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Book: The 1000 Souls (Book 1): Apocalypse Revolution by Michael Andre McPherson
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Authors: Michael Andre McPherson
Tags: Action & Adventure
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these stories about the Chicago Ripper, they're all bullshit to hide the fact that there are blood drinkers out there—not vampires, not like the movies—blood drinkers."
"Well what the frig is the difference?"
"These are real." Nolan slumped down on his couch and snapped open the beer. "They don't have fangs or weird shit like that. They use knives to open up your jugular, and they suck like crazy as you spew blood, until you've bled out."
"How do you know this?" Bertrand leaned forward, thinking about the blood on Needleman's living-room floor and the chunk cut out of the murdered man's neck.
"Stan's wife got snatched by this so-called Chicago Ripper two weeks ago, only there was three of them. We saw them grab her. Stan and I were having a beer right up there on my front porch, and we see's Rose walking along the sidewalk on her way back from her bridge club. Suddenly a van just shoots up and the side door opens, and there's like three men in there, and they just grab her and haul her into the van and take off."
"Are you sure it was men. Could it have been three women dressed like men? It was dark wasn't it?" Bertrand was thinking about Jeffery's neighbor, the geek who came home with four hot women and disappeared.
"They were men. The interior light of the van was on and I tell you they were men. The police said it was the Chicago Ripper—you ever hear of the news talking about the Chicago Rippers?"
"No. So are you saying they killed your neighbor—is that the Stan guy you were talking about—they killed his wife and then him?"
Nolan took a big drink. "Nope," he said, wiping foam from his mouth. "It was Rose who did Stan tonight."
"What the ... ? How do you know?"
"I saw it, goddammit! I was right out back there." He pointed to the ceiling with the shotgun. "I was just coming out to put some burgers on the barbecue for a late-night snack, and I heard the glass break over at Stan's. You've seen that little fence between us, right? We're good neighbors, both did tours in 'Nam just a couple of years apart. So's I go over near the fence thinking I'm gonna catch a burglar on his way out with the TV. I had my Glock with me, so I figured I was ready. Then I hear Stan screaming, so I hop the fence and I'm going up the back steps and there she is, putting a knife to him as if she's a combat veteran—and I've seen combat. I heard you guys coming and split, but I tell you I haven't seen blood spray like that since 'Nam."
"Holy shit! What did the cops say?"
Nolan shook his head. "I don't talk to them no more. Don't you get it? They're in on it, man. Look what happened to Rose. Come on, think about it: Stan and I call the cops with this cockamamie story about his old lady being kidnapped and they took forty minutes to get here. They took our statements like it was a noise complaint and told us it was the M.O. of the Chicago Ripper. They didn't even blink when we said there were three of them. They were brushing us off over a frigging kidnapping! Just a quick 'We're sorry but it's unlikely we'll catch them and you'll never see your wife again' before they left. I tell you, if I were a cop and a couple of guys gave me such a bullshit story, I'd have turned their lives upside down. I'd have sworn the murderers were standing right in front of me putting on a good act with a stupid story, but instead they just left after half an hour. For Christ's sake, it took them longer than that to get here!"
"But they came tonight. I mean there was crime scene processing and all going on while Joyce and I were giving our statements. And we did have to give signed statements."
"Since when do the cops fix broken windows and put For Sale signs up on crime scenes."
It was Bertrand's turn to take a long drink of his beer, finishing the can while he thought about the reluctance of the police to worry about Needleman or Jeff's neighbor, even with the bloodstains.
"It's just so crazy," Bertrand finally said. "I mean, why would they be in
"Well what the frig is the difference?"
"These are real." Nolan slumped down on his couch and snapped open the beer. "They don't have fangs or weird shit like that. They use knives to open up your jugular, and they suck like crazy as you spew blood, until you've bled out."
"How do you know this?" Bertrand leaned forward, thinking about the blood on Needleman's living-room floor and the chunk cut out of the murdered man's neck.
"Stan's wife got snatched by this so-called Chicago Ripper two weeks ago, only there was three of them. We saw them grab her. Stan and I were having a beer right up there on my front porch, and we see's Rose walking along the sidewalk on her way back from her bridge club. Suddenly a van just shoots up and the side door opens, and there's like three men in there, and they just grab her and haul her into the van and take off."
"Are you sure it was men. Could it have been three women dressed like men? It was dark wasn't it?" Bertrand was thinking about Jeffery's neighbor, the geek who came home with four hot women and disappeared.
"They were men. The interior light of the van was on and I tell you they were men. The police said it was the Chicago Ripper—you ever hear of the news talking about the Chicago Rippers?"
"No. So are you saying they killed your neighbor—is that the Stan guy you were talking about—they killed his wife and then him?"
Nolan took a big drink. "Nope," he said, wiping foam from his mouth. "It was Rose who did Stan tonight."
"What the ... ? How do you know?"
"I saw it, goddammit! I was right out back there." He pointed to the ceiling with the shotgun. "I was just coming out to put some burgers on the barbecue for a late-night snack, and I heard the glass break over at Stan's. You've seen that little fence between us, right? We're good neighbors, both did tours in 'Nam just a couple of years apart. So's I go over near the fence thinking I'm gonna catch a burglar on his way out with the TV. I had my Glock with me, so I figured I was ready. Then I hear Stan screaming, so I hop the fence and I'm going up the back steps and there she is, putting a knife to him as if she's a combat veteran—and I've seen combat. I heard you guys coming and split, but I tell you I haven't seen blood spray like that since 'Nam."
"Holy shit! What did the cops say?"
Nolan shook his head. "I don't talk to them no more. Don't you get it? They're in on it, man. Look what happened to Rose. Come on, think about it: Stan and I call the cops with this cockamamie story about his old lady being kidnapped and they took forty minutes to get here. They took our statements like it was a noise complaint and told us it was the M.O. of the Chicago Ripper. They didn't even blink when we said there were three of them. They were brushing us off over a frigging kidnapping! Just a quick 'We're sorry but it's unlikely we'll catch them and you'll never see your wife again' before they left. I tell you, if I were a cop and a couple of guys gave me such a bullshit story, I'd have turned their lives upside down. I'd have sworn the murderers were standing right in front of me putting on a good act with a stupid story, but instead they just left after half an hour. For Christ's sake, it took them longer than that to get here!"
"But they came tonight. I mean there was crime scene processing and all going on while Joyce and I were giving our statements. And we did have to give signed statements."
"Since when do the cops fix broken windows and put For Sale signs up on crime scenes."
It was Bertrand's turn to take a long drink of his beer, finishing the can while he thought about the reluctance of the police to worry about Needleman or Jeff's neighbor, even with the bloodstains.
"It's just so crazy," Bertrand finally said. "I mean, why would they be in
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