Page 8 of Insatiable Hunger

Cain remained silent, staring into the fire, as Alaska shrugged, unsure of what to say. We all stared blankly at each other for a moment before Jinx motioned to Ruby, begging her to start.

“Fine,” Ruby huffed, breaking the silence. “Since no one else wants to, I’ll go.” She adjusted her posture on the couch. She pressed her lips together, her whole attitude changing as she smiled, her legs crossed as she leaned forward. “Have youguys ever heard of the Ripper?” We all nodded, the tale of the infamous foreign killer known to almost everyone. “Well, you know how the Ripper was never caught?”

“Wait, I thought he was caught?” I asked. “And wasn’t he crazy? I always heard he was crazy, that he heard voices or something. I also heard from my great uncle that he was a doctor or something. Is that true?” Alaska shrugged.

“Who said the Ripper was a man?” Ruby snapped. I threw my hands up in defense. “There are many speculations about the Ripper of Bedeville, most of which are not true.Shewas not a man, but a woman. And no, she was not a doctor. That’s just some theory made up by a bunch of men trying to make sense of reality.” She rolled her eyes. “But to answer your question, yes. Technically the Ripper was caught.”

I snapped my fingers. “Knew it.”

“She was caught,” she raised her voice once more, “and forced into an asylum by one of the town’s detectives. The town wanted to burn her for her crimes, but not him. You see, it’s said she killed the man’s lover in the brothel she worked at. Slit her throat and watched her as she died. Of course, he didn’t want her to die. He wanted the Ripper to suffer, same as him. So, instead of giving the people what they wanted, he hid her away in an asylum, condemning her to endless torture that was meant to cure her insanity. But,” she grinned, “what the detective didn’t realize is that the endless suffering she endured didn’t heal her. No. It amplified her chaos. Overtime, she learned how to fake her recovery, using it to her advantage until, one day, she was able to escape. People say she broke free from the asylum with the help of a masked man, but no evidence of such has ever been found. The Ripper regained her power and slipped away into the night, said to haunt the worlds with her dark magic—”

“Bullshit!” Cain spat, standing from the fireplace. “You really think the infamous Ripper, one of the most notorious serialkillers known to ever exist, was a woman? Not just a woman, but a witch, just like you?” he mocked. “Come on, Ruby, I get you’re trying to tell a ghost story, but at least share something a little bit more believable.” He stepped to Alaska, wrapping his arm across her shoulders, tugging at her neck as he continued to taunt Ruby. “You should stick to ghost hunting and fucking your girlfriend, because telling scary ghost stories obviously isn’t your niche.”What the fuck?

Ruby’s eyes burned as she caved into herself, Jinx now holding her close, as if Cain’s words had harmed them both. His sinister smile branched high across his face, seemingly to be enjoying the obvious pain he had inflicted.

Alastair’s ears had fallen back, displeased with the energy shift in the room. Alaska placed her hand on Cain’s chest in a frail attempt to reel him back in, but he was consuming every minute of his torture. “Cain,” she whispered, “leave her be. She—”

Cain whipped his head at Alaska, his smile now flat. “Seriously?” he snapped. Alastair growled a warning, now standing close to Alaska. Cain noted the aggression, reluctantly throttling his temper back. “You guys are all so fucking sensitive.” Alaska’s face was like an open book, the fear written along her skin clear as day. The discomfort we all felt upset me, but seeing her fearful, flinching as Cain moved bothered me most. I had to do something.

“Well, fuck, man.” All eyes shot to me as Cain silenced. “If you think you can do better,” I crossed my arms, “why don’tyoutell us something?” It was my turn to taunt him now. “Come on Cain, tell me a scary story.” He studied me for a moment, glancing at the group, thrown by being put on the spot. I enjoyed seeing him squirm.

“Fine,” he looked back at me, “but I’m getting a beer first.” He yanked his arm from Alaska as she froze, waiting for him toexit the room as Cain swung the front door open, heading for his car. The energy immediately dropped in his absence, everyone exhaling as he left.

“Ruby, I—”

“It’s okay, Alaska,” Ruby rubbed her eyes refusing to show any sign of weakness, “we all know what an ass Cain can be.” She nodded to Alaska, who shook her head.

Jinx looked in my direction, moving her hands. “Thank you.”

I nodded, silently speaking back to her.“Not a problem.”

“Let’s just let him tell his story and get it out of his system,” I said to the three women. “Then, we should probably call it a night.” They all nodded in agreement.

Footsteps outside grew louder as Cain whipped opened the front door. He had a small cooler in one hand and an opened beer bottle in the other. His entire demeanor had changed, his usual cocky smile returned to his face. “Alright, now, who wants to hear arealscary story?”

“Tell us.” I sat in the old recliner adjacent to the couch. “Give me chills, Cain,” I teased. Alaska joined Ruby and Jinx as Alastair laid at her feet. Cain, his eyes glaring at me, sat on the dusty stone step of the fireplace, his back to the flames.

“Have any of you ever heard of the Hemlock killings?” Darkness befell Cain as he smiled, his hair concealing half of his face in menacing shadows. The rest of the group silently shook their heads. “Well,” he inhaled, “I’m about to share arealscary story. One that is not only sickening, but true. This is the story of John Crow.”

Chapter

Eight

THE DEATH OF JOHN CROW

“John Crow,” the elder Puritan leader proclaimed my name as the members of the small settlement huddled nearby, observing the spectacle of ‘my trial’. “You have been found guilty of committing the most unholy of sins and breaking one of our most sacred commandments: you have perpetrated many gruesome murders, crimes which span from the coast to the doors of our humble homes. You have tainted our lands with your poison, plaguing this town, robbing many of their innocent souls.”Innocent? Oh, what a debate that was.

A larger gentleman locked the thick iron chains that wrapped around my body like a constricted metal snake, preventing me from moving. Two men held me in place as more appeared through the on looking crowd, carrying with them a large coffin. They placed the wooden box at my feet, kicking the lid aside. My eyes examined the feeble enclosure, knowing my fate.

“Against my better judgement, you have been granted one final opportunity to speak, the last frail attempts to save your humanity before your well-deserved execution. I suggest you take this time to rebuke your wicked ways, and beg for peace upon your wretched soul.” He paused.Oh what dramatics.“What say you, John Crow?” The Puritan held a burning torch in one hand and a bible in the other, which he clasped close to his chest as if I was some demonic being. Truthfully, their logic wasn’t too far-fetched.

I cleared my throat, glaring intently at the Puritan man. “The only regret I have as I face my end,” my head tilted as a devilish grin grew, snaking along my face, “is that I was unable to fully satisfy the vile and unbearable hunger burdened within. So many lives I could’ve claimed, adding to my impressive repertoire of death. Lives such as yours, dear sir.” The gentleman’s face drained of color as I laughed into the night, thunder booming in the distance. “Ah,” I sighed. “Perhaps I’ll have yet another chance in the afterlife. One can only hope.”

“Witch!” the Puritan shouted. The crowd began to chant alongside him, calling me a witch, a devil, a demon, all their biblical, humane references for evil. He nodded at the group of men who surrounded me. They acknowledged his command, grunting as they pushed my body roughly into the coffin. He approached my side, peering down at me with content filled eyes. “Let’s see your devil magic save you now,” he spat, his warm, bubbling saliva hitting my cheek. My hands burned in rage, constricted by the metal as a deeply seeded hunger growled in my stomach.

My vision became obscured as they slid the thick wooden lid across the coffin, nailing it in place, immersing myself with the shadows. Once firmly secured, the men raised the box and carried me a distance.

The sounds of the angered crowd that seemed to follow faded into that of running water, the intensity growing with each step the men took. As I listened to the calming sounds, I realized my death would not be as I had expected and began to prepare myself for what was about to occur.

---