Page 19 of The Madness Within

"Welcome back, freaks and ghouls. You’re tuned in toDead Wrong, the podcast where death isn’t the end, it’s just the start of the story."

Cue intro music, low, industrial, eerie.

"Tonight, we’re digging into the murders no one wants to talk about. The ones that don’tfit. The ones that leave cops scratching their heads and families pretending justice was served."

I glanced at my board, photos of crime scenes, victim names, trial transcripts pinned like evidence.

"I call them The Scales. Several victims. All either acquitted or had their case dismissed in court. All mutilated beyond recognition shortly after walking free. And not just killed,displayed. Symbolic. Intentional."

I adjusted the mic, leaning in.

"Someone’s out there balancing the books… in blood." I pressed a button. Phone line opened. "First caller, you’re live onDead Wrong. Talk to me."

Caller #1 (Male, shaky voice)

“Uh… yeah. Okay. I used to work for Malcolm Deen. You know, the Newark butcher guy? Dude was slime. Real sick fuck. But here’s the thing, I saw him after the trial, like, right before he vanished. Said something weird. Said he felt like someone was following him. A tall man in black. Never saw his face. But he said the guy smelled like… burnt metal?”

I began to write fast, scribbling what he had to say. "Burnt metal… interesting. You didn’t think to call the cops?"

“Wouldyoucall the cops after they let Deen go free?”

Fair point.

Caller #2 (Woman, sharp)

“I think it’s a cult. Look at the body poses. The way they’re found. This is some vigilante religious shit, like death worship. Maybe even Satanic.”

She had a point, but so do I. "Possibly. But whoever’s doing this isn’t sloppy. They’re surgical. Precise. Either ex-military, or… something else."

“Or somethingnothuman.”

A chill licked down my spine. I smirked, because, "You sound like my kind of crazy."

Caller #3 (Deep voice, distorted)

“What if you’re next, Miss Carr?”

The line cut.

I ripped off my headphones, pulse hammering.

I checked the phone logs. No number.My eyes darted to the window. Nothing but black rain and shadows.

I breathed.

I steadied myself, fingers trembling as I reached for the headphones. With a slow breath, I slipped them back over my ears, sealing myself inside the storm.

My voice was low when I said, "There’s something here. A pattern. A plan. And someone who thinks they’re above the law."

I pinned a new note to the center of the board: ‘The Executioner?’

I drew a red circle around the names. Left space for more. Because I knew this wouldn’t stop. Not until someonemadethem.

Leaning into the mic, I whispered the final words of tonight’s episode. "Justice is blind… but someone out there is wide awake. And I intend to find them before they find me."

Click.

Chapter Five

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