Inside The Mind Of A Killer

Chapter 1: Welcome To Bone Dry, Arizona- The Most Uneventful Place On Earth

My name is Caleb Marsh and I don’t exactly live the most exciting life.

I live in the most unknown and technically nonexistent town of Bone Dry, Arizona, which is a couple of hours away from Tucson in Pima County. There’s not a whole lot to do here. I mean, we have a few things like a roller rink, a small-scale mall, and some pretty neat, family-owned fast food joints, but it’s still not enough to be considered “exciting”.

It gets really hot around here as well, considering that I quite literally live in a desert. Just like most towns and cities in Arizona, the weather can get up to over one hundred degrees, which is most definitely undesirable. I prefer to stay indoors all summer, but there are days when my mom will ask me to go run some errands for her or go drop my brother Brandon off somewhere.

Living in Arizona isn’t all that bad, if you ask me. Occasionally, it’ll give you something to appreciate, such as air conditioning. Most places will take it for granted, but people who live in Arizona grow to love it. It’s the best part of anybody’s day, if I’m being honest.

As I lounge on the muted navy blue sofa, I carelessly surf through our endless cable networks, hoping to find something interesting. It’s almost noon on a Saturday morning, and I’m bored and soaking in the refreshing air conditioning that switches back and forth from either blasting or gently passing by my face.

So far, every channel I go to doesn’t interest me at all. Sometimes I wish my parents would pay for streaming like everyone else I knew, but a part of me knew I couldn’t change their minds. They’ve always preferred cable.

Somehow, I find my way to one of the various News channels, and I decide to linger on it for a little while longer. Maybe the newscasters will have something interesting to say.

I see a woman with long, blonde hair sitting at the large table included with the rest of the setup. She fixes her papers and quickly tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear before speaking.

“Just two nights ago, seventeen-year-old Maddox Henderson was brutally murdered in Downtown Tucson,” the newswoman says. It piques my interest.

“Maddox was last seen at the local Italian joint Oregano’s, where he went out to eat dinner with his friends. After eating, Maddox was separated from his friends and hadn’t been seen again until the following morning. However, he was found with several stab wounds scattered around his body, mainly placed along his chest and stomach with others along his arms and legs. While the Tucson Police are still investigating, many locals claim that they have an idea of who the culprit may be.”

I keep all eyes on the blonde woman as I internally pry the information right out of her. I want to know more.

“They believe the one responsible for Maddox Henderson’s death is none other than the well-known serial killer of Arizona: The Reaper. For the viewers who may be unaware of The Reaper, he is a traveling man known for killing several of Arizona’s citizens without any clear motive or pattern. While The Reaper’s identity is still a mystery to the public, witnesses have seen vague, physical details about him. As a general warning, if you see–”

The tv is shut off before I can get a good physical description of The Reaper. Startled by this sudden change in scenery, I tilt my head up and see Brandon standing over me from behind the sofa, remote in his hand and an agitated look on his face.

“Mom’s been calling you for a while,” Brandon states. “She says your phone’s ringing and it’s annoying her.”

I sigh as I stand up, lighty bonking Brandon on the head with my fist. “Whatever… I’ll get it.”