The cannibals

Chapter 5 : Joyce

30th July 2017.

I spend another night sleepless. I haven't been to work ever since I was attacked.

I'm running out of my medicines. Maybe I should talk to Nathan about this.

. . .

2:57 a.m.

"Joyce, Joyce!"

Joyce shuffled restlessly in her sleep, drenched in sweat.

"I've been kind to you. I killed your Angel without hurting him, shouldn't you return this favor? Joyce? Joyce!"

I jump to my feet.

"Angel.." I say his name in a husky voice. Then all I hear is my sobs.

. . .

3rd June 2017.

"Nathan, dear, it's me. Can you check on Joyce? She has stopped taking my calls. I'm sorry, dear, but I can't trust anyone but you."

Voice message ends.

. . .

The doorbell rang thrice.

I open the door to find Byles standing there.

"Come on in."

He looked taken aback.

"Joyce! You look terrible."

"I was never pretty. My body looks like a man's body, my eyes.."

"That's not what I meant. When did you last sleep? Your hair looks.."

"Oh, don't mind my hair, Nathan. I tried to chop them off, but I didn't have a sharp enough pair of scissors."

Nathan, unsure what to say, gave me a smile.

It's been a while, ever since anyone genuinely smiled at me.

"Are you here to console me, Nathan?"

He looked at me blankly.

"I'm not sure. But hey, you minored in psychology, right? Can you maybe help me out?"

"That sounds good. Better than being consoled."

"Oh, tell me about it," he says sarcastically.

. . .

We sit across each other in the living room.

I scribble on a white sheet of paper. Nathan links the things I scribble.

We note down the details about the first six victims - Campanula Cannibal's victim, Nancy and her parents, four victims of the Trumpet Creeper, and seven more victims of Campanula Cannibal.

"But the question is, why would the killer treat Angel kindly?" I muse.

"That's what I thought too. But.."

"Could it be someone Angel knew?"

"He knows two types of people: ones that loved him and others that didn't. He wouldn't have died if the killer loved him. And he would've been tortured to death if it was someone who despised him."

I pick up another piece of paper and start scribbling on it.

"I came to a conclusion after going through all the facts. Both the cannibal killers' motive is to gain recognition. They intentionally left clues that would lead the police to the men they have used to kill the victims. But those men died right before getting caught. It means those men devoted themselves to the Cannibal killers."