Archive for the ‘Spiral Notebooks’ Category
The Hostages
“Man with a gun.”
“He has hostages.”
“A female and three children.”
“Shots fired.”
“10-4. I’m en route.”
Farmhouse
Yelling
Cursing
Glass breaking
Thumps
Bangs
A scream
Kids crying
One peeking outside
A teenager
BOOM!
Shotgun blast
Window up
Teen pulled to safety
Hide
Sirens
Far away
Backup coming
A look inside
Woman and two small children
Huddled together
Beside bed
BOOM!
Hole in door
Man at window
Tall
Muscular
Wild-eyed
No shirt
Sweating
Nervous
Sees police car
BOOM!
Out on porch
Shotgun
Barefoot
Dirty jeans
Yelling
Cursing
“Go away”
“I’ll kill them!”
“All of them”
Doesn’t see me
Eight feet away
Around corner
Aims at police car
Boom!
Run
Tackle
Secure gun
Handcuff
Children crying
Woman crying
“Daddy!”
“Please don’t take him away!”
“He’s my husband”
“I love him”
“He’ll be okay”
“Just too much alcohol”
“That’s all”
“Please, let him go”
“He wouldn’t hurt us”
Hair tangled
“I promise”
Lip bleeding
“He would never hurt us”
“Please…”
Bruised cheek
More tears
“He means well”
“A lot on his mind”
“It was my fault”
Bruises on arms
“Please…”
“We need him”
*Farmhouse photo by Sunday Kaminski
Posted in
Next Of Kin
Graveyard Shift…0246 hours
Weather: Cloudy/no moon
Location: Abandoned factory Hwy 666
Victim: Unknown/TBD
Suspect: N/A
“Caller reports seeing light, possibly flashlights, inside the abandoned factory on Hwy 666.”
“10-4. I’ll check it out.”
Radio crackles.
“I’m close, 2012. I’ll meet you there.”
“10-4, 2029.”
Cracked asphalt drive.
Tall weeds push through jagged openings.
Brick consumed by vegetation.
Still air.
Owl hoots in distance.
Rats scurry through honeysuckle.
Lopsided door.
One rusty hinge.
Concrete floor.
Broken glass.
Fallen wood.
Tangled metal.
Office.
More glass.
A hallway to the right.
Break room.
Spider webs.
Shipping and Receiving.
Double doors on left.
Machinery.
Tall and short.
Fat and skinny.
Steel dinosaurs.
Rust and oil stains.
Rat on table top.
Roaches.
Flashlight in distance.
Quiet.
Guns pointed.
Slowly.
Glass crunches.
Stop.
Listening.
Light unmoving.
Ease forward.
Water drips from above.
Owl hoots.
Flashlight closer.
Heart pounding.
Sweat at hairline.
Open doorway.
Warehouse.
Light beam.
I to the right.
He to the left.
“Police!”
Nothing.
Owl hoots.
Closer.
Light unwavering from floor.
“Police!”
Silence.
Water dripping.
Rats scurrying.
Owl hooting.
Heart beating like drum.
Far away train whistle.
A man.
Overturned chair.
Dirt floor.
Dress shirt.
Jeans.
Tennis shoes.
Flashlight.
Paper.
A message.
“I love you, dear wife.”
“I’m sorry I failed you and our beautiful little girls.”
“Tell them I love them, too.”
“This is the only way.”
“Always remember the good days.”
0342 hours.
Cause of death…possible suicide.
Weapon…shotgun.
Victim…unknown due to extent of injuries.
Next of kin…a wife and daughters….somewhere.
Owl hoots.
*Images by Maryland photographer, Sunday Kaminski.
