The list of sinners

...Celia...

There had been an entry in November that I had never encountered in Western Virginia before. A cold wind circulated through the city at a staggering speed, and during the night, it howled as if possessed, leaving us sleepless from the knocks on windows and doors. In the morning, the cold was merciless, piercing through every layer of clothing, trying to freeze the spirit and snatch away the last traces of warmth our homes provided.

Under this winter's rule, the most common shirt hanging in the clothesline resembled the sails of a large ship. The cold fiercely slapped my face regardless of my attempts to hide behind the loose scarf I had raised slightly above my lips. I kept my hands in the pockets of my jacket to protect them from the harshness of the wind, pushing them further inside.

My steps were hastened to reach the university building so I could warm up a bit from the massive air conditioners. I entered the corridor, and the air felt like it retained all that cold outside. I lowered the scarf to the level of my neck and rubbed my hands together to circulate the blood faster. I headed towards the hall to join Tian and Vicky. A complete silence enveloped the corridors of the building. Nothing could be heard. I expected to hear some breaking of objects or footsteps any moment, like in horror movies. When silence reigns, your mind speaks the clearest it ever has, especially in such silence. Without further thought, I entered the respective hall. However, this silence today would be too long, longer than I had anticipated.

"Good morning, colleagues," I said, clapping my hand on my friends' backs.

"God Celia, my phone would fall out of my hands ?" Tian said.

"Anyway, come sit here," Vicky said, patting a chair beside her.

I glanced around the entire hall, but no one was talking about the usual things unrelated to lessons. The voices had quieted, and eyes remained glued to their phones. Tian and Vicky were doing the same.

"U-um, what's going on? Usually, the hall's noise can be heard all the way to the end of the corridor," I said.

"You're right, but we're watching the latest news," Vicky replied.

"What news?" I asked.

"Celia, don't you watch the news? For God's sake."

"I... I have never seen such news in my life."

"What do you mean?" Tian interjected.

"I have never seen news related to murders, Tian, never."

"Why?"

"I don't... I don't know."

In my life, I had no idea what it was like to see journalists informing the public about the murders taking place. Not even my father watched them. I simply accepted it as a fact and never extended it by questioning why.

"W-well, anyway, the news is short and concise," Vicky said.

"We know that the victim is a young girl," Tian added.

"Do you think it's related to Rebecca?" I asked.

"We don't know yet," Vicky replied.

"But I think they are related, but the police will provide more information later for clarity," Tian said, putting her phone away.

Another victim in the city of New Haven. Many questions had arisen lately. So much bloodshed, yet no cause or person found. Who could harm these young girls? What a cursed place this was. Nothing more than reality. Reality is a dangerous dream to believe in.