All the Sinners Bleed

by S.A. Cosby

It was a painting of a forest scene. A bosk of young maple and birch trees encircled a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a tall, majestically gothic weeping willow tree. There were three words scrawled across the bottom of the canvas: The Secret Garden.

“He’s at least six feet tall. Spearman was five-nine, and he’s taller than him. He’s muscular, probably around two hundred pounds. He was using a fake voice. He tried to make himself sound … demonic. He was white or really light-skinned. You can see it through the eyeholes. Left-hand-dominant, but he used both to … he used both hands.

Seven, Titus thought. They killed seven kids. Seven families are out there somewhere wondering where their children are. Seven innocent little kids strapped to a table and suffering for these fuckers to get their kicks.

“I guess you never really know what people are really like, do you?” Davy said. “I don’t think anyone really wants to know,” Titus said.

I saw your brother walking all alone today.

“Terrible people can do good things sometimes. But they like doing the terrible things more.

It wasn’t like he wanted her to re-create Story of O, but when so much of his life was dedicated to his religion of order and control, there were times he felt the need to be a sinner and give in to the forces of tumult and discord. To dive into the center of the maelstrom and come back to the surface with wounds that told a story of real passion.

We all choose to be skeptics when the truth is inconvenient.

For many people he was the devil. He accepted that. Only he was a devil that chased down demons.

I think … I think that’s how he sees himself. He thinks he’s the Wolf. The Angel of Death.

“Our salvation is his suffering.”

Spearman and Latrell and the Last Wolf had carried them out there, passing under branches and tearing through brambles, without so much as a wink from Ward or anyone else. How had they done it? They must have been careful, but they weren’t magicians. They should have been seen, even if only once. Charon was too small for a trio of men carrying bodies into the woods to go unnoticed. At least that was what he hoped.

A lot of times sociopaths will overcompensate with extreme emotions. They don’t really understand how real empathy, real emotions work, so they parrot it but they sometimes go overboard,”

“But only the sinners bleed, Sheriff,” Elias said.

A man he trusted. Trusted enough to ask him about the special place he’d helped him build. Trusted him enough to let him get close and cut his throat left to right.”

Uriel, the angel of wisdom, of knowledge. Is that because Cole knew too much?”

Cole Marshall was the anonymous caller. He was positive of that fact. And now Cole Marshall was dead, filleted like a trout.

Children and animals were easy targets. Neither had learned to be wary of good intentions and sweet words.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THIS SAVAGE PLACE.

But I know they named him Gabriel.” “After an angel,” Titus said.

“Don’t fucking try to profile me. I want you to remember what I told you. Your fucking flock ain’t safe.”