Red Haired, Red Handed!

Trigger warning : this story contains themes and scenes of sexual violence, which may be distressing to some readers.

12 am Thursday midnight.

Thud, thud, thud, one, two, three, Julia heard footsteps echoing behind her as she walked through the deserted streets of Saxonwold. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was someone following her. Snap… a tree branch snapped and Julia’s heart started racing, she quickly turned her head to see who was lingering behind her. It was only the movement of bushes she could notice. It was weird because the weather was calm today. It couldn’t be the wind that was moving the leaves of those bushes. A cat came running out. She got a fright but was relieved to see that it was just a cat. “Stupid cat” she smirked. She took a few breaths, in and out to calm herself down and continued with her trip back home.

Thud, thud, thud, one, two, three, the footsteps returned closing in faster this time. She now knew that there was someone who was definitely on her trail and was following her. She turned to see who it was. The male figure following her suddenly stopped when he saw Julia looking at him. Julia couldn’t see who it was because this man was wearing a hoodie that covered his head and had on a balaclava helmet, his head tilted to her right. Julia’s heart couldn’t stop racing, she started pacing up and so did the male following her. All of a sudden he disappeared, out of the blue.

Julia stopped for a while and looked around the deserted street, he had disappeared out of thin air just like that. “No ways” she said to herself. She started pacing again and just as she was about to start running, the male figure emerged from underneath a car that was parked a few metres in the direction Julia was running. She froze in fear, she started breathing heavily and the male figure was starting to approach her. She moved back in reverse, slowly one foot at a time as the male figure was approaching her. As soon as she turned around to run back the other direction, a cloth covered her mouth and nose , she could barely even scream and in just a few seconds she passed out and her body was dragged to the back of the boot of the car where the male figure emerged from.

5 am. Ahhhhhh! Wailing from the streets woke up the neighbourhood. The morning joggers of the neighbourhood had found a body, Julia lay there on the side of the road motionless and naked just a few blocks away from her house. Her clothes where nowhere in sight. There were clear signs that she was strangled to her death because of the visible marks around her neck and throat. The disturbing part of it all is that Julia didn’t have her hair, the perpetrator had cut off Julia’s hair and left her scalp open. It was very disturbing to look at.

The cops and forensics had arrived and a crime scene was set. The whole neighbourhood was shook, fear spread throughout the whole neighbourhood. As soon as the cops saw the missing head of hair and the missing clothes of the deceased, they already knew that the serial killer was back in the neighbourhood. Three years before this incident , a killing spree had occurred, every week on a specific day – Thursdays, a body was found naked with the clothes missing on the crime scene. The body was either stabbed a countless number of times or strangled to their death but what made the cops know that this was a serial killer? That this was one specific person doing all the killing? Red heads! This killer had an obsession with anybody who had red hair. Every body that was found was identified had rich natural red hair that the serial killer would cut off and take with him. After observations in the station the Serial Killers’ case was immediately re-opened.

Julia’s mom who had been sitting inside one of the police cars was wrapped in a blanket, she looked confused and in disbelief, she just felt weak, she was just devastated at this moment, tears just kept rolling down her eyes silently.

…

News of Julia’s death travelled through the whole neighbourhood as fast as the speed of wind. Reporters and all media houses covered the story- “Serial Killers’ return!”

“Red Obsessed Killer Returns To The Neighbourhood!” Fear rose throughout the whole neighbourhood, especially the red haired females. Some of them started skipping school and staying at home just to be safe.

Two weeks after Julia’s incident and the killer had not been found another body is found motionless and naked just like Julia’s body. The following week, two girls who attended the local high school went missing and have been missing for three whole days. Yes! All these girls were red haired which meant that the serial killer was on a killing spree and the cops could not catch up to him. The autopsy report for Julia arrived and it confirmed that she was not raped similar to the girl who was murdered two weeks after Julia so no DNA could be extracted which meant the police were at a dead end.

…

One, two, three…Flip flop, flip flop. Thud, thud, thud. Cassandra is headed home after having a great study session with her best friend Amy for an upcoming maths exam on Friday.

Snap! Thud, thud, thud. A tree branch cracked. Cassandra turned her back to see who could be running towards her because those footsteps were closing in quickly. Her heart is racing and she keeps tapping a rhythmic pattern on her thigh, something she does when she feels nervous or scared. Anything could happen, no place is ever too safe after all and with all that has been happening in the neighbourhood lately she is taking a huge risk walking all alone.

She was wearing a hoodie and had tied her hair in a low ponytail and covered it with a beanie and wore the hood of the hoodie just to be extra careful. A young man who was taking a jog passed by waving at Cass, Cass greeted back and was relieved to see that it was just one of the neighbourhood runners who jogged everyday and night to keep in good shape of course and practice for marathons and other competitions. “Sigh”. Relief to her whole body and mind. A couple of deep breaths in and out, shook her hands to vigorously to melt away the tension she was feeling and got back on her way.

Before she could cross the street, she saw a car, it was her first time seeing it there really. She didn’t think too much of it and just continued on her way. Since the car was parked on the pavement she moved to walk on the street instead and as soon as she passed the car, heavy footsteps started closing in , her heart skipped a beat and she froze for a moment. Before she could turn to see who it was, a cloth covered her face. She tried by all means to fight back, she screamed and wailed out for help but nobody came to the rescue at that moment. The perpetrator overpowered her and succeeded, soon it was lights out for dear Cassandra and in to the boot of the car she went and the perpetrator drove off into the dark streets as fast as possible. The neighbourhood residents came a bit too late, the local police were called in, a crime scene was set where there was Cassandra’s school bag which was torn and unzipped with the books laying on the ground along with her school name tag. A cigarette, unfinished lay close to Cassandra’s bag alongside with a white cloth. The police officers scanned the crime scene with determination and dread, another victim and they were not even close to catching this serial killer.

“Please find my baby.” Mrs Walker pleaded to the police officer in charge of the case, Mr Miller. “Yes of course ma’am I personally assure you that Cassandra will be brought home safe and sound. “Mrs Walker was led by her husband back into their car to drive back home to get some rest after the whole incident. She was in shock.

Saxonwold high school. Same day.

Cassandra woke up from her sleep and felt her whole body ache. Her head was throbbing. It took her a while to notice that she was tied up on a chair, she wasn’t gagged though so she started screaming. “Somebody help me!” she wailed until the door handle moved and a male figure entered, dressed up in a black suit, the expensive kind you’ll find at high end retail shops and shinning, genuine black leather shoes that could only be afforded by wealthy people. Cass thought it was help and she cried, “Please Sir help me.” The male figure just stood there and Cass had only noticed after that, this man is the kidnapper, his face was covered with a balaclava helmet and hope left her whole body, she cried and pleaded with this man not to kill her. The male figure stepped out of the room leaving Cass crying in despair.

When she managed to calm herself down, she looked around the room she was held captive in and noticed two other girls, red haired, tied up on chairs as well and they were naked. They were facing the other direction and it looked as though they had passed out or were dead, she didn’t know what to think. She could recognise who they were though, the two girls who went missing the week before. These girls attended her school but were in a different class from hers, Maxine and Caroline. Cass already knew that this man was indeed the serial killer. She continued studying the room but it was just bare and empty, just her and the other two girls. She also kept wondering about her mom, she cried at that thought.

Two hours later, the male figure entered the room carrying water with him. He gave Cass a dark stare through the balaclava helmet. He approached Maxine and Caroline. He splashed some water on their faces but non of them responded, their bodies remained still and hopeless. He checked their pulses and by the looks of what Cass saw, the two girls were already dead. He moved each of them behind her from where she was sitting, placed them on separate operating beds. Cass sat there in silence, “click, click, click.” Cass kept on hearing the sounds of scissors and knives laid on a tray. An hour later Cass heard the sound of water running and he washed his hands. He approached Cass and stood in front of her, Cass closed her eyes in fear of what could happen. He shifted Cassandra’s chair to face the two bodies behind her.

What she saw was absolutely disgusting and terrifying to look at, she couldn’t believe her own eyes, she just cried because she knew she was next. This man created a wall that seemed like a wall art but with the hairs of all the girls he has ever murdered and below each one was the name of each of the girls. “That handwriting though.” She thought to herself, she recognised it from somewhere. He moved away from Cass and approached the two bodies, lifted them up and opened a door that was on the far right side of the room and threw them in there and closed it. The smell of blood and dead bodies came creeping out and Cass couldn’t hold anything and she vomited on herself. The male figure cleared the space on the bed and cleaned it. He re-approached Cass and untied her and cleaned her up. He took out a knife as a warning that if she tried anything and she would be dead. He instructed her to undress and lay on the bed using messages written on paper. The perpetrator hasn’t spoken any word since which made Cass really wonder who was hiding behind that musk. Cass did as she was instructed, while the tears rolled down her eyes continuously.

The perpetrator approached naked Cassandra, he moved his hands all over her body, from her breasts to her private area. Cassandra just lay there and cried in silence with her eyes closed and with clenched fists. The perpetrator undressed himself, Cass already knew what was going to happen and let her cry out, using his knife on Cassandra’s lips, he shushed her as if reassuring her that everything would be fine. He climbed on top of her and forced himself into poor Cassandra who was just a virgin.

She cried the whole time and he moaned in pleasure until he was finished. He carried Cassandra back into her chair and tied her up again. She cried so painfully, her whole body ached. It took her a while to calm herself down. When she’d finally managed to calm herself down she had figured out something. She figured that she was at her school because… her chair, the one that she sat on in class was the one she was tied up on right now. She knew this for an obvious reason because it had a pink bow tie that her mom gave her when she started high school and she’d decided to stick it onto the back of her her chair for the final year of her school days. “That handwriting” she had thought to herself, Principal Brown! and that suit was the one he is wore yesterday at school. Cass just cried in silence, she was just flabbergasted and could not believe what was going on right now.

7 am Saxonwold Police Station.

Jenifer, hated Cass because their family isn’t as rich as Cassandra’s family and deals are always lost because the Walker family’s “perfect proposals” on business deals. She was actually jealous of Cassandra, as much as she was the popular girl, majority of the kids at school loved Cass because of her free spirit and down to earth character, she even got the position of head girl instead of her. She didn’t like Cassandra at all, she wished she’d die for all she cared.

But here she was in Mr Miller’s office, giving him evidence she had recorded from her room the night of the horrible incident. This could help solve the case that has been going on for years now and the neighbourhood could be safe again. The male figure wasn’t clear since he covered his face but the car’s number plate could lead them somewhere. “Jenifer, you could help us crack this case with this evidence, thank you so much.” Mr Miller shook her hand. Jenifer was driven to school by Mr Miller to make sure that she wasn’t late.

Before Mr Miller could drive away he noticed a car parked outside the school premises, it looked very similar to the one that was in the video. He drove away slowly to make sure that he got the number plate and it matched the on e I Jenifer’s video. It made him wonder.

Back at the office, forensic evidence of the cigarette came in and it matched Principal Brown’s DNA. After checking the number plate, the car was under a man called Thomas Fuller, a friend of Principal Brown who was unfortunately away for business in Chicago. Mr Fuller had asked Mr Brown to take it to the mechanic to get it checked since it had been giving him trouble for the past couple of weeks. It was quite clear that Mr Brown then used this car to do his dirty work. So Mr Miller came up with a theory in his head, since the car was parked at the school premises, Cassandra also had to be somewhere close by with the other two girls.

School was out and all the children and teachers had gone home, Mr Miller decided to park outside the school premises in a secluded area where Mr Brown wouldn’t notice him. Time was moving a bit slow but patience was something that Mr Miller had so he waited.

6 pm and Mr Brown exited the school front doors, locked them and approached Mr Fuller’s car and took out a bag and from that bag he took out what seemed to look like a balaclava helmet. Mr Miller got out of his car and from a safe watching distance he followed Mr Brown. Mr Brown put on the balaclava helmet and unlocked a door, it was a back door behind the school building, he entered and went down the stairs into the basement where he did all his dirty work. Mr Brown forgot to lock the door, this gave Mr Miller the chance to follow along. Another door unlocked but this time he didn’t forget to lock it.

Mr Miller who wanted to see what might be in that room peeked through the keyhole and the naked body of Cassandra who was tied up on a chair met his eye. He couldn’t believe his eyes, after a few minutes he heard moaning and crying at the same time which meant indeed Mr Brown was forcing himself onto her. He’d heard enough and ran up the stairs quickly to call for backup.

When the other law enforcement officers arrived they didn’t waste time, they broke down the door and found Cassandra laying there with her hair already cut out of her scalp and in Mr Brown’s hands. Mrs Walker felt so weak and helpless that she lay her head on her motionless baby who had been murdered brutally. Mr Brown was arrested and taken by officers into a police van. A sad and tragic ending

indeed, but at least justice would be served.