But dreams never let me keep it.
The air shifts again. Hatchet’s body blurs at the edges; the warmth bleeds out of him as if someone’s pulled a plug. In the same motion that had steadied me, another shape rises, darker, sharper, a shadow with a knife’s glint where his face should be. I smell blood before I see it.
“Told you I’d find you, little bird,” the voice says.
I try to move but the earth holds me fast. The blade touches my throat and it feels cold enough to burn. There’s no hesitation, no ceremony–just a single, perfect slice of sound as metal meets flesh. The forest fills with the rush of my heartbeat, and then nothing at all.
I wake choking on air that isn’t there, my hand clamped to my neck. No blood. Only the slick of sweat, the echo of his words, and the memory of Hatchet’s warmth fading from my skin.
CASE FILE - SNOW
Name: Callum Frost
Age: 22
Height: 5’9
Weight: 65kg
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Grey
Distinguishing Features: Tattoos covering majority of body (see file for photo catalogue), chest scar from knife wound – thought to be gang related.
Alias: Snow. Aka The Snowclone Killer
Date of Arrival: 09/04/2022
Sentence: Life imprisonment within the facility. Never to be released to mainstream incarceration for the safety of others.
Treatment: Ongoing. Initial reports reveal patient does not respond well to mandatory group therapy sessions.
Summary of Crimes: Callum Frost gained notoriety for his obsession with historical serial killers, emulating their crimes with near-perfect precision. Each act was not merely imitation – it was a performance. Frost studied case files, forensic photos, and trial transcripts to reconstruct every detail of his chosenkillers’ methods, from the choice of weapon to the order of wounds inflicted.
Each scene contained a deliberate “signature”: delicate snowflake symbols drawn in the victims’ blood. Forensic analysis revealed these marks were applied post-mortem, often with gloved fingertips, suggesting ritualistic intent rather than impulse.
As his confidence grew, Frost’s murders evolved into theatrical re-enactments. He staged elaborate scenes in both secluded and public spaces – abandoned warehouses, car parks, even a crowded underpass – recreating infamous killings while filming the events for online distribution. His followers, a growing digital cult, referred to him asSnow, believing his “art” was a social commentary on violence and media obsession.
The final recorded crime involved a live-streamed recreation of a crime from the 1970s, in which Frost deliberately altered one key element: artificial snow falling around the victim as they died. The act served as both his signature and a direct taunt to investigators who had underestimated him.
Upon arrest, Frost displayed no remorse – only satisfaction at having “perfected” his copies. When questioned about his motives, he stated simply:
“They started the stories. I just finished them.”
ADAPT FASTER
Panic Room - Au/Ra & CamelPhat
Snow
Iwakeintocold.
Not the violent shock of it, not the kind that steals breath or turns thought into panic.
This cold is patient. It is already everywhere, settled into my skin as if it has always been there and I am only now noticing it.
I lie still and let my eyes open.
