Page 60 of Blood Sport

***

With our stomachs full of delicious pizza and wine coursing through our veins, we make our way into the living room to watch a movie. There are two other girls on the couch sitting quietly as they read a book, so we join them and switch on the TV.

The screen flickers to life, revealing a news reporter looking very sombre as they deliver a piece of news. That seems to be a common occurrence these days in Pullman. Our laughter dies down when we read the ‘breaking news’ headline.

‘Another victim discovered in Pullman that has been linked to the string of murders.’

“Oh, shit,” Jaycee breathes as she leans back on the couch beside me, her eyes glued to the screen. “This is getting crazy now.”

Candie turns the sound up, capturing the attention of the other two girls in the room as we listen in to the news reporter.

“There has been another murder victim discovered this afternoon, bringing the death count to eleven. A lady was walking her dog through Conservation Park when she made the grizzly discovery,” the woman reports. “Investigators were quick to announce that this murder shares many similarities to that of the serial killer’s MO who is running loose in Pullman. We were told that this victim, a woman in her 20s, was drained of her blood, and a new detail that is now being shared by investigators is that all the victims share the same mark—an upside-down cross carved into their forehead. Investigators believe that this could be the result of a satanic ritual—”

“Whoever this person is that’s killing people is so fucking messed up,” Rylee comments, holding her wine glass close to her chest. The fear in her eyes doesn’t go unnoticed by me. “Like, seriously.”

“I know,” Jaycee says, shaking her head. “I’m afraid to be alone outside once the sun sets. Who knows who this crazed killer is and who their next target might be? I don’t want to be next.”

As the girls talk among themselves, I ponder the details shared by the reporter, especially the new detail about the upside-down cross carved into their forehead.

A memory from when I was eight comes to mind. My mom told me about something similar that was happening in the late ‘70s when she was my age. It might seem morbid that she shared such disturbing details with me at that age, but I was always into that kind of thing growing up that it got to the point where I would ask my mom to tell me about mythical creatures, cults, and true crime stories. After many hours of nagging, she finally caved and sat me down for a long discussion, and one of the things she mentioned was a series of murders in the late ‘70s in Pullman where the victims were drained of their blood and made to look like it was part of a satanic ritual. They never did catch the killer.

But there was one detail that has always stuck with me—those victims also had an upside-down cross carved into their foreheads.

Could it be that the murders that are happening now are being done by the killer from all those years ago? Or is it someone new? A copycat killer…

But who would do such a thing, and why now? None of this makes sense to me.

Knowing what I know now from Jaylen, it would make sense for someone who knows about vampires to want to carve upside-down crosses into their foreheads because of their immortality. But why make it look like a satanic ritual if it’s just a vampire hunter wanting to eliminate vampires? If it was the same thing that happened in the 70s, then surely the current killer would know about the past MO to be able to recreate it, especially if they are both hunters.

Trying to wrap my head around all these details is hurting my head. It’s hard to make sense of the situation when I don’t know all the details or who is behind the murders.

I tune back into the conversation happening around me and decide to keep this piece of information to myself. What I know won’t help the investigation in any way. But this piece of information has reignited my need to find out who is behind my parent's murder. I only know so much, but I’m hoping the memories my subconscious has locked away will be able to help me.

“Do you think it is actually some weird ass cult that is doing this?” Candie asks, looking between us. “Because if it is, that’s messed up.”

“Who knows what is truly happening,” I say, clearing my throat. “But what I do know is that we need to be careful, okay? Try to go out in pairs or small groups just to be safe.”

“Agreed,” Jaycee said with a sharp nod. “Who knows who this psycho fuck is, so just stay safe and vigilant.”

The conversation shifts from the murders in Pullman to what movie we’re going to watch, the girls wanting to watch something light after hearing about the tragedy on the news. But all I can focus on is the connecting detail from the murders in the ‘70s to the current ones. My mom’s voice rings as clear as day in my mind, recounting the details from the ‘70s and how hot the topic was on the news at the time.

So, my question is: who the hell is this hunter? And why are they recreating the murders from the ‘70s?

***

My eyelids are heavy as I stare down at the book resting in my lap. The words are a blurred mess, and I can barely make sense of what is going on in the story so I start to reread paragraphs in the hope my mind will catch up. But it’s no use.

With a sigh, I admit defeat and close the book. I rub my eyes with my knuckles, and it feels like scratching an annoying itch. The time on my phone reads just after midnight. Glancing over at Rylee’s sleeping form, I realize that now might be a good time to call it quits for the night and attempt to get a good night's sleep.

After the movie earlier tonight, I came upstairs to be alone and gather my thoughts. I couldn’t focus on a single scene of that movie because my mind was racing with all the new details about the murders in Pullman and the hopeful connections I made to the case back in the ‘70s.

Not wanting it to consume me fully, I decided to pick up the book I started recently, but I found my mind wandering to possible suspects and motives instead of reading the words on the page. I couldn’t come up with any noteworthy suspects or motives before Rylee walked into the room and announced she was going to sleep. I could tell she wanted to ask if I was okay because of how abruptly I left after the movie ended, but she kept the question to herself and slipped under the sheets.

I’ve been trying to read for the past three hours, but have retained absolutely nothing.

Yeah, it’s time to hit the hay.

Ping!

---