Autopsy of a Mind

Chapter 96: Opportunity to Speak

Sebastian quietened down the class and turned to the next slide. "All of you must know this case. This has been the biggest serial killing spree in the past decade. The media have obsessively written about it and the killer still receives letters and emails from people, some cursing her, some idolizing her." I knew the person in the picture all too well. 

"Alicia Williams." The classroom waited with bated breath. I didn't react because he had taken my permission to talk about the case when I first joined him. He had taken this example every year since Alicia was caught and my presence wouldn't change his syllabus. 

Also, I wanted to know what others thought. There must be a reason he used this case as an example in this class. 

"Who can tell me about this case?" he asked the class. His eyes didn't meet mine so I knew that I wasn't supposed to answer. I knew far too much to actually have an input in this class. But I was itching to hear what the others had to say. It was like being a fly in someone else's conversation. 

A post-graduate student gave an overview of the case. 

"Right," he said, appraising the class. "Now, of all the victims that survived the serial killer in that building, I have spoken to two. Do you know why?" Sebastian asked. 

"Because it gives you a perspective on the killer?" Someone asked. 

"Sebastian shook his head. Indeed, talking to the victim gives you a first-hand account of what happened. And it is a very good thing if we have the victim tell the story themselves. It means that they survived. But I could only talk to two." He paused, silent. 

"Only two of the victims survived? What happened to the other two?"

"No, only one victim survived." My head snapped up. That meant... only I... what happened to the other one? I took in a shuddering breath.

"You said you spoke to two victims," a doctoral student mentioned. 

"Yes, one victim passed away shortly after they were discovered due to physical complications. Despite the medical attention given to them, the malnutrition and shock had set in. There were also complications from blood loss," he mentioned. "The second person killed themselves. He bought a gun and put it to his head because he couldn't take the images in his head anymore."

I hadn't known the details. I had prided myself for holding it in, but I couldn't deny that I had thought of doing such a thing as well. 

"I had the opportunity to speak to the third victim rescued. Unfortunately, they killed themselves two weeks ago. I had thought that they held on for six years, so it would get a little easier, but that wasn't the case." This time, he did glance towards me. I suddenly realized why he had wanted me to go to see a therapist. He had seen me deteriorate and with the news of another victim taking their own lives, he had been worried. "Before their death, they were involved in a lot of petty crimes and domestic violence charges, as well." 

I twitched. 

"Often, the victim tries to recreate the pain they felt on others to escape from it, to feel a sense of control over their own situation," another student chimed in. 

"Indeed. That brings me to the last victim." The screen changed. They couldn't see my face or any distinguishing features but I knew the body on the screen. I had seen it in the mirror every day. The cuts, the infected flesh, and the emaciated condition... they seemed fresh in my brain. "Look carefully. This is what torture looks like. And it is not just this. Torture plays with the mind, it makes you believe that you are evil and that you deserved it. Torture is the most degrading thing to the dignity of a human. It slowly kills them without giving them a hope of escape." 

"This makes you really want to torture the person who did it," another student growled. 

"The last victim... are we talking about the abducted daughter of the detective?" a doctoral student asked. I looked up. Of course, people would know. Hopefully, they didn't know my name. 

"Yes. She was the one who survived the longest. Seven months imprisoned in that place. And the police didn't rescue her. She rescued herself. She escaped the building and ran to the police station herself to report it." Sebastian's eyes glossed over in memory. I didn't remember much of this, so I couldn't say anything. 

"According to the other victims, she participated in the torture of the others. She was hated among the victims. They even claimed that she might have been an accomplice and not a victim at all. That she was pretending."

I gritted my teeth at that. I had never tortured anyone. I had resisted it to the end. I had watched helplessly, though. I couldn't save them no matter what choice I made. 

"They were suffering from PTSD. Did you know that one of the victims stabbed her multiple times?" Sebastian switched the picture. "It was Victim 3. Alicia gave them a choice. They could all come together and kill Victim 4 and be freed. Or they could die." 

I had no idea what he was talking about. "Victim 1 and 2 resisted the choice, but Victim 3 picked up the knife and stabbed Victim 4. The wounds were shallow because they were distraught. Victim 4 was unbound so that she could fight and kill the others who attacked her."

What is he talking about? I wanted to scream. "She chose to protect their lives. She was good at self-defense and somehow pushed Victim 3 away before blindly running out. The building was in the middle of nowhere. She probably ran about ten miles until she reached the police station. She asked for help and then collapsed. She woke up shortly after and gave us enough information that we could find the location Alicia was holding the victims." 

"What do you think happened to her?"