14. The City Watches
THE CITY WATCHES
The first news alert hit at dawn.
BODY FOUND IN SOUTH RICHMOND ALLEY — HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
The notification lit up thousands of phones across Richmond simultaneously.
By 7 AM, the story was everywhere.
WTVR CBS 6 News — Live Report
Saturday, 7:15 AM
The camera showed yellow crime scene tape stretched across the mouth of an alley off Hull Street. Police cruisers, their lights still flashing, blocked both ends. A white forensics van sat parked at an angle.
The reporter—a young Black woman in a burgundy blazer—stood just outside the tape, her expression grave.
"We're here in South Richmond where police discovered the body of a young man early this morning. Authorities are not releasing the victim's identity pending family notification, but sources tell us the body was found in this alley behind several businesses around 4 AM."
The camera panned to show the alley entrance. Even from a distance, you could see the dark stains on the concrete.
"What's particularly disturbing about this case is the condition in which the body was found. While police haven't confirmed details, sources close to the investigation describe the scene as 'extremely violent' and 'unlike anything they've seen in recent memory.'"
The camera cut back to the reporter.
"This marks the third suspicious death in the Southside area in the past two weeks. Police are not saying whether these cases are connected, but residents in the area are understandably concerned."
A quick montage of interviews: an older Black woman shaking her head, a young man in a hoodie looking scared, a store owner standing in front of his shop with his arms crossed.
"Somebody need to do something. These kids out here dying and ain't nobody saying nothing."
"I don't even go out at night no more. It ain't safe."
"The clubs bringing all this violence. After Dark, Smoke & Gold—all them spots. Something going on over there."
The reporter's voice returned as the camera showed police officers moving in and out of the crime scene.
"Richmond Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. This is an active investigation. Reporting live from South Richmond, I'm Keisha Williams, CBS 6 News."
Twitter — 7:23 AM
@RVA_Tee
Yo they found another body off Hull Street. That's 3 in two weeks. What the fuck going on in Richmond??? #RVA #SouthsideRichmond
@MissKayRVA
My cousin work at After Dark and she said girls been going missing for MONTHS. Nobody saying nothing but everybody know something ain't right. #AfterDark #RichmondClubs
@JayFromTheWay
I'm telling y'all something demonic going on. Bodies getting found with they chest ripped open?? That ain't no regular murder. #RVA #StayWoke
@BottleGirlBri
I used to work at After Dark. I BEEN telling people something off about that place. Girls disappear. Management don't care. Now bodies turning up. Y'all be safe out here. #RVA #AfterDark
@RichmondNewsNow
brEAKING: RPD confirms victim found in South Richmond alley this morning suffered "significant trauma." Medical examiner on scene. Investigation ongoing. #RVA #BreakingNews
Instagram — 8:02 AM
@RVA_HoodNews posted a photo.
The image was grainy, clearly taken from a distance with a phone camera zoomed in too far. But you could still see it: the alley, the police tape, the dark stains on the concrete, and—barely visible in the background—a white sheet covering something on the ground.
The caption:
ANOTHER BODY FOUND IN SOUTHSIDE. 3RD ONE THIS MONTH. SOMEBODY KNOW SOMETHING. RIP TO THE VICTIM ?? #RVA VA #SouthsideRichmond #JusticeForOurCommunity
Comments (847):
@TiffanyRVA: This is so scary. I live right around the corner from there
@KevinFromRVA: Bro I was JUST at After Dark last night. This shit crazy
@NiyaTheRealest: My girl said the body ain't even have a heart. Like somebody took it. What kind of sick shit…
@DJMarkusRVA: I been DJing at these clubs for 5 years. Something changed recently. Different energy. Different people. I'm out.
@ShaniceVA: Y'all keep going to these clubs like nothing happening. WAKE UP. They targeting us.
@RVA_Tee: Police need to shut After Dark down. Too many people connected to that spot ending up dead or missing.
Facebook — 8:34 AM
Richmond Community Watch Group
Post by Deborah Mitchell:
PLEASE SHARE — Another young person found dead in South Richmond this morning. This is the THIRD suspicious death in our community in two weeks. All three victims were in their 20s. All three were last seen in the nightlife district near After Dark and Smoke & Gold.
I don't care what the police say about "no confirmed connection." We know better. Our children are dying and nobody is doing anything about it.
If you have ANY information, please contact RPD. If you know someone who works at these establishments, PLEASE tell them to be careful. Something is very wrong.
RIP to all the victims. Praying for their families.
?*
Comments (234):
Marcus Johnson: My nephew used to work security at After Dark. He quit last month. Said he couldn't deal with what he was seeing. Wouldn't tell me details but he was SHOOK.
Keisha Brown: I been saying this!!! These clubs are DANGEROUS. Parents need to stop letting they kids go there.
Angela Davis: The owners of these clubs need to be investigated. This is too much of a coincidence.
Saturday, 9:17 AM
Soreya was sitting on her couch in her pajamas, coffee going cold on the table in front of her, when she saw the first post.
It was from a girl she'd gone to high school with—someone she barely remembered but never unfollowed.
@JasmineRVA: RIP to whoever got killed last night. Heard it was somebody who worked at After Dark. This city getting scary #RVA
Soreya's stomach dropped.
She clicked on the hashtag.
The feed exploded with posts. News articles. Photos of the crime scene. People speculating, people scared, people angry.
After Dark.
Reign's club.
Her hands were shaking as she scrolled.
@BottleGirlMia: I worked at After Dark for 6 months. Girls would just STOP showing up. Management would say they quit but nobody ever heard from them again. I'm not saying nothing but… #AfterDark #RVA
@TreyFromRVA: My boy said the body they found this morning was DRAINED. Like no blood left. What the fuck type of serial killer shit is this???
@RVA_HoodNews: SOURCES SAY VICTIM'S CHEST WAS CARVED OPEN. HEART MISSING. RPD NOT CONFIRMING BUT MULTIPLE WITNESSES AT SCENE REPORT SEEING EXTENSIVE TRAUMA. #RVA #BreakingNews
Soreya's vision blurred.
Heart missing.
Drained.
After Dark.
She thought about Reign disappearing every night. Thought about the way he'd looked at her neck during their fight. Thought about the girls she'd found online—girls who'd worked at his clubs, girls who'd stopped posting, girls whose friends said they just "disappeared."
Her phone buzzed.
Vesper (9:19 AM): GIRL YOU SEEING THIS SHIT??? ANOTHER BODY. THEY SAYING IT'S CONNECTED TO AFTER DARK
Vesper (9:19 AM): Soreya that's Reign club
Vesper (9:20 AM): SOREYA ANSWER ME
Soreya's hands were shaking so badly she could barely type.
Soreya (9:21 AM): I know
Vesper (9:21 AM): you need to leave him. RIGHT NOW. I'm not playing. Something is WRONG
Soreya clicked back to Instagram, scrolling through the comments, the theories, the fear.
And then she saw it.
A comment on the @RVA_HoodNews post, buried under hundreds of others:
@AurenTheGoddess: RIP Kove. You ain't deserve that.
Soreya clicked on the profile.
The girl was beautiful—locs, gold jewelry, designer everything. Her feed was full of club photos, bottle service, VIP sections. And in several of the photos, standing in the background or sitting at the same table, was Reign.
Soreya's chest tightened.
She clicked on the tagged photos.
There were dozens. Reign at After Dark. Reign at Smoke & Gold. Reign with his arm around this girl—Auren—both of them smiling, both of them looking comfortable, familiar.
And in one photo, posted three weeks ago, Auren was wearing a choker that didn't quite cover the bruise on her neck.
Not a bruise.
Two small marks.
Puncture wounds.
Soreya dropped her phone.
Her whole body was shaking. Her vision was swimming. She couldn't breathe.
What the fuck is he?
Her phone buzzed again. And again. And again.
Vesper (9:24 AM): SOREYA
Vesper (9:24 AM): ANSWER ME
Vesper (9:25 AM): I'm coming over
But Soreya wasn't reading the messages.
She was staring at the wall, her mind racing, trying to make sense of what she'd just seen.
Bodies drained of blood.
Hearts missing.
Girls disappearing from Reign's clubs.
Reign disappearing every night.
Reign's eyes in the dark.
Reign's hands on her throat.
"You don't wanna know what I am, Soreya."
Her phone lit up with a new notification.
NBC12 brEAKING NEWS
SECOND BODY DISCOVERED IN SOUTHSIDE RICHMOND — POLICE INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE CONNECTION TO EARLIER HOMICIDE
Soreya's blood went cold.
Second body.
She grabbed her phone with shaking hands and clicked on the alert.
The article was brief, just breaking:
Richmond Police are investigating after a second body was discovered in South Richmond Saturday morning, less than four hours after the first. The victim, whose identity has not been released, was found in a similar condition to the earlier victim.
Police are not confirming whether the cases are connected but say both investigations are "active and ongoing. "
Soreya scrolled down to the comments.
@RVA_Tee: TWO BODIES IN ONE NIGHT??? What the fuck is happening in Richmond???
@MissKayRVA: This is a serial killer. Has to be. And they hunting in the club scene.
@JayFromTheWay: I'm telling y'all this ain't human. This is something else.
Soreya's phone slipped from her hands and hit the floor.
She sat there, frozen, staring at nothing.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Reign's voice from their fight:
"Once you know, Soreya, you can't unknow it."
She was starting to understand what he meant.
And she was terrified.