Durham Killer

6

Durham, Ontario

July 16, 2023

On the ledge where they sat, they could see the hospital looming in the distance.

"I still can't believe she's dead." Leah stared blankly into space. Salty tears were streaming down Grace's face. The sound of sniffling, sobbing and the light rushing of the water below them were all that could be heard in the empty space around the four teenagers. Leah continued.

"She seemed perfectly fine, and the doctors even said she'd be released very soon!" She held a fist in front of her face.

"Well, she did get released." Maria stated matter-a-factly. Leah glared at her.

"Not now." Renae nudged Maria in the arm.

"She woke up. They put Reeves in an induced coma. Let's hope he doesn't pass as well." Leah sighed in exasperation. "I know I shouldn't say this, but I hate those doctors."

"It's not their fault entirely," Grace started. "You know, it's just life. Sometimes life brings us joy other times it brings us sorrow. We'll just never know."

Leah rolled her eyes in frustration and agony.

A faint scream was heard from behind the girls.

"What was that?" All the girls stood up immediately.

"That's the Perkin's house!" Renae exclaimed in realization.

"Well, in my twenty-two years of knowledge, screams like that aren't good, so let's go check on them." Grace urged. The four girls ran up the steep hill and to the white concrete house. Another scream was heard, but louder and longer.

"That was a girl." Maria told the rest.

"How do you know?" asked Leah.

"Because it definitely wasn't a boy," Maria remarked. A third scream was heard with a loud boom of something large falling.

"What was that?" Renae questioned.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Leah ran inside the gate.

"I'll just stay here!" Grace yelled.

"Same!" Renae added.

Leah put her thumbs up behind her. Maria tripped and a metal bucket flew across the yard.

"Shhh!"

Leah opened the front door and peered inside cautiously.

"Eva?"

"Anybody?" Maria added. Leah gave her a confused look.

"Well, let's hope there's nobody else in here!" Leah muttered to herself, but it came out louder.

Then the loudest interval of screams was heard from upstairs. The two girls ran quickly upstairs and into Eva's bedroom. Eva was lying against the wall on the floor, blood spilling out of her stomach. A person in a long black coat and phantom mask turned to look at the two humans who entered. Leah screamed. Maria just stared at the limp body on the ground. The person, whose body looked quite like a man's, but the two couldn't fully tell, fully turned around.

Now Leah and Maria could see the person was holding a long knife soaked in Eva's blood. It had a black handle with a strange engraving, but Leah couldn't make out the sign. Maria grabbed a lampstand as the person started to advance towards them. Leah searched her surroundings for a weapon. The person swung violently and clumsily, and Maria smashed the attacker across the side of the head with the lampstand. The person fell backwards onto Eva's neatly made bed. Running of footsteps was heard behind the girls.

"We... heard... you... scream," Renae huffed.

"Came... to... get... you," Grace said out of breath.

"Who is that?" Renae suddenly got her breath back seeing the person on the bed, who was now getting back up.

"And is that..." Grace gulped. "Eva?"

Renae eventually spotted Eva lying pale and limp on the floor. She gave a frightened shriek and backed up, tears welling up in her eyes. The person who fell on the bed was now fully up, standing like a wild animal ready to kill. His or her arms were not touching their side but quite close. The bloody knife was clenched tightly around his fingers. Maria and Leah took one look at the figure, then at each other, grabbed Renae and Grace, and sprinted out of Eva's room.

They ran quickly down the stairs. Since they were rushing, Grace tripped and crashed into Maria, who was in front of her. Maria held onto the railing, but Grace was sent flying down the stairs, landing roughly at the bottom in a tangle. The girls, traumatized but determined and trying to get free from the awful place, ignored her, and kept running. Each one was extremely out of breath. The masked human was also right behind them. Leah swung open the front door and dashed outside with Renae and Maria right behind her. The cloaked figure was right on their tail.

"I can't run anymore," gasped Renae.

"Same," Maria agreed. They turned a corner and ran back to where they were sitting before.

"In here!" Leah cried and jumped behind a tall, thick, prickly bush. Maria and Renae followed.

"Ouch!" cried Renae, cutting herself on a long thorn. Leah slapped a shaky hand over Renae's mouth, silencing her. The killer walked around closely. Loud footsteps crunched across the concrete and dead leaves. Renae whimpered in fright. Leah was thinking that she had just witnessed two murders in less than an hour. Maria was looking for a way out. Little did they know, this wouldn't be the last they see the hooded figure.