chapter 6
1241 Words
New Haven, Dreamland Villas
Crime Scene, First Floor
"Captain Thompson, we’ve got the video feed ready to play!"
"Good, let’s start!"
Nearly all the officers gathered in the living room, their eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of Ray Thompson and John Miller.
Everyone wanted to see what kind of person could have committed the gruesome "sliced" crime upstairs.
Soon, the screen displayed the footage captured by the camera.
The timestamp showed it was early that morning at 8:00 AM. The victim, Warren Smith, was still asleep.
The technician fast-forwarded the video.
8:30 AM, Warren was still sleeping.
9:00 AM, still sleeping.
10:00 AM, Warren woke up and started eating breakfast.
11:00 AM, finished eating and went back to sleep.
12:00 PM, still asleep.
Although no suspicious activity had occurred yet, Ray Thompson sensed something was off.
He checked the video records from the previous day and found that Warren had been sleeping for over twenty-four hours straight.
"The victim is noticeably more lethargic than an average person, possibly due to excessive drug use or being drugged."
Ray turned to an officer and asked, "Have we taken a blood sample from the victim?"
The officer nodded, "Yes, Captain. We took three samples and sent them all for testing."
"Good."
They resumed watching the video.
At 1:00 PM, Warren started acting strangely. He kneeled on the bed, trembling violently, and seemed to be muttering something.
Due to the poor quality of the camera, they couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Ray immediately ordered, "Turn the volume up to the maximum!"
With the volume turned all the way up, Ray leaned in close to the screen but still couldn’t make out what Warren was saying.
A technician connected a pair of speakers, and everyone held their breath. The video was rewound to 1:00 PM and played again. This time, Ray finally heard Warren’s muttering.
Amid the static, Warren’s desperate pleas were clear: "I... I don’t want to die. Please spare my life, spare my life!"
"Please, spare my life!"
Everyone was stunned!
There was no one else in the bedroom at that time!
And Warren wasn’t on the phone with anyone!
Warren appeared to be bowing toward the door, as if begging someone. Ray glanced at the technician, who handed over another laptop showing footage from a camera aimed at the bedroom door.
But the hallway was empty!
Goosebumps rose on everyone’s skin.
What on earth was he doing?!
"Is he begging a ghost?" John’s comment made everyone feel even more uneasy.
"Don’t be ridiculous!" Ray snapped at him and then instructed the other officers, "Check all the cameras before and after this timeframe. See if anyone entered the villa!"
"If no one shows up, go back further. Note down anyone who has entered this villa in the past week!"
"Yes, sir!"
The technicians got to work, while the video continued to play.
Suddenly, Warren began to tremble violently again, then—
"Ahhhh!!!"
A blood-curdling scream erupted from the speakers, startling everyone!
On the screen, Warren screamed as if he had seen something terrifying. He staggered and fell off the bed, scrambling backward in panic!
Ray quickly looked at the other laptop, but the hallway camera still showed no one.
In the bedroom footage, Warren’s terrified face was visible as he retreated to the edge of the bed and tumbled to the floor. He quickly got up and squeezed into the corner wardrobe, slamming the door shut!
The force of slamming the door caused it to bounce back open slightly.
From inside the wardrobe, Warren’s voice came out: "Officer, someone is trying to kill me!"
"Officer, you have to save me! I... I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die... please, please..."
Watching the video, the officers exchanged bewildered looks. One of them asked, "Is he... making a 911 call?"
Ray glanced at the other laptop again; the hallway remained empty.
Suddenly, the sound from the wardrobe ceased.
The video appeared to freeze, with no movement until the wardrobe door slowly opened wider. Warren emerged, but this time he was calm, with a serene smile on his face.
He walked to the bed, sat down on the floor, and pulled a circular saw from under the bed, plugging it in.
As he prepared the saw, Warren's face changed again, returning to his previous state of panic and terror!
He looked toward the corner of the bedroom with terror and screamed, “Ah!”
“He... he found me! He found me! Ahhh!”
“Officer, help me, save me! Save my life—”
“Save me!”
He continued to cry for help, but his hands steadily pressed the power button of the saw. Buzz!
The circular saw roared to life, its rapidly spinning blade exuding an aura of deadly sharpness that the officers could almost feel through the screen.
Next, the terrified Warren Smith looked up at the camera. His expression of fear vanished, replaced by an eerie smile. He mouthed something, then—
Swish!
He brought the saw down hard on his own leg!
Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the floor in front of him!
But Warren didn't stop. He spoke another short phrase to the bedroom camera, then pushed the saw against his ankle with grim determination.
Another spray of blood splattered across the room!
Then, he lifted his head, spoke, and sawed again, blood splattering!
Buzz—
Lift, speak, saw, blood splatter!
Buzz—
Lift, speak, saw, blood!
Buzz—
Lift...
The video continued, showing Warren repeating this gruesome cycle, even as he sawed through parts of his own head. He maintained the “lift, speak, saw, blood” routine.
Finally, he sawed off the hand holding the saw, and everything went silent.
The surveillance footage ended with Warren lying still.
Watching the black screen, all the officers were frozen in place as if paralyzed.
The living room of the villa was deathly silent, with only the sound of pounding hearts breaking the stillness.
After a long pause, one officer nervously said, "Captain Thompson, I... I noticed something in the blind spot of the bedroom camera."
...
Central City, Elm Street Shopping District
Amidst the bustling crowd, a middle-aged man suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
Nearby, a woman browsing a boutique with her young daughter turned around and saw the man on the ground. She asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"
“Should I call an ambulance?”
She quickly took out her phone to dial emergency services, while the little girl holding onto her skirt blinked with a mix of confusion and fear.
Only the girl knew that the man had just grabbed her small shoulders.
Her heart had leapt into her throat, but seeing the man’s menacing look, she hadn’t dared to call out to her mother.
Just when the girl thought the man was going to drag her away, he suddenly clutched his chest and fell.
She didn’t dare tell her mother what had happened. Her eyes searched the crowd for help, and she spotted a handsome young man with gold-rimmed glasses and dressed in white, smiling at her from a short distance away.
He looked like a beacon of light to the girl, illuminating the rain-washed, gray streets and the surrounding buildings.
She also noticed that the handsome young man was holding a small doll in his hand, his fingers pressing gently on its chest.
- Writer
