Things That Grind My Gears

STORY #1. Open Ending

Joseph Lemarche blinked awake. The last thing he could recall was strolling through the city at dusk. Not too long ago, the movie Crimson Downpour—based on his book—had hit cinemas, and he'd even written the screenplay for it.

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The plot revolved around a series of mysterious murders being investigated by Detective Tom Hardison. But in a strange twist of fate, the deaths began to haunt him not only at work but also in his personal life.

It all started when Tom's cousin went missing. She was supposed to drop by for a Saturday barbecue, but she never showed up. A few days later, they found her mutilated body in the river behind the nearby woods. Then, his friendly neighbor—someone Tom regularly hung out with to watch football—was murdered too. Not long after, his best friend was killed. The killer got him right after they'd met, attacking him in the parking lot as he was about to get in his car and head home.

Tom falls into a deep depression, and the only thing keeping him going is his drive to find the killer. He's convinced these murders are the work of a serial killer. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, full of tension and intrigue, making you genuinely care about what happens to the characters.

In the end, Tom discovers a clue that makes him realize he was either at the scene of the last known crime or right before it happened—the murder of a young woman named Christina Rogers. After that, the murders of people close to him began.

He keeps this to himself, wanting to figure things out on his own first. He's worried someone might be trying to frame him, especially since he doesn't remember anything about that night.

In his own quest for answers, Tom seeks out a psychologist who's skilled in hypnosis, hoping to recall what happened that night. He agrees to a session and sees something so terrifying that it leaves him rattled—though the film keeps it a secret from the audience.

Tom doesn't mention what he saw to the psychologist, deletes all his investigation files from his home, and tells his work that he's decided it's time to retire. He hands off all his cases and leaves his hometown for good. And that's where the story ends.

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Social media was buzzing with reactions from thrilled viewers. Everyone was sharing their own theories about the ending and debating what mister Tom Hardison might have seen during the hypnosis session. Meanwhile, another mister, Joseph Lemarche, was enjoying the surge of success and attention that the film had brought him.

Joseph really deserved the success after going through a rough patch. Two years ago, Bill, his wife Sara's father, passed away, and it hit Sara hard, especially since the killer was never caught. For Joseph, it was also tough; he had been close with Bill, who was a really upbeat guy, and they even worked together a bit.

Bill owned a bookstore, and whenever he could, Joseph would help out. His books were often on sale there, and Joseph was really thankful for that. Bill always downplayed it, saying he was just happy it brought in more customers. And it was true—Joseph had a small but loyal fan base. He'd occasionally hold meet-and-greet events where he read his books aloud, which his fans loved.

So, the day of the tragedy was just a regular workday for Bill, according to his colleagues. Joseph wasn't there at the time. The only thing out of the ordinary was a customer who got upset over being shorted 5 cents in change, but that was a small issue that got sorted out quickly.

But Bill never came home that evening. His body was found four days later on an old, mostly abandoned farm. The owners showed up one day and stumbled upon the grim discovery. Bill had been stabbed 38 times.
Joseph's friend, Sergeant Bard Hope, was on the case, but they had very few leads. Even the DNA found on the victim didn't provide any clear answers. Bard shared with Joseph that he had a hunch this wasn't a one-off murder but part of a series in their state. He suspected they were dealing with a serial killer.