Diane (2016)

She wasn't surprised at all to hear about Adrian Mellon. Derry, Maine wasn't exactly LGBT friendly, but this is the first hate crime in Derry that has resulted in a death. It was about maybe close to 11:00PM when his body had arrived at the clinic. His autopsy won't be for another few hours due to the Derry's only corner being out of town on vacation with his family.

Diane is with one of the detectives, filling out paperwork in the receptionist office. The building itself is twenty-seven years old with outdated wiring and lighting. She forgotten how much of a headache it is to fill out paperwork for the deceased, it was like writing out a thesis paper.

"When will the corner be doing the autopsy again, Ms. Lupin?" Detective Willis asks.

"When he gets here in a few hours." She answers, not looking up from writing. "He was on vacation when you called us. Honestly, why did you bring him here?"

"The nearest hospital is too far, and you know how quick a body decays when it's in water." He informs her. "All the marine animals eat up the evidence."

Diane scoffs. "It's an open and shut case. He died from blunt force trauma. From rocks that was thrown at him."

Detective Willis shifts in his chair a bit. Diane caught the look of uneasiness in the aging man's eyes. It certainly caught her off guard that's for sure. Willis rarely shown other emotions beside his usually grumpy man persona.

"Is there something you haven't told me?"

"No."

"Dan…."

"Have you seen the body when we brought him in?"

Diane shook her head. "I haven't yet cause of all this goddamn paperwork you got me doing."

"Well the thing is…" His voice lowers into a hush whisper. Diane leans in closer to hear him better. "He got other wounds that's not from the rocks."

Her eyes narrow. "What kind of wounds?"

Adrian Mellon looks as if he was sleeping off a bad case of the flu if it wasn't for the noticeably large dent mark on the side of his head. His skin had started the early stages of decomposition, taking on an ashen gray color.

Staring at his body, Diane wasn't sure if she wanted to see what other kinds of wounds Adrian was hiding under the white sheet. Taking a deep breath, she pushes those fears aside and gently remove the white sheet from half his body.

Her eyes widen when she saw the large bite mark on Adrian's left side where his arm is. Or where his arm was supposed to be. Detective Willis had forgotten to mention that last important detail.

"Jesus Christ." Was all Diane could mutter.

"God ain't got nothing to do with it."

"How can something like that happened?" Diane questions him.

"The guys who attacked Mellon and his boyfriend said that when Adrian fell over the bridge…Diane this is gonna sound nuts…" He's hesitating to finish his sentence. "…they saw a fucking clown."

"A clown? Like one of the clowns from Canal Days?"

"Jesus, I don't fucking know." He says. "Those kids were on some type of drug because…shit I haven't seen any injuries like this since Sean…and that was like almost 28 years ago wasn't it?"

Diane remembers the last time she saw a body like this was her own husband, Sean. It made her physically sick from just thinking about. She remembers the car accident, how she got the call about Sean and June.

June.

Her daughter had to be at least 13 or 14 at the time. She only had minor physical injuries but emotionally…it took time. June said that something pulled Sean from out the car when it was turned upside down.

She heard something maul her father to death.

"Diane you look like you seen a ghost." Dan says, trying to lighten the mood.

"This isn't funny." She turns and glares at him.

Something in his eyes change. "I'm sorry I know this must bring up a lot of painful memories for you and June. How is June anyways?"

"I wouldn't know she barely speaks to me…"

"Well you were so neglectful as a mother- "

Diane slaps him across the face. How dare he? She had done her best with June as a single mother. She had work long nights just to support her and June. However, what catches Diane off guard is the fact that Dan didn't even flinch when she slapped him.

"Screw you, Dan."

He merely stares at her before talking again. "You" were a bad mother to June. Especially when all those kids were going missing…"

Diane took a step back. She was confused to Dan's sudden change in behavior. It was especially the look in his eyes. They appear brighter and wild.

"Dan, you're scaring me now."

She takes another step back.

"Scaring you? You have no idea what being scared is." His voice became higher in tone. He takes one step forward. "You weren't being a good mother and Junie got hurt Diane."

Diane makes a dash towards the door. She twists the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. She pulls and tugs at it to open but it refused to open. Suddenly she was lifted off the ground by her shoulders and was slammed right against the glass door window, causing spiderweb cracks to appear. She screams and claws at Dan's face.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" She screams and Dan starts to laugh loudly.

"You sound just like June. I see where she gets her screams from." Dan's voice changed. Now it was a mixture of his and someone else. His hand clasp around her throat.

"You…" Diane gasps, struggling to breathe. "...stay..away…"

"I have no intention of being away from her." Dan's eyes changes from blue to a molten gold. "I waited twenty-seven years for her to come back to me."

He snaps her neck.

"And they'll die if they try to stop me from taking her."