(Cold Case Challenge) The Multiplier Killings

Written by Dr Jimothy

"As shown on the footage, the figure - who you may struggle to see due to their dark full-body attire - climbs the wall behind Sela and jumps down with the pole. The pole is thrust through her foot and into the ground. Sela writhes in agony, not even knowing there is an attacker at first, and is forced to stand by the way in which the pole is inserted. The attacker moves to a shadow, preventing them from being seen by Sela, pulls out a knife, and is noticed by Sela, most likely due to sound they produce. She attempts to punch the attacker, with police believing she was unaware of her attacker wielding a knife, and the attacker stabs her in her knuckles, and down her arm before walking off. Sela bled out several minutes later, and was carried away by the killer. Police are advising citizens to continue with their usual schedules and report anything unusual they see."

- Zalan Carter's opening statement.

"Sela was 27 and lived with her grandparents, who both suffer from (Frail) Milkman's Disease. She was a nurse at Shelling's Hospital, working 14 hours a day as part of her training by the owning company to become a doctor. I will be creating a PleaseFundMe so that her grandparents can continue to get the treatment they need, possibly even surgery - I Make A Legal Oath Upon It, So Help Humanity."

- Zalan Carter's closing statement. He was fired as a result of this before working in ZTV news and delivered on his promises with regards to Sela's grandparents, even donating much of the money used himself.

Summary

The Multiplier Killer was someone utterly feared within New New Paris and for good reason: they were not one, but many - and bolder than anything before them.

The Multiplier Killer's first known murder was Sela Panzer (the last name became popular within the Nordic Union long before). The way it was carried out, and on camera, shocked countless people.

More shocking, however, were the 2 simultaneous murders that occurred 2 nights later. One was performed by an individual with the same dimensions as the first killer and the same level of expertise using a noose and bat. The second was performed by an individual with the same dimensions as Sela by flashing a light into the eyes of an individual that suffered from epilepsy and then slitting their throat. Both of these murders were carried out, as usual, on camera. The bodies were carried away, with the figures and the corpses they carried seemingly ceasing to exist when other CCTV was checked.

2 nights later, there were 4 murderers. 8. 16 turned 15 when an individual was able to kill their attacker. 30.

It was an autopsy carried out on the instance where someone was able to defend themselves that made it clear that these killers were reanimated. Reanimation was not exactly common practice due to the mental issues involved, but happened nonetheless in the medical industry.

58. 2 killers were shot by police, who had been given permission to have their weapons on lethal settings at all times, that the 2 had attempted to kill.

128. Some of the 58 carried out multiple killings. New New Paris's police forces opened up to Volunteer Officers, tripling the size of the force.

This, apparently, was taken as a dare by the killers, who proceeded to only target police for the next 3 months.

2 weeks into that, a killer was finally arrested without them being killed. This individual had to be kept from killing themselves on multiple occasions, most notably attempting to bang their heads against the floor of the Hive Transporters that was being used. When interrogated, they simply kept looking for ways to kill themselves rather than answer any questions. Attempts at using VR to probe into their mind was found to be useless as all they could think about was their desire for death. This continued with all future cases of individuals being captured.

The targeting of police caused many to quit for fear of their lives and what police remained to refuse to go in groups of less than 5 when they patrolled the streets. The CHG decided to bring in soldiers to patrol the streets for killers as well.

At this point, General Schrodinger claimed that the serial killers "weren't really a problem" because, in comparison to other crime in the city, they weren't actually doing much.

For the next month, the killers only targeted other criminals. Crime rates dropped drastically until they finally became the leading cause of violent deaths in the city.

General Schrodinger attempted to use this as a way to motivate the killers to kill aliens by claiming they were more of a problem. Their killing dipped dramatically. 3 weeks later, his corpse was found atop a pile of the 200 still-bloody skulls of various alien species, which were all confirmed as having been killed within the last 2 weeks.

After that, they stopped adding to their numbers and, over the years, were slowly but surely wittled down as they were captured or killed. One of them, however, was never seen afterwards: the original, who remains unknown despite numerous investigators attempting to find them.

Historical Basis

It's true.

Spread

News outlets and word of mouth. Especially well-known and understood within New New Paris.

Variations & Mutation

Sources on how many killers there ended up being vary significantly, not least because it doesn't appear that everyone was converted into a new killer. Word of mouth greatly exaggerates many of the events and many believe the original Multiplier Killer to have been supernatural.

Cultural Reception

Extreme paranoia and fear. Many no longer trusted their own loved ones when the dimensions of killers were released and many more started carrying concealed weapons with them when they went out, which didn't go well with everyone constantly being on edge.

In Literature

There have been quite a lot o- OH GOD WHO WROTE A SMUT INTERNET SERIES ABOUT IT!? WHO DID THIS!? I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!

In Art

Anything with lots of black-clad figures, especially if they're doing something dodgy, gets slapped with the ol' "must be referencing the Multiplier Killings"

Fun facts about a fun series of murders:

The original killer was 5'2 and, based on a lack of indication of boobage and wide-ish shoulders, male. 5'2 is below average height in the CHG for both males and females but especially males, making this killer the perfect individual to reference when someone bullies you for being short.

Sela, much like her grandparents, suffered from (Frail) Milkman's Disease but survived and was able to live normally due to her bones being replaced with metal ones, something she wanted for her grandparents but couldn't afford. The extra weight and durability from these bones once caused her to accidentally break her boyfriend's pelvis.

When a woman named Karen Karolski was in hospital after surviving an attack due to police intervention, she attempted to complain to the manager of the hospital due to the nurse's refusal to provide her with vodka... when said woman had been stabbed in the liver. She did not receive her vodka and would continue lobbying complaints and putting up negative reviews about the hospital on various websites for the next 3 years.

Mela Solovan would base the look of her combat gear off of how the Multiplier Killers dressed, using the extra intimidation the stories provided to give her an edge over others.

There was a series about the Multiplier Killings. It was criticized for its inaccuracies, particularly with regard to the frequency of coitus occurring out of nowhere. These complaints where only able to apply because those that made the series accidentally uploaded it onto DocuTube, which is meant to only host educational content, rather than P***hub, which will never die.

Date of First Recording

2731

Date of Setting

2731-2738