Chapter 1
The Mount Grove Gazette
FOUR DEAD, ONE CRITICAL FOLLOWING EXPLOSION AT MOUNT GROVE BAR
MOUNT GROVE, PA — An explosion tore through Demon on the Rocks early Tuesday evening, injuring several town residents, killing four people and leaving one man in critical condition in what authorities are now calling a targeted criminal act.
Sheriff Carlos Santiago addressed the press Wednesday morning, visibly shaken.
“Four members of our community are gone. One of our own is fighting for his life. This was not an accident. This was an attack, and we will not rest until those responsible are held accountable.” Sheriff Santiago declined to comment on potential suspects, citing the active nature of the investigation.
State police and federal investigators arrived in Mount Grove early Wednesday morning to assist local authorities. Sources familiar with the investigation indicate that no persons of interest have been identified and no arrests have been confirmed at the time of publication.
Demon on the Rocks is co-managed by Taran “Ghost” Keir and Liam “Ranger” Fremont, both officers of the Via Daemonia Motorcycle Club.
Neither was available for comment. The club, which has operated a chapter in Mount Grove for several years, is not considered a target of the investigation at this time.
Mount Grove Mayor Reid Wickers declared a state of emergency Wednesday morning and asked residents to remain vigilant. Public grief counselors will be made available at Mount Grove High School beginning Monday.
A candlelight vigil for the victims is being organized by community members and will be announced through the Gazette's website and social media channels.
The Gazette extends its deepest condolences to the families of those lost. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Mount Grove Sheriff's Department or the FBI tip line at 888-HEL-PTIP.
* * *
Pain. There were no other words to describe the all-consuming, pulsing agony coursing through Grumpy like a never-ending blaze of hellfire.
He’d never prayed for death before, never thought that such a dark wish could or would ever cross his mind.
Now, it was in his very soul, the want for end, for peace.
Even if there was nothing after, at least it wouldn’t be this.
No part of him hurt more or less than a different part.
He couldn’t remember why he was in such pain.
In a way, that almost made it worse. If he knew why, then maybe he could know how to stop it.
But with every second that passed, Grumpy cared less and less about the why. Maybe knowing would only make it worse.
He recalled reading somewhere that the human mind couldn’t relive pain accurately.
That a person could remember being in pain but not the pain itself.
He had no idea if that was a myth, though he prayed to a god he didn’t believe in that it was true.
If he survived, if he lived through whatever this was, Grumpy never wanted to feel this again.
Things flickered around him, encroaching on the blackness. Sounds faded in and out like a broken stereo. He couldn’t tell what was up or down, left or right. He didn’t even know if he was moving. There was only the pain, only the endless lick of fire. The nightmare of eternal torment and anguish.
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe there was a god, and this was hell.
Grumpy did not consider himself a bad person.
He might not be the law-abiding citizen most thought him to be, but he considered himself a morally good person overall.
Sometimes the laws of man were wrong, slow, or unjust. Perhaps this was Grumpy’s punishment for those wicked deeds.
If so, whatever deity or cosmos was in charge really needed a reality check.
Then again, if this was his punishment for aiding his club as they disposed of rapists, human traffickers, and other evil men then he needed to accept that fate, because he had no regrets.
He’d rather burn here than live with the knowledge that any of those men and women had gone free to terrorize more people.
Just when he thought he was experiencing the most pain he could endure, something pulsed through him. Like an electrical charge to his soul, Grumpy’s entire body jolted, sending new flares of pain through every nerve.
He didn’t remember opening his mouth to scream. He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. All he knew was the pain.
* * *
Kelly Doyle had never been to war, and given the small glimpse into the chaos of the past day, she’d never been more grateful for that fact.
Her respect for those in the armed forces, as well as all first responders, rose even higher.
She could never do what they did. She was a small-town waitress, working the same job she had since she was sixteen years old.
The fear, worry, and panic that had taken over her when she realized the bar she’d been heading towards had exploded had made her beyond useless.
Others had run towards the fire and turmoil to help, while Kelly had just stood there frozen and gaping at the sight before her.
Useless.
Mr. and Mrs. Esker had been celebrating their sixty-fifth anniversary today, and even though her shift had ended, Kelly had stayed behind to be present when Mable Weiss brought in their celebration cake she’d made special for them.
It was times like that that reminded Kelly exactly why she loved living in a small town.
Many of her peers had left, dreaming of bigger lives in the cities.
But Kelly loved Mount Grove. She rarely ventured outside its borders, not needing or wanting to.
Due to staying late to be present for the celebration, Kelly had not been able to run home and change, or shower or shave, as she’d been hoping to do before her date. Because Grumpy had finally asked her out.
She was thirty-eight years old, for God’s sake!
She should be well beyond crushes and shy glances, and yet there was no one on this planet that affected her like Grumpy did.
She wasn’t blind to the man’s quiet and gruff demeanor, but she also witnessed his silent kindnesses.
Many people were kind because it got them recognition.
They wanted that pat on the back, adding strings onto their so-called selfless act.
Especially in this day and age when cameras and videos were everywhere, no one did anything without an audience.
Except for Grumpy.
Kelly had seen him pay for people’s meals and leave before the patrons saw who had paid.
She’d seen him shoveling icy sidewalks outside of older residents’ businesses or fixing car problems without telling the customer they had more than one thing wrong with their vehicle.
Hell, Kelly was very certain the only reason her beat-up 1986 Yugoslav still ran was because Grumpy did more than a standard oil change whenever she brought it in to him.
It was small, but Kelly tried to pay him back in little ways.
Like sending business his way or discounting his food.
She didn’t have much to offer, but she tried.
Her mom made candles and soaps, and Kelly always bought fresh-baked bread or muffins from Mabel to add into a gift basket for her surly neighbor.
Like clockwork, he was in the diner nearly every day.
He mostly ate alone, and regardless of the club’s claimed seating, was always in her section.
Technically, Kelly was now the diner’s hostess.
But she still waited on tables, helping out where she could.
The other wait staff seemed grateful to Kelly when she took Grumpy’s table away from them.
Did they think he was going to bite their heads off?
Stupid kids. He’d be the first to help them if they were in need, and yet his quiet demeanor scared them off like mice.
Not having time to run home and shower, Kelly had used the employee bathroom to give herself a quick birdbath and pray Grumpy was one of those men who didn’t mind a little leg hair.
Because Kelly was not missing this date for anything.
Beyond that it had been nearly two years since she’d last slept with anyone, Kelly wanted to be with Grumpy.
Wanted what Sophia and Pirate had, what Tally and Scar had.
She wanted to belong to someone so completely that she was never a “me” again.
She wanted to be an “us”. She wanted to be Grumpy’s ol’ lady.
The pickings in a small town were on the low side, but she wasn’t a virgin.
She was just picky. She’d gone out with George Hunter before he’d gotten his promotion to fire captain, and that had been nice.
But it wasn’t love. None of the men she’d dated was love.
Kelly was starting to think that perhaps she was just destined to be single for the rest of her life when Grumpy walked into the diner for the first time.
How nearly ten years had passed between then and now, Kelly had no idea. But her silly crush had not diminished in the slightest.
What had changed? Why today?
A loud horn jerked Kelly from her frozen stupor. The bar. The bar had exploded. The bar she was supposed to be in right now if she hadn’t been running late. The bar where Grumpy was waiting for her.
Kelly ran. Clutching her purse at her shoulder, Kelly forced her way through bystanders and gawkers to the police line.