Introducing...

Hello friends :)  Let's give a warm welcome to Stacey!!

Hi Julia's blog followers,
I am pleased to have the opportunity to guest write on Julia's blog- Thanks Julia
A bit about myself:   I have been writing for years, and like many of us in so many different professions, it sometimes takes a bit of time to find the right fit- I have written everything from romance to horror, and eventually found that my talent for writing is best suited in the Thriller-Genre....I am not sure why it took me so many years to figure this out, considering that in primary grades I wrote a lot of reports on serial killers, all through my adult years anytime I decided to take courses they were focused on criminology and profiling- well before CSI became the thing...   Sometimes what is for you is right under your nose, and so it began, a new focus- the writing became easier...words and story lines flowing out of my finger tips onto the keyboard...I knew that I was home when writing Thrillers.   I have a completed manuscript and have begun the query process, am now writing novel number 2- a Techno- Thriller and in my everyday life I am blogging a novel (this one is for fun and blog input, not going on query).  Check out my blog at author-stacey.blogspot.com

Here is a sample of my work:
THE GAME OF DEATH

I can’t breathe, I can’t breath…although unable to speak the very words that I heard myself screaming my eyes must have told the whole story, because he leaned forward into the darkness, holding a small Swiss army knife and cut what at first I thought was my mouth, but now realize it was the tape he had placed on my face. The sharp sound of my own gasping for air startled me.It took me a few minutes to regain my composure, panicked, angst ridden, darkness becoming light again, at which point I realized that I was trapped.


The smell of his breath sickened me, I hated like I had never hated before, his hot breath closing in on my ear lobe as he spoke commands, in control of me.How had I ended up here, a prisoner to this beast, this place…how?I struggled with my memory daily, or weekly, I can’t really recall, don’t really know when or how this all began.I do recall the others, all of them, each of us waiting in that room, in darkness, waiting to find out who would be next, and never really sure what that meant.Now I know, but what I don’t know is where the others are.I try my best not to think of it, think of their fate…maybe mine.


I am captive here, part of his sick ritual.Everyday, he does something new to bring me closer to death; today he taped my airways shut, revelling in my fear and pain.I imagine he watches from the darkness waiting until he finds me near the end, he waits until I need him.I fear that he will succeed in killing me, sooner than later, maybe as a result of distraction, maybe he will forget me for a brief moment and in that moment it will be too late to revive me.Maybe that would be a welcome gift, at this point I don’t know how much more I can endure, I keep hanging on , the hope of finding my way back, not sure how I got here, can’t seem to retrace my steps.

Am I supposed to be grateful to this monster, who makes me say thank you, breathing this command with hot, wet breath into my ear each time he nearly kills me.I fear his anger, so I say it, “thank you”,in this I am thanking him for nearly suffocating me, nearly, but not.Satisfied with himself, he leaves me, a short reprieve from the torture that is yet to be mine.Dark again, no pain, I can breath, therefore the darkness is my friend.


My name is Stephanie Campbell, I am twenty-five years old, I live in New York City, my mother is Elaine, and father is Ted, they are divorced.I work part-time as a 911 dispatch operator, or at least I did before this.I go to college, I am studying police sciences, my goal is to eventually become a homicide detective.Pretty ironic, considering the fact that I might just be the next victim.  

The pain is excruciating, I feel as though there is a ton of bricks on my chest.First silence, I see a light, it’s very bright, I feel peace for the first time, then the pain.It takes me time to focus, I hear him laughing, slowly my eyes focus but it’s too late.Again the pain, oh my god, he is reviving me.   

Over the years I would read articles in the newspaper, on-line or hear about some pretty horrific things on the radio, stories about missing people, or serial killers.I was always interested in that sort of thing, not in a dark and macabre way, it’s that from the time I was in grade school I knew I wanted to work in law enforcement.As time went on, I did as much as I could to be close to my chosen field of study.At eighteen I volunteered with victims services, I wanted to help people who found themselves victims of crime, at nineteen I enrolled in police sciences at the best community college, and at the same time began working as a 911 operator.

I loved everything about my job and all I was learning in school.I even did a paper on a serial killer, and his victims.Everything was going along as planned.It was late November, a couple months after I turned nineteen, I was researching missing women in our area, and came across some interesting finds.I noticed that most of the women were around the same age, nineteen to twenty-five, and most disappeared without a trace.Without a trace….not one clue, not one person who could recall seeing anything out of the ordinary- not one bit of evidence.Many of the cases were not filed as missing persons right away, because there was nothing suspicious around their disappearances.It also became apparent that no one was really digging into these cases they were“shelved”.So I began digging, and that’s when it all began.


911 What’s your emergency?


 I can’t wake her up,-she won’t wake up!


Where are you calling from, the address?


There you go, time to wake up


Sir?


She’s awake, let’s see how many times we can play this game!


Sir- What Game


Sir- What number are you calling from? How old is the woman in distress?


Can you hear that?


Sir?Hear what Sir?


Hear her gasping for air?


Is she having an asthma attack Sir?


I don’t really know if she has asthma?


Is she conscious Sir?


Barely


Can you describe her condition?


Yes of course- Let’s see, she is gasping for air, turning a pale grayish blue colour, her eyes are starting to roll back.


Okay, is she choking on something?Can you tell if her airway is clear?


No she isn’t choking, she just can’t breath is all


Okay- Sir, Do you know CPR?


Yes


Okay- I want you to begin CPR


No- I don’t think so, that would mean having to remove the plastic


What plastic Sir?


The plastic bag I tied on her head


What?


I haven’t finished yet, let’s wait until she is almost dead, then we can do CPR together.


Sir- what number are you calling from, what is your location


Click

With that the phone went dead but not for long, I knew it was only a matter of time before this joker called back.Joker that’s what the detectives called him, but somehow, I felt that he was as serious as a heart attack…..Something told me that we were dealing with a psychotic individual.  

The calls continued, and what was worse was that they only came in when I was on shift.A detective and tracer was set up at my station, so that when he called they could attempt a trace and support me through the call.I was growing more and more frightened and even contemplated quitting; this wasn’t what I had envisioned when I took on this role.Don’t get me wrong I am very interested in police work, but this wasn’t it, my role was one of a sitting duck, instructed every step of the way, even when it felt like the wrong thing to do, I listened to the detective in charge and followed orders.

I had received over 5 calls from this maniac, and with each call I could tell that he was escalating in his behaviour, that he was like a ticking time bomb….planning his next event.I worried that after all of this time, the police were unable to trace his location, not able to locate the origin of the call.This worried me immensely, I started to become paranoid, I mean who wouldn’t be in my shoes.He only called when I was on shift, this after switching 4 shifts to throw him off, the police had no idea where the calls were coming from, and what’s worse is he seemed to delight in this game, delight in being in total control over me.

Call number 6 terrified me:

911 what’s your emergency?


Well Hello Stephanie.


What’s your emergency?


Now, now Steph, let’s not forget who is in control here- Okay


What’s your emergency?


My emergency is that if you don’t stop asking me that I will kill her again


Sir- Can yougive me your name, address and phone number?


Haa, haaa, okay, I guess that’s fair, after all I called you for help, and your just doing your job.


My address is; 64 Red Cliff Road, Apartment 4, my phone number is …well it’s unlisted but you already know that.
Trembling I dropped the phone, the detective next to me placed the phone on mute, as I informed him that the caller just provided me with my home address.Detectives sent a car to my apartment, there was nothing there, I wasn’t surprised, I felt like he had total control over the situation.I became terrified.Suddenly I was thrust into the middle of this situation, both by the caller, and now I found myself being interviewed, interrogated  by two detectives.

The detective’s theory; that I knew the caller and was either protecting him or part of the prank.I told them it was neither, that I was terrified and felt likely that I would be the next victim of this deranged man.The detectives laughed, I think they thought they were pretty smart, they weren’t.I shook with disbelief, as they informed me that I was someone of interest to them, that they would be watching me.In many cases this might seem reassuring, you know being watched by the police.Sadly in this case my case, these two detectives were notorious for “shelving” cases, they were full of idol threats, and not once did they see what was right there in front of them.Not once did they question or consider that this could be the real deal.This was in all likelihood the beginning of the end for me….a most terrifying scenario, one that did not include a rescue or any sort of effort to find or locate victims.This was the perfect scenario for a serial killer.Almost perfect…until recognition of his crimes became part of his plan…this was what he was attempting before the worlds most apathetic detectives got involved.

Where was I…. he revived me.Floating in what seemed to be vast light and space, beauty and peacefulness, then cold, dark a jolt.I’m back.I can hear him laughing to himself, pleased with himself, pathetic.I hear him scream out “CLEAR” the cold paddles come in contact with my chest, my heart stops, I can still hear for a minute or so…not sure how long, but I hear.“One steamboat, Two steamboat, three steammmmmmmmmm.I am finally at peace, I see something in the light, I can’t make it out…. closer, I have to get closer….then I feel it….Oh god, here we go again.I feel different this time, almost like I am not alone…I can’t explain it but there is someone or something here with me now.Oh Stephanie, you look so pale, and thin, how’s this new diet working out for you?How long has it been since you last ate or drank…..what two maybe three weeks…wow that’s a record around these here parts.I think I should reward you with something special, something that say’s I am a survivor.





Elaine Campbell sat in her kitchen, scouring over her daughters notebooks, searching for anything, something that might help find Stephanie.The two detectives she had met with were the two laziest bastards she had ever met, uncaring, unwilling, and unconvinced to help find her daughter, who was also an employee of the New York Police Department.Elaine read, and re-read the journal that began in November 5, 2010 …it read:having trouble getting to sleep, filled with anxiety, that caller scares me, he scares me because I feel it in my bones, in my soul that he is real, that he might be the answer to the unanswered questions-November 15th - He called again, horrible things he eludes to doing, he takes pleasure in sharing these deeds with me, why is he calling me, what does he gain?December 1st, he called again, this time and deliberately he let me hear his victim, she is screaming “help, please help me” and he is laughing aloud and explaining, my dear, don’t be so desperate, this is 911 on the line, they can’t do a thing to help you.


I knew it in that moment that he needed to be in total control, he was letting everyone know that he was in control…he would decide the fate of his victims.  

Dec 8th- I feel like I am being watched, sized up, almost hunted.I told detective Barnes that I had a bad feeling about this and was afraid.Barnes, laughed and said yeah right, you should feel afraid, cuz what you and your friends are doing you won’t be getting away with .I cannot believe how screwed I am ….alone, afraid, and surrounded by law enforcement, with no help in sight.