Revived - Chad Case

He walked out of the old Grand Theatre and lit a cig. He called it cig because everybody at the precinct hated when he called them that.

He stood there under the street lamps and gazed up at the theatre’s Now Showing sign. Big, bold letters that read: SCREAM, looked down on him. His mind whirled, processing the film he had just watched. It wasn’t a bad movie, but it wasn’t a good movie either. He wondered why the Hollywood folks just didn’t call it SCREAM 5 or maybe even 5CREAM. It wasn’t a reboot and it wasn’t a sequel. It was a ... requel. That’s what they had called it in the movie. They actually called it a requel in a scene. The characters spent several minutes talking about it!

Hollywood can’t seem to come up with any new ideas, he thought while smirking and flicking his ashes onto the ground. But it is what Hollywood does nowadays. His mind continued to wander as he finished his cig. In the past few years: Halloween, Child's Play and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre have all been revived. Even his favorite franchise, Friday the 13th, is now being talked about getting a fresh new start.

He continued standing there on St. Clair Street, admiring the new benches, fresh sealant on the sidewalk and new, freshly-planted greenery. He watched as people emerged from the theatre’s new door. One guy had T-Mobile’s fancy new flip phone pressed to his ear. Back in ‘99, he had a fancy flip phone. His eyes caught sight of a young couple coming out. They had on similar shirts, one said I heart Nintendo, the other said I heart Super Nintendo. It amazed him that a gaming system he played as a kid was still relevant. The couple grasped hands as they walked right by him.

He crushed his cig, picked it up and tossed it in a new garbage can. He whistled while he headed down the sidewalk a short distance to his car and leaned against it. Even your beloved Camaro is a revived version of the classic Camaros, he mused. He glanced back at the old Grand Theatre. No, the new, old Grand Theatre. Tonight marked its grand reopening after nearly three years of expensive renovations.

“Everything old is new again,” he mumbled. He climbed into his car and buckled his seatbelt. At that moment, he realized the jeans he was wearing had been redone too. They were a nice pair of Retro-Fit Wranglers. The ride home was a lonely one. The radio was his only companion. He kept it on the classic rock channel. He loved classic rock. When the Rolling Stones faded, the DJ came on and said The Stones were going out on tour again. “Selling out arenas and stadiums nationwide,” the DJ added before going to a commercial break.

Right before he turned on the road to head home, he pulled to the shoulder and sat there. “They’re trying to revive everything now: movies, shows, games, songs, concert t-shirts, candy, records, stores and somebody out there is probably trying to revive websites.”

He looked out the windshield, high beams lit up an old, weather-beaten billboard. “I see they haven’t revived you yet,” he said. “And you need to be revived.”

The sign read: Information wanted towards the arrest of the Greenville Gutter. The culprit is wanted by the FBI and local law enforcement. He is believed to be six foot tall, early to mid-twenties and have sandy-colored hair. To date, the Gutter has murdered six people and injured two others. An undisclosed reward will be awarded to the person or persons that help authorities capture the suspect. Please call the tip line: 502-555-5550. A witness’ sketch of the Greenville Gutter completed the billboard.

“The Greenville Gutter?” he chuckled. “A stupid name given by the stupid media.”

He was only twenty-one when the Gutter went on his rampage. He had just started training at the academy. He remembered it like it was yesterday. The murders were all anyone wanted to talk about. The town went on lockdown. The townspeople lived in fear. The Sheriff yearned for every second of TV time. The cops patrolled every street relentlessly. Blue lights flashed for nearly a solid month until the killings stopped. The Gutter was said to have moved on or maybe died. Eventually, the case went cold and gained a following by unsolved mystery case lovers and true crime podcasters. Lately, he had been on several websites dedicated to the case.

“Maybe it is time to revive the Greenville Gutter’s case,” he said as he got out of his Camaro. His six foot tall frame stood tall in the night sky. The wind shifted and blew a cool breeze through his gray and sandy-colored hair. “24 years ago,” he muttered to the sign. “It’s been 24 years since the Greenville Gutter terrorized this town.”

He went to the trunk of his car and opened it slowly. Eyes squinted as he pulled the mat up and pushed the spare out of the way. “It’s been 24 years since the Gutter terrorized this town,” he repeated as he grabbed a small, tattered box. As soon as he opened it, an item within glistened in the moonlight. He picked up the sharp, long knife and his eyes glistened too. “It’s been 24 years since I terrorized this town,” he confessed. “And now that I work in law enforcement, I can get rid of any evidence I leave behind…”

He ran his thumb along the blade while questioning: Where do I start?

“Does it matter?” he whispered to the weapon.

He climbed back in his car, stabbed the knife into the dashboard and dropped the shifter in gear. Rubber burned as he sped away, sinisterly laughing. As the moonlight hit the exposed blade of the knife, it shimmered and the Greenville Gutter had never felt more revived.

 * * *

Chad Case is a part-time writer and full-time pizza connoisseur. He’s had numerous stories appear in magazines, books and websites. He is married to a beautiful, brown-eyed woman and they live in Kentucky. For more info, visit his website: http://chadcase.blogspot.com