I’m Robert Danwook, 61 years old. I live in a comfortable house along with my wife, daughter and son-in-law’s photos or should I say I live alone.
(incoming call for Robert interrupts the intro of him)
I said, “Oh! It’s from Aunt Glen” as I looked over at my mobile which was ringing. I attended the call.
“O! hello, Rob“, Aunt Glen.
“Hello, Aunt Glen. How do u do?“, Me
“Fine, but that’s not the matter. I think you should give another thought before doing anything crazy.”
“Do you think I’m crazy, Aunt Glen?! I’m just doing it ‘cos I don’t want to, I wanna be free as well I don’t have anyone left…none, so why should I be doing that?“
“I think I can understand you…a little, I mean. Well it’s your wish, anyhow I don’t wanna budge into your business”
“Good, then I’m out.”
“Take care, then.”
-Call ended-
While I was about to change my clothes, I saw a film roll in the corner of my wardrobe. I took it and changed my clothes as I went outside of my room. The photo studio was the one which was nearby, so I gave the film roll and decided to get those photos by delivery. And so then, I flee to my office where I worked as an investigator. I gave the paper drop to my senior officer and left.
After I returned to my home, I got a delivery from the photo studio. The photo was nicely packed with a brown cover. The photo was describing my adulthood days. It was taken when I was on the vacation. I smiled at it and then when I turned the photo, I was shocked to see that message, which said: ‘You’re next’ with four symbols near the words. When I saw the symbol it strike to me, a murder case which was handled by me when I was about 30 years old and as well as that murder case held the same symbol which was drawn now on the backside of the photo of mine.
The murder case which was handled by me was based on a serial killer, there were four (4) murders which were connecting my case and also it was done by the same murderer and the murder was done almost at noon. It was so tough to catch him and get to know about the killer too. But we found out that it was a ‘he’ and his name, also we kept that as a secret within the police. Eventually, we found out that he only needs attention and just want to play with us. He left a symbol on his every five murders, each symbol was new. We couldn’t get it but soon we found out that he was referring his own name through those symbols. On his first” murder, he left a symbol like this, which indicates ‘Z’.
?
On his second murder, he left a symbol like this, which indicates ‘E’.
?
On his third murder, he left a symbol like this, which indicates ‘T’.
?
On his fourth murder, he left a symbol like this, which indicates ‘H’.
?
Once we had a very brutal murder done by Zeth, it was his fifth murder and also he had left every symbol he had used in the last four murders of his. The victim was a person which becomes to be a girl who was popular around her street, she was murdered using a surgical incision on her throat at first and then secondly he split her left eye, at last, he dragged her to a nearby trash can and put her inside. We got information about the body after a one day by a man whose job is to clean the trashes around that street. The victim had no relatives nor parents by her side but she did have friends who loved to share everything but didn’t even care about her for a least. She was wounded so brutally. We tried to reach out to the murderer using the shreds of evidence such as the symbol and the marks he left on those victims body but we couldn’t. He was far more smart than us.
Gradually we had more cases and so then we left this case as incomplete and focused on other cases. As for me, the senior officers transferred to me another section. Also, after we left the murder case of Zeth aside, Zeth too stopped the murders. Eventually, I, forgotten about the case and carried on with my present cases. But it was a shock for me to see that Zeth had returned, also he was targeting me now.
As I was over with my recollection of the case, I rushed over to the Photo Studio. I asked the manager about the person who delivered this photo. The manager pointed a man who was standing beside me, I asked the man: “Did you write this?”
“No, sir. I didn’t but I know who did it.”
“Well, then say it.“
“It was the man who just now got off to his home?”
“Do you guys take a note of your worker’s addresses?” I asked both, the man and the manager.
“Yes, we do,” the manager said.
“Then, I’ll be needing one person’s address”
“Umm…sorry, we can’t do that.”
“I’m the Police”
“Should we really believe you, ‘cos you know that there are so many peoples who wander saying that they are Police.”
“So, you need a proof?”
“Of course.”
“Great,” I sighed as I searched my pocket as I said but there is nothing the proof I can show them. One of the officers was so kind and was my bestie, I called him up and tried not to explain that he is in big danger rather than that I said a total story and said to explain about myself to the manager.
After a few minutes later, the manager understood and gave me the address. I rushed to the address and saw an apartment. I was sure that it was Zeth is the one who wrote this message to me as well as who is living here. I got his apartment number and when I knocked on the door three times also there was no response. I slightly tried to open the door. And when I was inside I saw the room so messy and untidy. Also had a bad smell which was similar to a dead body. I searched the room, nothing, no pieces of evidence nor clues. Then when I opened the bathroom, the smell became stronger and I couldn’t hold on much anymore but I got to find out what it is. So, I pushed myself towards the bathroom and saw a dead body inside. It was a man naked and killed using a knife by stabbing many times in his stomach and splitting his throat. I pitied the person who was lying down and then I left his apartment. I asked the security if any visitors showed up and yes, ‘BINGO!’ there was a suspicious visitor who was a girl frequently visited for months but stopped now. The security had her mobile number and as well as her name noted, I took it. Her name was ‘Sharia’.
My mind was fully filled with questions such as Why? How? What happened?……swirling upon my mind and I felt like as if my head would burst up in any minute.
I had called up Sharia many times but she didn’t pick up rather than that she hung up on me. I began to lose my patience slowly and then I traced the number of Sharia through the help of my friend who is working on call tracing. The minute I had the message from my friend, I was thrilled and slightly excited ’cause Sharia was near me, she was right next to the street I was standing. I slowly walked towards the next street and found the crowd gathering up.
It’s gonna be so tough to find her too, I thought.
But after a few minutes, the crowd was gone, I saw some people standing over the corner of the street and some people walking over the street. I took my mobile and called up Sharia, at that time when I called many mobiles to others who were near me rang at the same time. I was confused. But suddenly my eyes caught upon a group of three girls, two were leaning over the wall and one was facing the other two girls. I called up her again and I was more excited to see that the one girl who was facing the other two girls took her mobile from her jacket and hung up. The timing was so perfect, I exactly knew that she was the one who I am searching for now. I gently walked towards them. Two of the girls who were leaning over the wall wore a revealing dress which showed them as a sellout and the one who was facing them, Sharia wore a shirt and pant and also a full jacket, which had two pockets. One was on the left side and on the right side. The pocket which was on the right side had the mobile of hers and the left side pocket looked a little bit heavy, but I couldn’t get to know what she had. As I neared them, I turned towards Sharia and asked:
“Miss Sharia?”
“Yes, do I know you?” Sharia
“Well, does ‘Zeth’ give a strike to you mam?”
When Sharia heard the name ‘Zeth’, I could clearly tell that she was frightened to answer me and looked from top to bottom, noticed every inch of me. She stared at me for seconds and then gave a big sigh and said:
“No, I don’t recall anything.”
“Hmm…”
I looked at the two girls who were leaning over the wall, they smirked at Sharia and then one of them faced me and said:
“He was once my customer, he was rude. He didn’t give a damn about anything but still we don’t know what caught his eyes on Sharia……they were in a relationship for months and I think they still. ‘Cos you know, Zeth is the person each and every girl wants to hang out with. I really envy Sharia”
“Yeah, me too,” added the other girl too
“Ok! then, we got works to do, guess we have customers loaded. Catch with you later, sir” said the girl one who said everything about Zeth and left and the other girl too followed her by.
I gave a glance over Sharia who stood in a shock facing those girls who bluntly spill out everything of her tiny secrets. After a second she took a spray from her left pocket and tried to spray but it didn’t work out though I guarded my eyes by my palms. Once I came to know there was no spray, I left my guard and at that second Sharia threw that spray bottle towards me with a force which hit on my forehead and made a pink mark left. She ran towards the cafe, I saw that when I was got hit by her. I rushed to the cafe and saw her turn left. I chased her with all my strength I had. First, she gave a left cut, second, she had gone inside a mall, third she jumped off from the 2nd floor to the ground, it was obvious that she was an athletic and a sprinter. Fourth she used a shortcut to reach a supermarket, fifth she started a trouble over there and made a fuss, gathered the crowd as soon as possible. Sixth she thought she escaped but no, I got a peek at her through the gaps and saw her exit the supermarket. I ran through the crowds and found her turn right side. She ran as fast as she could, her hair was done in a ponytail with a dark grey colour band. Her hair flow in the breeze as she ran, her neck at the backside was sweating. She began to lose her strength, she slowly got herself to a nearby a street which happened to have a dead end. She gradually turned towards me. She pant, leave a heavy sigh and said with a trembling tone:
“What do you want?”
“I wanna know about Zeth.”
“Yes, it’s true that we had a relationship. But I never came to know that he was……you know…until I cleaned up the messy room of his when he wasn’t around.”
“What did you find?”
“……Someone’s body parts…”
“So, after you found that you never reached him out nor him too, am I right?”
“No…he reached me and…threatened me to death, that’s why I ran and now I’m over-”
As she finished that sentence, she was shot right through in her head. I turned over and saw some shady man, who wore black clothes as well as black gloves and a black hat. He just took his gun over me and pointed at me. At that second I came to know that he is Zeth ‘cos he had a symbol, the same symbol on his hand.
He smirked at me as he slowly pulled the trigger and shot me in my right leg and again on my left upper arm. He came near me and said:
“It’s over. You didn’t satisfy me. Farewell.”
He put his gun on my head and looked at me with a disgusting face.
When he was about to pull the trigger, there were police surrounded him. He smiled at me as he put the gun down and then he was taken by the police. As for me was hospitalized for about weeks.
When I returned to my home, there was a delivery for me. I opened it and saw three pictures when I saw this I came to remember that I didn’t yet saw the other photo which was taken from the film. I rushed and saw the other photo, it was a rock. The photo was only covering a rock, which looked ordinary to me.
And then I saw the other three pictures. One was showing a plus sign, another one was showing grass and the other one was showing number nineteen (19). I don’t know why but it looked like a puzzle, I urged to find what it was saying. First I was collapsed when I saw the pictures separately but when I put them together and saw, I got it.
The plus sign was indicating a church, the grass was indicating a park and as for the rock and number 19, I don’t get it. I thought I would get a clue if I go to a church which was nearby a park and search it thoroughly.
Near my neighbourhood, I had a church which was nearby to a park. I rushed to the church and searched everywhere. When I checked the graveyard which was behind the church I saw the same rock which was in the photo. So, the rock was indicating the graveyard but the number 19, what is it?
I slowly searched every inch at the graveyard and eventually saw a coffin open inside a big dig, the upper part of the coffin was out and it had a number 19 on it. I saw the tombstone and I was shocked to see it. It had the name Robert Danwook and near it, there was the same symbol sprayed recently. So, the one who we keep now isn’t Zeth, he is out here. I did a very big mistake. When I kept my right foot backwards, suddenly someone hit me with a big sharp edge of a rock on my head. I turned over, my view became a blur. But I could recognise the rock alone, it was the same rock which was in the photo. And as for the person disguised as a man who wore a black pant and shirt and also covered their face with a black mask, as well as his hands with black gloves. It was all black. He said:
“Goodbye, Mr Robert Danwook.”
I couldn’t stand properly, I fell into the coffin and he threw that rock onto me and then it was all blank.
He, Zeth, checked whether Robert was dead for real and then he nailed the upper part of the coffin along with the other part of the coffin. He then closed the dig and checked whether anyone saw this situation. And went on his way to home.
Months later…..Zeth again gained the attention of the police.
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