The door to the police-only area of the house was open. 

I felt an urge to take a quick peek inside, just to sate my curiosity. One of the room’s doors was open and I could hear voices coming from there. It sounded like the little kid and the officer, Jim. I inched closer, my curiosity continuing to get the better of me… but the world went dark.

I froze. 

What had happened? 

There was a sickening scream from somewhere ahead of me and I heard footsteps run past me. I fumbled for the little torch I kept clipped to a chain at my neck and switched it on. The shadows were long but empty. No one was there.

I walked to the open door, and reached for the first thing my torch’s light landed on; an open power box. I pulled the lever up, and the lights flickered back on. 

Someone let out a terrible scream from behind me and I turned around, my fists coming up in a defensive position. Wim and Do-yun were standing beside a bundle of limbs and clothes A dead body.

Wim’s mouth was wide open and he was still screaming. Do-yun just stared, her long hair covering her face so I couldn’t read her expression. The body was Jim, the last police officer, but now he was gone too. I put my finger on his wrist, feeling for a pulse. I pressed my index finger as hard as I could, willing myself to feel something there.

Nothing.

. The murderer had stabbed Jim at the base of his skull. From the books I’d read, and the online classes I’d attended, the murderer had severed his cervical spine. The murderer was smart and fast. And that was a huge problem.

I glanced up at Wim who had stopped screaming now. I wiped my bloodied hands on my pants and got up. He let me hug him as his sister was still staring into space. After sniffling into my shirt for a few minutes while he calmed down, Wim finally looked up at me, and he looked perfectly fine, his mouth was in a crooked half-smile. “Guess what?” he said, perking up bit by bit, his hands still clenching my now creased shirt. 

“What, kid?”

“I kicked them,”

“Kicked them?” I looked at him closely, “You kicked the murderer?”

“Yeah, and they pushed me away. But, they might have a bruise,” his grin widened, and his pearly whites practically shone in his delight. He looked at his sister, “Noona! Let’s fuck ‘em up,”

Do-yun didn’t look up. 

I did the talking for her, “We’ll use that information to find the murderer. Great job,”

He smirked smugly and with one last look at the body, he ran out of the room.