No Rest for the Wicked

Chapter Nine

Cassidy let out a sigh of relief as she heard the cheery chime signaling that it was the end of seventh period.

The students quickly began to get up, picking up their things and hurrying out the door to get to their cars and buses. Cassidy debated on going to her car herself, but she had made a promise to her father that she knew he wouldn't want her to break.

She sighed, begrudgingly packing up her things as she thought about the evening ahead. Her father had been so adamant on her making friends that he had insisted she join some kind of club at the high school. Joining a club was the last thing on her mind right now, but meeting some new people wouldn't hurt.

Maybe it would help take her mind off of the murders. Ever since looking at those pictures, she'd been struggling a bit. It didn't help that she had snuck into her father's office again when he wasn't home to find out more about the killings, only to find more photos of yet another victim.

The other woman was pretty, bright eyed and with long and beautiful copper hair. Of course, in the pictures her eyes were dead, all of the life sucked out of her once lovely gaze.

Cassidy pitied the poor woman. She looked young, probably had her whole life ahead of her. But that life was short lived, cruelly ripped away from her in the worst ways possible.

This victim was not as young as the first one, though. In fact she had heard through the grapevine that the first victim went to this same school. Shortly after hearing this, a memorial for the girl had been put together, Cassidy barely able to sit through it. Every time she looked at the banner of the girl's bright smile and rosy complexion, all she could see was her faceless and decimated corpse.

It didn't help that every student in the school now seemed to know that she was the daughter of the detective leading the case. Word spreads like wildfire in schools like this; students would whisper to each other as she'd walk past, but none of them dared to speak to her. A part of her was relieved; she had no desire to explain to anyone how her father was chasing the devil.

These murders were seemingly inescapable. She'd been sucked into a whirlwind of constant misfortune and death, unable to escape the tragedies her father had been facing, even at school.

Her father was another thing that was on her mind. The poor man had barely been sleeping, not only from overworking himself but also witnessing the crimes. It's not easy to sleep after seeing something like that. It's even harder to sleep knowing that there was a wickedness far beyond anyone's comprehension lurking in the darkness of this small rural town.

The killer was probably stalking its next victim now, the poor unsuspecting soul completely unaware that someone, or something, was after them. The thought made Cassidy shiver.

Cassidy had left the English classroom, watching as students hurried through the halls and headed out to the parking lot. Instead of walking through the front doors like everyone else she passed them, heading for the library.

Cassidy had chosen to join the school's chess club. Chess wasn't exactly her cup of tea, but it wasn't like she could be picky. Every sport's team had already been put together for the season and it wasn't like she could just join halfway through. The chess club would have to do; besides, it beat joining one of the several bible study groups the school had to offer.

Cassidy had nothing against learning about religion and reading the Bible. Well, that was until she read the autopsy report for the second victim. She wasn't sure if she'd ever see a bible the same way again.

Cassidy pushed open the library doors, slowly peeking her head in to see if anyone from the club was there yet. There was one student sitting alone at one of the few tables scattered about, a book resting firmly in his hands as he sat and read.