The Mummy Murders

A lot of people have recently gone missing in Alexis’ hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Alexis is a top reporter for the local news station, and there have been rumors that a serial killer is responsible for those missing. She begins digging into the story and finds that the person responsible has a uniquely hideous mode of murder: embalming them.While Alexis is having dinner at a local café, a man introduces himself to her. The man is Joe, an average looking, well-dressed man, who quickly engages with Alexis in a conversation at her table. He calls himself an artist, and easily makes an impression on Alexis, intriguing her as much as anything else.The intrigue is short lived, however, and suddenly turns to fear when he informs her that he is the serial killer. Her mind is thrown for a loop, and she doesn’t know whether to run and scream or sit in fear. He begins to unravel his history, shedding light on his road to murder and how he became the man that sits in front of her now.She listens intently as he speaks of childhood in his family’s funeral home, and how one beautiful woman sprung his fascination with dead bodies. Joe also tells her about his first murder, and the love and connection he felt for the body afterward.He weaves an intricate pattern of past murders that lead him up to present day, horrifying and amazing her at the same time. He brags with cavalier bravado about his lengthy “Stalk and Kill” process, which he’s perfected over time. She is sickened by what she hears... yet can’t stop listening. Joe explains that he isn’t killing them, he’s allowing them to stay beautiful forever.He tells her one last story. One that involves her, and reveals a betrayal that she never saw coming. Her sister is having an affair with her husband. All at once, she begins to understand how someone can be led to kill. When finished, he quickly leaves. She follows him instead of calling the police, her reporter’s curiosity and ego getting the best of her.