the murder at freeland

THE MURDER AT FREELAND

We  had recently moved to Freeland ,a town in the outskirts of the capital. Little  was known  about it,and not many individuals lived out here. To many ,the town was considered a no go zone, since a group of young energetic youth visiting  the area,mysterious went missing ,and found brutally murdered. Since the investigation began to identify who the killer was,and what his/her motives were,  not a single person was questioned or brought to book  and charged for the crimes committed.

Over the years residents here,always questioned and had doubts whether the killer stilled lived within the community  for about a decade ,until recently a series of murder took place. To the astonishment of the residents of Freeland town,and the state  investigating department, the murder seemed so identical to those committed a decade ago. Therefore showing both murder were perpetrated by the same person.
With this new revelation, the director of the state investigation department and his unit were  now so determined to hunt down,this unidentified serial killer that had resurfaced and continued committing more murder. No link would provide a clue to his/her where about was left behind. Every single detail that  would point to the killer was taken seriously, to try and prevent further killing taking place. As the investigation proceeded, it also came to the attention of the investigating officers that,not only did the killer take pride in  killing his/her victims but also took pride in inducing pain and torturing them before finally killing them.
Also he had a particular target in mind,the young and vibrant youth living within the community. According to the ongoing investigation it was discovered that the killer motives were rooted from the fact that his own son was brutally injured and succumbed to death from a stale bullet belonging to a member of a drug cartel  that used to operate in town after a fight broke out after  a group of disloyal members tried to kill  their boss aiming take control of the cartel only to find a resistance  from the current management.

After seeking help from the relevant authorities,in order to arrest this gang,no action was taken simply because the agency back then was so corrupt. And particular its director  used to conduct illegal deals with the  gang and shield them from been brought to book and charged for their crimes. And if any member happen to be arrested and putted under police custody  as the investigation  proceeded  without his knowledge the officer in charge of the arrest in many case would go missing and found die and the gang realised hence interfering with the ongoing investigations and the case would be closed.
Out of  anger and frustration, he took upon himself and vowed to average his son death. By simply hurting all parties that were involved and depriving them the joy of seeing they children growing  and developing past they youthful age. And patiently he waited until a decade ago,when all the gang members had settled and raised a family. To some ,their kids were teen when the first series of murder took place. While other their were about four and fives years of age.

After the first series of murder, that left the investigating department wondering who the killer was,Franklin the name of the killer according to recent records from  the investigating department, moved out of Freeland town and into exile to avoid been charged and later having a facial surgery to alter his looks. After about an year according residents at Freeland  he moved in and since then had lived among the community.

To many his way of life was questionable, from the simple fact that he was less  sociable, less talkative and angered when he saw or even hear police and gang in a chase. Always he questioned the need to put a criminal behind bars rather than just shot them dead.
After the long wait , Franklin decided to continue  to average his son's death. By simply kidnapping Joan a teenage girl and the only daughter to  a former gang member later  to be found killed and disposed near her home with a note that read " I HOPE YOU FEEL THE PAIN OF LOSING YOUR CHILD,AS YOU CONTRIBUTED TO MY SONS' DEATH. " After this particular incident ,the whole town community was filled with fear due to the alarming rates of  insecurity. Its during this period when many families lost their, children barely after they started their youth and hardly saw them again. And in such a situation , the local community decided to get armed and protect themselves since it was clear enough that ones security was paramount.
Though the town administration  didn't permit any arm possession among the civilian,unless under special occasions, we held several meetings with the state security department and town administrators seeking permit to own a firearm for the purpose of self defense. Also it was required of us to remain vigilant and report any an usual happenings to the relevant stakeholders.

Since Joan was adapted, and later found dead,as community we constantly lived in fear ,that may be the next minute,either you or a member of your family would go missing and worst of all to be found dead,and disposed somewhere.
This kind of fear shook ,even the foundation of most marriages, whereby couples often fought ,when one relented they shouldn't move out of Freeland ,citing they had a secure job opportunity, financial stability and even stating both they friends and families resided there.

My own family wasn't left out in this new revolution in family fights, my own parents and particularly my mother,was always uncomfortable with the fact that were going to live here, simply because my father was the construction engineer to a new storey building that was being raised .And whenever she asked we move out of Freeland to a different town, dad would constantly refuse and cite how difficult it would be to secure a good and well paying job. All this didn't matter anymore to my mother, more than the safety of the whole family. Until one evening after dad had returned from work, that she threatened to leave and bring us along with her, if dad wasn't going to resign from his post and  leave Freeland.

It seemed the threat did some tricks, dad agreed to resign and leave Freeland altogether. The next day which was on Tuesday,dad left home for the office ,where he submitted his resignation letter after which he drives straight home ,and helped load our luggage's and household items into the truck. Later that evening all was set,and we were ready to move out. We bid goodbye to our neighbours and left Freeland town, to unknown destination that would be more safer than Freeland.

The next town was approximately ten kilometers from Freeland town, where we had to drive through a thick and  dense forest and vegetation cover , simply because the terrain around this town was so hilly and mountainous that the construction cost would have been too expensive for the local government based on the revenue allocated. Hence both the  constructing company and the local government, came to an agreement, that for there to be a road that would be joining Freeland town to the  capital it had to pass through this leveled part of town. Therefore reducing the construction cost but increased the distance  to the capital.

After driving a distance  of about four kilometers away from Freeland, our truck had a mechanical problem and also overheated, hence parking by the roadside to access the problem and fix it . Along this part of town, hardly could one see a continuous traffic flow, you would only spot either two vehicle in ever thirty minutes. As we were there,waiting upon dad to fix the problem,mom alongside my sister Susan were so uncomfortable that ,it was getting dark,and the truck had a mechanical problem in the middle of  no where . Also the fact that there was increased insecurity and kidnapping at  Freeland and it environs,made them more scared. Though dad wasn't that good in motor vehicle engineering he managed to figure out the problem and worked on it,as for  the overheating he realised it was as a result of low amount of water in the radiator therefore add more to cool the engine.
As soon as everything was set,and the  engine roaring ,we all felt a sense of relief knowing for a fact we would embark on our journey. We felt more safe driving out of Freeland  than having  stopped to fix the problem. We quickly took our seats awaiting dad to make the final monitoring step before we leave.

Around this time ,it was all dark and as I said early , along this part one hardly spot a continuous traffic flow on a span of thirty minutes,we were all by our selves along this route.Immediately we embarked on our journey, from a distance dad spot a vehicle approaching through the rear mirror and did inform us about it and ,I thought to myself we wouldn't be driving along this route all by ourselves we would have company.

As we observed  how quick it caught up with us, we noticed it was over speeding. One  couldn't make a quick guess how fast it reached and intercepted us only to parked  across the road  in front of us causing dad to suddenly apply the emergency brakes . Our truck skid towards the road barriers due to its speed and momentum at the time,ending up  crushing  and overturning.
At this very moment, all I could hear in my head,was a buzzing sound and nothing else. Despite the huge impact we sustain,  i was lucky to be conscious,though all my parents and sister were badly injured and also unconscious. To my surprise I found the owner to the unknown vehicle standing in front of me unapologetic and faced masked ,while he watched  me struggle to pull both my parents and sister out of the truck.
With all the cuts,blushes and  pain on my body, I couldn't managed to bare it anymore . I pleaded help from the tall,well bodybuild and face masked man ,but he relented ,he lowered himself to my level,held my chin and pointed a gun to my head and said
" Kid don't think am here to lend a helping hand to you or to any of your family ,No! and that will never happen. "
As soon as he altered those blunt and lifeless words ,I clearly understood his presence meant no good to both me and my family. Just something within me ignited a fight and freight respond, I immediately took off and ran towards the direction we came from. Immediately he saw that I was determined run,he quickly followed me and caught me  fifty meters from the scene and hit me hard with a wooden club on my back hence losing conscious hence all I can recall that day.

The next morning, I was woken  with an ice cold water spray that was subjected by the kidnapper. As soon as I had woken I was surprised to find myself tired up in a dirty, dark,smelly dudgeon with little light rays penetrating I could spot several rats running around,this shook the last nerve in me because since  childhood ,I was always afraid of rodents and especially rats.

While hanging there with both my hands tied and mouth tagged I managed to surveyed the room, trying to see whether any of my family members  were there with me,but I was so disappointed  to find out none was. Not seeing them there cost me so much sorrows, I would constantly think about them and their possible fate been brutally killed that was non negotiable if the killer turned out to be Franklin.
Just of Franklin been the kidnapper in our case made me more scared that I was and couldn't  think straight.
Different thoughts ran across my mind,

1)Could any of my parent have any thing to do Franklin's sons death ?
2) If so ,who is involved?
3) If none is involved what does Franklin want with my family ?

All this questions needed to be answered  and only my parents could do that,if there were still alive  at the moment. In such a moment of deep thought  the door the room flagged open and huge ray of light penetrated through it. In the midst of the ray I show a human shadow  walk into room. I couldn't clearly  recognize who it was but this time round the man was unmasked. He walked straight towards me, holding a baseball bat with of his hands.
Soon he was about a foot from me and could faintly see his face, but couldn't  make up a complete  picture  where I had seen it though looked familiar.

He walked around me, having a sarcastic laugh about me being  helpless and in capable of helping me self. As time went by he struck me so hard using his bat stating he needed  some information and if I hesitated  to provide  it he would induce so much pain to me that I couldn't withhold anymore. And to prove he ways willing to go all  the way long, he battled  me several hitting on my joints  and to some instances would use a vice to crump on my joints ,the pain was so horrific and unbearable.
During all this time he never asked any single question pertaining what so else information  he required. He was  just setting the atmosphere  so as to begin  his questioning. About an hour  passed  as I was subjected  to this torture before we could have what I would call a question  and answer session. Before  this  "session " would start he remove the mouth gag and I was able take a quick breath in  before I could  speak out questioning  the whereabout of my family members.
This seems to  have irritated he so much that he smashed  my  face using his fist and later  holding my chin  to say,

" you only talk when asked ,do you understand?  I call the shoots around here. "

His voice was so harsh and intimidating that I felt the need to cooperate,but also instinct advice not to, its reasoning was logic and strategic. It would  lend me more time to find out whether any of my family members was alive  and meet up we them. Hence  I constantly kept  asking if my family  until he finally  gave in to my demands that he promised to bring them in such that I could see them and cooperate.
Due the continuous frustration I was subjecting him to we walked out of the room having relieved his anger upon me and stated.

"I will be  back! "
And he bang the door as he walked out. It actually to him quite a while before he returned. But whenever he walk into the room his presence instilled a fear of fear within me, and my legs would grow weak to withhold my body mass though  suspended. Let me say life wasn't  that easy being held captive in that room, all it entailed was much suffering and endless torture.
This time round  when he came in ,he was accompanied  by someone else and due to the huge lighting  at the door one could only see a shadows walk in. As I observed one of this shadows walked as though seriously injured or subjected to much pain. I was  hopeful it could one of my family members, and it  happened so less it wasn't sister who had been presented to me.
The moment I saw it was her,i felt a sign of relief  but still kept wondered where our parent could be. Susan cry out ;

" Johnson he just killed mom and dad ! "
"what ! ? " I cried out " he  did what? "
I couldn't believe not a single word i was hearing.
" yes did shot them after falling prove him with certain information required citing that they  were  fully aware  was he was asking for. He did so..... "

He smashed my sister on her face and order her to shut up.

"I hope you understand to what extent am willing to go seeking that information ? This is just the begin you haven't seen it yet."

All this time he held my sister by hair  and she seemed to be in much pain. Later he threw her right to my feet and left.

............TO BE CONTINUED.....