The Butcher of Cedar Falls (Trigger Warning)

 Everything was ready for the ritual. Candles lit, the mirror pointed at the tombstone that read, Dennis Morgan 1925-1955, and five people holding hands in a circle.

 “Are you sure about this, Kristen?” Vanessa asked. “Yes, I’m sure. I practiced the words a thousand times,” Kristen said.

 Jason let out a loud belch and Charlie and Bobby began to laugh.

 “Okay, be quiet guys. This is serious,” Kristen said. “Yes mam,” Bobby said.

 Kristen began saying the words that were supposed to summon the spirit of Dennis Morgan back into the world of the living.

 Dennis Morgan, the butcher of Cedar Falls was a local legend in the small town. During his reign of terror, in the late 1940s and early 1950s he had murdered and mutilated an estimated forty eight people and some think that number could be much higher.

 The remains of many of Morgan’s victims were unearthed on his pig farm outside of town after his death in 1955.

The chant was short and sweet; basically telling Morgan to follow the light of the flame through the mirror portal and reveal himself. The chant ended with some Latin words that didn’t mean anything to Vanessa.

 When the ritual appeared to be over with, Charlie’s body stiffened and his eyes rolled into his head and he began convulsing.

 “Charlie! Are you al…” Vanessa said as Charlie broke out into laughter. Bobby and Jason chimed in. Vanessa punched Charlie on the arm. “That’s not funny, you jerk.”

 “I knew this ritual was a load of crap,” Jason said. “Maybe we need to sprinkle some blood over the grave,” Kristen said. “Where are we going to get blood?” Vanessa asked. “Yeah, we’re out of beer. Let’s just leave. Maybe we can try again later,” Charlie said.

 Kristen let out an exaggerated sigh and said, “Fine. Whatever.”

 Vanessa blew out the candle and Kristen grabbed the mirror. As she picked the mirror up, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and froze.

 Kristen gazed into the eyes of her reflection and could not look away. Then the eyes changed and so did the face. Her reflection turned into the shape of a wicked looking man with a sinister grin on his face; the face of Dennis Morgan.

 “Kristen, are you okay?” Vanessa asked. Kristen looked up from the mirror in her hands and smiled at Vanessa. “I’m fine, dear.”

 Vanessa eyed her friend as she glared back with that grin. Bobby put his arm around Kristen as he walked by. “Come on babe. We’ll bring back the dead another time. Right now we need beer.”

 Vanessa reluctantly followed her friends out of the cemetery and loaded into the car with them.

 Bobby cranked the car and said, “Okay, after the beer stop, we can either go to Bill Ferguson’s party, or the haunted house in Steel County.”

 “I have a better idea. Let’s go to Morgan’s pig farm,” Kristen said.   

 “Uh, babe, there will be alcohol at Bill’s party, and everybody that is not at Bill’s party will be at the haunted house. Are you sure you wanna go to some old haunted pig farm?” Bobby said.

  Kristen pulled Bobby’s face to hers and kissed him. “I am sure, babe,” Kristen said with a grin. “Morgan’s pig farm it is!” Bobby yelled.

  They made the ten minute drive to the Morgan farm. Bobby pulled the car into the long driveway and put the car in park.

 The main house looked like it was ready to fall in on itself, but it still stood behind a patch of tall weeds, and so did the old barn.

 “Look guys, I don’t think this is a good idea. Let’s just go to the party,” Jason said. “Yeah, what are we even doing here, Kristen? This is just weird,” Vanessa added.

 Kristen ignored them and opened her door. She smiled at Bobby and told him to follow her. Then she walked toward the old barn. “Kristen, wait!” Vanessa pleaded. Bobby shrugged his shoulders and opened his door and followed.

 “This is crazy. I’m not getting out of the car,” Jason said. Vanessa and Charlie agreed.

 “Maybe they’ll get spooked in there and just come on back out soon,” Charlie said.

 A minute later, Bobby came running out of the barn, screaming. Kristen was right behind him.

 “Is that an axe in her hand?” Jason asked.

 Before anyone could answer, Kristen slammed the axe down into Bobby’s back and he went down.

 Vanessa, Charlie, and Jason began to scream. Jason climbed over the back seat into the driver’s seat and put the car in reverse. They watched in horror as Kristen repeatedly chopped at Bobby’s lifeless body with the axe.

 “We can’t just leave Bobby!” Charlie yelled. “He’s gone,” Jason said.

 Kristen looked up from her kill with a bloody grin and began running toward the car. Jason hit the gas and started going in reverse down the driveway.

 They made it to the main road and Jason put the car in drive and stepped on the gas pedal.

 Once they had cell service again, Vanessa called the police and told them what had happened. The Sheriff told them to come to the station and give their statements and he would send deputies to the Morgan farm.

 “So, your friend, Kristen, just out of the blue took an axe to her own boyfriend?” The skeptical Sheriff asked.

 “Yes, and then tried to kill us,” Vanessa said.

 “What were you kids doing out there anyway?” Sheriff Jones asked.

 “It was Kristen’s idea. Nobody wanted to go anyway,” Vanessa answered.

 The phone on the Sheriff’s desk rang and he answered it. After a brief conversation, he hung up the phone and stood up.

 “My deputies found the body of Bobby Leland. They don’t see any sign of the girl. I’m heading out to the farm. You three can go home, but don’t leave town, I have more questions.”

 Over the next two weeks, twelve people went missing from the town of Cedar Falls.

 The Sheriff finally found and arrested Kristen at the old Morgan farm. Apparently Kristen had been staying in the main house.

 They recovered nine bodies in shallow graves out by the barn.

 The town made national news and media people were everywhere for a few days until the frenzy died down.

 There was a trial, Kristen was convicted of several murders and she was sent upstate to live out the rest of her days at Fairview, a facility for the criminally insane.

 Vanessa, Charlie, and Jason never spoke of the events that happened that Halloween night.