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ONE
AVA
It is early evening, and a heavy downpour engulfs my car as I make my way home from the grocery store. My stomach growls, its rumblings nearly drowning out the crashing thunder that echoes in the distance.
The rain is so intense that it obscures my view beyond the windshield, forcing the wipers to work tirelessly in their attempt to maintain clarity.
The scent of fresh rain permeates through my car vents, and it soothes my soul, heavy with guilt over the murders happening in town.
I have always found solace in storms, as if the rain has the power to cleanse away the worries of the day, allowing me to see the world through a different lens once it subsides.
While Noah Gundersen’s melancholy tune, “Oh, Death,” plays softly in the background, I attempt to divert my attention from the unsettling sensation festering in my stomach. I glance over at the morning newspaper, and the front-page article flashes vividly in my mind, tormenting me from the seat beside me.
HAS THE SKINNER RETURNED? IS THIS A COPYCAT, OR DID THE FBI GET IT WRONG AGAIN?
The following content is not suitable for children.
The tragic discovery of a mutilated body was made in a remote area near the industrial district by a sugar factory in Harborview. Authorities were alerted after geocachers in the area spotted what appeared to be human remains. Upon further examination, it was determined that the body had suffered severe trauma and had been deliberately disfigured in a brutal and disturbing manner.
Investigative sources claim that the body of Cindy Downs, 32, was found in an eerily similar manner to dozens of victims of the infamous Skinner serial killer that terrorized a Massachusetts college town over a decade ago. Downs was a local news anchor of Harborville and was found stripped naked and left exposed to the elements. Her face was completely unrecognizable due to massive blunt force injuries that fractured and dislocated her facial bones. Deep cuts and lacerations covered her torso and limbs, the result of a sharp implement used with extreme and violent force. Portions of her flesh had been carved away, exposing muscle and bone. The violent nature of the wounds suggests that she was alive and conscious for at least part of the horrific torture that she endured. Downs makes the fifth body in six months and has local authorities scratching their heads.
Is this the work of a copycat continuing the horrific torturing path that the original Skinner killer left behind upon his arrest? Or did the FBI make a fatal error and arrest the wrong man? David Commons was convicted in 2013 and has been on death row since. If authorities are wrong, then their egregious error may have cost five innocent women their lives. Speculators believe there may be more victims across the country.
Over ten years ago, Commons hunted and murdered nine women, evading police officers and the FBI alike. It was not until he came across a local college girl, Ava Thompson, studying to be a doctor, that he was finally caught. Commons held Thompson for fifteen days raping and torturing her, preparing to kill her in the same manner he had all his other victims. Thompson escaped and became the killer’s only survivor. Her testimony was crucial in identifying Commons, and her bravery and courage helped lead to the arrest. However, it now remains unclear if he was the real killer, as it seems that the investigation has been reopened.
Commons was a 35-year-old high school biology teacher. An investigation revealed pictures of the victims on his computer. However, to this day, Common maintains his innocence and claims he was a scapegoat for the real killer. With the body count adding up, was Commons telling the truth? Is the real Skinner still out there in the shadows, emerging to continue his murder spree, or does Commons have a super fan imitating his art to gain notoriety? One thing is for sure, something sinister is going on, and we doubt this will be the last body found.
Police psychological profilers believe that the killer is likely a white male in his 30s or 40s with a history of violence, cruelty to animals, and dysfunction in personal relationships. The killer is potentially unemployed or works a low-skilled job that allows time to stalk his victims. Authorities are investigating all leads and are asking for anyone with information to come forward. The Harborville community has been left shaken by these depraved acts of violence, and the victim’s grieving loved ones are desperate for answers.
Authorities are taking this care seriously and are doing everything they can to find the perpetrator. Everyone is urged to remain vigilant and to stay safe. If you have any information, please contact the appropriate authorities or the FBI tip line. For now, the killer remains at large, continuing to evade law enforcement and strike fear across the community. As more victims are discovered, police and residents wonder—who will be next, and will authorities ever be able to stop this depraved and vicious serial killer before another life is lost?
TWO
AVA
Ifrequently chose to take the longer, more scenic route home, and today was no different. While most of the roads near Harborview were considered picturesque, I prefer living my life away from the downtown hustle and bustle.
The grey clouds, the scent of damp earth, and the rumble of thunder all brought a profound sense of tranquility to my inner being. I take a couple of deep breaths, consciously focusing on inhaling and exhaling as I drive, trying to soothe my frayed nerves.
Having resided in this coastal town for nearly a decade, it has become a true sanctuary for me, a place I find solace in, away from the rest of the world and the reminders of the horrors I endured so many years ago. Harborview had become a place where the shadows of the past couldn’t reach me, where darkness could not pursue.
Or so I believed.
Ten years ago, I started over on the other side of the country, far from the Massachusetts town I had grown up in.
Far from the torture chamber I was kept prisoner in.
I had put as much distance between myself andhimas possible.
The peaceful illusion I cling to, the belief that I was safe from the darkness, now a part of me, was being chipped away piece by piece, gnawing at my very core.
I glance at the newspaper scattered haphazardly on the passenger seat alongside the brown paper bag of groceries and realize that I will never be safe.
The photograph printed next to the article about Cindy Downs stares up at me with accusing eyes. Her expression is gentle and innocent, her smile carefree. She had no idea that, in that very image, she would be murdered in a brutal, unforgiving way. Her aspirations and dreams of becoming a prominent reporter in the big city were yet to be shattered.
I remember her from watching the local news. She was a beloved reporter in our town, and no one had a single negative word to say about her. She was studying journalism at the local community college, and her life was cut short.
Because of me, she is dead.
