Free Blood Lust: A Supernatural Horror by JE Gurley Page B

pump 12-gauge shotguns and their side arms. They stood around me expectantly.
    “ For God’s sake don’t use your flashlights and give away your position. If you fire your weapon, shoot to kill . Our suspect is a murderer, ” I reminded them. “He’s killed three girls, maybe four.” I stared at each officer until they nodded that they understood. If we found the Sattersby girl’s body was in side , I did n’t want to have an interrogation room interview with her killer; I wanted to look down at his cold dead body and call the case closed .
    Lew had his usual objections . “The c aptain will want him alive if possible for questioning ,” he argued. “The press is on his ass about this case.”
    “He can hold a damn séance for all I care ,” I snapped , my rancor undisguised. “This guy kills young girls . I don’t want to see him sitting in a jail cell at taxpayers ’ expense until I retire , working on endless appeals.”
    Lew nodded. He had voiced his objection like a good partner should and said nothing more about it. We had worked together long enough for him to know I usually did n’t set out to kill someone we were after . This case was different and he knew it. I suspect ed he agreed with me. We walked around the compound’s walls as I pointed out positions for the six officers that gave them both a good view of the premises and kept them out of sight. The side of the compound parallel to the riverbed was impassable , a sheer wall , so I ruled it out as a way in or out . That was my first mistake. I stationed one man out front by the gates , one in the rear of each of the two main building s and fourth covering the side entrance by which we would enter . Two m e n got a lucky break and drew stations inside the church sanctuary out of the predicted bad weather , hidden on either side of the transept. They would follow us in side, keeping their distance . We each carried walkie-talkies, but I issued strict orders to keep the useless chatter down unless they s potted our killer .
    The storm blew in from offshor e just after midnight with a heavy downpour and a lightning display worthy of any Four th of July spectacle . I looked up at the cloud-filled sky from the leaky shed under which we cowered and silently cursed my run of bad luck. T rudg ing through the rain dodging puddles , I made my final rounds making certain our perimeter guards were well out of sight . Satisfied we were as ready as we could be, I turned to the other two officers waiting with us.
    “ Follow us in . Stay well back but be ready to move in when I call.” I remembered how quick the bastard was. “He’s fast,” I warned. “ Don’t bother with a warning shot.”
    Lew and I entered the church. Walking down the hallway with no light was a test of wills – mine against every object into which I ba n ged my shin . Flashes of lightning through the broken windows stabbed my eyes with fire , creating spots of light on my retinas . After stumbling around for five minutes , I called a halt.
    “We have to let our eyes adjust to the dark,” I said.
    Lew glanced out the windows at the lightning doubtfully but nodded.
    We stood in the shadows for fifteen minutes to let our natural night vision engage. I could tell from his anxious stance that Lew was eager to continue , but the chances were slim that the Sattersby girl was still alive. Going in too early and too noisily would risk alerting her killer . When I could well enough see to move around by the light filtering in through the dirty windows, I judged we were ready .
    T he sanctuary of the old church was empty, as I figured it would be. I motioned the two officers to positions at the chained front door of the church and another just outside the hallway and waited until they had disappeared into the shadows. Yellow police tape still barred the hallway leading to the monastery’s chapel. I slipped under the tape and held it up for Lew. We paused , listening , but all I could hear