I sat in front of the judge, crying as I explained what had happened that fateful night which felt like so long ago. 

“All of my friends except for one, Timothy, my boyfriend, had disappeared or were murdered. It was horrific. We were all just partying down on the beach shore, drinking some good beer and having one heck of a time, when we saw a man clad in black, only the glint of his ice-blue eyes showing. He didn’t do or say anything to us at first, just . . . stared. It was uncanny how long he went without blinking. 

“But after we all fell asleep later on, I woke up and noticed my friend missing. I called out for her. Nothing. We searched for almost an hour before we found her body. John, one of the dudes with us, ran to get his phone, only to find it stabbed with what was likely a knife. He was the next to die. The man did it in front of us this time, still not saying a word as he slit John’s throat and impaled him.”

I paused for a moment to catch my breath and prevent myself from crying even harder.

“My boyfriend, Karla, and I ran and ran as fast as we could, but Karla tripped on a large shell and fell on her face, busting her nose. Timothy and I tried to get her back on her feet before the man caught up but with no luck. She was too drunk. Her head was fully cut off before she even had a chance to scream.”

I sobbed harder this time, gaining a look of pity from the judge. This was likely one of the worst cases he had ever taken on. Only two teen survivors out of a group of twelve.

“I don’t know how long we ran before realising the man was no longer chasing us, but then we decided to double back and go back to the campsite. We found Nick, Tracy, Josh, and Katie all tied up together, dead. Their eyes were gouged out and all four were gagged. I . . . I don’t think I can go on.”

I quieted my sobs and inhaled deeply before trying again to continue.

“The rest, we don’t know where the rest went, or even if they’re still alive. We never heard a single scream that night. Maybe they’re just hiding, or ran away, or-”

“Ms Jones, I think I’ve heard enough. We will begin deliberation now.” It was hard to hold in a smile.

That day, Timothy and I were let go and declared not guilty. But we know the truth. We killed ten people that night. I’m honestly quite surprised they haven’t found the others. But if they haven’t yet discovered our true identities yet . . . I’m sure they won’t discover the other crimes. After all, those ten kids only added to our kill count. We’re so close to 100 victims, and I can’t wait to finally reach that goal.