Untitled: More Than Their God-given Ability

(This is the first ‘chapter’ of this story thing of mine. Reading/etc is appreciated)

 

DISCLAIMER

The events detailed in the following reports, essays, excerpts, and interviews are not necessarily the views of THE TRIBUNE, the staff of THE TRIBUNE, or any authors involved in the writing. THE TRIBUNE has released these documents without the permission of the United States Government.

All interviews, unless otherwise noted, were taken by Isaac Alexander Young. The editing was also done by Isaac Alexander Young. We, the editors of THE TRIBUNE, have seen it fit to not change his words. This collection of documents were all taken with the full consent of the interviewee before the interview.

MORE THAN THEIR GOD-GIVEN ABILITY

TAKEN FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH TOM EBERNATHY, BY ISAAC YOUNG

SKITTISH, WASHINGTON

DECEMBER 12, 2008

The bar looked like any other in the lower-end part of town. As a freelance journalist for the national magazine THE TRIBUNE, I was sent to interview the local bartender, a man named Tom Ebernathy. When I entered the town, I was informed that a series of local murders and unexplained deaths had rocked the town only a couple years before, and Tom's son, David, was one of the victims. Tom, so it goes, has been bitter and callous since.

If you don't feel too bad talking about it, what happened here two years ago? What did you know, or hear about?

Other than my son dying? (he laughs, a completely humorless chuckle) Not much. Rumor was a pyro kid came down from Seattle and decided to have some fun. To be honest, I don't think it was that at all.

You see, most killers like that aren't calculated. They don't think about their kills, they do it for fun. Sloppily, you know? No sense of control. Not like our killer.

(he reaches for a mug of beer. A thin frost coats the outside as he talks.)

They... they had a name for the killer. You know, like we name our natural hurricanes or whatever. They called him the 'Flaming Dagger'. Pretty inventive, eh? (He scratches his rough beard.) Funny thing was, he didn't seem to burn his victims. Not... not before they died. Or so the feds think. Every body they found has been completely charred. Burned as much as someone can burn another. I can't help but think the guy must have gotten exhausted at some point. That's just too much, you know? Too much for one guy.

When did the attacks start?

Oh, gosh... Must have been late July, about two years ago. They had found a body up near the coast, but they thought it was suicide or something. I don't know. The next thing we knew, someone was attacked in their house. Some guy. I think his name was Jones... yeah, Richard Jones.

[Jones] didn't really have any enemies, if I remember correctly he was just a normal guy, didn't have family or kids around... Just him and his dog. Someone said he was an accountant or something or other, but he had come in here a couple times and I was sure he was doing something in boating.

Anyways, they found his body on the docks. Completely burnt, down to a crisp. Nothing could be found on him, but some medium or something-or-other came in from the cops and somehow they found out who he was. I'm not too good with... what do they call it, forensics, but I think that's what they did.

If you don't want to answer this question, feel free not to. At what time was your son attacked?

Oh lord... (tears well in his eyes, he stops, composes himself, and continues to talk.) My son... David... David was attacked at some point mid-October. Or that's what the government goons say, at any rate. No offense meant.

None taken.

I don't mind you asking the question, I've been to therapy and counseling and I think it's good to talk about these sorts of things. (He takes a long drink from the mug) David was found... he was found in his house, over on Elk street. Same situation as that damn Jones fellow. Just... ashes. Barely anything but ashes.

But the real clincher, the fact that got the most publicity, was not the burn damage. It was the fact that the killer seemed to have attempted to cover up some... things. There were large areas of what seemed to be drenched and then burned carpet. Like there was some fight.

Now, I can make things cold, and so could my wife, bless her soul. But David, David couldn't. David was a plant guy, you know, a plantepath or whatever. He did a lot of nature work in the Rockies and down in the [Willamette] Valley. And he couldn't have done that. But neither could the killer. The killer could burn stuff. No one can do more than their god-given ability.

3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

3:8 And under the eyes of the LORD God did they gain the wings of angels, and under the eyes of the LORD did they rise, knowing all and seeing all, and taking much.

--Excerpt from the Christian King James Bible, where the term 'Taker' first arose. (Genesis)

 

(Licensed under GNU GPL3.0, 2010, Dante Douglas