#MurderTrending

Content Warning: The source material includes descriptions of abduction, torture, murder, and graphic violence, as well as sexual references, objectification, and harassment.

Seventeen-year-old Dee Guerrera awakens in a kill room on Alcatraz 2.0 after being falsely convicted of murdering her stepsister, Monica. Alcatraz 2.0 is a privatized prison located on an island in the San Francisco Bay. It is run by the Postman, a mysterious television executive. The Postman convinced the president of the United States—a former reality star—to use serial killers to execute convicted murderers in entertaining ways. Every aspect of the prisoners’ lives is filmed and broadcast in real time on the Postman app. A double doorbell tone alerts viewers to an upcoming kill.

The killers adopt unique personas, costumes, and signature methods of execution. Cecil B. DeViolent recreates film scenes for his murders. Hannah Ball is a cannibalistic chef. Gucci Hangman utilizes scarves as garrotes. Molly Mauler wrangles vicious wild animals. The more dramatic a kill, the more “spikes” users give each video, increasing the executioners’ popularity and profit. Users comment on the kills and create “megahit” trending hashtags.

Dee dislikes the Postman app because it triggers memories of when she was abducted by a psychotic kidnapper at the age of 11.