Soul Redemption

A tiny luminance that flickers from a broken street light, as a chilling idea sparks within the mind of mine, awakening the darkest side of my inner soul. The abandoned streets, shrouded in an inky darkness, was eerily devoid of life. 

 As I ventured deeper, a figure emerged from the gloom. A young man having a phone call, his cigarette smoke swirling in the midst of this foggy night, as he stand alone under the flickering light. His face, painted with exhaustion and despair like a lifeless canvas.

 He wept silent tears through the phone, his words lost to the night, his breaths punctuated by the rhythmic inhalation and exhalation of the dwindling cigarette...

 A wicked impulse seized me..."Well I can end his misery" I thought to myself...

 I donned my gloves on... approached him with stealthy  steps...and... with a handkerchief concealing a potent sedative... as I muffled his cries 

 As his unconscious body lay there, I dragged him into the shadowy depths of the alley 

 I tied his wrist behind his back and let him sit. A minute later he got his consciousness back; he tried to escape but to no avail. He tried to run, but he's too slow, so I smirked, then slowly walked behind him, stabbing his thighs, then gently twist the knife as I held it tight.

He screamed so hard, but I quickly covered his mouth, as  he got the chance to bite me. Out of anger, I punched his face so hard that the blood dripped down in his face.

I squatted while facing toward him, then chuckled as I wiped the blood in his face. I rummaged through his pocket and got he's lighter out of it.

I grabbed his neck in my left hand, then lit up the lighter I'm holding in my right hand, slowly getting it close to his sweaty cheeks, then grinned out of satisfaction as he screamed quietly.

I let him sit, and suddenly, out of nowhere, my impulsive thought hit again. I grabbed the pliers from my pocket and lifted his hand. I smirked as I pulled his right thumb nail out of his finger.

His blood dripping to the floor as he screamed quietly. I was so overwhelmed with excitement seeing his face endure the pain.

After that, I poured one bottle of alcohol on his finger, witnessing his anguish and pain. As I fulfilled my passion and desire through his agony, I made up my mind to end his life by finally stabbing his left neck. While the blood splashed out of it, I stabbed his chest, then his right rib, and his left waist.

The blood from the stabbed was dripping continuously, then finally I stabbed the knife to his stomach until he ran out of breath. 

[MIRA'S POV]

I'm walking home all by myself; it was already dawn, and the dim lights weren't even that visible anymore.

I'm still shaking with fear for what happened earlier.

I got bruises in different parts of my body, as they have no mercy for what they have done to me.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I whisper to myself. It's getting late already, and I've decided to take the short cut as I was too exhausted to take the long way home.

The streetlight flickers, casting an eerie shadow towards the empty streets of Sandaiz.

As a trembling voice can be heard from afar. A person begs for its life. My curiosity got the best of me, and I tiptoed slowly, walking towards where the sound came from.

I hid behind the wall because I saw a suspicious shadow wandering around the dark corner in the alley.

As I peeked through the wall, I witnessed a silhouette of the broad-shouldered person stabbing a man-looking shadow sitting on the floor unconscious. I felt like my soul left my body as the broad-shouldered person suddenly moved his head facing in my direction.

[KILLER'S POV]

As I stabbed him to death, I heard a screeching sound. My gut feeling told me that there's someone else besides me.

I looked in different directions, searching if there's anything unusual, then something caught my attention. A shadow appears then quickly vanishes in the corner of the alley. I stand quickly and then walk in that direction. My instinct said that there's really someone else here that might witness what I have done.

"Come out, you coward, face me," I said in a low tone while grinning.

[MIRA'S POV]

I covered my mouth in shock for what I've witnessed.

I heard a deep voice from behind, followed by footsteps getting closer towards my direction. My body's trembling with fear. I froze for a second. My hands were cold as ice.

I quickly managed to hide in the wall seconds before he'd be able to catch me red-handed…

[Killer's POV]

"Come out, come out wherever you are," I smiled as I spoke.

The seconds I got to know who's behind the wall……a street cat suddenly emerged from the shadow. I searched in every direction but got disappointed as no one was there except the street cat.

As I left, I unexpectedly stepped into something; the moment I moved my right foot, I saw a shining brooch.

"Gotcha now," I whispered while grinning. I secured it to my pocket as I walked back to the victim's body. I got distracted; my heart was pounding as his phone rang next to the lying body. "What the hell," I mumbled

[Javier's POV]

Morning:

A ring from my phone pierced through the ear of mine, jolting me awake. It was already 9:24 AM.

I groaned, still thinking the remnants of the previous night's case. It was SPO1 Arthur Guererraz, my partner, calling. I declined. I knew what he wanted to discuss – work.

The night before, I'd returned home around 4 AM, exhausted from another murder investigation.

As I fumbled for my phone, my eyes landed on a sticky note my daughter had left on the kitchen table.

"Dad, make sure to eat breakfast before work," it said.

Realization followed by guilt washed over me. Between endless hours at the station and the grim realities of my job, I barely had time for her. I felt like a stranger in my own home, a distant figure in her life.

On Duty:

"So... this is the Sandaiz Serial Murder Case."

"The victim was identified as Ruzzel Montejo, an eighteen-year-old senior high school student at Joaquinilla National High School. He was found dead, hanging from a tree on Sandaiz Street."

Guerreraz: "Serial murder case? Is this connected to previous unsolved cases, sir?"

-"If you notice, the methods used in this case and the four other cases are similar."

Guerreraz: "Are you saying, sir, that the same killer is behind the Sandaiz Murder case and the Lentrua, Asandicy, Ezandian, and Grumandi serial murder cases?"

-"Yes, if you look back at the files of the four other murder cases, the same murder weapon was used. According to the autopsy report, the victim had a small cut on his right cheek. He also suffered five stab wounds to the right side of his neck, chest, right thigh, right rib, left waist, and solar plexus. All of these are fatal parts of the human body. The depth of the stab wounds was more than 6 inches and the width was 1.5 inches. Therefore, a kitchen knife was used as the murder weapon." 

pacing back and forth as he continues

"In the Grumandi serial murder case, the killer made it look like the victim had hanged himself."

"In the Ezandian case, the victim was thrown from a tall building and his shoes were found at the top."

"In the Asandicy case, the killer slit the victim's right wrist, and the same thing happened in Lentrua."

"Then, in the Sandaiz serial murder case, it was similar to Grumandi, where the victim was made to look like he had hanged himself."

"The final step in his killings was to make it appear as a suicide. All the victims also had one fingernail missing from their left hand. In the first victim, he took the pinky fingernail. In the second, the ring fingernail. In the third, the middle fingernail. In the fourth, the index fingernail, and in the last victim, the thumbnail."

"Do you know why the suspect is taking a fingernail from each of the victim? Is It indicates the sequence and number of lives he has taken?"

Police 1: "Sir, how can you explain the Grumandi serial murder case? The killer didn't use a kitchen knife but a rope. How can it be the same person in this case?"

Javier pinned the picture at the board as he say: "Look closely at the picture, in the Grumandi serial murder case, the suspect made it look like the victim committed suicide even though it was obvious that he didn't. After killing him by wrapping a rope around his neck, he hung him from a branch to make it look like he had hanged himself."

"If you notice, the marks of the rope in hanging and strangulation are different. If the victim had hanged himself, the ligature furrow would elevate to the back and sides of the neck, behind the ears, while in strangulation, the ligature furrow is lower, horizontal, and completely encircles the neck."

"Now let's compare it to the Sandaiz Serial Murder Case. Aside from the five stab wounds the victim suffered, the autopsy also showed that he was strangled. Not with a rope but with a hand."

"You know why? Because the rope was tied to the victim's hand, as you can see, there are marks of the rope on his hand. After brutally killing the victim without a fight, he took the rope from the victim's hand and used it to hang the body to make it look like a suicide."

"Do you understand the pattern of his killings? And this too, look closely at how the rope was tied in the Sandaiz and Grumandi serial murder cases. It can't be a coincidence that the way the rope was tied in two separate murder crimes is the same. It's not an ordinary way of tying a rope because that knot is called a "Bowline on a Bight," a type of knot used for mountain climbing."

Police 2: "Sir, what do you think is the killer's motive for killing?"

-"Don't you see? He violently killed 5 victims. That damn psychotic killer is just playing with the lives of the people he victimized. That kind of person has a lower amygdala volume which means he can't feel sympathy. Psychopaths just enjoy killing to satisfy their own desires."

Police 3: "Sir, the forensic results for the fingerprints found at the crime scene are here. According to this, there are no fingerprints at the crime scene except for the victim's fingerprints."

Javier: "The killer committed the crime meticulously, he didn't leave any traces... Has the evidence team collected all the evidence?"

Police 3: "Yes sir, I've also checked the victim's phone and saw that the last call he made was to his sibling around 8 o'clock."

-"Guerreraz, please do a background check again on all his victims, find out if..."

[Mira's POV]

My body still ached from the beating I'd received the night before.

As I navigated the crowded hallway, struggling to carry a stack of books and notebooks, a sudden collision sent me stumbling.

My books scattered, and I accidentally bumped into someone's shoulder, causing their phone and notebook to fall.

When I picked up their phone to return it, a sinister figure, Raven Villanti, a well-known delinquent in the school, slammed their notebook onto the ground and viciously attacked me with the books.

The physical pain I felt was nothing compared to the emotional anguish caused by my friend's betrayal. It was as if he didn't even see me, walking past as if nothing had happened. The glass that was cracked from the beatings of them shattered as how my only friend treated me. With every piece that I have, vanished there from that moment on.

 Lying on the ground, overwhelmed by embarrassment and confusion, I couldn't move. Surrounded by students who stared at me, I felt utterly alone. Ethan, our class president, was the only one who showed compassion. He extended his right hand, offering help.

 Initially hesitant, I only accepted, unable to bear the thought of keeping him waiting.

[Maxine’s POV]

I was heading towards my class when I saw Ethan going downstairs. He stopped suddenly and hid, watching something happen.

As I moved closer, I saw Mira being beaten up by Raven. Ethan was still hiding. But why?

He only appeared after Raven left Mira. As he passed by, their eyes met, and there was something suspicious about their interaction.

[Guard's POV]

I suddenly woke up, as the late afternoon sunlight slowly streaming through the window. I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep.

"Coffee is supposed to keep you awake," I muttered to myself, confusion clouding my mind as I squinted at my watch. 5:48 PM.

The sky outside was already ablaze with the fiery hues of sunset. The students must have all gone home by now.

With a sigh, I began my routine inspection. Every room in this creaky old building needed a check to ensure all electrical appliances were turned off – no need for another fire drill.

Fatigue gnawed at me as I finished the main building, five rooms on the other side still left to check. Darkness was creeping in, slowly swallowing the sky.

As I walked down the darkened hallway, an unsettling feeling prickled my skin.

Eerie footsteps echoed through the building, bouncing from one room to another. Fear tightened its grip around my heart as I clutched my flashlight, desperately searching for the source of the sound.

With each step It take I followed, my heartbeat of mine doubled. The footsteps grew louder…

 step…

 step…

 STEP…

Just as I neared the source of the mystery, a deafening crash ripped through the building – a SLAM!

My breath hitched as I raced towards the sound. There, sprawled on the floor… a body.

The news spread like wildfire across the town…

[Iñigo's POV]

Ever since Mira's accident, my quiet life had turned upside down. Now, I was the target.

The wolves, as I called them, had shifted their focus, making me their new lamb.

I endured all their beatings. I did their homework, their chores, everything. I was their slave. The physical abuse was brutal, but the psychological torture was a living hell.

They aimed to wear me down, break me until I became nothing more than a puppet dancing to their strings. I couldn't take it anymore. 

I had to escape...

I retreated to the familiar confines of my home, seeking safety. I locked myself away from the light of the world. Days bled into weeks, weeks into months. Though my advisor visited frequently, I refused him entry.

Isolation became my comfort, a mere exchange for my sanity. But isolation's grip proved to be a double-edged sword.

It wasn't long before my mind began to wear thin, the solitude pushing me to the brink of madness. I started seeing shadows where there weren't any, hearing whispers in the wind. Desperation for fresh air and a glimpse of daylight gnawed at me...

I ventured outside, my mind a blank slate.

With each step I took, the more blurs my eyes peeks.

 Suddenly, I realized I was standing in the middle of the road. A car roared towards me, its horn blaring.

Every muscle in my body seized, frozen with fear...

I resigned myself to my fate, the end of my beginning. I closed my eyes…

Just when I felt doomed, a hand reached out, pulling me into its grasp.

As everything turned white...

[Police Station]

RING!

A shrill ring of a telephone pierced the silence of the police station. It emanated from the next room.

Seconds later, my co-worker emerged, his face etched with worry. He called out my name.

A wave of unease washed over me as I stood and slowly approached him. Sweat prickled my palms. He held out the phone, placing it by my ear…

I answered… my voice tight. The conversation ended with a dull thud as I dropped the phone.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, flowing rapidly. My knees buckled, and I sank to the floor.

The sounds of my anguish echoed through the station.

My vibrant daughter, my only child, was gone, a cold and lifeless body…

From that moment on, regret gnawed at me, a relentless beast feasting on my sanity.

I poured myself into my work, the life I'd built for her future. Yet, I'd been blind to her growing distance towards me, the darkness creeping into her eyes, the joy in her soul replaced by a bottomless sadness.

Now, all that remained were painful memories, a constant reminder of my failure to protect her.

Seeking solace from the suffocating emptiness, I locked myself away in a cage filled with our shared memories.

Alcohol became my escape, a numbing agent against the searing pain of the past. But the more I drank, the emptier I felt.

The sorrow remained, a vast chasm consuming my very being. Eventually, even liquor lost its hold.

I never knew liquor could have its end, driving me to seek out even more...

Burdened by my grief, I stepped outside, as the harsh sunlight momentarily blinding me.

Disoriented, I stood on the street, unsure of where to go. As I gazed at the vast emptiness of the sky, I spotted a boy.

About the same age as my daughter, I wondered what he was doing. He moved with an unsettling stiffness, taking hesitant steps across the road.

The moment I saw him, I also saw the speeding vehicle hurtling towards him. The boy remained frozen, oblivious to the danger.

I couldn't just stand there! I don't want to make the same mistake I have done to my daughter. I don't want to live a life with regret. Maybe I can make something right just this time...a chance of redemption...

With a surge of determination, I pushed past my physical limitations. Time seemed to slow down as I raced towards him...

 In a desperate attempt to save him, I grabbed his arm and pulled him into a tight embrace…

As everything turned white…

 END OF CHAPTER 1...