A Deadly Sorority

The rain splattered against my windshield like a smashed mosquito that I swatted with an open hand. I turned the volume of my radio up, ignoring the sounds of the nerve-rattling rain and the pounding thunder that haunted California today. Suddenly, the intro music to the Crime Ladies Podcast blared through my speakers, and I listened in.

“Good evening, ladies and gents! Welcome to the Crime Ladies Podcast, where we discuss the most heinous murders you’ll ever hear of! I’m your host, Monique, and alongside me is your girl, Lauren. Thanks for tuning in!”

In the middle of the Podcast, a Huggies commercial plays out of my speakers. How strange, a diaper commercial in the middle of a crime podcast? I shrugged.

Beats me!

But, then again, given the title Crime Ladies Podcast, most of their listeners were probably women. And I could imagine a good percentage of them were bored stay-at-home mothers with small pukey children running around in diapers. It’s a good marketing strategy. Who could argue with that?

The podcast was probably their outlet. It was my outlet, too, even though I wasn’t a bored stay-at-home mom but an overworked and broke college student. Now, where’s the commercial for the girl from a demographic like mine? You know, the burnt-out, broke college girl.

I sighed, staring out at the wet-drenched road ahead of me.

I reached down and twisted the black knob of my stereo in my beat-up sedan, turning the volume up higher as the Crime Ladies returned from their commercial break.

“Welcome back! I’m Lauren, and I'm here to talk to you about today’s story. This story will fill you with such disgust and fear and is guaranteed to have chills run up and down your spine. You’ll be checking your closets, behind doors, and underneath your beds. That’s how terrifying this episode will be. You might even have gory nightmares, so here’s a word of caution! Nothing is off-limits. We discuss everything deadly, sadistic, and depraved in great detail. Specifics. We don’t hold back anything. If you can’t handle that, please tune out now! Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!”

Haunting tunes vibrated through the speakers, reminding me of a mash-up between Friday the 13th and Halloween movie sounds, specifically during the parts when the killer was chasing his prey.

Dun dun dun da duh

I tried to focus on the road ahead, but the rain poured harder, beating against my windshield like a madman determined to get his way. And the sky was so dark, it blinded me.

“We’re continuing off from yesterday’s episode about the Crimson Lake Killer.”Monique breathed in an almost hushed tone, “He has a deep, jagged scar on his right cheek, and he escaped police custody. Authorities believe he’s prowling the streets of Irvine, hunting for his next victim. Stay vigilant, ladies and gents.”Monique informed.

I moved my hand beneath the steering wheel, twisting my windshield wipers up to the next level. The blades swiped faster, back and forth against my windshield, splashing and spitting out the rain with each swipe.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared before me in the middle of the road: a man in a black windbreaker and blue jeans. He abruptly jumped right in front of my car. I swiftly moved my foot off the accelerator and slammed it down on the brake. My car swerved as it collided with the man. The force of the blow threw me into my steering wheel, nearly crushing my ribs.

I gasped, and my eyes widened.

I nearly died!

The thought caused my heart to gallop faster than a cheetah, and I felt the blood slowly drain from my face.

“Oh, My God! What have I done?!”

I hurriedly stepped outside of my vehicle. The wind slammed into me, stroking my face, and the heavy rain slapped me with its wet drops.

Grabbing the hood of my jacket, I pulled it over my head and dashed into the street.

I scrambled through the storm like a spider running from the looming sole of a boot.

The relentless downpour obscured my vision as I navigated the dark, gloomy atmosphere.

My legs felt like jello as if they were going to give out any moment while I ran toward the man.

The wind howled as it strolled by my ears. Goosebumps rode down my arms.

The rain continued to pour, creating puddles in the streets and slamming against my back like a barrage of rocks being thrown from the sky.

I spotted the man. He was laid flat out in the middle of the street. I scanned my surroundings, seeing if anybody else was around to help us. But all I saw was a dark, empty elementary school and a block full of single-family homes. The people who lived in those homes were probably fast asleep, given it was 1:15 AM. I normally wasn’t out that late, but I had just left my sorority sister Serena’s house and was on my way home.

The man’s head turned slightly toward me, startling me, and I jumped. Chills ran down my spine. If I were a cat, my fur would be standing on its end right about now.

I peered down but couldn’t see his full face, just his profile. A scruffy brown beard decorated his profile, and a stubbed nose sat above his mouth. His eyebrows were a bushy reddish-brown.

Red drops of blood trickled down the sides of his face and dripped onto the pavement, melting away into the rain.

“Sir?” I called out. The cold penetrated my skin, and I shivered. I reached down for my zipper and tried to pull it up, but the dam zipper was broken, so I pulled the sides of my jacket together.

“Sir?!” I called again, louder. Blinking my eyes as the raindrops fell rapidly onto my face and slid down my eyelashes.

The man groaned.

He’s alive!

“Sir, are you okay?” I leaned closer, examining his face. His right eye was covered with a black patch, just like that of a pirate. His cheek was marked with a deeply embedded scar that didn’t heal properly, so a part of his skin bulged out.

I gasped, and my mouth hung agape in shock. I couldn’t believe it.

It’s him! He’s the killer they talked about on the last episode of the Crime Ladies Podcast.

The man sat up straight, and his hostile gaze met my eyes. A chill ran down my spine as he suddenly let out a burly laugh that sent shivers through my body.

I was frozen with fear, unable to move or speak.

“You’re next!” He smirked.