Chapter 26
Rachel hid fearfully behind Zion, not daring to look.
Steve was the first to enter. He limped slowly. I felt like he was trembling. It was unclear if this trembling stemmed from fear or excitement.
“Stephie…” His voice was hoarse and unpleasant. The ruined tone felt suffocating.
“Stephanie?” Zion echoed.
He farrowed his brow as he activated his phone’s flashlight.
There was a dull thud. The woman standing before us fell straight to the ground.
Zion’s expression darkened. He quickly grabbed a nearby stick and surveyed the surroundings.
cautiously.
It was a dead body.
Rachel was just an ordinary medical student. Despite her strong character, she had never seen a body
like this.
She screamed as she covered her eyes and crouched on the ground. It took her a moment to slowly lower her hands.
She cried as she asked Zion, “Zion, my legs are numb. I can’t look. Please check for me. Please, see if it’s Stephie.”
She dared not confirm if the body was mine.
Not just Rachel, even I couldn’t bear to look. Eventually, I took a deep breath and gathered the courage to move forward with Zion.
After seeing the face of the body, Zion sighed in relief. My soul, however, tensed up.
It wasn’t me.
Steve retreated and fell to the ground. His gaze flickered around.
Suddenly, he ran out of the dormitory as if he was mad. He shouted, “Come out… Get out here…”
I watched Steve in horror, unsure if he might have a mental illness. Perhaps he had a split personality. Could he be unaware of his actions, not knowing he had killed so many people?
“It’s not Stephie.” Zion discarded the stick.
His brow furrowed as he called the station. Soon, the sound of police sirens approached. Rachel sat on the ground and suddenly broke into uncontrollable sobs.
“Stephie… where is Stephie?”
She was afraid to look at the body, yet relieved it wasn’t mine.
Chapter 26
2/2
The police and forensle team arrived at the scene. By the time Zion went out to look for Steve, he was nowhere to be found.
1, too, gave up struggling and simply sat down on the ground. I wondered when this series of murders would finally end.
“The victim was around 23 years old,” the forensic analyst began. “The skin is still elastic. She likely died about ten minutes ago. She seems to have died peacefully, probably due to the influence of drugs.
He briefly summarized the scene. “The victim had no ear piercings. These earrings were forcibly put through while she was alive. Her nails were pulled out and then glued back on. They likely weren’t her
own.”
1 listened to the forensic analysis and smiled weakly.
I wondered how she could have died only about ten minutes ago. It took us half an hour just to get here with Steve. 1 paused, then suddenly looked up. My whole body was trembling.
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