Paralyzed (ON HIATUS)

Obsessive

I sat on the comfortable sofa as I typed in the search box. My eyes trailed to Mark who looked uninterested in the matter. To my right, on the lounge chair sat Ethan who's body language was clearly telling just how uncomfortable he was at the moment. A sigh escapes my lips and grabs both of the men's attention.

"Ethan, you should take a look at this." I motion from him and he gets up to take the seat next to me. I feel Mark's glare on Ethan but I shoot him a look as he rolls his eyes. "It's a segment from a small news channel back in 2018." I pay no attention to Mark's petty behavior and focus on the important matter. The video plays and the sound of the news reporter speaking echoes in the living room.

The three-minute video talks about the two murders that happened in the span of one month. Much like the deaths in our town, all victims had been women and suspected of infidelity. However, the next bit of information was perplexing.

"Samantha Byrant's body was discovered Tuesday night at Bee Creek trail. An eyewitness caught the event unfolding right before her eyes. Here's what they had to say." The next shot was of a woman whose face was blurred and voice disoriented to hide her identity.

"I was walking home from my late night shift and cut through the park when I overheard a commotion. Obviously, I knew to keep my guard up since it was almost four in the morning but I thought it was just a homeless man or someone on a bender."

The woman pauses and her shoulders light-shuttered from the traumatizing memory. She takes a deep breath and continues, "I saw a man with a large gym bag go into the wooden trail. It was weird since there weren't any gyms near us and even then, why would he be working out at four a.m.? Something just felt off, you know? So I decided to follow him but kept my distance. I didn't know what was happening but he kept glancing around like he didn't want people around him. He then walked to some bushes and that's when he started to empty the bag. It didn't take long for the smell to reach me and I knew something was wrong."

From the corner of my eye, I watch as Mark stands in curiosity and trails behind us to see the video. Ethan shifts in his seat and I give him a reassuring look before returning to the video.

"All I heard was a thump, followed by another thump as the smell got worse. I don't know if it was because of the overwhelming fear but I just stayed frozen and hidden in my spot. Even after it sounded like he left, I stayed still. I'm glad I did since the killer had faked his absence and didn't actually leave until another fifteen minutes had passed... I didn't dare to move even after he was gone, my feet sunk into the mud with how long I stayed still. My body ached to move but I only did once the sun started showing. When I finally did investigate, I threw up at the sight. It looked like a girl in her 20s... she had been cut up into p-pieces and... and there was a hole in her chest." The video continued as Ethan sighed.

"Sounds like our guy."

"I ran home and immediately called the police. I- I know I should have acted sooner but I was just so scared." The woman in the video sobs and I can't help but frown. She was carrying an immense guilt for something that wasn't her fault. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see Mark giving me a sympathetic smile. I tune back into the reporter who was interviewing the woman.

"It isn't your fault. You did what you had to, in order to survive. I know that this may be difficult, but is there any information you can provide to identify the fugitive?"

"As I told the police, he was a man who looked to be in his mid-20s. He was about 6ft tall, lean but still muscular. I didn't get a close-up on his face but he seemed Caucasian. I think he had a mole on the side of his lip." Ethan's eyes widen, it was our first big lead in the case.