CH 2- The Dead Head

Joseph, formerly known as Jasper, now masking himself as the head of special task force deployed by the government, turned to Amisha aka Adira playing the role of a brilliant forensic expert, dressed in a crisp white coat. Her eyes, shielded by a pair of gloves and a mask, scrutinized the gruesome crime scene before them.

A chill ran down Jasper’s spine as he gazed upon the severed head of a young girl, her eyes frozen in a permanent stare, seeming to pierce through their very souls. The air was heavy with the weight. Beneath her head, a macabre star pattern was meticulously crafted from human bones, a haunting signature of a dark and sinister force.

Joseph’s voice was low and measured as he asked, “What do you think about this, Amisha?” His eyes locked onto hers, searching for any hint of insight into the horrors that lay before them.

“It’s a dukun’s doing for sure,” one of the locals blurted. “They would definitely be doing ‘sanat’. Only God can save us now.” He began to ramble on, his words spilling out in a frantic torrent. All the other people standing there hummed in agreement with his words and soft whispers started to spread.

“Clear the place immediately; don’t let the information spread,” Jasper instructed the local officers. They promptly started to remove people from the crime scene. The scene had attracted a lot of attention, given its location on the main street. Once a bustling thoroughfare, the road was now cleared, with many police officers stationed to secure the area.

“What is this dukun and Sanat?” Alaric asked, dressed in casual attire consisting of white pants and a white shirt with blue check boxes, paired with a solid grey T-shirt and a camera hanging from his neck.

“Black magic practitioners are called dukun here, and black magic is known as Sanat,” Adam replied, wearing a police officer’s uniform comprising a brownish-grey shirt and dark brown pants, equipped with an office badge on his left sleeve and a corps badge on his right sleeve, displaying the name Alex.

“Yeah! It’s a really good idea. Do the deed and blame it on black magic,” Adira said, her voice laced with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. She carefully lifted the young child’s head in her hands, her gaze meeting the open, lifeless eyes. A pang of sorrow struck her, and she felt a deep sense of regret for the innocent victim.

The child’s face was pale and slightly swollen, a haunting testament to the brutality of the crime. Adira’s trained eyes took in every detail as she examined the body. “She hasn’t been dead for long, maybe just a few hours,” she declared, her voice steady and professional. “Her blood was completely drained from her body before it was left here.”

One of the local officers, dressed in his uniform, shook his head, his expression a mix of sadness and disgust. “What a young child,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jasper turned to the officer, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Do you have any information about her?” he asked, his tone firm but controlled. His gaze swept the now-empty area, his expressions unreadable as he took in every detail of the scene.

The local officer’s expression turned somber as he shared the details about the young victim. “Yes, she was an orphan. Her closest kin was her brother. They used to live with their uncle’s family, but three days ago, the kids left the house and went missing. Her brother is still unaccounted for.”

Jasper’s eyes clouded over, his jaw clenched in frustration. He felt a deep sense of sorrow for the young girl, whose life had been cut short in such a brutal manner. She was barely five or six years old, and her fate had been sealed in tragedy.

Taking a deep breath, Jasper gave the order to clear the crime scene. “We need to wrap this up as soon as possible. It’s not ideal for us to stay here for long, as rumors are already spreading.” He glanced around, aware of the gathering crowd and the potential for unrest.

The team quickly sprang into action, gathering the necessary evidence and documenting every detail of the crime scene. They worked with a sense of urgency, knowing that they couldn’t keep the road blocked for much longer. The area was a bustling hub of activity, and the longer they stayed, the more attention they would attract.

Jasper began scouring the streets, searching for any potential clues that might have been overlooked. Meanwhile, Alaric carefully documented the crime scene, snapping photos from various angles to capture every detail. Adira, on the other hand, was meticulously searching for any traces of blood that might have been left behind.

Jasper’s eyes landed on a small flower shop nearby, and he spotted a CCTV camera installed above the entrance. He called out to the officer, who promptly approached him. “Officer, can we get the video footage from that shop?” Jasper asked, pointing to the camera. “The other cameras in the area seem to have been destroyed, but this one might have gone unnoticed by the culprit.”

The officer nodded, his expression determined. “For sure,” he replied, and headed off to locate the shop owner to request the footage. Jasper watched him go, his mind racing with the possibilities. Could this small flower shop hold the key to unraveling the mystery of the young girl’s brutal murder?

 

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“Do you find anything in the footage from the shop?” Jasper asked Seojun, who was intently watching the clip again and again.

“Nothing different from the previous ones,” Seojun replied, frustration evident in his tone. “It’s the same masked individual.”

Just then, Adira walked up to them, a look of determination on her face. “But I found something,” she said.

Jasper and Seojun turned to her, intrigued. “The girl’s brain tissue showed traces of corticotropin,” Adira explained. “She must have witnessed or experienced something extremely terrifying. And based on the state of her body, I’d say she was dead for around 16 hours.”

Seojun’s eyes widened as Adira continued. “Her retinas had detached from the back of her head, and her tissues had softened significantly. It all points to one thing: every last drop of blood was sucked out of her body, just as I had predicted.”

“Whoever did this isn’t human,” Adam said, his voice laced with disgust and horror.

“If they were human, they wouldn’t be capable of doing something like this,” Seojun retorted, his eyes blazing with anger.

“If I find them, I’ll do the same to them first,” Alaric commented, his tone cold and menacing.

“I agree,” Jasper said, his expression grim and resolute.

Alaric turned to Seojun, his eyes narrowing. “What about the other cameras on the street? Did you get anything from them?”

Seojun shook his head. “Nothing useful. They were either destroyed or didn’t capture anything suspicious. But I’m still reviewing the footage, so maybe we’ll get lucky and find something.”

“Why don’t you check the cameras on the nearby streets?” Adira suggested. “If he came here to place the head, he must have taken one of these paths.”

Seojun nodded, already anticipating this step. “I was going to do that. By checking the nearby cameras, I can see which direction he came from.”

With a hum, Seojun refocused on his work, and the others returned to their respective tasks. Adam handed Jasper a report, which he scrutinized intently.

Just then, Seojun’s voice cut through the air. “Shit!” he exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him.

“What happened?” Adam asked, concern etched on his face.

Seojun’s expression was grim. “None of the cameras are working on any street. It’s like they’ve all been disabled.”

Jasper’s eyes narrowed. “How can this be possible? We’re talking about multiple cameras across different streets.”

Seojun’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he pulled up more data. “It started at 2:45. One by one, the cameras began to flicker, like someone had hacked into the system.”

“It’s like they knew exactly what they were doing,” Seojun continued, his voice laced with frustration. “The cameras didn’t just malfunction, they were deliberately shut down. And the weird thing is, it was done in a sequence, like a systematic shutdown.”

Adira’s eyes widened as she listened. “This level of sophistication suggests that our perpetrator is highly skilled and well-prepared. We’re not dealing with an amateur here.”

Jasper’s jaw clenched. “We need to get to the bottom of this. Seojun, can you try to hack into the system and see if you can retrieve any footage?”

Seojun nodded. “I’m already on it. But I have to warn you, if the perpetrator is as skilled as we think, they may have left a trap or a virus to prevent us from accessing the footage.”

 

 

…𝟐𝟒 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐨…

 

“This is the place where the last agent was present?” Adira asked, her eyes scanning the empty flat with a scrutinize gaze.

Alaric’s nodded. “Yes, this is the location where Agent Thompson was last seen. And now, we need to find any hint that could lead us to those unethical, crazy scientists.”

The team began to methodically search the flat, their eyes scouring every inch of the space for any sign of evidence. Seojun examined the walls and floors for any hidden compartments or secret messages, while Adam checked the windows and doors for any signs of forced entry or exit.

Adira, meanwhile, focused on the kitchen and dinning areas, collecting different fingerprints. Alaric examined the furniture and appliances, looking for any hidden compartments or clues.

As they searched, the team remained silent, their minds focused on the task at hand. But the tension was palpable, and the air was thick with anticipation. They knew that they were getting close to something, and they were determined to uncover the truth.

Adira carefully examined the door knob, searching for any fingerprints or DNA evidence. She then sprayed some luminol spray on the front door, and the area suddenly erupted in a bright blue glow.

“Guys, I think I found something,” Adira said, her voice low and serious. “I feel like something bad happened to that agent. The blood traces are showing up here.”

Jasper’s expression turned grim. “Keep working, maybe we can find something else.”

The team continued their search, scouring every inch of the flat for any sign of evidence. Suddenly, Alaric shouted out, “I found it!”

The others turned to see Alaric standing in front of a previously hidden door, now swung open to reveal a secret room. The team’s eyes widened in surprise, and they quickly gathered around Alaric, eager to explore the newly discovered space.

Seojun’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Maybe we could get some more information. Only if the killer hadn’t found it earlier.”

 

Adam’s eyes scanned the documents, his expression growing increasingly somber. “Look here, this paper is about the kids who’ve gone missing, and the heads that were found on the main streets,” he said, his voice low and serious.

He handed the documents to the others, who gathered around him, their faces filled with a mix of shock and outrage.

“Killing kids and blaming it on black magicians?” Adira commented, her voice laced with disgust. “What an easy way to get out of all this. It’s a perfect scapegoat.”

Seojun’s eyes narrowed as he examined the documents. “There’s more to this than just a simple cover-up. Look, there are notes here about a ritual, and a symbol that’s been found at each of the crime scenes.”

Jasper’s face darkened. “This is getting weirder by the minute. We need to find out what’s behind this, and who’s responsible.”

Alaric spoke up, his voice firm. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. We won’t let them get away with this.”

“Look, there are more documents here,” Seojun said, pulling out a stack of papers from the drawer. “They appear to be some sort of journal entries from the agent.”

Adira’s eyes widened as she began to read through the entries. “This agent was getting close to the truth,” she said. “He mentions a suspicious individual who was seen around the area where the kids went missing.”

Jasper’s eyes locked onto the document. “Does it say who the individual is?”

Adira shook her head. “No, but it mentions a symbol that was found near the scene of the crime. It’s the same symbol that Seojun found in the documents earlier.”

Alaric’s face set in a determined expression. “We need to find out who this individual is and what their connection is to the symbol.”

Adam nodded. “I’ll start digging through the agent’s notes and see if I can find any leads.”

As the team delved deeper into the documents, they began to piece together the disturbing evidence and drew the conclusion that the scientist, conducting heinous experiments on children, was cleverly using the guise of black magic to conceal his sinister activities.

“I think it’s time to get some new identities,” Jasper mentioned, his voice laced with a sense of urgency and caution.