Justice Troy sat in front of her Chief with a look that made the senior look away when he said -
"Let's not do this."

Justice huffed at the remark, at which the department visibly flinched.
"You want the views and I want the money. Plus, it's not confirmed, yet."
"Look, Troy, I understand your opinion but we can get arrested for mislea-"

"That," Justice, "can be called such, if the claim would be false."

"Still, we can't just put up that a serial killer is on the loose, that too, in Aronville. Can you even imagine the ruckus it would cause? We would be ridiculed."

"The news is true. It is a serial killer. The two bodies were found eerily alike. There was no bloodshed at the crime scene. Here, look at these. The victims had no relation with each other, nothing. They were just two random ladies."
Shoving a bunch of paper forward, standing up, Justice continued,
"Don't push away your chance at win, just because you're afraid. If you do not push the door, it won't open."

"Justice!"
Being called back was something that Justice, hated. She did not turn back, just stopped at her tracks.
"Where did you get these?"

Surprising the meeting members, she turned around, smirking.
"What was that cool saying, again? Ah right, I have my sources."
~~~

Emily ran. She didn't scream, she just ran, ran till her feet burned under the scorching heat. She ran till she could see a barely familiar view and a barely familiar man, slowly standing up at the sight of her running self.

Ace curiously looked at the woman who had just went away smiling, coming back, sprinting like a maniac. As she slowed her pace, chest heaving up and down, she uttered something which was merely an audible whisper at first.

"What happened? What did you say?"
Emily groaned and kept breathing heavily as the muscles on her feet numbed at the sudden buzz of furious action. Her dotted vision and aching body, suffering a short of breath couldn't form a sentence but uttered a word that got the curious detective in all his seriousness.
"B-blood"

~~~

Jax Kora was not surprised at the sudden notification from Ace. He knew that Ace was assigned the case and he knew that this sudden summon was imminent.

As he finished taking the sample of the blood lined the alley occasionally, he chose to look around by himself for a while.

Emily looked at the mostly dry blood and shuddered. After she had calmed down a bit and told Ace what she saw, he came back to the spot with her, immediately recognising the dark red liquid.

Emily had a phobia of blood, and had it such, as far as her memory lane goes. Worse of it all, she had a weird talent of recognising the said fluid even from a distance. Even in this shady alley, when it could have been anything, she knew it was blood.

Ace stood in front of her, the corners of his lips pulled in a frown.
"What were you even doing here?"

"The alley was cooler and the heat at the street was unbearable."

When Emily noticed that the curious detective was not satisfied with her answer, she continued,
"You just cannot suspect me. I brought you here, for God's sake."

Ace looked like he wanted to say something but stopped when he noticed Jax coming over to them.
"I have taken the samples, for myself. However, a few more forensics might arrive soon. Now, the dragging marks they stop abruptly which means that th-"
"The victim was abruptly picked up."
"Yeah, that's right. You should ask around and I will call you when the reports are out."

Emily looked between the two men till the forensic smiled at her and went his way. Ace looked towards the club, intending to go there when a sharp intake of breath stopped him.

Emily stood frozen as her eyes crossed over the neon sign, flickering. She knew the alley looked familiar but couldn't recall. Another sense of Déjà vu rolled over her. Could she have prevented something? No, of course not. Why did even that thought come around? It was just a coincidence. It must be. Yet, there was a nagging at the back of her mind.

"You, are a probable suspect. Don't leave Aronville and arrive timely if summoned for investigation."
"Wha-How are you terming me as a suspect? On what grounds?"
"A rarely used alley had blood marks in it. You, a civilian, suddenly enter the alley, bring me over and on what grounds should I not assume that you, are the murderer trying to divert the case?"
"Look I can't be a suspect, alright?"
"Watch that tone."
"I know, you won't believe me but try, please."
"You just said for yourself, I won't believe. Go home."
~~~

Emily sat by her window pane, with a cup of coffee in hand, which had long gone cold. The setting sun had left shades of orange and red lingering around and the lone star shined high above the tall buildings.

Emily had left the alley as a suspect. The whole way home, she had to look back, all the while, the hair at the back of her neck tingled. Cherry had called her soon after she had left. She reassured Emily that all will be alright and ended the call to keep her husband updated on the situation.

Somewhere in her thoughts she began dozing off...

An abandoned swing creaked slow movements, as the wind picked up pace. The shabby window overlooked that dead tree and the miraculously clinging swing on it. The door to the room swung open just as the sky darkened a tad bit more - nightfall.

Her vision couldn't quite adjust to the darkness inside. She squinted her eyes and tried turning her body when a sharp pain shot from everywhere, living a tingling that made her frightened to even shift her fingers.

She noticed cuts, small cuts everywhere, on her body. She could feel the tingling still lingering. Her wrist was tied up front the same window. She could take her chance and scream but before any thought could proceed, something was splashed on her and her covered mouth prevented her from screaming her lungs out as the exhilarating pain burned her body to shards.

Sweating, Emily woke up. She was still at the window. Night sky glimmered above her, as her room quenched its thirst for light with the faded moonlight that slithered in.
Another nightmare.

~~~

Turning off the coffee machine, Ace leaned against the counter with the steaming cup in his hands. Just as his lips were about to touch the steaming surface of the cup, 'Not a Barbie Girl' by Ava Max, began blaring through his phone.

"Hello?"
"King. 31, Seren Street. Right now."
Ace looked at the time flashing on his screen, before answering. 21:09.
"Be right over but what's up?"
"Another murder."
---