By: Amanda Lawrence Auverigne

“You can’t let him get away with this! You are a cop! It’s your duty to freaking serve and freaking protect! I will write to my Congressman about this! Not to mention visit the Commissioner’s Office!” Rita shrieked.         A tall middle aged police officer took a step forward. He tripped over a cracked X-box console that lay on the floor. He stumbled a few paces forward before he regained his balance. He stood erect and he heard a muffled giggle behind him.         He looked at the floor and he saw an assortment of food wrappers, video game boxes, pop cans and lacy underwear.         He turned away from the messy melee and he looked behind him. He saw his partner standing in the middle of the room with his hands looped around his belt.         A weary young man sat on the floor across the room near his partner.         The young man wore a fluffy red towel across his middle. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his hands were cuffed behind his back. Small droplets of water dripped from his dark curls and landed atop the flesh of his chest and he stared at Rita with a sleepy smile across his lips.         “I didn’t do anything. She just came home and found me with her,” the young man said. He tilted his head to the side and motioned his skull towards a shivering blonde girl who stood along a wall near him.         The young woman stared at Rita with wide eyes and she wiped at the thick smears of red slime that dripped from her face and neck.         “I don’t care who you sleep with! I don’t care! Look, you have to arrest him! He’s a killer!” Rita shouted.         The middle aged cop took off his hat and he rubbed at his sparse hair. “Look, Miss. Seems to me that he’s right. You came home. You got in the shower. You went to the kitchen after to get some food,” the cop said.         The middle aged man slapped his cap on his head and he looked at Rita.         “You heard some noises and you went in the room and found him. And her. You got hot about it and you started throwing food.” The cop said.         The police officer stared at the large can of tomato sauce that was clutched in Rita’s hand. He bit his lower lip when he heard his partner chuckle behind him.         “Things got ugly. You broke that poor girl’s nose over there.” The cop said.         He turned from Rita and he glanced at the shivering blonde girl behind him. The thin girl whimpered as she rubbed at her bleeding nose.         “And when the young man tried to stop you from hurting her, you call the cops. Which means that you were a big part of this scuffle. Which means that we will have to take you in too,” the cop said.         Rita blinked as she sat on the couch.         “What? I’m no freaking killer! It’s him! He killed three people this week! And he was about to kill her but she was too coked up to know about it!” Rita said.         Rita moved her hand forward and a large portion of the tomato sauce flew from the can and landed on the floor with a wet splat.         The young man laughed as he lowered his head to the floor.         “Officers, she is delusional. She always has been since I broke up with her. And she’s the one doing the psychotropic drugs. She has a thing for ecstasy. If you did a drug test you’d be very surprised at what you find.”         “Shut up you murderer!” Rita shrieked.         “Hey, hey. You just calm right down. And put down the sauce,” the cop said.         “No way.” Rita said.         Rita clutched the can of sauce against her chest.         “It's what saved my life. He would have ripped out my throat if I hadn’t started slinging the stuff around.” Rita said.         The young man let out a braying laugh as he sat on the floor.         “You believe this?” He asked the cop standing near him.         The short blonde cop shook his head as he looked at the can of tomato sauce in Rita’s hand.         “I’ve seen stranger. But I have to admit this one is pretty bizarre,” the blonde officer replied.         “Look, I’m going to have to take you both in. It looks like you were both involved in an assault. I’ve got a girl with a broken nose over there. And you with a bleeding fist and a can of sauce that’s all over the place. So.”         He pulled a set of handcuffs from the rear of his belt and moved towards Rita.         “What are you doing? He’s the criminal, not me!” Rita howled.         “I have to take you in. So that we can try to sort this out,” the police officer said.         “Look, what’s your name again?” Rita asked.         “She has a bit of a problem with short term memory too. Her mental state has really deteriorated since I broke up with her. And she hasn’t taken her meds in days,” the young man said.         “Shut up!” Rita screamed.         She raised the can of tomato sauce in her hand and she aimed it in the seated man’s direction. The young man smiled at Rita and he slid his body backwards slightly.         The middle aged cop rushed to Rita and he grabbed at the can.         “No! It’s the only thing that keeping him from ripping me to shreds! Don’t take it from me! Please don’t take it from me!” Rita yelled.         Rita fell on her side and she held the can of sauce against the cushions of the couch.         The middle aged cop fell to his knees near the young woman and he attempted to pry the sauce from her hands. Rita shrieked as the cop yanked the opened can from her hand.         The middle aged man moved his body backwards and he closed his eyes as a large splotch of the liquid splashed onto his face. He rose to his feet and he wiped at his face with the rear of his hand.         “Would you like me to subdue the perp, Riley?” the blonde cop asked.         Officer Riley turned to his partner with a sneer. “No. I’m quite alright, Officer Morten,” he said wearily.         “Look. You don’t understand. All of those people that have gone up missing around that hidden crazy house down the street.” Rita said.         Officer Riley wiped at his face as he turned to Rita.         “You mean the Gateway Home?” Officer Riley asked.         “Yeah. Five people this week. He killed them all. All of them. He waits for them. One of them was a sleepwalker and he just got him when he walked out of the door. Two of them he had to chase down. And one of them. I guess he just jumped on him and killed him.” Rita said.         “You say it like you were there.” Officer Morten said.         “I saw. Well. I didn’t really see. But I went to the place and the staff don’t seem to care that they are all missing. And I’m telling you, the murderer is right there!” Rita shouted.         The dark haired man tossed his head back and he laughed.         “I won’t be pressing any charges, officers. Clearly she needs psychiatric help.” The man said.         “And you need to be put down you sorry son of a bitch!” Rita shouted.         “Wait. Wait. Okay, Miss. If he killed all of these people like you say. What did he do with the bodies?” Officer Riley asked.         “He dragged them all into the alley and he ate them.” Rita said.         Officer Riley and Officer Morten looked at each other for a brief moment before they burst out laughing.         “Oh. So you think this is funny? It's not! He ate them! He did! All you have to do is pump his stomach!” Rita shouted.         Officer Riley and Officer Morten stared at Rita for a few seconds before they laughed.         “See what I mean, officers? She clearly needs help,” the young man said.         “Okay, Miss. We are going to have to take you downtown. For assault. That is, if you wish to press charges, Mister?” Officer Riley asked.         The middle aged cop turned from Rita and he looked at the seated young man on the floor near him. “Get up so I can take these cuffs off of you.” Officer Morten said.         “No! Don’t take the cuffs off!” Rita shouted.         Rita rose from the couch. She winced when Officer Riley grabbed one of her shoulders and shoved her onto the cushions of the worn settee.         “Look. You have to settle down, Miss.” Officer Riley said.         “Lance. Lance Bertram. And no. I don’t want to press charges. But I don’t want her to stay here tonight. She’s a bit. Dangerous.” Lance said.         Officer Morten chuckled as he stood behind Lance.         “You two stupid cops! You don’t understand anything!” Rita shouted.         “Look. You can get some clothes and other things and you have to get outta here. He won’t press charges if you just leave. And I won’t leave you here for the night. It’s too risky.” Officer Riley said.         “Thanks, man.” Lance said.         Officer Morten pulled the key from his pocket. He grabbed at the cuffs that dangled from Lance’s hands.         “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been in more than one love triangle in my lifetime. And they can get a bit messy.” Officer Morten said.         Lance smiled as he rose to his feet.         “Yeah.” Lance chuckled.         Rita looked at Lance’s handsome face for a brief moment. She leaned back on the couch and she turned to Officer Riley.         “I’m not leaving without my Wii.” Rita said.         “Fine. We’ll get it. Where is it?” Officer Riley asked.         Rita raised her bare leg and she slammed the top of her knee against the soft sac of flesh between the middle aged cop’s legs. Officer Riley dropped the can of tomato sauce and grabbed at his groin. He let out a wheeze before his knees buckled and he fell to the floor.         Rita leaped from the couch and she grabbed the can of sauce off of the floor. She ran forward.         Rita leaped over piles of trash and she lifted the can of sauce in her hands. She held the container in front of her and she flung the thick crimson liquid in Lance’s direction.         Lance stumbled backwards and he collided with Officer Morten.         Morten fell backwards and he reached for his gun.         “Stop! Stop!” Officer Morten said.         Rita stopped in front of Lance. She grabbed the young man’s sauce covered face and she slammed the rear of his skull against Officer Morten’s face.         Lance let out a muffled cough just before Morten’s nose exploded in blood.         Officer Morten stumbled backwards and he clutched at his bleeding nose as he collapsed onto the floor.         Rita smeared Lance’s face with the thick red sauce and the young man howled.         Lance blinked as the gooey liquid oozed into his eyes. He stumbled backwards and he tripped over his feet and fell to the floor. Rita fell onto the young man’s chest. She sat atop him as she rubbed the sauce onto his face and chest.         Lance shrieked and thrashed as he lay on the floor. He let out a loud howl as he struggled to remove the handcuffs that were attached to his wrists.         Rita raised the can and she slammed the object against Lance’s face. Lance twitched and bucked beneath Rita’s form.         Rita lowered the empty can and she passed her hands along the floor. She grabbed a lacey bra.         She raised the lingerie in her hands and she pulled a long thread of wire from the lower portion of the brassiere. She held the wire in her left hand and she grabbed at Lance’s neck with her right limb.         Lance sat up violently and Rita slammed her fist into the young man’s nose.         Lance fell backwards and he opened his mouth with a large gulping sound.         Rita slid the wire into the man’s mouth and she wriggled the ragged edge of the thin metal cable against the rear of the young man’s throat. Lance let out a loud gagging noise, and he sat upright with a loud cry.         Rita felt a pair of strong hands close over her shoulders just before her form was yanked from atop Lance. Her body was slammed onto the floor and she let out a low breath as her belly struck the trash filled floorboards.         “You are under arrest for assaulting an officer.” Officer Riley said in a high pitched voice.         He grabbed at Rita’s arms and he slapped a pair of handcuffs onto her wrists.         A loud strangled cough filled the room.         Officer Riley looked up from Rita’s prone form and he stared at Lance.         The young man lay on his side and his eyes bulged as he coughed. Angry red welts covered his face, neck and chest and dark splotches of red appeared across his abdomen.         “He’s allergic!” Officer Riley shouted.         Riley looked behind Lance and he saw his wailing partner rubbing at his nose.         “Call an ambulance! He’s going into shock!” Riley shouted.         “My dose! My dose!” Officer Morten wailed.         Riley rose from the floor and he rushed to Lance. He grabbed the young man’s shoulders and he cried out when Lance’s body fell into a wave of convulsions.         Riley slammed Lance onto his side and he pulled an ink pen from his shirt pocket. He thrust the pen into the boy’s mouth and he grimaced when he saw the young man’s swollen tongue.         Lance’s face had become a shade of dark purple and angry bruises rose up on his skin where the tomato sauce had been smeared. Lance looked up at the ceiling and he closed his eyes as his body convulsed violently.         “If he dies, you could be put away for attempted murder!” Riley said.         Riley held the boy down and he cried out when Lance sat up abruptly.         Riley fell backwards and the rear of his skull struck the floorboards beneath him. He rubbed at his head and he sat up as the sound of strangled coughs filled his ears. He looked at Lance and he saw the young man lay on his side as his muscular body trembled.         The young man looked at Riley for a brief moment and he closed his eyes. He let out a high pitched wail and his entire body tensed. He became still and he let out cough just before a dark object fell from his mouth.         The thing bounced against the young man’s chin and it landed on the floor with a wet splat.         Officer Riley stared at the severed hand that lay atop the floorboards with wide eyes.         Lance’s body shook and he let out a low cough just before two fingers fell from his lips.         The limbs landed on the floor with loud slaps.         Lance groaned before he collapsed atop the floor.         Officer Morten lowered his hand from his bleeding nose. He stared at the limbs on the floor.         Officer Riley stared at a gleaming gold band that lay across one of the severed fingers. He sat back on the floor and wiped at his face with his hand. He jumped when he heard a low thump near him.         He looked at the thin blonde girl and he saw that she had collapsed onto the floor.         The blanket that had been wrapped around her form had come undone and Riley stared at her pale nakedness with wide eyes.         The girl lay motionless on the floor and a wide pool of blood had congealed beneath her form. One of her breasts had been ripped off and large ragged holes lay across her abdomen and thighs.         Officer Riley heard a loud click.         He looked up and he saw his partner standing in the middle of the room with his gun aimed at Lance.         “Freeze! You are under arrest!” Morten shouted.         Lance coughed and he turned his head. He became stiff just before a severed ear slipped from his lips.         “Fuck!” Morten said.         Morten took a step forward and he kicked at Lance’s skull.         Riley watched his partner kick at Lance’s motionless form. He turned from his weeping partner and he stared at Rita.         Rita lay on her belly and her face was turned in the officer’s direction.         She had a triumphant smile on her face.         “Do I have to say it? Or will you just uncuff me and book the fucker?” she asked.

Amanda Lawrence Auverigne is a reclusive college student who writes works of dark fiction in her spare time. She lives in the United States and she currently resides in the faded splendor of a once opulent century old mansion. “A Little Bit of Charnel” is one of her tales. Please visit Amanda’s website at: Auverigne.com

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