Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
WE HAVE RECEIVED NEWS tonight that Western Aiken has been charged on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, one count of sexual assault, one count of kidnapping, and one count of tampering with evidence. He has been sentenced to twenty years in prison with the possibility of parole. The families of the victims are in an uproar and are seeking more justice for the victims, stating the sentence simply isn’t enough.
They want answers.
They want justice.
They want him to pay.
No matter the cost.
2
Twenty-ish Years Later – Bonnie
“Bonnie, can you come into my office please?”
Looking into the murky-green eyes of my boss, I purse my lips and hold my breath as I push to my feet, my chair squeaking as it rolls back. I was promised a new chair two years ago. I didn’t get it. Instead, I got promoted and promised an incredible career in journalism. They lied; thus far, all I’ve been allowed to cover is weather stories, occasional crimes, and fashion.
I hate fashion.
It's not who I am.
Not what I want to be.
Pete, my boss, turns without another word and walks into his oversized office with giant glass panels that present him to the entire office all day long. It doesn’t seem to bother him, and he spends most of his time staring out at us, eyes moving back and forth, ensuring we’re doing the best work possible. We could do the best work, if he allowed us to branch out sometimes.
Stepping into his office, I close the door. I’m not sure why, considering everyone can see me sitting down at his huge, timber desk. Do they know what’s about to happen? I sure as hell don’t, but I have my suspicions. Pete has been making “cuts” of late, and I have a feeling that I’m next on the list. The very thought has my chest clenching as I fumble my hands together in my lap and look over at him.
“Bonnie, thank you for coming in, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
I close my eyes, exhaling.
Here it comes.
Here. It. Comes.
“You know I value you, and you do some incredible work, but, lately, I’m noticing you’re not putting the same effort in that you used to. Gone is the passionate reporter I once knew, the one who would chase a story no matter the cost. What happened to her?”
Let me see? You took away all the stories I wanted, restricted how much I could look into, and stole the very spark from me.
Now you’re saying I’m not passionate.
I grit my teeth, taking a moment before I answer.
“When I became a reporter, I was passionate because I wanted to cover the things that mattered. I wanted to find the stories nobody else could get, I wanted to speak truths, I wanted to be incredible. I’m not passionate about the cases I cover because they’re not what I came into it for.”
Tipping his head to the side, Pete studies me. “We all have to start somewhere, Bonnie. Those are the things you work your way up to.”
“To be fair, Pete, you’ve been saying that for the last five years, and I’ve never been given the chance to do something amazing.”
He ponders this.
“You’re right, I haven’t let you spread your wings, which is why I’ve called you in here. I’m going to give you the chance to deliver an incredible story. If you do so, I will promote you and let you report on whatever it is you choose. If you don’t, then, Bonnie, I’m afraid I’ll have to let you go. We’re struggling as it is, I need someone who is going to bring fire back into the company. Are you up for the challenge?”
Of course I’m up for the challenge, this is what I’ve been waiting for since I got this job. It takes everything inside me not to let out a happy scream.
“You have no idea how up for the challenge I am,” I say, heart racing as I look at him with a new life.
“The story you pick, it’ll need to be a good one. Something that people want. Have you got any ideas?”
Do I ever!
There is a story I’ve been wanting to cover since before I became a reporter, hell, it’s a case that has both stumped and fascinated me since the very first moment it happened. We moved into town probably ten years after it happened, but it was the talk of the place, and, to this day, it still is. The double murder of Daniel and Braithe Gregory – said to have been killed by the son of a local biker. The entire town was in an uproar, for years those bikers couldn’t walk down the street without abuse, and their names were forever tarnished, but, mostly, his was forever destroyed.
Western Aiken. Now known as Nightmare.