CHAPTER 9: "Blood and Shadows"
A dull, flickering bulb swayed overhead.
Camila's eyes fluttered open.
Her arms were tied tightly behind her back, the roughness of the rope burning into her skin. Her legs were bound, her head pounding. The room stank of mold and something metallic—blood.
She blinked again, forcing herself to focus.
A shadow moved.
Then a man stepped into view.
Jack.
Grinning. Deranged. His teeth yellowed, his hair wild, and his eyes twitching with something unhinged.
"You finally woke up," he whispered, voice as cold as the room. "Welcome to my world, Detective."
Camila stared at him with quiet defiance, even as fear laced through her chest.
"I'll take your soul soon, young lady," he sneered, crouching in front of her, his face inches from hers. "But not yet. I like to enjoy the process."
"You should floss," Camila muttered under her breath, her tone dry despite the terror.
Jack's eye twitched.
Then he stood up, laughing wildly, and pulled a jagged blade from his coat. Without warning, he dragged it across her arm—lightly, just enough to break skin. Another slash on her leg. Then another near her ribs.
She winced but didn't scream.
Jack cackled like a man possessed. "You're feisty. I like that."
Then, just like that, he dropped the knife onto the metal table, turned, and walked out of the basement—his laughter echoing behind him.
The door slammed shut.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
---
Same Night – 1:33 AM – Street Corner
Samuel stood in his usual spot near the convenience store, one hand resting in the pocket of his black hoodie, the other lighting a cigarette. His eyes flicked across the street.
No Camila.
He waited another few minutes.
Still no sign of her.
That itch behind his ribs—instinct—tightened.
He didn't care about people. That was the first rule.
But tonight... tonight felt wrong.
He pulled out his phone and accessed a private encrypted database. It took him less than a minute to find her address.
---
Camila's Apartment – 2:12 AM
Samuel picked the lock with one flick of his gloved hand.
The apartment was quiet. Lights off.
But the energy was... wrong.
He scanned the room like a hawk. A mug still on the table. Jacket hung on the chair. Phone missing.
And then—his eyes caught it.
A crumpled piece of paper near the door.
"YOU'RE NEXT."
He stared at it, lips tightening.
"Idiot," he muttered under his breath, pocketing the note.
He turned and walked out, his face expressionless.
By the time his engine roared to life, he already knew where to look.
---
Meanwhile – Mateo & Isla – Agency HQ – 3:00 AM
"She's not answering," Mateo said, pacing back and forth, his fingers clenching his phone. "I've been calling for hours."
Isla sat at the terminal, her face pale. "You think Jack...?"
Mateo's face darkened. "She found the note yesterday. This was planned."
He slammed a drawer open and pulled out Jack's last known files, reports, witness statements.
Isla scanned Camila's phone logs. "I'm trying to track her last signal... If we can find where her phone last pinged—"
"Do it faster."
Mateo's voice cracked.
He had never sounded this afraid.
---
Somewhere on a Dark Road – 3:47 AM
Samuel's bike cut through the night like a silent predator.
His mind was calm, movements calculated—but behind his still expression, something burned.
He didn't know why he cared.
But he did.
And that made Jack a dead man walking.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…