The Murder of Madison Autumn Powell

The curtains open to a young couple in a dark bedroom of a two-story Oklahoma apartment. The girl, a British sixteen year-old named Susanna, sobs on the floor next to the bed. The boy, a tall slender sixteen year old named Tyler, paces the floor nervously. Around them, the room is in array. There are books and clothes thrown everywhere all doused in a thick layer of blood. Tyler turns to talk to his crying girlfriend, careful not to be loud enough to awaken his sisters sleeping the other room.

Tyler: (angrily) Are you satisfied yet?

Susanna looks up into his angry, stone cold eyes.

Susanna: What? What are you talking about?

Tyler kicks a bloody purse that smacks into the wall. He curses again and turns back to his girlfriend.

Tyler: You know what I’m talking about. Are you satisfied yet?

Susanna: No I don’t. What the hell are you talking about?

Tyler: You wanted her gone, and well, now she’s gone.

Susanna: (shouting) This isn’t what I asked for! I said humiliate her. Pull her pants down. Trip her. Push her into the hottest guy as hard as you can. Not this!

Tyler: What the hell were you trying to gain from this? You and I both know that people are going to find out. I don’t want to go to jail for you!

Before Susanna could answer, there was a tiny knock at the door. Tyler flung it open to see his younger sisters, Emily and Angelina, standing at the door. Emily held Angelina’s hand and cradled a bunny in her hand. Both the girls had wet eyes.

Emily: Ty, can you read us a story? We can’t sleep no more. There’s too much yelling going on.

Angelina: (Nodding) Yes, please.

Susanna: You should go, Tyler.

Tyler: (picking Emily up) Come on, girls. Let's go. You wanna hear Rapunzel again?

Tyler takes his sisters into another room down the hall. The door closes behind them. As soon as they are gone, Susanna drops to her knees and lifts up the blanket. Under the bed lies a girl who has been beaten to death. Susanna smiles and covers her back up.