June 2001 GRAVEL JUMPING 1.0: THE ULTIMATE HORROR

CHAPTER 1: TERROR STRIKES

From a local newspaper:
SOUTH Austin, Texas (USBT) -- A community was rocked by a vicious attack late Wednesday afternoon. According to officials, a large pile of gravel was violated, savaged, and horribly mutilated by a suspected gang of known hooligans. The suspects used the gravel, originally intended for resurfacing neighborhood ashpalt roads, in a bizarre and violent ritual, apparently involving occult bicycle sacrifice. An eyewitness spoke of shouts from the assailants she heard repeatedly during the attack: "I think it sounded like Hail Satan, or something like that. They were really mad about something." From the trial transcripts: "...well, Mr. Prosecutor, I guess I talked the others into it, but I know now that the Devil made me do it. The idea, once conceived, was simply too enticing to resist. Once begun, things took on a life of their own; we were in a kind of 'blood frenzy.' But we did what we did to that gravel pile with total premeditated intent, knowing full well what we were about, not caring about the aftermath or the consequences. (--"El Grito," defendant)

CHAPTER TWO: THE FIRST VICTIM

To the average person's conscience and sensibilities, deeds of savagery like these are almost beyond comprehension. What sane person would inflict such devastation, such brutality on an unsuspecting pile of gravel? What sane person could?? The victim was young, a bright and happy lad, popular at school, with hopes and dreams yet to be realized. His mother, through choked tears, recalls: "He...my son...was a big fan of Wayne Gretsky." The perpetrators seemed not to care about the trauma they inflicted, perhaps regarding the gravel pile as "less than human" in the depths of their depravity.

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS OF MADNESS

The assailants showed a great degree of forethought and planning in the commission of their acts, and the technology they used seems to have evolved as they perfected their vile methods. At first, gravel was pushed into the shape of a ramp's transition, and a plastic barricade strip was laid on top. This provided the surface required to launch bicycles high in the air. A pushbroom was used to clear a runway. Once these preparations were made, the shredding began. As time went on, and the terror continued, a new method emerged. A vehicle was used to transport a five-foot launch ramp to the site. This allowed the perpetrators to get higher air, bigger tricks, and it ultimately led them down pathways of darkness and destruction that perhaps not even they had imagined.

CHAPTER FOUR: SOCIETY ASKS WHY

What causes people to become such monsters? This question, and the questions posed by the victims families, court psychiatrists, and reporters may never fully be answered. But, one eyewitness account of an attack may shed some light: "...they seemed to enjoy busting big air. They were trying tricks that they could never ever hope to pull off, because they didn't have to worry about landing. The gravel, poor thing, would break the fall after they ditched their bikes in midair. They were shouting and encouraging each other to try even bigger tricks and get more air, if you can believe that. I think they were crazy."