Disadvantaged

DAILY NEWS:

Hello everyone, I am Hellen Carter of today's daily news and I'm here to report that more than ten disabled people ranging from the ages of nineteen to thirty have gone missing this past month alone. The latest victim is a twenty-one-year-old by the name of Mark Jenkins, his parents had reported him missing last week and last night his body was found dismantled and discarded inside a black bag in the streets dumpster.

Mark had become deaf after suffering from pneumonia at the age of twelve, but aside from that connection, it is now known that Mark along with three other victims all attended Ken's community college for the disabled. Is this an inside job or just a place our culprit has made a target for easy victims? Are the cops that incompetent to find any leads or is the culprit that good.

Take care of your family, friends, loved ones and stay safe.

“You had to bring in the cops' incompetence, didn’t you?” the director asks dryly as the cameras shut down.

Hellen shrugs as she sips from her cup of coffee, “Maybe it’ll get their asses to work, how much more unfortunate victims do we have to see?”

The director sighed as he walked out leaving her to her thoughts.

“Rose! Where are you going?!”

Rose halts her steps as she turns to her frantic mother.

“To the market.” She signs.

“Wait here, let me grab my purse and we’ll go together.”

Rose sighs grabbing her mother’s arm.

“I’ll be fine. The market is across the street and everyone knows me. You need to stop worrying.”

“I can’t stop worrying when a crazy killer is targeting defenseless kids like you.”

Rose frowned as she angrily signed, “I’m not defenseless nor a kid.”

“Rose that’s not what I meant—-“

She didn’t bother listening to the rest of her mother’s words as she crossed the street.

She walked mindlessly as her head was filled with angry thoughts. It wasn’t her fault that she was born missing a gift everyone else had. It wasn’t her fault that some sick creep was targeting unfortunate people just like her. None of them asked to be born with disadvantages none of them knew someone like that killer would take their life for something they had no choice over. So why? Why did they have to suffer? Why did they have to carry the cruelty of the world on their shoulders?

She sighed as she shook her head running her hands through her hair and continuing her journey to their neighborhood supermarket.

*

“Rose! Hey.”

Rose looked up, her face turning a light shade of pink when she made eye contact with Jeremy Will. The hot dude working the market entries. Everyone loved him and he seemed to love everyone

She shyly waved walking up to him.

“Where’s aunt Maria?”

Rose signaled for him to wait as she took out a small notepad and pencil from her purse.

“Home.”

“Ah. Well if you need anything I’m right here.”

Rose smiled nodding and heading inside.

She hummed as she looked through the aisles for the pack of always pads and a bag of chocolate as pain relievers and other snacks.

“HELLO ARE YOU DEAF OR SOMETHING!”

Rose turned around watching as an elderly woman yelling at a girl who had her back turned.

Rose walked closer bypassing the angry woman who kept her strings of insults on.

Rose gently tapped the girl's shoulders making her turn right away.

“You’re blocking that woman’s way.” She signed

The girl's eyes widen in realization turning and seeing passer-by looking at her and the woman shooting her glares.

She stepped back signing an apology and pointing to her ears.

Rose sighs as she takes out her notepad writing a note to the woman.

“Everyone’s staring, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

The woman scoffed, “why should I be ashamed? If you can’t be aware of your surroundings have someone who will instead of being nausea to us!”

She walked away not giving them another glance.

“I’m sorry.” The girl signs again.

“You didn’t do anything to apologize for, she’s just a disgusting person.” Rose signs back.

The girl smiles softly thanking her before they part ways

Rose ignored her phone as she felt it vibrate in the back pocket of her jeans. She took a deep breath as she swung the bags back and forth.

She knew that the caller was her mother wanting to nag at her to come home but she didn’t care. She usually wasn’t the type to disobey or ignore her parent's order but she just wanted to walk around and freely see her surroundings without the fear of a psychopath wanting to kill her or the eyes of her mother as if she was going to disappear into thin air.

She might be mute but she wasn’t defenseless or useless. No criminal is going to come after her just because she can’t talk, how would they even know that she has a disability. The cops just don’t know how to do their jobs and the reporters don’t know what they are saying.

CLANK!

Rose froze in her step before she turned around at the sudden noise.

CLANK!

She frowned as she realized the sound coming was coming from behind a moving truck.

She walked over to see what was happening and if they needed help.

Her eyes widen as she sees a man inside the truck repeatedly bashing someone’s head against a metal stand. The bags fall from her hands as she turns to run, she barely manages to come to the end of the street when the back of her shirt is grabbed.

“Oh lookie! Two prizes in one night.” The man spoke gruffly, a dry chuckle leaving him.

“You walked up to the sound so your ears are fine and ran away so your eyes are working. Hmmm, why don’t you let me hear that voice of yours?”

Rose thrashed around violently only to get a mocking laugh out of her as he easily picks her up and dumps her inside the truck.

She watches in fear as he takes his attention from her and returns it to the person lying in a pool of blood.

“Watch closely sweetheart. You might be next.”

He smirks as he takes a cold chisel and hammer and starts breaking the person's limbs Rose cowered back in fear as she watches the person wither every time the hammer hits the cold chisel against their limbs.

The man gives a psychotic grin as he looks Rose in the eye and positions the chisel onto the person's forehead, slamming the hammer down causing blood to splatter everywhere.

Rose is frozen, she knows she should try to run, cause a commotion, anything to get away but her body wasn’t cooperating with her mind.

All she could do was watch as he puts the tools down and dumps the body to the side of the road before closing the truck making the darkness engulf her.

The truck starts moving the bumping of the road making her senses go haywire.

She gulped trying to make her mind and fear quiet down. She needed to think and right now her mind nor her body was doing her any good.

A tap on her shoulder made her jump. She gasped for breath as she landed in the pool of blood feeling her shirt get soaked in it.

It was the girl from the store, how did she not notice her presence? Was that what made them easy? They could be standing right next to you yet stay invisible?

“What are we going to do?” She signs frantically

Rose looks at her, lost not knowing what to reply with.

“We can’t stay here. He’ll kill us like the rest, like that poor guy.”

Rose blinks, she felt tired, she felt as if her limbs were glued down by the blood.

The girl stared back waiting for a response.

The truck comes into a halt causing the girls to collide.

Rose internally groans from the impact as she moves her head her eyes catching the bloodied chisel and hammer on the side.

She turns her body looking back at the locked doors.

Hope fills her as she turns towards the girl shoving her out the way and grabbing it.

The girl reached out stopping her from slamming the tool against the door.

“What if he hears?”

Rose frowns the truck started moving again she smiles.

“He’s driving, he can’t stop in the middle of the road.” She sloppily signs back

“Look for any other tool or weapon and help me.”

She turns towards the closed doors gulping as she closes her eyes and thinks of the way he had positioned it while breaking the person's limbs.

She opens her eyes and starts hammering at the door, the girl soon joining her another hammer only difference is that it’s used for construction.

Rose looks at it before shaking her head trying to block any images or usage he might have done with it going back to work in hand.

Her hammering becomes more frantic when the truck comes to a halt, hearing a door open and slam shut.

She turns to the girl dropping the tools signing quickly.

“He’s coming. Hold your weapon and swing.”

rose took a deep breath as she held the hammer above her head ready to attack, both girls swing messily at the same time causing him to curse under his breath as he staggers back his arm bleeding.

rose takes this as her chance to get down from the truck only to be yanked back by her hair

"you're really pissing me off.' he said darkly as he threw her back in.

he jumps in with them grabbing a nearby rope and tying her hands together.

He turns to the other girl who know clutches the hammer to her chest.

The man smirked seeing how fear was radiating off of her.

He leans over, bringing the back of his hand caressing her cheeks.

“You're a good one huh?” he says with a chuckle as she tried to back away from him.

Rose watches in anger and baffles at the girl

“YOU HAVE THE HAMMER WHY DON’T YOU SWING IT?! She thought to herself

He took the hammer away a satisfied smile plastered on his face.

The girl cowers to a ball her body visibly shaking, tears falling down her face.

“Is everything alright?”

The three freeze as a male’s voices ring through.

“Ah yes, everything is fine, old furniture just being a pain in the ass.”

“Would you like help?” the voice rang out again, footsteps echoing as they walked closer.

“Thank you but I just finished.” he said slamming the door shut and turning toward the elderly male that now stood beside him, staring him up and down.

“What happened to your arm?” he questions looking at it horrified with how much blood had trickled down his arm.

He looks at him then down at his arm feigning shock.

“I haven’t even noticed! Must be those damn wooden chairs!”`

“You need to go to the hospital and get it stitched up.” the man says inspecting it and shaking his head.

“That's one nasty cut.”

He chuckles as he nods.

“I’ll go now.”

Rose was losing her mind trying to cause any ruckus in the car to grab the man’s attention. She looks up at the girl who had folded her self into a ball and started crying.

Useless useless useless useless useless useless….

She kept chanting in her head wishing she had the ability to say it to the girl’s face to face.

All her hopes deflate as she hears the truck starting again.

She doesn’t know how long they’ve driven or how far they have gone from home. She was terrified and angry. Terrified of what was waiting for her and angry at both herself for being so careless and not listening to her mother and also at the girl for providing no help.

Suddenly she feels vibrations from her cell, her eyes widen and her heartbeat spikes up.

Her cell phone. Of course, he didn't take it. How could she be so stupid? Her chest heaves with deep breaths as she wiggles her way towards the shaken up girl and nudges her.

The girl slowly looks up, her face stained with tears as she signs

“Sorry. I’m just so scared.”

Rose gulps, guilt building inside of her for being angry at her.

She quickly shakes her head trying her best to communicate with her hands tied to her feet.

The girl turns her head sideways trying to understand her signals

“Phone…...pocket”

Rose nods eagerly as she turns around letting her take it out.

The girl wipes her eyes as she looks at the phone a smile at her face, at the same time the truck stops.

“Sorry. Should’ve kept it to yourself.” she spoke making Rose's eyes widen.

She turns the phone towards her showing her all the missed calls and texts from her mother that she had ignored. She watched as she shut down the phone, sliding it into her own pockets.

“I’m Stacy Andrew, welcome to our home.”

Rose frantically shakes her head as she scrambles to get away, Stacy laughing hysterically when the trucks door open.