Dead of Winter
by
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His primal urge to survive took over. He plowed his way through the snow, up Mt. Nebo, clawing at the branches that reached out to snare him. He ducked to avoid these imaginary arms, at times stumbling, having to crawl on all fours, but he kept moving. He dared not look back, but his ears scanned the terrain like R.A.D.A.R. for any sound other than his own breathing and pounding heart. He heard nothing. Sweat seeped onto his eyelashes, crystallizing instantly.
In the dark forest, under a luminescent full moon, he saw a light ahead of him. Could one of his pursuers have gotten ahead of him? No, that wasn’t possible. He wiped crystals from his eyelashes and tried to focus. It was a light, a light from a house, then another. This renewed his resolve and he plunged ahead energized by the new possibility of escape. By now, his jeans were soaked, and the soles of his boots gave him almost no traction in the deep, slippery snow.
He came to a clearing and took a chance on looking back. There in the distance he could still see the bouncing beams of two flashlights. They were closer than he thought they’d be. He started to run again, but stumbled and fell, slamming his right knee into a jagged rock hidden under the snow. He let out an angry scream, but got up and tried to run. The pain shot through his entire leg, and slowed his pace considerably.
Caputo and Ryan were not closing in on him fast. Once at the clearing, Caputo saw the colorful sweater bobbing on the other side, then he saw the lights of the houses in the newly constructed Sunrise Hills development. If they didn’t get to him before he got to one of those houses... Caputo didn’t let himself finish that thought, he quickened his pace instead. Plunging ahead, fueled by this new fear, he gained several yards. He saw ‘Paul’ stumble, then get up. “Now!” he told himself and fired. ‘Paul went down, and Caputo thought it was over, but ‘Paul’ got up and, limping badly, pushed on to the backyard of the nearest house. Caputo fired again. This time ‘Paul’ went down and stayed there. Caputo remained in his crouched position for a moment, then holstered his weapon. He alerted Sean, who was soon at his side. Carmine was breathing heavily, more from the mental exhaustion than physical. Sean put his arm around his partner, “You okay?”
Still panting, Carmine slowly stood, “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s check on him.”
They slowly approached the man they knew as Paul Ziglior, Sean with his weapon still drawn. ‘Paul’ lie face down in the snow, motionless. Sean nudged the body with is toe, no response. Rolling him over, it was obvious that he was dead, there was a large exit wound above his right eye, Carmine’s second shot. Sean looked up at Carmine, “Nice shot.”
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About the Book
Wanting to escape the noise, crowds and ever rising crime of Manhattan, Jonathan Myers and Charlie Burtrarn fulfill a long time dream and purchase Lambda Lodge and Resort, a quiet, secluded resort nestled on Mt. Nebo in the Poconos. Little did they know their peaceful refuge would soon be the scene of a gruesome murder.
As New Year's Eve approaches and they put together final plans for this special celebration they receive disturbing news, a string of murders from Colorado to Ohio have been linked to a man now suspected to be in Pittsburgh and traveling east. Being in a remote location, Jonathan and Charlie feel they and their 300+ guests are safe. They have no way of knowing that one of their guests is bringing terror and murder with him.
As the celebration begins, Jonathan and Charlie become aware of his presence, but a raging blizzard prevents local and state police from coming to their aid.
January 1,2000 begins with the staff of Lambda Lodge working together with the recently arrived State Police team to devise a plan to flush out the wanted criminal. An unexpected revelation finally leads police to their quarry and the end to his cross-country rampage of death.
About the Author
G. Burgess started his writing career as a poet. His work in this field won him election as a Distinguished Poet in the International Society of Poets.
He moved to writing short stories, mainly for the entertainment of his 5th grade students. He continued writing on his own for a while, then decided to take writing classes offered by a local college. He studied writing under noted mystery author, Jane Waterhouse and with her encouragement went on to write his first book. At present he is studying screen writing with Ike Evans through the same college extension.
Born and raised in Highland Park, New Jersey he now lives in historic Freehold, New Jersey. He received his BS Degree from Monmouth University and his M.Ed. Degree from The College of New Jersey. He has been an elementary school teacher in Edison, New Jersey for the past 31 years. This is his first book.