MORE TITLES BY ROD GLENN
The King of America: Epic Edition
The Killing Moon
Sinema 2: Sympathy for the Devil
To the demon inside … embrace it, but keep it harnessed.
There is a potential Whitman inside all of us. It is only the choices we make in life that hold him at bay.
I would like to thank Vanessa for her continued support and patience, my good mate, Tony Wright, as my main sounding board and help with the splashes of ketchup! Thanks also to my brother, Karl and old buddy Jamie Mitchell, for their critiques and help in fine honing and also to Jamie Armstrong as my rugby guru. I owe huge thanks also to my editor, Claire Rushbrook, for the professional finishing touches and Richard Daborn (www.richarddaborn.com) for his captivating artistry on the front cover.
Unhappy the land that has no heroes …
No, unhappy the land that needs heroes
~ Bertolt Brecht
AUTHOR’S FOREWORD
Unhappy the land that has no heroes … No, unhappy the land that needs heroes. Now there is indeed a conundrum, and possibly a clearer insight into this story as there ever could be, in such a strange and murky world.
This is the story of a man. An ordinary man, by most accounts. And yet, this man voluntarily steps over the deeply ingrained line drawn by civilisation and our own moral code. Reaching a point of no return, the ensuing events are bloody and catastrophic. I must stress, kind reader, that there are horrors within these pages. The horrific scenes you will bear witness to are not for the faint-hearted. And yet, there are no monsters or goblins, no vampires or werewolves. This is real horror. Real life. So take heed, and if you should hesitate, turn back now and pick up a Harry Potter. Ms Rowling’s wonderful books are positive and upbeat, with a real sense of hope that good will overcome. This ain’t. This is dark and dirty. Enjoy!
Rod
Sinema
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1 Like Alice in Wonderland
CHAPTER 2 I'm from the city ... Doesn't matter what city; all cities are alike
CHAPTER 3 The girl and the playground
CHAPTER 4 Oh Mandy, well you came and you gave without taking
CHAPTER 5 Joe versus the Argies
CHAPTER 6 Tess of the Jabbermouths
CHAPTER 7 Let’s evolve, let the chips fall where they may
CHAPTER 8 Headed right for the middle of a monster
CHAPTER 9 The Dark Man is coming
CHAPTER 10 There's a number on the wall for all of us, angel
CHAPTER 11 Two’s company, three’s a bloodbath
CHAPTER 12 The morning after the night before
CHAPTER 13 We're the cavalry. It would be bad form to arrive early
CHAPTER 14 Mi casa, su casa
CHAPTER 15 I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in
CHAPTER 16 Slaughterhouse blues
EPLIOGUE
CREDITS
PROLOGUE
Sculpting each tree to fit your ghostly form.
Cascading snowflakes settle in the pines,
Swaying in unison beneath the snow,
Calling me to you with wild gesturings,
Homeward into the howling woods, although
Thinking of your abiding spirit brings,
Only a whiter absence to my mind,
Only whirled snow heaped up by whirled snow,
Only a fox whose den I cannot find.
23rd December. Whoo-ee! This is better than a hog-killing!
The blizzard reached a writhing frenzy of gusting, icy wind and driving snow, pierced only by a small shape, low in the black sky, being buffeted by the raw Northumberland winter. Angry, swollen clouds filled the sky, obliterating moon and stars. The sea of mature pines below was laden with a heavy coating of snow, the top layer whipping and swirling amongst the swaying treetops. Not a light could be seen.
The windscreen wipers of the Northumbria Police helicopter lashed frantically from side to side to preserve the pilot’s view. Beads of sweat clung to his furrowed forehead as he fought with the collective lever and cyclic yoke in order to maintain altitude and bearing. Despite the gruelling task, he managed to whistle a cheery festive tune.
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even ...
The two plain clothed policemen in the back had remained silent for the best part of the journey from Newcastle Airport, but now, as they neared their destination, the older of the two finally spoke up with an irritated glance toward the pilot. “I don’t think that’s particularly appropriate, given the circumstances.” The tall, almost skeletal, man looked swamped in his thick overcoat, scarf and woolly hat. His features were gaunt, the grey skin drawn tight across bony cheekbones and sunken around the eyes and temples.
The whistling stopped, but the pilot offered no apology.
His younger colleague, looking pale, rather hesitantly said, “How could this happen, Super?”
“We don’t know the hows or whys yet, son, we just have the facts,” Chief Superintendent Hewitt said flatly. Three-fifteen AM … phone ringing. “We’ve got a major situation, Sir …” He needed strong black coffee, a cigarette and a lot of answers.
Leaning forward in his seat, switching his attention to the pilot, he asked, “Any news of Wright or Mitchell yet?”
The frail helicopter rattled with a renewed assault from the elements, delaying the pilot’s reply. There was a brief stomach-churning jolt as they dropped lower, but the pilot was quick to compensate. Without taking his eyes from the explosive fury of the snowstorm materialising out of the darkness beyond the windscreen, the veteran pilot said in a calm, even tone, “No, Sir. No further updates.”
“Don’t you think calling in the Army was a bit excessive?” Sergeant Wilkinson was saying. The twenty-eight year old Geordie was only two months into his promotion to the rank and, for the first time, was feeling out of his depth.
Hewitt turned to stare at the younger man. “A bit excessive?” he repeated incredulously. “We’ve got multiple murders, a crime scene the size of a dozen St. James’s Parks and suspect or suspects still at large. I’m going to use every damn resource I can, Sergeant.”
He let out a sigh which turned into a wheezing, bronchial cough. Wilkinson opened his mouth to speak, but the old man offered a dismissive wave with his free hand as the other covered his mouth with a Northumberland Tartan handkerchief. Once the cough had subsided, rasping, he added, “You’re the local, Wilks; Division told me that you were born and bred in Rothbury, and that’s not a kick in the arse off where we’re headed.” Shoving the hanky back into his coat pocket, he stared with rheumy eyes at his subordinate. “I’m going to need you on this.”
Wilkinson took a deep breath and ran a hand across his bristly crew-cut.
Forest gave way to
undulating moors, thick with snow-encrusted heather and coarse grasses. A solitary, isolated farmhouse, black and lifeless swept by below them. No beacon or searchlight offered to light their way, but they pushed on into the darkness regardless with bleak resolve. Woodland once again rushed up beneath them, heaving like black, turbulent water. The helicopter swung low over the twisted, nightmarish shapes then, abruptly, the village materialised out of the storm.
The small clusters of stone houses and shops were in darkness, apart from the illumination of flashing lights from emergency vehicles on the ground and dozens of bobbing beams from handheld torches. Snow swirled violently amongst the buildings and whipped at the deep drifts that had built up over two days of heavy snowfall. The figures on the ground appeared distorted and elongated, moving quickly from building to building, despite the shin-deep snow.
“Looks like the power’s still out,” Wilkinson said, grimacing at the prospect of leaving the cosy confines of the helicopter.
Hewitt grunted, but otherwise his attention remained fixed on the chaotic scene below. Whilst his face remained as grim and unmoving as a statue, his mind was boiling with unanswered questions. One elbowed its way through to the fore; was this nightmare over or just beginning? In response, a shiver danced across his bony shoulders.
CHAPTER 1
Like Alice in Wonderland,
The Dream takes you by the hand,
Inside emotions that you might not feel,
If by some notion that the dream was not real ...
15th June - Six months earlier.
The man lying on his back in bed blinked as the drowsiness from a disturbed night’s sleep gradually ebbed away.
The dream was still fresh in his mind, crystal clear down to every last detail. It had all seemed so real, so perfect. He was by no means new to this dream – he had experienced it time and time again over the last few years. Sometimes small details would alter, but the message was always the same. And yet, this time it had seemed so much more vibrant, so insistent. The urgency could no longer be ignored.
He sat up, exposing a broad bare chest with a diminutive portion of fair hair. The red hair on his head was thicker, but closely cropped and receding. His chin had a dusting of fine stubble, and lack of sleep had left its bruised mark under his auburn eyes. The fat Labrador splayed beside him on the blue duvet lifted his head, curious at the disruption, then flopped back down, letting out a deep contented sigh.
The man swung his powerful legs off the edge of the metal framed bed, and gazed absently at the curtained bedroom window, his mind a torrent of thoughts and emotions. A fine shaft of sunshine stole through a gap between the two heavy midnight blue panels to offer a hint of a warm early summer morning outside.
The master bedroom of his modest three bedroom semi was decorated similarly to the rest of the house – plain magnolia painted walls and white woodwork with a generous helping of simple, but functional IKEA furniture and furnishings. However, what filled the room was anything but plain. Posters, pictures and memorabilia were scattered in random patterns across every wall and surface. A framed original film cell from Alien, accompanied by a petrified looking Sigourney Weaver, playing Warrant Officer Ripley, adorned centre stage above the headboard … last survivor of the Nostromo. Either side of it were similar cells from Enter the Dragon and Scarface. Bruce Lee, sporting nunchucks … Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory … and Al Pacino in the iconic stance, complete with M-16 assault rifle … Say hello to my little friend.
Either side of the window were rows of postcards collected over the years and carefully stuck with Blu Tack to frame the window on both sides. Michael Caine in Zulu, Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now, Richard Burton in Where Eagles Dare, Woody Harleson in Natural Born Killers, Steve McQueen atop motorbike in The Great Escape, Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, John Travolta and Samuel Jackson in Pulp Fiction and many more.
The door had another tribute stuck to it – a signed poster of Anthony Hopkins, again in his role as Hannibal Lecter, as seen by Clarice Starling through his glass prison ... His therapy was going nowhere.
A Freddy Kruger blade-fingered glove lay on the top of one wardrobe and several carefully constructed sci-fi models lay on the top of a second, including a twelve inch model of a queen alien from Sigourney Weaver’s famous horror films.
All in all, the room, along with the rest of the house, was a not so subtle tribute to the silver screen.
He stood up, his muscular body, ordinarily pale, seeming more so – almost translucent – in the poor light. Preoccupied, he dressed slowly in faded jeans and a Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds t-shirt. As he slipped on a pair of weathered Converse All Star trainers, he said, “Ju, asshole and elbows, come on boy.” His accent was nondescript, lacking any local twang.
Jumanji snorted his displeasure, but complied, jumping down rather gracelessly from the bed.
The dog followed his master down the hall, past a huge poster of Michael Caine, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, from the film Get Carter ... You’re a big man, but you’re outta shape.
Still on automatic pilot, he went about his routine of making a cup of tea and two slices of toast with honey. His body was going through the motions as his mind played the dream over and over in his head. Slowly, it was solidifying; taking shape, evolving.
“I love the smell of tea in the morning. It smells like…breakfast,” he muttered to himself with a distant amused look.
Sitting at a small chrome breakfast table, he drank his tea out of a Lord of the Rings mug in silent contemplation, his gaze drifting out of the window to the postage stamp fenced lawn. His thoughts were only interrupted briefly to tear off a piece of toast and cast it into the eager, salivating jaws of Jumanji. The Labrador swallowed it with one short gulp and sat, tail wagging furiously, for more. With only a mild awareness, he continued to eat the toast while his mind worked through his dream … his plan. Could this be what some religious nutters call destiny? Only the writers of history could answer that.
As he swallowed the last dregs of tea, he seemed to snap out of his trance. At once, he stood up from the table and looked down to his faithful companion. “Come on, Ju, we’ve got some work to do.”
Happy to be included, the dog let out a short, high-pitched woof and continued to wag his tail.
The man sat at a modern birch computer desk in his small cluttered box bedroom-turned-study under the watchful eyes of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, making their famous Bolivian last stand … For a moment there I thought we were in trouble ... on the wall behind him and from a shotgun-brandishing Dustin Hoffman … Jesus, I got em all ... above his nineteen inch flat screen computer monitor.
The screen showed an installation bar nearing completion and the title, Whitman’s Country Guide: UK Edition, emblazoned above a silhouette of the British Isles. Beside the wireless keyboard and mouse, the Lord of the Rings mug stood empty and tea-stained, along with a discarded PC World carrier bag.
As he waited, he thumbed through a pocketbook of Zen meditations. Several of the short phrases held little interest, but he paused at one: We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want. He stared at the words for some time.
The software pronounced the end of the installation process with a short sound-byte of Gerard Butler as King Leonidas, shouting, “This is Sparta!” After clicking through a couple of colourful welcome screens, he arrived at a menu screen with a number of filtration fields, allowing searches by place name, location, landmark or custom.
Sitting forward, he clicked on the Custom icon. This brought up a drop-down list of options to fill the first part of the equation with a greater/less than/equal to option followed by an empty field.
After taking a moment to study the different options, he chose POPULATION followed by < and then typed 500 in the empty field. The word searching flashed up briefly and was then replaced by an extensive list of place names.
His eyes widened as he studied the six innocuous letters. One? He glanced down at the book of Zen meditations and then back to the screen. Excitedly, he double-clicked the mouse over the name. An Ordnance Survey map of the village and surrounding area popped up in a new window with a few lines of text beneath it.
Haydon, Northumberland. Pop.392.
Set in the heart of England’s border county, amongst the picturesque Cheviot Hills and surrounded by unblemished woodland and moors. Local attractions include Cragside House, Lady’s Well, Rothbury, Wallington Hall, Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland National Park.
The highlighted words offered further information on the individual attractions. Clicking on Northumberland National Park opened up a new window that sent him to the www.northumberland-national-park.org.uk website.
Welcome … Northumberland National Park, the land of the far horizon – a landscape of limitless beauty from Hadrian's Wall to the Cheviot Hills.
Sinema: The Northumberland Massacre
Slaughterville