MILLENNIUM

"Abyss"		     
by Duane Pete Olds (tv_frank@hotmail.com)


Prologue
1:00 a.m. 

	She ran down the middle path between all the dark gravestones, her 
breath coming out as a little puffs of smoke in the cold dark night air. 
She knew that this path through the grave yard she was taking was a 
stupid idea,but because on the other side of the cemetery was the small 
town of Hampton and safety she was willing to take that chance. From 
behind her she could hear the foot steps of the person following her, 
heavy and crunching in the paths gravel as he neared her, moving through 
the blackness behind her trying to get to her.

	She glanced behind her to see how far the person was, then looked 
forward to see a tall dark figure was blocking her path. She tried to stop 
and turn to run away but she skitted into the bulky man, whos face was 
covered in the darkness that was all around. A strong hand took hold of her 
arm and she knew there was no escape as she tried to pull away, screaming 
would do no good out here. A small flash of light from the moon above her 
made her look and see the long silver blade of a knife. 

	She screamed, her yell echoing through the stones all around her 
as the blade came down and the scream ended as the air around her became 
quiet once again.Her limp body fell onto a nearby stone as the killer
slowly walked over to a small crypt he could see in the full moons soft 
light. His job was almost over.


Chapter One
7:00 a.m.

	There was a flash from the photographers camera, like the flash in 
his mind as he looked at the body of a young woman lying over a tombstone, 
blood leaking down it and onto the ground.Frank Black looked at the 
scene, a flash of her running in the darkness scared to death, and 
turned to walk over to a small stone crypt that was to the left of the 
body and stood before one of it's side walls to see the message that was 
written on it in blood.It read 'there is no end', then another flash 
from the photographers bulb as he took a picture of the message left by 
the killer made Frank look up to see a man walk up to him.

	"Frank." the man said as he extended his hand, "It's good to see
you again."

Frank took the offered hand, "Miles, you never cease to amaze me." he 
replied in his normal raspy voice.

	"Well, I do what I can." Miles replied as he and Frank began to 
slowly walk towards a squad car with it's drivers side door opened. "I hear 
you're with the Millennium group."

	"Just helping out every once and a while. Frank replied.
"Quite frankly, I'm glad you do help them out because your association 
with the Millennium group is why I asked you here." Miles said as they 
approached the car. "I'm sure you were wondering why I asked you here."
Frank nodded, "I was wondering."

	"Yea well, all I know is that I've got a mess of homicides on my 
hands and nothing to go on except riddles." Miles answered. Frank looked at 
the officers milling around the crime scene as the message on the crypt 
stared back at him as if it were laughing at him.

He turned back to Miles, "I think I should let you handle this, after 
all, you did work up from nobody to a detective in only a few years. I'm 
sure the answers you're looking for are somewhere. You'll find them." 

	"Let me tell you Frank, I have four other murders like this one,
just like this, no clues, no leads, nothing. Just a small message written
in blood. And believe me, those aren't any more helpful than that one is." 
he replied, pointing at the strange message left by the killer. "Now 
what does that mean?"
					       
	  Frank shrugged. "This is your case, you tell me."

	"If I wanted riddles I would have looked at the clues I have to work 
with, what I want from you is the answers." Miles replied as Frank 
looked over to him.A flash in his mind, darkness and the victim running 
down the cemeteries middle path for her life. Frank couldn't see the 
assailants face, the flash ended with the sight of a knife above him. 
Miles watched Frank close his eyes, then open them.

	"That I can't help you with." Frank answered finally.

	"Sir." a male voice said from behind him, Miles turned to see an 
officer standing there. "They're ready to move the body."

	A nod, "Go ahead." Miles replied as the officer went back to his 
business. Then to Frank, "Look Frank, I can give you everything you 
need, but I need your gift. I've never asked anything of you before so 
please help me out this one time." 

	Frank looked from the body being carried into the ambulance then to 
his friend, "I'll need autopsy reports, access to the police files and a 
computer to use."

	Miles nodded at the conditions Frank had set, "Done." he said as he 
began to walk over to another squad car, stopped then turned around, 
"Thanks Frank, I'm glad I can count on you when I can't count on anyone 
else." then he turned back and continued on his way.

	Frank stood there and watched the officer go.


Chapter Two

	The rain started to fall outside the window but Frank couldn't see
it because the shades were closed, he could hear the drops on the roof of 
Police Headquarters and on the window pane.He sat in the darkness before 
Miles' desk with the desk lamp on with nothing but pictures covering it. 
He looked around at them, pushing his glasses back up his nose. They 
were pictures of all the other crime scenes some showing the dead bodies 
and others with blood written messages.Frank took the four pictures with 
messages and cleared a place before him where he put them adding the 
picture of the latest message. As he looked them over he noticed how the 
separate messages seemed to form a larger messages. One picture read 'In 
the darkness of' he put that first, then added one which read 'my 
eternal', then 'mind' then the latest 'there is no end'. Frank looked up 
and into the darkness around him, "In the darkness of my eternal mind 
there is no end." he said to himself looking puzzled. The message meant 
something, but Frank didn't know what....Yet.

	There was a knock at the door as Chief Charles Anton walked in with 
two cups of steaming coffee. He looked at Frank as he walked in. 

	"You been in here so long thought you'd like some coffee." the 
chief said.

Frank smiled to show his thanks as the chief set the cup on the desk in 
a small clear area not covered with pictures. He stood by and looked 
down at the pictures Frank had lined up. 

	"Have you found out something Mr. Black?" 

	  Frank swallowed the sip of coffee and set the cup back down, "I 
think so. The small messages were in fact one large message. I think if we 
can figure out what this means then we will find the killer."

	The chief shook his head, "Sounds easy but there's no tellin' where 
this is from." he motioned to the sentence spelled out in photos. 

	  Frank took off his glasses and set then on the desk as he rubbed 
his face with his hands. He then looked up at Anton, "I'd like to see the 
other murder scenes." 

	Anton nodded, "Sure, I'll get an officer to take you where ever you 
want."

	Frank stood, "Thats Ok, I'll get Miles to take me, don't bother your 
men." 

	  A shrug, "Sure, if we could find Miles, he's off duty and not 
answering his pages." Anton said as he took a sip of his coffee. "But then
again, that's normal for him." 

	  Frank smiled, remembering his friendship with Miles back when they 
were younger.

	"Yes, it is." Anton walked to the doorway as Frank gathered all the 
photos of the  crime scenes and stuck them in a manila envelope. 

	"Let me get Salazar, he's not busy. I'll have him waiting out front 
for you." 

	  Frank looked up at the chief before the open door, "Thank you, 
I'll be out in a second." 

	  Another nod as Anton exited the office, shutting the door leaving 
the room in black once again except for the desk lamp. 

	Frank took the folder in his hand and as he lifted it from the 
desk, he accidentally knocked over a ceramic figure of a thin angel 
which he hadn't noticed on the desk before. He reached for it and looked 
around it, searching for cracks or a break because of the knock over. He 
found none, but he did find the word 'Abyss' printed on the bottom of 
the figure. The word made him pause, but after a second he returned the 
angel to it's spot on the now clear desk, and left the office, leaving 
the desk lamp on as a way to k3eep the darkness away.

	The girl got out of the car and looked back in the open passenger 
door at the teenage boy who had given her the ride.

	"Thanks Mark." the girl said as she smiled at him. Mark couldn't 
help smile back.     

	"You're welcome Wendy." Wendy shut the cars door and began to 
walk off towards the park entrance. The rain had stopped and Wendy 
wanted to walk through the park to breath the fresh air. 

	"Hey Wendy!" She turned to see Mark had gotten out of his car and 
was stand by the open drivers side door looking over at her. 

	"Uh, would it be ok if I like.. Well if I.. Called you" 

	Wendys smile returned, "Sure, call me later." she said. 

	Mark smiled again as he got back into his car with a wave and drove 
off. Wendy stood before the gates to the park and waved to Mark as he 
sped off and around a corner, then turned and continued on her way. 

	The air was clean and it made her feel good as she walked along 
the damp cement walkway that would lead her through the entire park. 
Soon the footsteps multiplied as another person began to walk behind her 
on the path. But this didn't worry her because it was daylight and 
nothing would happen to her, but if it were dark it would be another 
story. Only people who wanted to die would walk through a park alone 
after dark. She soon walked into the wooded area of the park which had 
trees on both sides of her, blocking the view to the rest of the park.
 
	It was then that a hand reached around her head and covered her 
mouth. Wendy screamed, as she noticed a flash of light above her as 
everything around her faded to black. The figure let Wendys lifeless 
body drop to the damp cement, the figure then stuck the bloody knife in 
a plastic zip lock bag and put it in one of the inner pockets of it's 
trench coat. One last thing to do and this job would be over.

	The cement was still wet from the rain and there was a darkened spot 
by the corner of the wall, plus the faint outline of 'In the darkness of' 
could be seen on the brick wall beside him. Salazar was a Spanish man 
who was very kind, and helpful to Frank, he stood by the side of the 
building watching Frank walk around the murder scene.

	"The victim was Amanda Connor, she was 18 and on her way to the mega 
mall a block that way." Salazar pointed down the alley past Frank to the 
opening further on that led to the street. Frank looked at the wall that 
once had the message on it.

	A flash, as a hand reached out with a blood covered finger to write
the message.

	"Mr. Black?" Frank blinked, then looked over at Salazar who gave him 
a concerned look, "Are you alright?" Frank nodded, "Yes." he replied then 
after a second asked "Were there any witnesses?" 

	Salazar looked down at the police report he had in his hands, then 
after a second shook his head. "No, but then again it was dark so no one
could see it anyway. Allys get pretty dark at night." Frank didn't respond
as he knelt down and felt the dark stain on the ground with a hand. Another 
flash as the body of Amanda Connor fell to the ground, all alone in the 
darkness. He looked up at Salazar.

	"What about the stab wound?" Frank asked. 

	"Well," Salazar flipped to another page, "it was administered here."
he reached up to touch just below the back of his neck. 

	"So our killer is tall enough to overpower these women." Frank 
replied aloud to no one as he looked down at the exit from the alley
farther down. He stood and looked around the scene. Salazar appeared beside
him.

	"This isn't helping is it?" 

	Frank looked over at the officer, "I just need more to work with."

	A nod, "Tell me about it, if we don't get more evidence or clues, 
then this case is never gonna be unsolved." 

	Frank looked over at the officer, "I won't let that happen." he said 
as he began to walk back out to the street the way they had come. Salazar 
watched him, exhaled, and followed.


Chapter Three

	Frank and Salazar jogged over to the patch of trees that covered the 
cement trail where all the policemen had gathered. It was only a second 
after they had got back into Salazars squad car that they heard over his 
CB that there was another murder and Frank was wanted on the scene. 
Frank approached Miles, who was dressed casually not in his suit, who 
walked up to meet his friend.

	"Another one. We have a positive ID. She's Wendy McDonald. Around 
the same age as the others." Miles reported as they walked side by side up 
to the covered body on the damp cement up ahead.

	"Who identified her?" Frank asked as he looked down at the body.
	"Some kid who dropped her off, said he came back to make sure she 
got home alright." A  flash went off and the police photographer captured 
the scene on film. It was then that Frank noticed a big red '7' written 
on the cement beside the body in blood. 

	He walked over to it and knelt down beside it, running a hand 
over 5 horizontal lines put through the slant of the seven.

	"What do you make of it?" Miles asked as Frank looked over the 
symbol then stood suddenly as he joined the detective standing.

	"He's going to strike again." Frank said simply. Salazar, who had 
stood behind Miles without saying a word, spoke up, "How do you know?"

	"There's five lines going horizontal through the seven. Seven being
the large number then it means there will be a total of seven murders, 
theres only five lines through it representing five murders. We're going 
to have two more on our hands." he looked back at the number. "I think 
the seven has another meaning also."

	"Like what?" Salazar asked as Frank looked over at him.

	"Thats for us to find out." he answered as two paramedics came over 
and lifted the covered body onto a gurney and took it over to a waiting 
ambulance. The three men watched this in silence till Miles spoke.

	"Well I have a report to do. Once everythings taken care of I'll get 
back to you." he told Frank as he gave him a pat on the shoulder and 
then walked towards a group of officers further on. 

	Frank knelt next to the body again, and the arm that was poking out 
from under the tarp theorn over it.

	He then opened the manilla folder he had in his hand and looked 
at the crime scene photos inside. 

	 Then he noticed something in one picture of a covered body with 
an arm sticking out from under the cover. 

	It was there on the upper part of the arm that Frank noticed a 
thin looking mark, more likely a tattoo. He reached into his jacket and 
pulled out his glasses, put them on and looked more closely at the 
photo. 

	Salazar looked down at what Frank was doing.

	"Mr. Black?" he asked as Frank thrust the picture at him, pointing
at the tattoo.

	"What does that tattoo look like?" Frank asked as Salazar took the 
picture and looked where Frank had pointed. 

	"A thin angel, why?" Salazar asked as he set the photo back in 
the pile. But Frank didn't answer because he was looking through the 
reports on the bodies, flipping through page after page then finally he 
looked up at Salazar once he came to the final page. 

	"All the bodies had a thin angel tattoo on their arm." he said aloud
as he pointed to the arm laying before him, it also had the same tattoo. 

	"It's another link." Salazar said needlessly.

	"I think it's more than that. I think it's a classification." Frank 
asked aloud as he looked over at the pictures in the folder and then to 
the body before him. 

	Salazar said nothing.


Chapter Four

	"She was a good girl Mr. Black. I don't know why someone would want 
to kill her in such cold...." the mother began to sob. 

	Frank turned towards her and pulled a hankerchief from his 
jacket and handed it to her. She took it and cried into the white 
fabric. 

	He then began to continue down the hallway he was walking 
through to the door at the far end. Inside he found a room just every 
girl in America had, including his own daughter. Flower wall paper, 
posters of guys over the paper, fluffy teddy bears on the pink bed. 
Frank turned to the second victims mother who looked back with watery 
eyes.

	"Did your daughter have any enemies?" Frank asked as the mother 
appeared behind him.

	The mother shook her head, "No, everyone loved her. But honestly I 
don't see how any of thiese questions are helping any? That killer is 
still out there." she said in answer.

	"He won't be as long as I'm on the case." Frank told her matter of 
factly as a ringing could be heard in the distance. 

	The mother looked past Salazar who stood by the door, "The phone." 
she said aloud, then to Frank and Salazar, "Excuse me."

	Salazar moved over and let her go past, as he walked over to Frank
who was looking at the victims desk which had lots of papers on it and other 
things.

	"Mr. Black, I have to agree with her, this seems like a big waste of 
time. We've already gone through all of this before, we didn't find 
anything." Salazar said as Frank took hold of a shirt that had been 
thrown on the desk to expose a long thin angel concealed underneath it. 
Frank took the ceramic figure and turned it over to see the word 'Abyss' 
carved into the bottom of it. 

	He handed it over to Salazar, "You were saying?" Frank asked as the 
officer looked down at the figure in his hands.

	"All we have are clues, but how do they link?" Salazar asked as he 
set the figure back on a cleared area of the desk. 

	"On the bottom of that statue you'll find the word Abyss. I don't
know what it means but I know it has a tie to thiese murders. Could you 
check that out for me?" Frank asked as Salazar took the figure in his hand 
again, turned it over and saw the word on the bottom. 

	He nodded slowly, "Yea, sure. But what about you?"

	"Mr. Black," a female voice said, the two men turned to the doorway
to see the victims mother, "A detective Miles on the phone for you." 

	Frank exchanged a glance with Salazar as he followed the woman 
out of the room and down the hallway again to the livingroom and over to 
a small table by a far wall where the phone rested off it's base. 

	He picked it up, "Frank here.....Yes......Really?....Ok." then he
set the phone back in its cradle. 

	"What is it?" Salazar asked. 

	"Another murder and another line in the seven." Frank said as he
turned to his partner. Salazar swallowed hard.

	He shut his cell phone off as he sat in the passenger side of the 
police cruiser,  he then looked  looked down at seven pictures he held 
in his hand, six were of the dead girls and one was of a young girl who 
was a police officer. 

	"Detective Miles?" a female voice said as the pictures went into the 
manila folder that he had been carrying and Detective Miles looked up at 
the young female officer.

	"Yes Austin? I'm sorry I was off somewhere else." he stood from the
car he was sitting in. 

	"We're ready to move the body, is that Ok?" she asked as she 
motioned to the paramedics who stood around the white sheet that was on the 
ground a ways behind her.

	"Yea, if there have been lots of photos then go ahead. Then lets 
clean it all up and move out of here." he said as the young officer nodded, 
then turned and walked back towards the body and the men around it. 
Miles opened the file and pulled out the picture of the officer whom had 
just been before him, and with a pen he had in his hand, marked an X on 
her photo.  

	He was almost finished.


Chapter Five

	"Its a religious sect, Almighty Brings Yearning Sad Seasons. 
ABYSS." Salizar said as he looked up from the computer he was seated 
before.  "We've had run ins with most of their members. They assign each 
other with tasks to do and once the tasks are done they are to kill 
themselves or god will shun them from his kingdom."

	"That's what this is, a mission the killer is sent on." Frank 
replied." he paused. "Do you have any idea who it's members are?"

	"You're lucky, out of the 12 or so we caught only one was willing to 
live long enough to expose the truth thinmking they needed to be known 
to all us unpure people of the world." Salizar used the mouse to click 
on a list of the churches members. It scrolled down the screen.

	Frank looked over the officers shoulder. "Almost all the citys 
important people are a member of this church." Salazar said aloud as he 
read the list silently. 

	Frank then saw something on the computers screen that made him 
point to six of the members names. 

	Salazar took a closer look, "Oh man, they all belong to Abyss." he 
said. 

	"So it'll be safe to assume that the seventh killing will be 
another member." Frank replied.

	"But thiese weren't members when they died, it says here, most of 
the victims had gotten out of the group a full week before they were 
killed." Salizar said, "And theres no way to find out if there are any 
more."

	"What about any girl on the list that fits the description of the 
others?" Frank asked. Salizar typed something into the computer as the 
screen went blank and another long list came up. 

	"That won't do. The description applies to almost half the girls 
there." Salizar replied as an officer passed behind them and put a file 
on the desk beside Frank.

	"For you Mr. Black." the officer said as he left the room. Frank 
took the folder and saw that there were pictures of the last crime scene 
along with a report. He picked up one photo that had the seven on the 
ground next to the body  a '7'  with six lines in it. 

	A bright flash and Frank saw a man looking through a folder of 
pictures of the murdered girls. There is one picture left, one of an 
officer Frank noticed from earlier.

	"Austin." he said aloud as another flash showed a group of officers 
looking at him, nodding. One wore a pair of sun glasses and they 
showed.... 

	Frank stood up suddenly and almost ran down the connecting 
hallway and to the left, strait into Miles office.

	It was dark, except for the desk lamp on. Frank walked over to the 
desk slowly and took hold of the tall ceramic angel that sat on the desk in 
silence. He turned it over in his hand to see 'Abyss' on the bottom of 
it like he had before. 

	He turned to the door once he heard Salazar walk in, "Whats going 
on Mr. Black? What about Austin?"

	Frank handed Salazar the angel, "Do you know where Austin lives?"

	"Of corse I do, she's my Fiancee." Salazar said as he handed the
angel back, "Why? Whats going on. I demand an explanation now Mr. Black."

	"If we don't get to Austin, she'll wind up like the others. She's 
next on his list." Frank said.

	"Who's list?" Salazar asked as he looked down at the angel in 
Franks hand, then to the mans face,  "Hurry." he said after a second and 
rushed out of the room.

	Frank rushed out of the room after Salazar.

	Maria Austin knocked on the door to Salazars house another time and 
then sighed. She walked back down the front steps she had gone up and 
began to walk along the houses garden when she heard someone behind 
her.She turned to see the outline of a dark figure. She squinted to see 
in the darkness, but to no avail.
 
	"Salazar? is that you?" The figure said nothing as it walked closer, 
till light poured  down on it and Maria could see it was Detective 
Miles.

	She exhaled, "Oh Detective Miles, you startled me for a second." she 
replied. 

	He smiled at her, "Sorry. Just passing through. I just couldn't help 
but notice you and your friends had dropped from our group. I was 
curious as to why."

	"Oh that." she tensed up, "Well we felt that we should look around 
more before settling into one specific group." She explained.    
      
	  "You  think you can get closer to god with someone else?" Miles 
asked.

	"I don't know, but I'd like to find out before I tie myself 
down." Maria replied. "Why do you ask?"

	Miles shrugged "Because in our group if you join, you join for good. 
There is no 'I'll come back later,' because you never leave. We know the 
way and those who leave are unworthy of gods greatest gift." With that 
Miles pulled out a knife and as Maria saw it she gasped.

	Miles lurched at her as she threw herself onto her appartment steps, 
then ran to a sprint twards the main street a few feet away.
Miles was after her, knife in hand.

	"Freeze Detective!" An aggressive male voice called as Salazar 
ran from behind the house, gun pointed at Miles as Frank walked up 
behind Maria. She turned to him, feeling better that there was someone 
there with her.

	"Miles put it down. This senseless killing is over." Frank told his 
friend. 

	Miles shook his head, "No. Tis is the will of the gods, move Frank 
or I'll have to hurt you too. She must die for her unpurity." he said as he 
raised the knife again. 

	Frank stood in front of Maria. "Then you'll have to hurt me too." 
Miles quit advancing, but the knife stayed in the air.

	"Why did you kill them Miles?" Frank asked. 

	"Because it was written bibical prophacy. You don't argue with god 
Frank. Once you enter the abyss you can never return to the ground zero 
of corruption." Miles explained.

	"But does that make the deeds  you're doing any better from the
killers you catch every day at work?" Frank asked in turn. 

	Miles shook his head, "I have to finish this Frank. There's no 
reason to explain. Your mind is so clouded it can't be helped. Your gift is 
nothing more than an excuse to not see past the violence you encounter 
every day. Move so I can save my soul..The abyss is forever." he waited 
for a second.  "This is the only way I'll get peace through him."

	"How will you get peace?" Frank asked.

	"I must rectify the mistake they made by leaving. Now move." Miles 
said more forcefully.

	"You'll have to go through me." Frank said.

	Miles chuckled, "Thats what's wrong with you Frank, you fail to see
the main picture. This is not me telling myself that I need to do this, it's 
god telling me. There is no end to the Abyss. She knew that as did all 
of her friends, now they will pay."

	"In the darkness of my eternal mind there is no end. Thats what it 
means? There is no end to the Abyss? If you do this you'll be casting 
yourself into a far deeper abyss Miles." Frank replied to his friend, as 
if it would help the situation.

	Miles pointed a finger at Frank, "Who are you to judge me oh person 
of the unpure! Who are you to tell me what I'm doing is wrong?"

	"And who are you to tell me it's right?" Frank asked in turn. 

	There was silence. "Don't argue with me Frank. I know I'm saved from 
the evil around us. But can you say the same?" Miles asked. 

	Frank didn't answer, "I can't let you do this." Frank replied as 
Miles turned his back to them and it looked like he would walk away, but 
then suddenly Miles turned and jumped Frank as both the men fell to the 
ground. There was a small scuffle. 

	Miles raised his knife into the air, ready to bring it down on 
Frank "I can help you Frank." he said as they struggled. 

	As Frank struggled with his attacker, he shook his head. "I don't 
need your help, I don't need your salvation." 

	Then two shots rang out.

	Frank looked up to see Miles drop the knife and fall backwards to 
rest on the ground, there was blood on Franks shirt but it was not his. 
Slowly Frank stood as Salazar ran over and took Maria in his arms. Then the 
couple walked over to Frank who was looking down at Miles.

	"Are you ok Mr. Black?" Salazar asked. A nod as he continued to look
at the body of his friend.

	"I'm fine, I just hope he found the peace he wanted." Frank said as 
the three looked down at the body as the darkness around them sat still in 
honor of the dead man.		     

			     
						The End