Real Life Angel Killing

Jack’s head is always fuzzy with static, now.

He can’t remember much of anything before TikTok. People and places are blurry; a blank space in the cavity where his memories once sat. Every day, he wakes up, opens the app, and scrolls until his eyes burn with sleep. His mom calls his doomscrolling an addiction, but he calls it survival. 

His eyes are bloodshot and strained with tension, heavy on his face. Shadows blur in his periphery and drag him beneath the surface; their voices tell him he’s worthless, useless, nothing; that his existence is a mere speck in the universe. These thoughts make him curl tighter beneath the sheets, feeling five years old again, and hiding from the monsters in his room. 

As he scrolls to the next video, expecting the same mind-numbing content he’s used to, the screen fizzles with a grainy, monochrome palette. He refreshes the page, but the phone is still alight with scanlines, before dissolving into a canvas of black ink. 

The image of a dirty basement takes up the frame. A sodium-yellow lightbulb flickers incessantly, highlighting the grey mortar of concrete walls. Jack squints against the darkened screen, and the silhouette of a man emerges into the light. Jack can’t see many of his features, but the man rises like a beast on hind legs; black, red, and rotten. Unhuman. 

The camera pans, and a second, younger man enters the frame. His eyes are closed, with a wad of gauze tied around his mouth, and his wrists and ankles are bound to a chair with rope. Scattered along his hairline is a string of dried blood that is beginning to scab over, and a fresh litter of black and purple bruises mark his face. The man stirs, his bleary eyes taking in the dark room, and he starts to thrash at the sight of the monster–man–beast. 

Jack’s chest tightens, his breaths quickening. Look at you, you sick fuck. You’re enjoying this, his mind whispers. It’s the first thing that’s made you feel anything in months. 

He squeezes his eyes shut, squashing down the voices. It reminds him that the skin he’s in is no longer his own, but belongs to them now, too. 

With a sudden movement, the monster engulfs the frame, and Jack reels back at the sight: its eyes are wild with hunger, and a smile splits across its disfigured, bloodied face. On screen, an influx of comments begin to pour in:

Carlaa_jj ewwww wtf is this
Makncheese why is this on tiktok
littlerose4 fucking psycho
XOqueenieXO how did this even make it onto tiktok lol 

He opens the comment section and types a message into the box: Ninjaturtle90 this is some dark web shit. 

Jack has never been on the Dark Web, but he’s heard the rumours; the snuff videos, the graphic torture, cannibalism. A sick, curious part of him has always wanted to venture into the rabbit hole, but he can never bring himself to go searching for it willingly. His conscience has always stopped him, the same way it does when a person tries to bite through their own finger. But this new, insatiable side of him has split open, forcing him to watch and wait for the unknown.

A muffled scream tears through the speakers, and Jack feels nausea rise in his throat. On the wall are the bodies of six men, crucified and strung up by their hands and feet. Each of their torsos has a Y incision carved into their skin that starts at each shoulder blade and connects at their chest, dragging down towards their abdomens. Their mouths are sewn shut, eyes stitched open, and each a different colour: blue, grey, brown, green, hazel, amber. 

His hands shake, the dull ba-dump, ba-dump of his heart beating in his chest. The world blurs, glassy and underwater, and his breaths grow shallow. He’s going to die, and he can’t breathe, and why can’t he feel the air in his lungs— 

And then his vision clears, and the world comes back into focus. He can make out the desk in the corner of his room, and clothes strewn across his floor. The glass of water on his bedside table has a thin layer of dust on the surface, and the yellowed pages of his school textbooks sit open and unread. He inhales, then exhales, rubbing a hand over his rickety heart, sighing in relief that he can breathe normally again. 

He regains his focus and lifts the phone closer to his face, squinting at the pixelated names written beneath each corpse: Gabriel, Jophiel, Zadkiel, Uriel, Chamuel and Michael. An empty spot sits next to Michael, and in grainy cursive, the haunting RAPHAEL of whom Jack supposes is the kidnapped man awaits. He watches as the man—Raphael—squirms, his wild eyes leaking tears as the monster rips the gag from his mouth. 

“Help, help me!” he screams.

“Nobody’s going to help you, Little Angel,” the monster says.

Jack’s fingers hover over the keyboard: Ninjaturtle90 is this a skit? 

Carlaa_jj ofc it’s a fucking skit
littlerose4 its obviously some weird sex shit
Megcarmichael08 joined the stream
User736352730 сексуальные русские женщины в вашем районе
User920346389 greetings from Brasil! 
User920346389 has left the stream. 

Ha, you can try and convince yourself it’s fake as much as you want, Jack, but you know it’s not. 

Ugh, don’t listen to that fucking idiot above. Of course, it’s not real. You’re being irrational. Who the hell airs their crimes live? 

The voices in his head argue with each other, and Jack bites his tongue to stop himself from yelling out into any empty room.

His attention is brought back to his phone when the man’s voice breaks the silence. “You psychopath! You’re the one who’s been killing all those men.”

Jack winces and lowers the volume, listening for his mom’s footsteps outside his bedroom door. When he hears only the low hum of the TV through the wall, he turns up the sound and buries himself deeper into the darkness of his room. 

“There, there, Little Angel, there’s no need to cry,” the monster says. He reaches a hand to wipe away Raphael’s tears, petting his hair away from his eyes. “I’m doing this for Him.” 

Ooooh, I wonder who “him” could be. Place your bets, people. A gang member, perhaps? You think there’s a ransom?

You always come up with the most extreme scenarios. No, I bet it’s an ex-lover seeking revenge. 

Jack wishes the voices would just shut the fuck up. He hits his head, pulling at the hair on his scalp. Just stop talking, he wants to scream. Stop fucking terrorizing me. 

The monster holds a butcher knife up to the light, and Jack can see the haunting reflection of an angel–demon–monster–human staring at him through the lens. 

A sudden, piercing scream crackles through the phone’s tinny static. “Fucking hell, Lucifer, you sick bastard!” 

Jack clamps his hands over his ears, trying to rid away the invisible hands creeping around his chest. He watches as the creature screws his eyes shut and slams a hand against his head, over and over, creating an indent in the flesh.

A different voice bursts from the monster’s mouth, deeper than the one before. “Don’t fucking call me that! Lucifer’s dead! It’s Satan now…” 

And then the beast’s other voice returns, mocking: “But you were Lucifer once, remember? You’re just a scared, pathetic, little angel, too. Who are you trying to fool?”

“Shut the hell up!” the monster screams, throwing a fist against the wall. 

Megcarmichael08 lmfaoooo
User2939104 this guy is fucking insane 
Carlaa_jj guys this is so obviously fake. you can literally tell it’s AI
littlerose4 @Carlaa_jj no it’s real ur just in denial

Jack knows what it’s like to hate himself, to wake up every day and curse the reflection he sees in the mirror. He feels the monster’s pain in his own soul; it burns him from the inside out, growing like a parasite. And Jack has always been good at hiding that part of himself, which is why he types into the chatbox: Ninjaturtle90 can’t believe I’m watching a guy crash out. 

He needs to convince them that this isn’t real and prove that his own mind isn’t plagued with the same, heinous thoughts as the monster’s. Who are you trying to convince, Jack? Them, or yourself? 

User2939104 @Ninjaturtle90 watching a dude crash out? he’s very clearly having a mental breakdown are u fucking stupid
BenjiWantsToScream joined the stream.
Carlaa_jj where are the mods??

The monster stands tall in the dim light. He towers over Raphael, the muscles in his back flexing. One hand leans against the decaying, concrete wall, and the other clutches the butcher knife. Before him, the corpses of the dead men stare at him, wide-eyed and ogling. 

“I knew one day you’d be back to haunt me, but I didn’t think it would be so soon… Raphael hasn’t even joined the others yet! I just need the seventh angel to complete the puzzle, and then I’ll be free from this eternal damnation,” the monster says. The sound of bones cracking bleeds through the speakers, and the looming figure flutters between man and monster as he faces Raphael. “Oh, how beautiful,” he says. “Little Archangel Raphael, patron healer of the sick, shaking, pleading and grovelling for mercy. Let’s see how good you are at healing yourself when I tear you limb from limb!”

The monster pounces, dragging the knife from Raphael’s left shoulder blade and carving down his abdomen, his eyes alight at the ripped flesh and the coppery liquid spilling over. Raphael wails as the knife wields itself into his torso and guts him, intestines spilling out onto the concrete floor below. He chokes on the blood as it trickles from his lips and down his chin. Jack sees the moment that the creature twists the metal deeper, a wet squelch echoing through the room, and Raphael’s cries descend into whimpers until his convulsing body turns rigid. Two fingers push against a once-beating pulse, now silent.

The phantom fingers around Jack’s heart return, and he scrambles for the trash can under his desk, hurling the contents of his stomach into it. His eyes glaze over with tears, falling hot and fast, leaving sticky trails on his cheeks. 

User837440373 wtf ewwwww
BenjiWantsToScream they are obviously trolling u guys are so dumb
XOqueenieXO nah that def looks real to me omg
Carlaa_jj this guy is such a bad actor
BenjiWantsToScream dumbass WE KNOW THIS IS FUCKING FAKE
User726252349 yall WHAT THE FUCK
littlerose4 these people are sickos omg
Makncheese how can u not tell its staged
Megcarmichael08 is anyone actually gonna call the cops??
BenjiWantsToScream @Megcarmichael08 wtf are the tiktok police gonna do dumbass it ain’t real

“Father, look what you’ve made me do! Look at all your little angels, dead! Because of me! Isn’t that wonderful?” 

The words are muffled and far away. Jack tries to reach for the glass on his bedside table, but his hands slip, and a shatter echoes through the room. A ringing sounds in his ears, and he cries out in pain, clutching his head. 

Breathe in, breathe out… breathe in, breathe out… 

Slowly, the ringing fades, and the world comes back into focus. He looks down at his phone on the bed, staring at the slumped corpse of Raphael on screen, guts circling him like a halo. The monster cuts the rope from his wrists and ankles, cradling the body to his chest.

“He looks so beautiful like this, with those glazed-over greens staring into oblivion forever,” the monster says. 

He looks up at the vacant eyes of the other corpses, cowering beneath their mangled faces. And then, the other voice erupts from his throat, “Look what you’ve done to us! You’ve always been a monster, since the day you were born!”

littlerose4 omg what’s with all the weird different voices he keeps putting on??

Jack feels like he’s watching everything through a window, unable to reach himself. His shaking fingers are numb as they type: Ninjaturtle90 i keep telling u guys that it’s FAKE.

Ha, you’re so full of shit, Jack. I mean, honestly, you don’t actually believe that, right?

Jack screams, and slams his head into the wall. Something wet and sticky trickles down his face, and he lets every guttural wail tear from his lungs until they’re on fire. His eyes fog over, but at least he can’t hear the voices anymore. 

BenjiWantsToScream na man im starting to think this shit is legit 
Makncheese are yall stupid 
Carlaa_jj i kinda feel bad for him :(( 
User3943747 @Carlaa_jj uhm why? he just fucking butchered a guy 

“No, it was Father!” the monster screams, clutching Raphael closer. He howls as he plucks out the eyes of each corpse one by one until the empty sockets cry red. The creature grasps Raphael’s mutilated carcass tighter, tears spilling over as he glares at the sludge beneath his feet and the holes embedded in the rotten faces above.  

“Is this what you wanted, Father? When you banished me from Heaven’s pearly gates?” He pauses before turning his attention to the ceiling. “The Devil will not rest, Father. Not until I punish you like you unto me. Your little angels are just the beginning.”

The stream cuts out. There’s an emptiness Jack can’t place, a hole inside him that has sucked the whole world away. He closes his eyes and hears the squelching of flesh being cut open, and the monster’s mangled face in the scanlines staring at him. His brain, once a black hole of nothing, replays the video over and over, burning itself into his retinas. 

Jack sees the darkness, the sickness expanding until it’s taken over his mind and soul completely. Finally, he thinks, I’ve finally let the monster in. 

***

r/TikTok
Post by Ninjaturtle90 
I think I witnessed a murder
A few months ago (6/29), I recorded something really weird on TikTok. It was a livestream of a man torturing and killing someone in his basement. I tried to convince everyone in the stream it was fake, even though I knew it was real. I don’t think it will ever leave me. It’s made me suicidal. I’m constantly in and out of psych wards, and I’m not sleeping or eating anymore because of it. I hate myself and I don’t know what to do. I keep seeing myself reflected in him, almost like somebody wanted me to watch it and give in to my sickest desires. But luckily I haven’t. Does anyone recognize this video??
80 votes                       12 down votes                10 comments

mikein_out this definitely looks staged. Probably some guys trying to make a goofy horror movie. Sorry to hear that it messed with you so badly, though. Hoping your mental health gets better.

Carlaa_jj omg i was also on the same stream and it’s haunted me ever since! i just can’t get it to leave my mind. idk what to do anymore 🙁 

abbiegarcia95 sorry to burst your bubble, but I think you witnessed a real life murder. This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen. Did anybody call 911? I also think you need to get some serious mental help, because it sounds like you’re a serial killer in the making.

jennie_says looks like a skit to me! Rest assured, you probably didn’t witness a murder. @abbiegarcia95 also, what an incredibly ignorant thing to say. Yes, this person is messed up, but they’ve already stated above that they’ve been getting help, so at least they’ve put in effort into recognizing their behaviour. You, on the other hand, just sound like a bitch. 

reddeadcounty Holy shit, I swear I’m having a Mandela effect moment as I’m sure I’ve seen this video before. I distinctly remember this story being on the news when I was a kid, and that the guy doing the killing was a convicted serial killer. Apparently, he was obsessed with the idea of collecting the “Archangels of Heaven” and literally butchered a bunch of guys as part of a ritual to God. The lore is that anyone who views the tape has their inner desires unleashed. However, I can’t seem to find anything on the internet about it. 

Fartkink50 @reddeadcounty bro, i remember seeing this as a kid too, wtf. but like you said, i legit can’t find anything on it at all :/ 

yoshihasdied if that was the case, then why was the video live? 

Fartkink50 @yoshihasdied this definitely happened when i was a kid. i legit remember the angel shrine.

jennie_says @Fartkink50 why can’t we find anything about this on the internet, though? a case like that would’ve made national headlines. 

Furryboy200 y’all are so dumb lol. OP is trolling u. Something like that would’ve been EVERYWHERE, and the majority of us have never heard of it lmao. It’s legit just some creepypasta shit.

motorcyclemarxist Wow, I never thought I’d see a real life angel killing. 

Rachel Lindon holds a BA and MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. She writes both fiction and non-fiction, exploring themes of trauma, identity, and mental illness. When she’s not writing scary stories, she can be found rocking out at heavy metal gigs or playing with her cat, Loki