Thunder echoed in the sky at night as rain poured down across the city in a veil. It dripped endless down the windows of the house of one Robert Hammond. The gentle light from the house lamps offsetting the heated discussion going on within.
"Dammit! I tell you I'm not insane! Someone is following me!" Robert screamed down the phone to the police.

"Oh yeah? Hmm..." the uninterested drone of the Police officer replied.

"'Oh yeah?' Listen you two-bit dime-cop I..." Robert sighed and took a moment to compose himself. Antagonising the police wouldn't achieve anything right now. "...I'm really scared, my boss...was...murdered the other week. Marvin Grossberg...you might have heard of him...you can look it up. And now...I'm sure...they're coming for me." His eyes flitted around the corner of the room breaking up his sentence as he checked every corner. The curtains, the sofa, the hallway. "I've been seeing this figure, in the shadows, he's been watching me each and every-"

"Look Mr Hammond, you've been calling us endlessly with this same report and we've done what we can for you. We've dedicated significant resources to dealing with your calls but we've found no evidence of this stalker of yours."

"I know...I know...but-"

"But listen..." A hint of compassion crept into the voice "...We won't just ignore you Mr Hammond, it's obvious you are in some distress." the cop sighed for a moment on the other end of the line while thinking. Robert's breath caught in his throat. "I'll send a squad car round, you can talk face-to-face with a officer and they'll do a check on you and your house."

"Oh thank you! Thank you! Tha-" Robert's elation was cut short by the sight of a shadowy figure in the hall. Silhouetted against the glass panes in the front door.

"Oh god, he's here...send help quick!" Hammond screamed into the phone. His heart skipped a beat as he heard the line was dead. The thunder cracked overhead and the shadowed figure took a step forward.

Robert trembled, paralysed with fear.
"You've sinned Robert..."
Robert grabbed the telephone and, yanking the cord from the wall, he threw it at the figure in a panicked rage.
"GO AWAY!"

The lightning flashed overhead and the lamplights flickered off for a moment. There was a dull clatter from the ringer of the telephone as it hit the ground but the shadowed figure was gone. Robert stood whimpering, eyes frantically combing the dark hallway for any sign of the intruder. Lightning struck again and the lights went out once more.


Clink

Clink

"...driven men to insanity for your own gain."

"N-NO!" Robert screamed throwing the stand the telephone was on into the darkness at the unknown sound. Turning, he began to sprint through his house. Finding his way to the one precious modicum of safety he had left.

Clink

Clink

"Ruined their lives for your own gain. Blood on your hands for your own gain."

Despite his efforts the strange metallic clinking grew closer. Robert ran through the door to his kitchen, thudding into the cupboard in the darkness. He quickly began rummaging through all his drawers, ripping past cutlery and plates, frantically looking for something.

Clink

Clink

"And now it's time to be judged..."

Clink

The sound came to an ominous stop in the doorway to the kitchen. A maddening look in his eye, Robert felt his hand clasp around a familiar shape as he spun around and pointed the gun at the door. In his other hand he raised the torch he'd found to point at the door. "I'M WARNING YOU! J-just go away...LEAVE ME ALONE!" he cried as he turned the torch on. Robert felt the blood drain from his face as his torchlight illuminated the figure in the doorway.

A solitary gunshot echoed in the rainy night, just as the Police arrived outside.

_______________________________________________________

"Yeah...looks like a suicide," Badd said kneeling over the body of Robert Hammond. "Horrible way to go." he sighed rising up as he reached into his coat for another lollipop.

A forensics officer saluted Badd and presented him with an evidence bag containing a gun. "Here's the weapon sir! It's got Hammond's fingerprints on it but it'll need to undergo further analysis back at the lab."

Badd sighed raising the lollipop to his lips and taking a deep breath. "Well, these things happen in these high-stress jobs." he almost-shrugged as he turned to leave the kitchen. One trembling officer stood, transfixed on the body. Badd gave him a look "Something wrong?"

"N-no sir...it's just. He called in last night...said someone was following him. There was a power outage from the weather last night...his call got cut off."

Badd sighed, the lollipop crunched in his mouth. "Let it go son," he said patting the officer on the shoulder "It's clear he wasn't all there and besides...he was a crappy lawyer anyway." Badd muttered as he left the cop to contemplate his words.

The cop looked down once more at Hammond's body and turned to follow when he felt something soft beneath his foot. Looking down he saw one small, soft, white feather.

Hammond- BAD END