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Death’s Prescription!

https://www.amazon.com/Deaths-Prescription-Jeffrey-Martin/dp/1641368578

The morning had a slight chill to it, as Conservation Officer Alicia Strand checked the ridge for accidents. Satisfied the topography wasn’t responsible for another fatality; she reached into a paper bag and plucked out a cold cinnamon roll. Alicia also brought along a bridal magazine, which she glanced at when time afforded the opportunity. Not like Ethan will ever pop the damn question anyway. Alicia popped the gate lock and entered the deserted Dunlap County Conservation Center. She turned the jeep onto the dusty road and followed until she was along the highest peak. The park consisted of one hundred and eighty acres; many recreational activities were available to the large number of tourists. It was known for its dangerously tall bluffs. Many climbers had attempted to ascend the mountainous terrain, but most were unsuccessful. That meant Alicia and the other patrol officers would spend a lot of time to conduct rescue attempts for the misguided. She passed one of the bluffs and was careful to maneuver the tan patrol jeep up through a series of turns on fresh paved road. One turn too many and that could be it. The overused vehicle bounced along the path; she felt every deformity the road had to offer.

“Damn Jeep! I told Renni to fix these shocks,” Alicia said. She remembered the report she had given to the park’s mechanic about the needed repairs. Alicia drove for a few minutes longer and then decided it was time for a break. This will work. Alicia had driven to the most secluded part of the park known as Parma Point. Not too many campers knew it even existed; most of the time the park’s maintenance employees were the only people ever to spend time here. She turned into the gravel lot and noticed unwanted weeds had grown wild between various parts of the broken pavement. She would make a note of it and have the park engineer come out and throw some weed killer on the nuisance.

She turned into a haphazard parking spot, made of green treated two by fours. As she grabbed her magazine, the police radio came to life.

“Dispatch, to four-ten.” The sound of a male voice filled the interior. Great!      “Four-ten, go ahead, dispatch.”

“I need you to respond to a high angle rescue at Sutterman’s Bluff ASAP!”

“Affirmative, dispatch, I’m about ten minutes from there now,” Alicia said.

“I will show you en route to the location. Be advised I have already called fire rescue as well.”

“I will let you know when I’m on scene.” Alicia shifted the vehicle into drive and activated the emergency equipment. She turned the vehicle around to leave, but instinct directed her to look right. The conservation officer did a quick double take. That’s sort of weird. She stopped the jeep and stared out at three picnic tables. The middle appeared to be covered in a dark mass.

She squinted to see what was on top but couldn’t tell from the distance. She decided this may be just as important as the rescue and figured it wouldn’t hurt to investigate. Alicia would need to call dispatch back and let them know. The fire department will be expecting me, She pushed the transmit button. “Four-ten, to dispatch.”

“Dispatch to four-ten, are you at Sutterman’s Bluff already?”

“Negative, I think I have discovered something else here at Parma Point.”

“I already informed fire rescue you were on your way to their location. You’re the only one on duty. You copy that?”

“I need to check this out. I will advise.”

“Ten-four,” the dispatcher said; the radio went silent.

Alicia exited her vehicle, and flipped on her portable radio. She walked toward the picnic area. When she was about twenty feet away, she noticed the massive dark object were a swarm of crows. They weren’t the usual loud, obnoxious birds she was used to; these creatures appeared to be content. Very eerie. Alicia edged closer to see what they were drawn to, but couldn’t tell what lay beneath the flock. She figured some careless campers might have left out their trash or spoiled food and forgot to throw it away when they departed.

When she got within eyeshot, Alicia looked down, and almost tripped over a folded pile of clothes. The garments were within arm’s distance of the picnic table; she bent in closer. Why would someone leave these here? She took a few more steps in effort to scare them. They appeared to be oblivious to her presence; only a few made any noise at all. Most of them continued to shove another aside, as they flapped their wings in violence to include themselves in the feast.

Alicia waved her arms to shoo them off; they were deliberate to fly away but with her persistence they left and exposed what was underneath. Prone on the tabletop was a mutilated figure of what appeared to be a young female. She was naked; spread eagle and was tied to the underside of the bench by thin ropes. They were secured to what remained of both her swollen hands and ankles. Alicia approached, and choked on her saliva. The repulsive odor of defecation and torn flesh made her eyes water. She gasped at the sight of the woman’s face. The skin around her cheeks was ripped away from the bone. Her eyes were now empty sockets that held a gateway to her brain tissue. The sight was so mesmeric; she was unable to look away. Alicia glanced down; the woman’s fleshy mid section appeared to have a carving engraved into it.

Not him…not here. Those words, and that monster were enough to scare anyone in law enforcement the last several days, and she was no exception. Alicia out-of-breath yelled into the radio. “Four-ten, to dispatch. I need assistance from a county supervisor and a detective ASAP!”

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Chapter Titles and Something “Special” for the Fans

Today, I will take you on another journey through the depths of my sometimes devious mind, as we discuss one of my favorite parts in assembling a finished work. Drumroll…please! Chapter titles and the abbreviated version on two reasons why they are important to me…and hopefully the fans as well. 🙂

The creation of chapter titles is important for me because of two main reasons. After I have created my outline and all the names of my victims are chosen…err…I meant main characters, of course, I visually play out the interaction of each person, bouncing it off my outline. Now, remember I haven’t written down one word of the story, so my memory is pretty much what I utilize. This can sometimes be problematic, especially if you have three girls at home fighting about which Disney Channel show to watch, and the youngest is screaming at a decibel level somewhere along the lines of an opera singer reaching her crescendo. Needless to say, sometimes I have to remove the words Spongebob or Finneas and Ferb, that somehow found its way into the rough draft. After I’m satisfied with how the chapter flows, I usually pick three possible chapter titles, then systematically eliminate them until the one I should have picked first is the one that’s left. (I did entitle this “Writing Madness.”)

Okay, the other reason the titles are important is this. I simply love to have some foreshadowing for the readers. In my latest re-released work, Death’s Prescription, the first chapter is named “Anatomy of a Killer.” Well, the readers have hopefully reviewed the back cover blurb and know the story is about a serial killer, so when they see the chapter title, they automatically know this chapter is designed to talk about the killer’s thirst for blood. It gives new readers some insight without divulging all the deets!
For my next book, I’m trying something a little different by not using individual chapter titles. I don’t know how that’s going to work out, but only time will tell…

Btw, I promised you a taste of something, didn’t I? Well, here is the first chapter of Death”s Prescription…enjoy, as you are well aware…death is only a click away!
😉

Chapter 1
Anatomy of a Killer

Darkness and death were comfortable roommates for the stranger hidden in the dense foliage. The downpour that spewed from the heavens scattered the masses in various directions, as they sought refuge from the Almighty’s wrath. Outstanding! The art show was the perfect venue for him to collect his next victim. Rubbing the coin between his fingers, the man cherished the preciousness of the moment. He valued life less than the worn fifty-cent piece, which he had taken from his first conquest. The death of the young woman made him powerful, almost like he was deemed to be untouchable by mere mortals. Murder was how he chose to define the nickname his mother had labeled him with when disciplining him so many years earlier. Lucifer. She taunted him with the condescending name for so long.
He recalled his first “masterpiece” as he prepared to kill again. That night had been similar to this, with one exception; the rain had been gently bouncing off the streets in a way that had almost seemed acrobatic. A tall, young woman named Angela Deeds was carrying a dark umbrella in one hand and a set of keys in the other. Her light blue pantsuit hugged her figure like a second skin, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. She ran toward her yellow sports car, trying to avoid the falling raindrops. Not getting wet would be the least of your worries in a few short moments. The destiny of this female was to be his first masterpiece in a line of many that would follow. There had been a previous death, but it was not worthy of the effort. He watched her approach the vehicle, coming even closer to where he was hidden. All the muscles in his body tensed. The two instruments he had chosen to start his new craft with seemed to weigh down his hands. Get a hold of yourself.
He peeked through the bushes and remembered how exquisite she looked. Angela’s hair was the silkiest and shiniest he’d ever seen, like those unattainable women advertising shampoo in a television commercial. Lucifer was excited as he tightened his hands around that night’s weapons of choice, a small syringe full of his paralytic concoction and the silver nickel-plated 9mm semi-automatic handgun. He hadn’t held a firearm for many years and only wanted to use it in case something went wrong.
He had planned the assault in his mind for many days, watching her walk from her vehicle in the morning, knowing she left at the same time every evening. Lucifer walked past Angela’s place of business and purchased some items from a lingerie store adjacent to her office. He even made eye contact with this striking beauty at the coffee shop just a half block away from her designated parking area. His future victim was only a few short feet away, as Angela tried to hold the umbrella and open her car door at the same time. She fumbled with the keys, as they slipped out of her hand, clattering to the ground.
Lucifer slipped out from his hiding spot and approached her undetected. A sudden movement later; it was too late. The young woman tumbled to the cold wet pavement and landed on her back. She looked up. Lucifer noticed the anguish in her eyes, relishing the fact Angela seemed to recognize him from somewhere, but with the onset of paralysis, time was running out for cognitive thought. Lucifer smiled as he towered over his victim, and decided to use the handgun instead of waiting for the drug to take effect. He pulled the silver slide back, as the clicking sound of the bullet being chambered into position thrilled him. Lucifer watched as Angela Deeds’ breathing became labored, and she clutched desperately at her throat, trying to force out the last bite of air. Almost the end.
Her hands relaxed, and he knew she would never be able to move again. Lowering the firearm, he pointed it between her eyes. Passionately, the man gazed into them and beamed with delight as her pupils dilated. Lucifer eased the trigger back until a deafening explosion erupted, propelling the blunt projectile through the front of her skull. The impact of the small round scattered her brain matter upon the saturated pavement.
Lucifer was pleased with his performance and how his victim had been unable to react. He fingered through all of her belongings, locating several fifty-cent pieces scattered in the bottom of her blood-spattered purse. He placed one in his pocket. “This is how I’ll honor all victims. Taking a piece of each, making his or her death a part of my life forever.” That was the first day of his new life. Lucifer would keep the fifty-cent piece with him always to commemorate that day—until the day he died.
* * *
Lucifer finished his performance for this evening as well. The killer had returned to his apartment and stood at the kitchen sink, meticulously washing the remnants of human carnage from his hands. “Unexpected deaths.” Lucifer hadn’t considered two other people would be in the park, but so be it. He improvised, and now they would also be enshrined in his collection of “masterpieces.” Cleaning off the battle-axe, and drunk with excitement, he stared at the wooden table. “Ah, three new prize possessions,” Lucifer whispered.
He picked up the first item. It was a worn silver Zippo lighter with the initials J.P. etched on the right side of the lid. He held it for a few seconds, careful to return it to the proper place before reaching for the next. The killer inspected the plastic neon band, tapping the bright face of the time-keeping device. Raising it to his ear, he could still hear the repetitive sound of a working battery. This treasure had come from his youngest victim ever. Lucifer set it back on the table and smiled.
The third and final item would, hands down, be the most cherished of all his new tokens. He ran his fingers along the canvas, careful not to damage the small masterpiece. The artist had created a wonderful work, which Lucifer admired. I have the perfect place! He decided to hang it on the wall in the cramped closet that held his “collection.” What a productive night. Lucifer was skilled with many of the tools reserved for creating pain and torture. Tonight’s performance was no exception. This sample of work was but a preview of what was to come. Tomorrow, he would start his hunt for another victim, learning all possible details, becoming one with his prey. But now, even the killer needed to rest.

Which Scares You The Most?

In my books, I explore the fears that many people have. And yes, sometimes they are things that go bump in the night, but often, the fear in my stories comes from very real people placing others in horrific situations. Here are a few samples. Read through them, then vote at the end on my reader poll.

3:16

Cindy finished off her drink, exiting in the direction of the master bath. After pulling open the ivory curtain, she turned on the water. Time for a little more wine. Cindy rushed down the stairs, grabbing the bottle from the table. On her way back up, she realized she couldn’t hear the water running. She stopped at the top of the stairs. Was Mark here and playing games with her?

Bravery set in as she stormed the master bath. Nothing. What’s going on? “Hey, Mark, if you’re in here, I’m going to kick your ass.”

By entering the bathroom, Cindy cut out any opportunity for escape. The dark, masked figure slipped out from her bedroom and was just a feet feet from the bathroom doorway, hidden in the shadows.

Deadly Demented

Brian Jeffers rushed for the sedan with his weapon at the ready. Why would this man be here if he wasn’t trying to kill the rest of my family? This has to be the guy. He dove for the ground as a ring of gunfire cut through the bitter cold. The barrage of metal seemed to last forever, but in reality, it was just seconds. Brian Jeffers didn’t feel the two rounds that penetrated his uniform or the path each made when they struck the tactical vest. He drifted into the darkness, where a peaceful sleep awaited him.

Lucifer’s Calling

Lucifer saw Tamia Stevens exit her vehicle and walk within five feet of where the alcove had him hidden. He could smell the strong, luxurious odor of her perfume as she walked by him and up to lock her door. He watched as she placed her house key ito the door lock and began opening the door. Before she realized something was wrong, Lucifer was on her from behind, pushing her farther into the residence. He kicked the door shut with his back foot, slamming it, ending the model’s hopes of ever leaving again.

Get To Know Lucifer

The sun had started to shine bright on that windy Sunday late morning as Lucifer was jogging through the Vamperia City Park.  There was hardly anyone on the running trail that morning, and Lucifer needed the privacy to think, so it was just perfect for him.  For several years, he had been conducting himself this way.  Jogging was optimal for two reasons.  One, it helped him clear his head and prepare for creating more brilliant masterpieces.  The second reason was to keep him in a high state of physical conditioning.  He needed to remain stronger than all of the prey he would add to his collection.  He was increasing his pace as he exited the trail and was now running on the dowtown city streets of Vamperia.  He noticed several police patrol cards driving by him this early morning.  Lucifer had to smile when that happened.  He continued jogging until he had made a complete circle around the park, and he thought he was making pretty good time.

Visit the blog regularly for more blurbs from Lucifer’s Calling and other works by Jeffrey Martin.  If you can’t wait to learn more about Lucifer, read Lucifer’s Calling, available here!