Vengeance writ in a child’s blood

“Nothing in the cry of cicadas suggests they are about to die.” – Matsuo Bashō

“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” – Confucius (attributed)

Every state has them. They turn up in the news every so often. Nameless people found in pieces. Sometimes dumped in a single container, sometimes spread out over an area. Take a look back further in history and you’ll find they’ve been turning up long before the dawn of the 20th century. 

They are spread out over too wide an area, and over too long a timeframe to be the work of just one lunatic. There are too many of them, and they seem too evenly spread to be the result of random homicidal maniacs. So what are they? 

Who these poor souls were in life may never come to light, but what they’ve become in death is something that can push investigators to their breaking point. 

That Which Hides Among Us

James, who had always seemed so normal, passive even, picked himself up off the floor. The anger in his eyes told Amos that things had gotten out of hand. Before he could apologize, six chitinous legs thrust outward from James’s mouth, bracing themselves against his flesh, and the monstrosity inside his friend forced its way out. 

–Unknown