A String of Secrets

Prologue

"He's gone."

My heart dropped to my feet once I heard the words, and for a split second, I stopped breathing. Beside me, my roommate, Dana, gasped, and it wasn't too long before the space in our apartment was filled with the sound of her crying.

I stared at the man in front of me, and from the grim expression on his face, I could tell he was completely serious. "The officers called back just a half hour ago," he said, his voice coming out as a broken whisper. "His body was found in the river, and his throat was slashed. Alex is dead." Then, he buried his face in his hands and started crying as well.

Right when I felt my throat clog up, I swallowed hard, trying to remain strong because I know that's exactly what Alex would want me to do. I pulled Andrew, Alex's younger brother into a hug and allowed him to cry as much as he needed to. I couldn't imagine the pain of losing a sibling.

His throat was slashed.

I had no doubt that this was the work of the infamous masked killer. It starts with the victim going missing for at least a week. Then, if the killer decides to let the world know that they took another life, they'll put the victim's body where someone can find it. According to reports on the internet, six people were found with their throats slashed.

Seven, now including Alex Starr. One of my best friends.

Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I held onto Andrew tighter, shaking slightly as I looked towards my laptop. The screen was lit with a fresh, blank document, waiting to be filled with writing. Though Andrew and Dana were crying, I could hear my heart pound with rage.

This has to stop.