The police stood, stunned, as they surveyed the mutilated bodies lying on the living room floor. Detective Burns recognized the couple as Mike and Jenny Bennings, along with their parents, Brian and Joyce. The unthinkable had happened in their seemingly quiet town. He turned to his partner, Detective Jones, and made a decision. “I’ll go tell their parents,” he said, heading back to his car to make the call. This was the most challenging part of his job.

As he returned to the house, Burns felt a surge of determination to uncover the truth. He already had a hunch. There were two thugs he knew were involved in drug dealing and always seeking a score: Jimmy Jackson and Ben Wilson. These were their first targets.

Upon arriving at Jimmy’s house, they spotted his car in the front yard. Burns warned his partner to be cautious, as these men could be unpredictable, especially when under the influence. He approached the door and knocked, calling out, “Open up, Jimmy. I know your home. We need to talk to you.”

Jimmy emerged from the front door, his eyes narrowing. “What do you want, pig?” he growled. Burns remained calm and composed, explaining that they needed to talk to him and Ben if he was there. Jimmy looked at Burns and Jones, then stepped back, allowing the detectives to enter the house.

Ben was sitting on the couch, his hands tucked under his legs, visibly shaken. Burns studied him, then turned back to Jimmy. “What have you two been up to tonight?” he asked. Both men claimed to have been sitting around, chatting, and even playing cards. However, the detectives exchanged glances, noticing Ben’s nervous demeanor. They sensed something amiss, as if they were reading each other’s thoughts.

Burns looked at Ben and asked, “Is that true, Ben? Were you sitting around gossiping?” Ben just stared at him and replied, “Yeah, that’s what we were doing, what of it?” Detective Jones smiled and said, “We need you guys to come with us so we can talk a bit more about what you were talking about.” Both Jimmy and Ben didn’t resist and agreed to follow the detectives to the police station.

At the police station, they separated the two men and took them to different interrogation rooms to interview them separately. They were quite certain that if anyone was going to break the case, it would be Ben, as he was the most unstable of the two men.

“Okay, Ben, when did you and Jimmy get together tonight?” Detective Jones asked. Ben stammered and wasn’t sure when they had gotten together that night, but he knew it wasn’t late, maybe around 7 or so. Jones could tell he was lying just by the way he was fidgeting and looking away from him. This was going to be easier than he had thought, so he decided to ask him a couple of other questions. “What kind of beer were you drinking and what were you talking about?” Ben just looked at him dazed and said, “You know, just stuff.” Just then, Detective Burns came into the room and told Jones that he needed to talk to him.

Burns looked at him with a smile and said, “We’ve got them, man. They found a bundle of the victim’s stuff under the couch where Ben was sitting. That’s why Ben was so damn nervous.” Both men couldn’t believe their luck. They were going to solve this case quickly and get those drug dealers and thieves off the street in one wild swipe. They gave each other a high five and headed to the door of each man, telling them the good news. But something was wrong. The doors wouldn’t open.

Both detectives grasped the door handles and attempted to force their way into the rooms, but the doors remained impenetrable. It was as if they were locked, but that was impossible. Then, they heard chilling screams emanating from the rooms. The men sounded like they were being torn apart. The door trembled as if the bodies of the men were being hurled around. Both detectives exchanged glances through their shoulders into the door, but nothing was moving. Suddenly, the scene fell silent, and the doors opened on their own. The scene that unfolded was beyond gruesome.

The walls were streaked with blood and flesh. There was nothing left of the two men they had encountered; they seemed to have been ground into hamburger. All that remained were a few scattered bones lying on the floor. The detectives cautiously made their way back out into the hallway. The front desk sergeant, visibly excited, ran towards them and motioned for them to follow him. He guided them outside.

As they opened the door, they were greeted by the sergeant’s enthusiasm. In the full moonlight, they witnessed something they knew that if it weren’t for the front desk man’s observation, no one would believe it. But in the moonlight, skeletons held each other in an embrace. Detective Burns recognized the skeletons instantly due to the red hair; it was Jenny Bennings. Both skeletons turned their attention to the detectives and vanished.

The three men stood in utter disbelief, yet they knew that justice had been served. Now, Mike and Jenny could finally rest in peace.