The Serial Killer Survivor Club

Chapter 8

Jamie sat in his car in the parking lot of the community center. He gripped the flyer Dr. Karmine gave him in his hands. He wondered what kind of people were in the group. What have they been through? He won't lie; he was kind of curious. Jamie placed the flyer in his pocket and walked towards the entrance. Hardly anyone was there, which wasn't surprising. The center was only used for events and showcases on the weekends. 

He opened the door to the gym area and saw three other people waiting. They all turned to him. "Uh, I'm here for the support group?" He said.

"Ah, Mr. Oliver. Welcome," Dr. Karmine said with a smile. "I'm glad you could make it." She gestured to the long table with food on it. "Please help yourself. We're waiting for two others; then we'll begin."

Jamie nodded and headed over to the food table. Small sandwiches and water bottles littered the table. He was about to pick up a sandwich when he turned to see a girl that looked his age staring at him. "Um, hi?"

She had long black hair with dark green eyes. She looked goth, but he didn't want to assume. However, the black and white shirt and black skirt didn't help. She smiled at him and took the sandwich he was going to take. "That's actually mine. We have our names on the bottom. See?" She turned it over, and Sarah's name was written on the bottom.

Jamie felt his face turn red. "Oh, my bad."

Sarah giggled. "Don't sweat it. You have good taste. Ham with swiss is my favorite." She winked at him and walked back over to her seat. Jamie checked the bottom of each one until he saw one that didn't have a name on it and headed to an open seat. 

The guy Jamie was sitting beside kept side-eyeing him to the point Jamie was starting to get annoyed. "So, what happened to you?" Jamie noticed the guy smirked when he asked.

"Noah, leave him alone," Sarah said, wiping her mouth. "He doesn't have to share yet."

Noah shrugged, "Just curious."

Dr. Karmine clapped her hands together and stepped into the circle of chairs. "Hello, everyone. It looks like Violet and Jason will be arriving a little late, so we'll get started. I want to congratulate you all for attending the fourth week of this program. I'd also like to welcome our newest group member. Please, Jamie, introduce yourself."

"Uh, I'm Jamie Oliver. I thought this would be worth a shot?"

Noah burst out laughing. "At least you're honest. I like that. I thought the same way when I came here. I'll admit, it has been helpful."

"Thank you, Mr. Carr. I'm glad to see you've been gaining something from this experience. Why don't you introduce yourself next?"

Noah stood up and did a fake bow. "I'm Noah Carr. Two years ago, I was held hostage by my mother because she wanted me to be, and I quote "pure," whatever that means. She had a bad habit of killing anyone that got close to me. Luckily, I was able to leave before anyone else got hurt. Sorry, that might've been too much sharing."

Jamie was surprised he was so open about it. 

Sarah stood next. "I'm Sarah Hawthrone. My situation is similar to Noah's. As you can see, my appearance might seem unfavorable to many people. One couple in particular thought so and kidnapped the goth kids in my neighborhood and said they would "send us to god" to fix us. One by one, the others were murdered because they said we were demons. I only got out because of their son. He took pity on me and let me go. By the time the police got there, they were gone." She wiped a tear away and sat back down.

"Thank you both for sharing. I know it was hard, but this is the first step. Coming to grips on what happened. Both of you are showing tremendous progress," Dr. Karmine said.

Jamie leaned forward. Gathering the strength to speak. "A year ago, I was taken by my neighbor and almost had my face carved off." He pointed to his scar. "It was close, but I got out, and he got the death penalty."

Dr. Karmine's face lit up. "Jamie, this is amazing! I'm so proud of you!"

"Damn, dude. That sounds horrible," Noah said. "What did that feel like?"

He wanted to share the details, but he wasn't there yet. He shook his head, and Noah got the message. 

"No sweat. You don't have to tell us. Glad that fucker got what he deserved," Noah said. "Oh, and if you want, you can curse here. Dr. K doesn't mind."

"Sure, this is a free space. If everyone is okay with it, then I don't mind. Say what you like or don't. This program is for you guys."

Suddenly, Sarah gasped. "I knew I recognized your name! Didn't something happen last night? They didn't say your full name, but some people online put the pieces together. The face thing sounded familiar. That was messed up."

"I knew someone would bring it up. Yeah, I wasn't expecting it. Even if I was, I think it would've gone the same way," Jamie said, not even trying to hide his fear. 

"I didn't want to bring it up, but I heard about that too. I'm truly sorry about what happened. TO think someone would do such a thing." Dr. Karmine shook her head. "I can only imagine how you felt and are still feeling."

"To tell the truth, terrified. The first thing I thought was he was still out there. He found where I lived and sent me that as a reminder. A way of saying he was still after me." 

"Did they know whose face it was?" Noah asked.

"No, not yet."

Noah shivered as a chill ran through him. "Talk about disgusting. The hell's wrong with people?"

"Seriously," Sarah said. "We're all examples of fucked up situations and the people that made them. I'm glad you're here, Jamie."

Jamie felt a smirk growing on his face. "Thanks. I'm glad you guys are here too." Even though he meant it differently, he was glad he wasn't the only one who escaped hell by the skin of their teeth.