FicWad

The woman ran into the forest in terror as the man followed her. She stumbled but quickly righted herself, knowing if she fell the man would kill her. Sobs mingled with her rapid breathing as she ran, dodging branches. Suddenly she tripped over a rock, falling hard on the ground. She quickly started to crawl as she heard the slow methodical footsteps of the man. She whimpered as his shadow loomed over her.
"The time has come for you to face your sins." The man said, "I am the judge, jury and executioner."
With those words the man swung a shovel, as the woman brought up her hands to shield her face. The shovel split her head open like a ripe melon, exposing the woman's brain. She jerked once before dying. The man hoisted the bloody shovel onto his shoulder and walked away whistling a hymn, as flies started landing on the quickly cooling corpse of the woman.

Lynn sat up in bed breathing heavily, she knew she had dreamed but couldn't remember it. Looking at the clock she realized it was only two in the morning, but knowing sleep was impossible she got out of bed. She walked into the kitchen, flipping on the small television that was on the counter. There was a news bulletin on, she reached to flip the channel when something the news reporter said caused her to turn up the volume instead.
"Another woman was reported missing last night." The pretty blond newswoman said soberly. "There was no sign of foul play."
Lynn began to tremble as they showed the woman's photo, without warning her dream burst into her head.
She saw the woman running, then heard a male's voice say "I am judge, jury and executioner."
The woman had been murdered, Lynn reached out a shaking hand and turned off the television.
Before she could lose her nerve, she reached for the cordless phone, and dialed 911.
"The missing woman on the news tonight," she said in a flat voice that was alien to her. "She's in Birchfield Forest.
Then she hung up, ignoring the dispatcher's pleas to stay on the line.

Two hours later there was a knock at her door, Lynn had been expecting it, but at the same time she hoped it wouldn't come. Slowly she answered the door. A handsome man in his thirties was standing on her doorstep.
"Are you Lynn Redgarden?" He asked. She just nodded. "I'm Detective Walters," he said smiling. She didn't smile in return, or invite him in.

"You reported the location of the missing woman," he said casually, but she could hear his unspoken question. "How did you know where the body was?"

"Look detective," Lynn said cooly as she stepped out and closed the front door, "I'm on my way out, now unless I'm under arrest, please get off my doorstep."
Detective Walters, gently grasped her arm as she tried to squeeze past. "Please help us," he said when she turned to look at him. "This man has struck three other times, all were female, all were psychics."
Lynn inhaled sharply, than nodded, "come in." She said quietly opening the door.

Detective Walters followed her into the living room, "you are a psychic I presume." He said after they had sat down.
Lynn nodded, "all the women in my family are." She said softly, "I moved here hoping to escape the family curse as my father put it." She laughed bitterly, "it seems it's followed me here."
Detective Walters leaned forward, "we need your help on this," he said "the woman who was killed was a psychic named Marsha Penn. She worked with the police occasionally. She was also a dear friend of mine."

Lynn just shook her head, standing up abruptly. "I'm sorry about your friend." She said "but I can't be drawn into that world again, I'm sorry."
Detective Walters sadly nodded his head and got up. "Don't worry about showing me the door," he said. "I know my way out."
After the door slammed shut, Lynn sank onto the couch, sobbing hard.

"I'm sorry Mr. Redgrave," the policeman said when her father answered the door, "your wife is dead."
Lynn ran down the stairs where she had been hiding, "NO!" She screamed, "liar." She began to beat on the policeman's legs with her little fists. "My mommy's not dead, you liar."
She began to sob as her father pulled her into his arms.

Lynn's eyes flew open as she came out of her nightmare, it had been twenty years since her mother had been murdered by the serial killer she had been helping the police to catch. They had moved soon after. Her father vainly trying to keep the psychic flashes from happening to Lynn. They had occurred anyway. The last one that had driven her to move here, was seeing her father die of a heart attack when he was miles away at a conference. She wiped away the tears that had been sliding down her cheeks. Lynn knew what she had to do, what her mother would've done.
Quickly she dialed the number for the police station and asked for Detective Walters. "This is Lynn Redgrave," she said after he answered. "I'll help you in anyway I can."

Lynn closed her eyes as she stood on the site where the woman had been murdered. "She knew her attacker," she said finally. "I can feel her feelings of anguish and betrayal. He brought her out here, than hunted her, before murdering her here with a shovel."
She opened her eyes, swaying a little, exhausted. Detective Walters quickly put a steadying arm around her shoulders, and she smiled at him gratefully.
"This gives us a little bit of a lead," he said as they walked down the path. "Thank you for doing this."
Lynn smiled when they got into the patrol car, "it's what I had to do." She said simply as Detective Walters started the car, driving down the road.

Lynn tossed and turned, as she saw Marsha running through the woods. She tried to call out and warn Marsha about the rock, but she couldn't. Lynn screamed as Marsha fell, then sucked in her breath in horror as the murder's face was revealed. Detective Walters swung the shovel, striking Marsha in the head, killing her.

Lynn jerked awaked, looking around disoriented. She was on the couch in her living room. She whimpered as she remembered her dream. She quickly got off the couch, running to the kitchen. Lynn grabbed the cordless phone and started to dial 911 just as the lights went out. Lynn dropped the phone as the room plunged into darkness. She began to feel her way toward the drawer with the flashlight in it, then stopped. A faint scratching noise could be heard coming from her back door. Lynn knew without out a doubt who was there and what he wanted. She bolted for the front door, just as the back door swung open.
"Oh Lynn," Detective Walters said in a sing song voice. "Come out and play."
Lynn hid herself behind the couch, as he slowly walked toward the living room.
"The time has come for you to face your sins," he said as he stopped in front of the couch. "I am the judge, jury and executioner."
He grabbed Lynn by her hair, yanking her up roughly. Lynn cried out in pain as he dragged her to the middle of the room. He held a knife to her throat, smiling savagely as she whimpered.
"I am the executioner," he repeated as he slowly pressed the knife deeper.

Suddenly a gunshot filled the air, he jerked and slowly fell sideways, the knife clattering harmlessly to the floor. Lynn cried out as arms wrapped around her.
"It's ok," a voice said softly as she was led out the front door.
Lynn looked up at the face of her rescuer and was surprised to see Detective Walters.

"That was Brian my twin brother," he explained as they watched the sheet draped form be carried from the house on a stretcher. "Our mother was a psychic, who was murdered while helping the police. It twisted his mind, and he began to blame her for the murder. Soon he was blaming all psychics."
"How did you know I was in trouble?" She asked.
Detective Walters smiled slightly, "lets just say I had a feeling and leave it at that."
He wrapped his hand around hers and they walked toward the house, as the sun began to lighten the sky.