The Devil In Disguise

The Devil In The Details

Two days had passed since the group had gathered at Mary's house. The eerie silence between them had only grown louder as more details about Destiny's murder surfaced. The school courtyard, usually buzzing with students in the morning, felt heavy with an unspoken tension as Gianina, Marcus, Mary, Jamie, Cal, and Jordan sat at their usual table under the oak tree.

It was a chilly fall morning, the kind Destiny would have loved. The leaves were a mix of oranges and yellows, and the breeze made the air crisp, biting at their skin. But none of them were enjoying the change of season today. Their faces were drawn, tired, as though the weight of what happened was physically bearing down on them.

"Did you see the news last night?" Mary asked, breaking the silence. She was wrapped up in her hoodie, looking smaller than usual. "The police finally released some of the details."

Gianina nodded, clutching her coffee cup tightly between her hands. She didn't know how to feel—numb, angry, scared—it all blurred together. Her heart was still pounding from the shock of hearing the truth about Destiny's death.

"They mentioned her wounds," Jordan added quietly, her voice barely audible. "They said... she was stabbed multiple times. And—" she paused, looking down, unable to finish the sentence.

"They found her parents in the Jeep," Jamie cut in, his voice rough. "Her dad... they said his throat was slit. And her mom—stab wounds, like Destiny."

The group went quiet again. The image of Destiny's family being found like that, so brutally murdered, hung over them like a cloud. It was something they couldn't escape.

"I can't stop thinking about that picture they found on her phone," Mary said suddenly, looking around at the others. "The one of the guy in the devil mask. The police think she took it right before she died."

"Yeah, I saw that," Cal replied, his tone unusually flat. His arm was slung casually over Jordan's shoulder, but his eyes were distant. "It's messed up. The guy's wearing a suit like he's going to some fancy party, but then he's got that creepy mask. It doesn't make sense."

"It's like something out of a horror movie," Jordan whispered. "I mean, why would she even take a picture? She must have been terrified."

"Maybe she thought it was her only chance," Marcus said, his voice low. He had been quiet since they all sat down, staring at the ground as if the answers could be found there. "She knew something was going to happen, so she took the picture. To show the cops, maybe. To help them figure out who did it."

Gianina shivered, imagining the moment Destiny had taken the photo. She could see Destiny's hands shaking, her breath coming in short gasps as she tried to capture some evidence of the man who was about to end her life. It made her sick.

"They didn't release much about the guy, though," Mary said, leaning forward. "Just that he was wearing a suit and that devil mask. No fingerprints, no clues about who he was."

"No one's seen anyone in town like that, either," Jamie added, frustration lacing his words. "How do you walk around wearing a suit and a devil mask and no one notices?"

"That's what's creepy," Cal said, his tone darkening. "The police think he was watching her. He knew her parents were dead, he knew she was alone. This wasn't some random thing."

Gianina's chest tightened. The thought of someone stalking Destiny, planning this, made everything worse. Destiny had been so full of life, so unsuspecting, and now someone had snuffed that out. And for what? To satisfy some sick desire?

"What else did they say about the wounds?" Marcus asked suddenly, breaking his own silence. His eyes flicked to Jamie, who seemed to know the most about the police report.

Jamie sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "They said it was brutal. Overkill, almost. Whoever did it wasn't just trying to kill her. They wanted to hurt her, make her suffer. Stabbed her over and over, like they were trying to make a point."

Gianina felt bile rise in her throat. She couldn't bear to imagine Destiny in those last moments, the pain she must have been in, the terror. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the image, but it was seared into her mind.

"The worst part," Jamie continued, his voice growing quieter, "is how the killer talked to her. They found her phone records. He called her, told her about her parents before she even knew. He made her go outside and see them—made her find their bodies in the Jeep."

Mary gasped, covering her mouth. Jordan looked away, her eyes brimming with tears.

"What kind of person does that?" Jordan whispered, her voice trembling. "How could someone be so... cruel?"

The group fell silent again. No one had an answer. The idea that someone could be capable of something so horrifying, so evil, shook them all to their core.

"It's got to be someone who knew her," Mary said after a long pause. "Someone who knew where she lived, knew her parents' schedule, knew how to get inside."

Marcus nodded slowly. "The police think it was planned. They said the killer had the keys to her house—he didn't force his way in."

"Which means," Cal added, his voice steady, "it's someone close. Someone who knew her family well enough to get access to their stuff."

"But who?" Jamie asked, frustration boiling over again. "Who could've done something like that?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered. They all knew Destiny had no real enemies. She was popular, outgoing, someone everyone liked. But clearly, someone had hated her enough to kill her and her family.

"What about that guy she dated last year?" Cal suggested, his tone a little too casual. "What was his name? Jason?"

Mary frowned. "No way. Jason moved out of town months ago. Plus, they broke up on good terms. He wouldn't do something like this."

Cal shrugged, leaning back against the bench. "Just throwing out ideas. It's not like we've got a lot to go on."

Marcus remained quiet, his eyes focused on nothing in particular. He hadn't contributed much to the speculation, but his silence made Gianina uneasy. Normally, he was the one leading the charge, the one who tried to solve problems. But now, it was like he was holding back, like he knew something he wasn't sharing.

"What about that picture?" Gianina finally spoke up, her voice tentative. "The guy in the mask... Does anyone recognize the suit? It's pretty specific, isn't it?"

They all glanced at each other, shaking their heads. No one had a clue. The devil mask obscured any chance of identifying the killer, and the suit seemed too generic to trace.

"I just hope the police figure it out soon," Jordan said softly. "I don't know how much longer I can take this... not knowing."

"We'll get through it," Marcus said, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes finally met Gianina's, but there was something in his gaze that sent a chill down her spine. Something dark, something she couldn't quite place.

As the morning bell rang, signaling the start of the school day, the group slowly stood and made their way inside. Gianina followed behind Marcus, her mind swirling with questions. The details of Destiny's murder were horrifying enough, but there was something else, something nagging at the back of her mind. Something about the way Marcus had been acting.

She shook off the thought as they entered the crowded hallway, but the feeling lingered. Because in the midst of all the horror, one unsettling truth kept creeping into her mind:

What if the killer wasn't some stranger in a devil mask? What if he was someone much closer?