Two: The Corpse Statue (Part I)
1191 Words
Edward Yoon stared at the file in his hands, his brows slightly furrowed.
The documents had been handed to him earlier during the meeting—fresh, recent… and disturbing.
Case Report: Marina Santiago.
A registered nurse from L Hospital.
Murdered.
On her way home.
In a dark alley near L City’s Public Park.
Edward exhaled slowly, flipping through the pages. The details were limited—frustratingly limited. The only solid evidence they had so far were CCTV recordings from the surrounding area.
Which meant one thing.
They had to go to the scene.
“Detective Yoon, we’re heading out.”
Edward glanced up as his colleague called out to him. With a quiet sigh, he closed the file and placed it back on his desk.
“I’ll read it later,” he muttered.
Standing up, he grabbed his coat and followed.
“Who’s covering the case?” he asked casually as they walked.
His colleague shrugged.
“No idea. Probably Reporter Park again.”
He shot Edward a knowing look.
Edward narrowed his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
No answer.
The man simply walked ahead, heading toward the car waiting outside.
Edward clicked his tongue and followed.
---
The crime scene was already sealed off when they arrived.
Police tape stretched across the narrow alley, keeping civilians away from contaminating potential evidence. The place was eerily quiet—too quiet for somewhere that had witnessed something so violent.
There had been reports of robberies in the area before.
But murder?
This was the first.
Edward slipped on his gloves as they stepped inside. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.
Even now… the traces of violence lingered.
The blood on the ground had already dried.
But it was still there.
A silent witness.
“According to those who passed by,” a voice spoke beside him, “the victim was already lying here when they found her. Most likely, the murder happened at night.”
Edward glanced at the speaker.
Inspector Gwendolyn Salazar.
She was leading the investigation—and despite the bias she often faced for being a woman in the field, Edward respected her deeply.
“Do we have a suspect?” he asked.
She shook her head immediately.
“None. Her family and friends say she had no enemies.”
Edward sighed, crouching slightly as he examined the ground.
“Her belongings are at the station,” Salazar added, following him. “My guess? Robbery. The suspect probably didn’t intend to kill her—but things escalated.”
Edward nodded.
That made sense.
“The money in her wallet is gone.”
He hummed, still scanning for anything unusual.
Then—
“Does her name sound familiar to you, Ed?”
He paused.
Slowly, he stood up.
“Marina Santiago…” he murmured, eyes narrowing as he tried to recall.
Nothing.
Or maybe—
Something faint.
“I don’t remember,” he admitted. “But maybe we’ve met before. I just can’t recall where.”
Salazar smirked.
“Maybe one of your flings back in college.”
Edward scoffed lightly.
He didn’t deny it.
---
A few minutes later, Edward stepped aside, pulling out his phone.
Sirius.
The alley wasn’t far from his apartment.
Without thinking much, Edward dialed his number.
The line rang.
Then—
“Hello?”
Sirius’ voice came through, groggy and low—like he had just woken up.
Edward relaxed a little.
“Hey. How are you? Is your headache gone?”
A small pause.
“Edward?” Sirius replied. “I’m fine. Why did you call?”
Edward leaned against the wall.
“Just checking on you. You better not be skipping meals again—you know how Julius gets when he worries.”
A soft laugh echoed from the other line.
Edward smiled faintly.
“By the way… I’m near your apartment,” he added.
“…What are you doing there?” Sirius asked.
“We’re investigating a murder. A nurse was killed here.”
A loud noise suddenly echoed from the other side.
Something falling.
Edward straightened immediately.
“Sirius? Are you okay? What happened?”
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Edward was already about to move—ready to head straight to Sirius’ apartment—
When—
“I’m fine,” Sirius said quickly. “I just… fell off the bed. Still sleepy.”
Edward frowned slightly.
Something felt… off.
But he brushed it aside.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll hang up. Get some rest.”
“Yeah… bye.”
The call ended.
Edward slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned—
“Detective Yoon!”
Inspector Salazar approached him, holding something in her hand.
“I forgot to mention earlier,” she said. “We found a mark on the victim’s body.”
Edward’s expression darkened.
“A mark?”
She handed him a photo.
“It was on her arm.”
Edward took it.
Looked at it.
And froze.
“…S.K.?”
---
Meanwhile—
Sirius jolted awake.
Gasping.
His chest rose and fell rapidly as he looked around his room.
His bed.
His apartment.
“…What?”
His head throbbed painfully.
The last thing he remembered—
He was writing.
Then talking to Edward.
And then…
Nothing.
“Damn it…” he groaned, pressing his fingers against his temple.
He forced himself to stand and walked toward the kitchen, grabbing his medical kit. His hands trembled slightly as he took his medicine.
Minutes passed.
The pain slowly faded.
Sirius let out a breath of relief and dropped onto the couch.
Then—
His phone vibrated.
His body stiffened.
Unknown Number.
Again.
He hesitated.
Then opened the message.
“I have a gift for you.”
“Turn on the television… and enjoy the show, my dear.”
His blood ran cold.
Slowly—
He reached for the remote.
And turned on the TV.
---
The screen flickered to life.
And there—
Was a familiar face.
Julius Park.
His expression serious. Professional. Controlled.
Reporting live.
“A body was discovered earlier today at the center of L Fashion Street…”
Sirius’ grip tightened.
“At first, people believed it was merely a statue displayed in the middle of the road…”
An image flashed on the screen.
A figure.
Standing.
Perfectly still.
“…until blood began dripping from its fingertips.”
The crowd in the footage gasped.
Some stared in awe.
Others in horror.
“It has now been confirmed—”
Sirius turned off the TV.
Immediately.
His stomach churned.
He couldn’t watch any longer.
His breathing became uneven as something flickered inside his mind—
A memory.
A place.
That same street.
That same figure.
“…Was I there?” he whispered.
His thoughts were cut off—
When his phone vibrated again.
Another message.
But this time—
From his head editor.
Sirius blinked.
Then opened it.
“I liked the chapter you submitted.”
His heart stopped.
Just for a second.
Then dropped.
“…Chapter?”
A slow realization crept in.
Cold.
Terrifying.
“What… did I write?”
---
To be continued…
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