The Deadly Vipers
Christian Maturino
It was Graduation Day for Christopher Gopen. He had been waiting so long for this day to come, and it finally had. The banners were on the wall, the music was playing, and the awards were being received. Being Valedictorian, Christopher was expected to give a speech. That was exactly what he was going to do, but first he had to receive his award. “And the award for Valedictorian goes to Christopher Gopen, who has had perfect grades for all three of the years he has spent at Harvard.” I walk out onto the stage to receive my award. After a distinguished handshake with my professor, I strolled up to the podium, prepared to give my speech.
* * *
“John, honey. Can you go fetch the batteries for me?”
“Sure, sweetheart.” John looks around the garage real quick, but the batteries were nowhere in sight. “Um, where exactly are they?”
“I left them in Christopher's room when I was cleaning!” Mary yelled back from the kitchen.
“Well, thanks for that,” replied John. John Gopen started to walk out of the garage when an unknown car pulls up into his driveway. Two men got out of the car and approached him. They calmly walked right up to him and hit him hard across the face. John stumbled onto the ground in shock. One of the men looked down on him.
“We need to talk.”
* * *
“The path to becoming a valedictorian is not easy. You have make it to your classes on time, study all night, and go to school all day. I can tell you, the path is hard, but it's worth it once you reach the end.”
* * *
“You cheated us, you didn't deserve to win that match! I lost more than 200,000 dollars because of you... well, I guess you'll just have to pay it off.”
John boldly proclaimed, “I don't have that kind of money! Is there anything else I can do to pay you back?”
“Well of course there is John, you can give us your wife… or die.”
“I can't give up my wife!”
“Well, in that case…”
* * *
“But the best thing about becoming valedictorian is the sense of achievement. It proves to everybody, and yourself, that you deserve respect… that you’ve earned it. Well, also the fact that you get a pretty nice job is a bonus. I mean a nice job can do a lot of things. But there are several things better than a job, and one those is family. My parents are the ones who inspired me to try hard at everything I do, and for that, I love them. You should always hold your family close, because you never know when you'll lose them.”
* * *
“Goodbye John, I hope your decision was worth it.” John closed his eyes and heard the gunshot, felt a sharp pain, and then it was over. The life of John Gopen was over. And a minute later, Mary Gopen joined her husband. People started coming out of their houses at hearing the gunshots and dogs all around the neighborhood went into a barking frenzy. The killers got in their car and sped away, and no one got a good look at them. Some police officers pulled up a minute later and saw the remains of the crime. They called the chief of police department to come over and investigate.
“Hey professor, how long till the after party proceeds?”
I was really excited for the party. My parents and all my friends are supposed to be there. Man, my parents are some good people. My dad works at a Jiffy Lube, and watches football with me every Sunday after church; that is, until I went to college. I gotta admit, when Harvard offered me a scholarship, I was pretty darn excited. But I was also reluctant. I mean, I didn't want to be so far away from my parents. But I took the scholarship, knowing that they could take care of themselves, and that I could visit any time.
“Christopher, there’s a call for you on the phone from Nashville.”
Nashville is my hometown. “Is it my parents?” I replied.
“I don't think so," responded the professor, “But if I were you, I'd take it.”
“Okay, i’ll be right there.” I slowly walked over to the phone, contemplating who might call me from my hometown if not my parents. I finally made it over to the professor, who had a very grim look on his face.
“I’m very sorry Christopher.”
I slowly picked up the phone and heard the voice on the other side.
“Is this Christopher Gopen?”
“Yes, and who has the pleasure of asking?”
“It’s Johnathan Henderson, the head of the police department in Nashville. I’m very sorry I have to tell you this Christopher, but both of your parents died this afternoon. Your father was lying in the driveway, and your mother was found in the kitchen… they were both dead.”
“What do you mean my parents are dead, they just talked to me on the phone this morning! They can’t be dead!”
“I know that it’s very shocking news, and that we never saw it coming, but Christopher… your parents are dead. I’m sorry for your loss.”
How could this be, I mean I just talked to my parents this morning, they’re supposed to come to the graduation after party. Forget the after party, I got to get to Nashville.
* * *
The police found John and Mary Gopen's bodies about fifteen minutes after they passed. When the police were driving their patrol routes, they saw John Gopen lying in his driveway. The officers got out of their car to check on him, thinking he had probably passed out from heat stroke. When they got up to the driveway, they saw John Gopen lying in a pool of his own blood, with a bullet lodged in his head. Alarmed, and oblivious to whether or not the murderer was still around, the officers went back to their cruiser and waited for backup. Several officers appeared at the scene a short while later. Five armed officers walked into the house to see if the culprit was still there. As they were investigating the murder scene, they came across Mary Gopen's body in the kitchen. She was also dead. The police withdrew from the murder scene and waited for the detective to further investigate, not wanting to destroy any evidence of the crime. Once the detective showed up, he started to look for clues from the murder scene. The first thing he discovered is that it was not one man who killed Mary and John Gopen but two. Surprisingly and very unfortunately, that was the only clue they could discover.
The flight from Massachusetts to Nashville holds a sad and angry man. That man's name is Christopher Gopen. Christopher is flying down to Nashville because a great tragedy has occurred there. He is angry that this tragedy had to happen to the people he loved, and his anger fed his sadness, and when people are sad and angry, they do things that they would never do otherwise.
“I’m finally here.”
That was all I could say. I'm finally here. What would would be waiting for me, besides the dead bodies of my parents, I do not know. I walked of the platform to exit the train station when I saw a stranger on the other side of the platform watching me. When I caught his eye he quickly blended in with the crowd and disappeared. “He probably just noticed somebody walking behind me." I mumbled.
I walked out of the train station and waved down a taxi. Once i'm securely buckled up, I tell the taxi to go to Hans Reed Rd in Nashville. After about a twenty minute drive, the taxi pulls up into the driveway of Christopher's parents.
“Hey buddy, I heard a couple of people were killed here yesterday, so you should probably watch your back.” proclaimed the taxi driver. “There’s some dangerous people lurking round these parts.”
I got out of the taxi without a word, not wishing to tell the driver that my parents were the ones killed yesterday. I'm sure he’ll figure it out eventually. I slowly started up the driveway, observing my surroundings for clues. I figured that I wasn’t going to find any clues considering the police had already cleaned up, but there’s always a chance that they left something behind. I was up to the front door when I saw something hanging out of the mailbox. It was a white headband with Japanese figures scrawled across the front.
“Hello.”
I spun around to the sound of the voice and I saw the face of the same man that I saw at the train station.
“I’m Horus. Pleased to meet you.”
To Be Continued...
Christian Maturino
It was Graduation Day for Christopher Gopen. He had been waiting so long for this day to come, and it finally had. The banners were on the wall, the music was playing, and the awards were being received. Being Valedictorian, Christopher was expected to give a speech. That was exactly what he was going to do, but first he had to receive his award. “And the award for Valedictorian goes to Christopher Gopen, who has had perfect grades for all three of the years he has spent at Harvard.” I walk out onto the stage to receive my award. After a distinguished handshake with my professor, I strolled up to the podium, prepared to give my speech.
* * *
“John, honey. Can you go fetch the batteries for me?”
“Sure, sweetheart.” John looks around the garage real quick, but the batteries were nowhere in sight. “Um, where exactly are they?”
“I left them in Christopher's room when I was cleaning!” Mary yelled back from the kitchen.
“Well, thanks for that,” replied John. John Gopen started to walk out of the garage when an unknown car pulls up into his driveway. Two men got out of the car and approached him. They calmly walked right up to him and hit him hard across the face. John stumbled onto the ground in shock. One of the men looked down on him.
“We need to talk.”
* * *
“The path to becoming a valedictorian is not easy. You have make it to your classes on time, study all night, and go to school all day. I can tell you, the path is hard, but it's worth it once you reach the end.”
* * *
“You cheated us, you didn't deserve to win that match! I lost more than 200,000 dollars because of you... well, I guess you'll just have to pay it off.”
John boldly proclaimed, “I don't have that kind of money! Is there anything else I can do to pay you back?”
“Well of course there is John, you can give us your wife… or die.”
“I can't give up my wife!”
“Well, in that case…”
* * *
“But the best thing about becoming valedictorian is the sense of achievement. It proves to everybody, and yourself, that you deserve respect… that you’ve earned it. Well, also the fact that you get a pretty nice job is a bonus. I mean a nice job can do a lot of things. But there are several things better than a job, and one those is family. My parents are the ones who inspired me to try hard at everything I do, and for that, I love them. You should always hold your family close, because you never know when you'll lose them.”
* * *
“Goodbye John, I hope your decision was worth it.” John closed his eyes and heard the gunshot, felt a sharp pain, and then it was over. The life of John Gopen was over. And a minute later, Mary Gopen joined her husband. People started coming out of their houses at hearing the gunshots and dogs all around the neighborhood went into a barking frenzy. The killers got in their car and sped away, and no one got a good look at them. Some police officers pulled up a minute later and saw the remains of the crime. They called the chief of police department to come over and investigate.
“Hey professor, how long till the after party proceeds?”
I was really excited for the party. My parents and all my friends are supposed to be there. Man, my parents are some good people. My dad works at a Jiffy Lube, and watches football with me every Sunday after church; that is, until I went to college. I gotta admit, when Harvard offered me a scholarship, I was pretty darn excited. But I was also reluctant. I mean, I didn't want to be so far away from my parents. But I took the scholarship, knowing that they could take care of themselves, and that I could visit any time.
“Christopher, there’s a call for you on the phone from Nashville.”
Nashville is my hometown. “Is it my parents?” I replied.
“I don't think so," responded the professor, “But if I were you, I'd take it.”
“Okay, i’ll be right there.” I slowly walked over to the phone, contemplating who might call me from my hometown if not my parents. I finally made it over to the professor, who had a very grim look on his face.
“I’m very sorry Christopher.”
I slowly picked up the phone and heard the voice on the other side.
“Is this Christopher Gopen?”
“Yes, and who has the pleasure of asking?”
“It’s Johnathan Henderson, the head of the police department in Nashville. I’m very sorry I have to tell you this Christopher, but both of your parents died this afternoon. Your father was lying in the driveway, and your mother was found in the kitchen… they were both dead.”
“What do you mean my parents are dead, they just talked to me on the phone this morning! They can’t be dead!”
“I know that it’s very shocking news, and that we never saw it coming, but Christopher… your parents are dead. I’m sorry for your loss.”
How could this be, I mean I just talked to my parents this morning, they’re supposed to come to the graduation after party. Forget the after party, I got to get to Nashville.
* * *
The police found John and Mary Gopen's bodies about fifteen minutes after they passed. When the police were driving their patrol routes, they saw John Gopen lying in his driveway. The officers got out of their car to check on him, thinking he had probably passed out from heat stroke. When they got up to the driveway, they saw John Gopen lying in a pool of his own blood, with a bullet lodged in his head. Alarmed, and oblivious to whether or not the murderer was still around, the officers went back to their cruiser and waited for backup. Several officers appeared at the scene a short while later. Five armed officers walked into the house to see if the culprit was still there. As they were investigating the murder scene, they came across Mary Gopen's body in the kitchen. She was also dead. The police withdrew from the murder scene and waited for the detective to further investigate, not wanting to destroy any evidence of the crime. Once the detective showed up, he started to look for clues from the murder scene. The first thing he discovered is that it was not one man who killed Mary and John Gopen but two. Surprisingly and very unfortunately, that was the only clue they could discover.
The flight from Massachusetts to Nashville holds a sad and angry man. That man's name is Christopher Gopen. Christopher is flying down to Nashville because a great tragedy has occurred there. He is angry that this tragedy had to happen to the people he loved, and his anger fed his sadness, and when people are sad and angry, they do things that they would never do otherwise.
“I’m finally here.”
That was all I could say. I'm finally here. What would would be waiting for me, besides the dead bodies of my parents, I do not know. I walked of the platform to exit the train station when I saw a stranger on the other side of the platform watching me. When I caught his eye he quickly blended in with the crowd and disappeared. “He probably just noticed somebody walking behind me." I mumbled.
I walked out of the train station and waved down a taxi. Once i'm securely buckled up, I tell the taxi to go to Hans Reed Rd in Nashville. After about a twenty minute drive, the taxi pulls up into the driveway of Christopher's parents.
“Hey buddy, I heard a couple of people were killed here yesterday, so you should probably watch your back.” proclaimed the taxi driver. “There’s some dangerous people lurking round these parts.”
I got out of the taxi without a word, not wishing to tell the driver that my parents were the ones killed yesterday. I'm sure he’ll figure it out eventually. I slowly started up the driveway, observing my surroundings for clues. I figured that I wasn’t going to find any clues considering the police had already cleaned up, but there’s always a chance that they left something behind. I was up to the front door when I saw something hanging out of the mailbox. It was a white headband with Japanese figures scrawled across the front.
“Hello.”
I spun around to the sound of the voice and I saw the face of the same man that I saw at the train station.
“I’m Horus. Pleased to meet you.”
To Be Continued...