The Case of the Stone Killer

Percy’s breaths were heavy but quiet as he quickly checked his gun chamber one more time. Empty. He knew it but seeing it...made his situation all the more dire and hopeless. And there were no more bullets on his person, Percy checked. Three times. He should have been careful when shooting at the Stone Killer earlier. He really should have. But...there had been people behind him. Innocent civilians who would have been her next victims if Percy hadn’t intervened. It was his duty as a police detective to protect them, and Percy would never shirk from that duty. He didn’t regret his decision, he just wished that at least one of the bullets had hit her.

But all of the people that the Stone Killer had kidnapped were free. Safe. Of that, Percy was pretty sure.

However, now he was the one trapped.

With only a single knife to defend himself.

And someone had tampered with his radio so there was no way for him to call for backup.

This didn’t look good.

There was a loud crunching sound. Percy stiffened against the corner of the wall as he put the useless gun back into his holster. He quietly unsheathed his knife, whose blade was barely bigger than his palm.

It was better than nothing.

Then Percy saw the light. It was coming from the hallway next to him, and it was so bright that Percy could see the broken pieces of furniture and bloodstains perfectly from where he was.

It was a long hallway too.

As the light grew larger and brighter, Percy clutched his knife, desperately looking around for a better hiding spot. There were rooms but Percy wasn’t sure if they were locked or not. He didn’t want to waste time or reveal his position if they were. And maybe it was the reckless hero in him, but Percy wanted to stop the Stone Killer. She had murdered nearly a hundred people over the course of a decade, she needed to be stopped once and for all.

So the people he had sworn to protect could go to their beds in peace and safety.

It was all for them.

Percy could hear light footsteps now as he inched closer to the corner of the wall. His best chance was to jump her with his eyes closed and hope that-

Something cracked underneath his foot.

The footsteps instantly grew quicker as they pounded down the hallway. His heart racing, Percy abandoned his original plan as he deserted the corner and ran down the hall, the light from before making his way clear. Thankfully, the hall Percy was in was short so it didn’t take long for him to turn the next corner.

If the screech of annoyance behind him was anything to go by, it was just in time.

Percy ran faster as he looked around, for any place, any place where he could hide, where he could collect himself, where he could find another opening, even if it was just for a little bit.

But as fast as Percy was, the Stone Killer was fast too.

And this was Percy’s first time in this old, abandoned mansion. The Stone Killer lived here.

So where-

There was a door cracked open. It wasn’t far away either.

The Stone Killer’s footsteps grew both louder and quicker.

It was his best chance.

Percy pushed himself to go faster and within seconds, he grabbed the door and pushed it wider.

The light grew brighter as the Stone Killer let out a battle cry.

She saw him.

Percy didn’t stop, he didn’t dare, he just rushed into the room and slammed the door shut. If he had extra breath, he would have thanked the Lord that the doorknob had a lock on it. Percy pushed the lock and right after the telltale click, the Stone Killer hit the door. Percy’s heart pounded in his chest as the Stone Killer tried to open the door by jingling the doorknob and shaking the door. It was only when the Stone Killer let out a frustrated yell, did Percy dared to breathe out a sigh of relief.

He was saf-

“Don’t go thinking that you’re safe, cop boy,” the Stone Killer said, the first words he had ever heard her utter. “There’s no way out of that room. It would be so easy for me to block the door and just wait till you die of dehydration. But luckily for you-”

There was a loud scraping sound like a large piece of furniture was being dragged across the floor. The sound stopped right in front of the door.

“I will only block the door until I find something to knock it down.” Then the Stone Killer walked away, leaving Percy with only the sound of his heavy breathing.

...He needed to come up with a new plan.

Percy turned around, hoping to find something to either defend himself better or to-

Despite being low on breath, Percy screamed as he backed up onto the door, his eyes wide and his free hand clutching his chest, the other still holding onto the knife.

He was staring at a man. A man standing in the middle of the room, his unblinking eyes staring at nothing while a hand was raised as if he trying to defend himself. Or as if he was asking for help. A bit calmer now, Percy inched closer to the man, horror, and woe filling every bit of his soul.

Because the man was dead. Taxidermied.

It was what made the Stone Killer so feared, so deadly. She would kidnap her victims and before or after she killed them, Percy wasn’t sure which, she would send out a small stone statue to their families. Or the police station if they had none. Then once she was ready to move on to the next city or town, the aptly named Stone Killer would decorate the place with her victims. Many cops have gotten close to tracking her down over the years. But they had either failed to find her before she disappeared again, or had gotten killed by her. And the very few people who had managed to escape her grasp never got a good look at her, thanks to the bright headlamp and the small flashlights she had attached to her braids. Not only did they help hide her features, but they blinded her victims, making it much easier for her to kidnap or kill them.

When people started getting stone statues in their town, Percy hadn’t deluded himself into thinking that a newbie detective like him would get such a high-priority case. But then Percy ended up being the only one at the station who didn’t have a gift for their captain. Percy told his captain that he would do any favor for him, no questions asked. Instead of doing a menial but annoying job like cleaning out his police car, the captain gave him, and only him, the Stone Killer case.

The captain told him that he believed Percy had what it took, but Percy wasn’t dumb enough to fall for that lie. He had a thing for Percy’s single mom and wanted Percy out of the way.

There was a reason why Percy didn’t buy a gift for him.

The footsteps and light returned.

Percy was running out of time.

He looked around the room but other than the victim and himself, there was nothing else in the room.

When the scraping sound began again, Percy gazed down at his knife, his only weapon. Was...was this really how his life was going to end? Alone and...no. No! He couldn’t afford to think that way! Not after he found this place, not after he found her! He would survive, delight in the captain’s horrified face when he showed back up at the station, and return safely home to his mother and newly found half-sister. And-

Wait...that could work!

The scraping sound stopped to be replaced by chopping. With what was quickly revealed when Percy saw the tip of an ax appear through the door. As the Stone Killer pulled the ax back to continue chopping at the door, Percy searched in his pockets and thankfully found what he needed very quickly. Pieces of the door flew away, allowing the blinding white light to shine through, forcing Percy to look to the side.

But otherwise, he stood his ground, the small gift his sister had given him in one hand, and his knife in the other.

“Don’t worry, sir,” Percy said to the man behind him. “I’ll avenge you.”

With one last chop, the door crumbled and crashed to the ground. Percy instantly closed his eyes and raised his gift.

A mirror, because she believed that everyone needed one.

A surprised shriek and the full force of the light leaving his face told him all that he needed to know. Percy rushed forward and with cracked-open eyes, saw that the Stone Killer was looking away from him, stunned from having her own method reflected at her. However, she was already turning her head back to him.

But not in time to stop him from slicing her neck.