Resolution

The doorknob rattled and turned slowly. So slowly, one would not think it was being turned at all. The door started to open at a snail's pace. It opened far enough for somebody to slip inside.

The killer began to slip through the door.

Ryan felt sweat trickle down his face as his heart pounded out of his chest. He wanted so bad to reach for his gun to protect himself.

When the killer was completely in the house and out of the way of the door, Perri gave his cue.

"NOW!"

The light cut through the darkness blinding all in the room. Ryan squinted his eyes to see if the killer was carrying a gun. There was no gun in his hands as he was throwing his hands up to his face to shield his eyes.

Perri kicked the door shut and jumped in the way. "FREEZE ASSHOLE!" He shouted at the top of his voice.

The man standing in the middle of the room Ryan recognized as the orderly from the hospital, only his hair was shorter. The killer threw his hands up in the air and stared at Ryan with complete shock.

Ryan felt the adrenaline flowing as he stepped towards the killer, whose gaze never left Ryan's face.

He had been caught and he knew it.

"You fucked up you son of a bitch!" Ryan hissed. "You got sloppy, and now your ass is mine." Ryan took the wallet left in the newsroom and threw it at the killer. It bounced off his chest and fell to the floor. "Recognize that? Fuck!"

"Who is it?" Perri demanded. The killer glared at Ryan as he reached for the wig on his head. Ryan pulled the wig off exposing the dark brown frizzy hair.

"Gentlemen." Ryan announced. "I give you, John Myers Jr., a.k.a., Jarrod Mayfield."

Jarrod glared at Ryan with hate Ryan had never seen from him before.

Jarrod chuckled. "I'm impressed bro." He said steadily. "But the game isn't over yet!" with lightening fast speed, Jarrod pulled a gun out of his pants and whirled around to shoot Perri. Perri jumped out of the way, taking a hit in the shoulder. Perri fired of a shot a Jarrod but missed.

Jarrod grabbed Ryan knocking the gun out of his hands. He pinned Ryan’s arms behind his back and shoved the pistol against his forehead. "Nobody moves." Jarrod commanded. "Lose the cannons gentlemen!"

Perri, who was lying on the floor from the force of the slug dropped his gun and pushed it across the floor. Alan did the same with the rifle.

The front door burst open, falling off the top hinge as Ron dressed in black clothes pointed a pistol at Jarrod. "Drop the gun fucker!"

Jarrod laughed as Ron approached him. He thrust the gun farther into Ryan’s forehead as a warning. Ron stopped.

"You kill me, and I kill him." Jarrod advised. Ron did not make a move, never taking the aim of the pistol off Jarrod, who was using Ryan as a shield.

Ryan turned his head slightly to try and make eye contact with Jarrod. His heart was racing wildly as he thought he was going to die. Thinking this might be the case, Ryan spoke to Jarrod. "You son of a bitch! I thought you were my friend."

"I an your friend bro." Jarrod replied, smiling. "This is nothing personal Ryan. In fact, I would call it a necessary evil."

"You won’t kill me Jarrod."

"I will do whatever I have to do." Jarrod replied. "I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have too." Jarrod turned his attention to Ron. "I would suggest dropping the gun and giving it a good swift kick out that door. Then I would join Detective Perri at the other side of the room."

Reluctantly, Ron dropped the pistol and kicked it out the door. Slowly, with hands raised, he walked over to Perri who was starting to bleed rather badly.

Jarrod turned his back towards the door with Ryan as his shield. he started to back out of the house. "Do not follow me gentlemen, and no one will get hurt. Ryan is going to take me for a drive, and then I will make other arrangements. Any interference, and I will have to get ugly. Catch my drift?"

No one answered.

Laughing, Jarrod continued to back out of the house.

"Why did you do it?" Ryan asked him.

"You heard Adam’s story, didn’t you bro?" Jarrod asked. "You should be able to figure it out, being such the detective that you are."

"Revenge?" Ryan asked. "Seems kind of extreme."

"You don’t understand, do you?" Jarrod asked. "You probably never will."

Jarrod was just about to step through the doorway when suddenly Ryan and Jarrod were thrown across the room by an unseen force. Ryan was safely away from Jarrod as Jarrod struggled to reach for the gun that was knocked out of his hand. Ron leaped for Perri’s pistol which was lying in the middle of the floor and grabbed it in time to take a shot at Jarrod. Jarrod grabbed his gun as he took a slug in the leg. The force threw Jarrod back against the wall. Ron stood up holding careful aim on Jarrod’s head.

"Drop the gun Jarrod." Ron warned. Jarrod was laughing as he moved the gun closer to his own body. He stopped suddenly.

"WAIT!" Jarrod barked. "Know this my friends, and you shall live a long productive life. Things, are not always as they appear!"

Jarrod put the gun deep into his mouth and fired, blowing his head apart all over the wall and floor.

No one saw Todd Matheny walk into the room. He was looking at Jarrod shaking his head.

Ryan was the first to see Todd.

"Todd?" Ryan asked. All eyes moved onto the person who had just walked into the room. Ron whirled around with pistol ready to fire. He lowered it when he realized it was Todd.

Todd walked over to Jarrod’s body, which was starting to spill blood out onto the floor at an alarming rate.

"I always wondered about this guy." Todd said calmly. "He spent way to much time lingering around Alumni Hall. I could never figure out why."

"What are you doing here?" Ryan asked.

"I thought you might have needed help." Todd said smiling. "I can see I was right."

"You followed me up here?"

"Something like that." Todd answered. "It’s not totally selfless Ryan. I should be honest about that. I was scared. Knowing that the killer spotted me in his hiding place was not sitting well with me. All your words didn’t convince me that I was safe. By the way you talked, you sounded like you knew something. I followed you to get more information about what you knew. I didn’t think I would be saving your sorry butt from a killer. But, I was glad I could help anyway. I feel better now."

Ryan was shaking his head in amazement. "Todd, you are one strange individual."

Todd smiled. "I’ve been called worse. I hope my little karate kick to Jarrod’s back didn’t hurt you too bad. I was hoping the force and the surprise would knock the gun out of his hand and you free of his grip."

Ryan stepped forward and held out his hand. "Thank you Todd. I mean that sincerely."

Todd took his hand and shook it. "Your welcome Ryan. Although you owe me one. Maybe someday you can tell me why all of this has happened."

"Maybe I can." Ryan agreed. "And maybe I can tell you a little story about the haunting of Alumni Hall." He turned his attention to Perri who was being assisted by Ron and Alan.

Ron had already put in the call for assistance.

It was finally over.