“The police are still looking for the missing boys.” Two pictures of the missing boys appeared on the screen next to each other and their names appeared under the respective pictures. The reported continued talking. “Joshua Brown and Nicholas Goodman have been missing since Sunday afternoon of last week. Their parents had wanted to report their disappearance the night they didn’t return from school, but were forced to wait for 24 hours for the police to take on the search.”

The screen flashed and changed to live footage of the reporter once again, “Both boys went missing around the same time on Sunday afternoon and no trace has been found yet, although the police are still searching for any clues they can find.” A picture of the local high school showed up on the screen.“Both boys were 17 years old, seniors in the local high school, Edgewick High School, and they were both involved in the school’s sport teams. The police released an announcement asking all citizens to contact them if you know anything about Joshua’s or Nicholas’ whereabouts or have information about their disappearance. All help is appreciated.”

Lucas turned off the TV and sighted. He hadn’t known Joshua or Nicholas well but he had seen them around school and practicing with their respective teams. He wasn’t scared; he just wanted the police to find them so the town would calm down. No one would shut up about their disappearance, and hysteria was starting to spread across town. Mothers kept their children from walking alone anywhere, and curfews had been tightened so much it was nearly impossible for Lucas to hang out with any of his friends. It was starting to piss him off, he was an extrovert after all, and need a certain amount of time socializing to be mentally stable.

After the disappearance, theories began to be surface. Some thought that the pair just ran away together to a better life in a big city, like New York, or Los Angeles, but their parents refused to believe that their babies would leave them behind without notice. “Not Joshua, he wouldn’t run away, he had a good life with friends and a loving family. He was pending for a basketball scholarship for God’s sake!” Joshua’s mother refused to believe anything that involved faulting Joshua for his own disappearance. Nicholas’ father was all too drunk to be able to speak to the press. He could barely keep himself sober enough to go out and buy groceries like his son used to do for him much less show his face to the public.

The typical conspiracy theories had also surfaced; some believed that the government was just trying to suppress the population and the boys had been kidnapped by the secret service. They believed that they were being held captive and would be used as bargaining chips to finally take over the country as a dictatorship.

Lucas thought those people were idiots. Really? A dictatorship?

Kidnapping and murder was less talked about, probably because it was such a taboo topic.In Lucas’ small town everyone knew everyone, which meant if Joshua and Nicholas had been kidnapped or murdered it would have to be one of the people who lived in town. No one else ever came to town; the gloomy sky and grey old buildings weren’t exactly the best tourist attraction. Needless to say, tourism wasn’t the town’s number one industry.

After a month of the police looking for the boys, the town had grown bored of the topic and continued its everyday routine. Typical days were boring, and so were routines, Lucas thought.

Luckily for Lucas one day the police finally found something that shocked everyone in town and revived the panic and hysteria.

“Before reporting on the recent events of the disappearances of Joshua Brown and Nicholas Goodman it is advised that viewers are sensitive to gruesome images and children leave the room.” The reporter stopped for some seconds as if waiting for the children and the sensitive to leave the room.

She continued “ The police found the bodies of the two boys who had gone missing a month ago. The unexpected discovery took place during a search in an abandoned factory where the police was looking for traces of radiation and biochemical hazardous substances. The bodies of the Joshua Brown and Nicholas Goodman...” The reported stopped for a second and swallowed, then continued talking to the camera. “Were found dismembered in various ways. The police report states that Joshua’s ribcage had been forced open and his organs spilled down from his body. His small intestine was tied around his neck and to the ceiling, leaving him hanging.” As the reported continued her usual pinkish color left her face and left behind paleness. Lucas thought that her paleness made her look like she was wearing a mask, or maybe like she was porcelain doll. “Nichola’s body was found mutilated on the floor under Joshua. His limbs have been mutilated but his face was left untouched. Although the cause of death seems to be blood loss at first sight, an autopsy will still be performed in order to look for any clues that might lead the police to the killer and to further understand the nature of the crime.”

That made Lucas mad. The police wasted their time looking through the bodies when there was clearly nothing to look for. In fact there were barely any bodies at all. The police should be directly looking for the killer, not aimlessly searching the bodies in hope to find some kind of clue.
After they found the bodies school was cancelled for a couple of days. When school was finally scheduled again half of the day was composed of psychologist talking about mental stability and how they would do anything to help if any kind of crisis happened, how the students could talk to them about Joshua and Nicholas and not have to carry the burden of their passed classmates by themselves. The other half of the school day was half assed lessons from terrified teachers to terrified students. Every few seconds a students would raise their hand and ask a stupid question about the murders.

It’s like they don’t even watch the News. Lucas kept quiet and tried to learn as much as he could from the shitty lessons.

The city became quiet. No one talked, no one looked at each other in the eye, there was no life after dark, not that there was any before the disappearances. Even best friend became suspicious of each other. There was a killer in the loose and everyone was a suspect.
Whispers could sometimes be heard.

Did he do it? Did she do it? Was it the family? Maybe it was them? Maybe they worked together to kill both of them? How about her? She was Joshua’s ex girlfriend right? What about that guy, I heard he had a thing with Nicholas? How about them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them? Or her? Or him? Or them?

Or you?
Did you do it?
Did you do it, Lucas?