in this occasion. The deterioration must have started already, because it seemed clear that death was coming soon.
He was in an empty, nondescript room. He couldn’t see anyone there with him. He had no way to change his point of view, he couldn’t look around, and he realized that not even the victim had, although he couldn’t figure out why.
Then he heard a voice whispering in his hear, «Wanna play?», and he saw a blade appear in front of his eyes. An unusual blade, glazed and opaque, with no reflections. He saw it go down, felt it cut his throat. After a second, even though many minutes had passed in his subjective time, he was back to his senses.
The state of the second victim, another human, wasn’t too different. No eyelids, traces of sewing on the lips, signs of torture on the whole body.
The death of this one was more recent, and the deterioration less advanced, but this only allowed Sylke to attend to many of the tortures. At least he was able to partly detach himself from the pain they caused. He never saw the killer, and only once he heard him talk, this time a little before the death stroke. «I’m here for you» he whispered.
«This one we found yesterday» Throll announced pulling open the drawer that contained the third and latest victim of what could be certainly classified as a serial killer.
Sylke couldn’t help noticing that it was another human, although a female this time, showing exactly the same signs as the previous ones.
Since she had died recently, the deterioration was almost non-existent. In spite of this, he found himself watching a scene that had already started, as he was already sitting and tied, with his mouth mutilated by strong thread. He saw the tip of the blade slowly reach his left eye, then darkness as he uselessly shut it tight to protect it. Light came back along with pain when his cut eyelid was pulled away like peel from a ripe fruit.
«So, Sylke, haven’t you understood yet?»
He suddenly broke the contact with the body and was back in the present, turning abruptly. Seymourne, Throll and the coroner assisting them stared at him in wonder. Some time passed before the captain started talking.
«Did you see anything useful?»
Sylke didn’t answer. Not exactly.
«Did you say anything?»
«I asked you whether...»
«Not now, earlier. While I was still examining the body.»
Seymourne shook his head. «I know you prefer silence...», but Sylke wasn’t listening. He had been confirmed his first impression, the killer had been talking to him! He had used the sensorial memory of his victims to send him a message. Apparently, not only he had known that he would be summoned for the investigations, but even how long after the first death this would happen. He had timed his words so that deterioration wouldn’t prevent him from hearing what he wanted to say.
But who in the world could know him so well?
The voice hadn’t rang a bell. Maybe he could have recognized the face, if only he had been able to see it.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The unreflecting blade to prevent the victims from seeing in it the face of the killer. The...
«The victims knew the killer!» he said suddenly, making the coroner start.
«How can you say that?» Throll asked.
«He didn’t saw their mouths shut to prevent them from screaming. He did so that they could not say his name... so that I could not hear it.»
* * *
«What do we know about the victims?»
Throll sent him a reproachful look. «Investigations are not your business. You don’t even have a reason to be still here» he told him.
In truth, Sylke had already reported every single detail of what he had been able to see, and there was no other way he could contribute to finding the killer, but by then it had turned from a professional into a personal matter.
«It’s definitely my business. Whoever is doing... that, he’s trying to reach me.»
«Unfortunately he’s killing anyone but you.»
«If you let me
He was in an empty, nondescript room. He couldn’t see anyone there with him. He had no way to change his point of view, he couldn’t look around, and he realized that not even the victim had, although he couldn’t figure out why.
Then he heard a voice whispering in his hear, «Wanna play?», and he saw a blade appear in front of his eyes. An unusual blade, glazed and opaque, with no reflections. He saw it go down, felt it cut his throat. After a second, even though many minutes had passed in his subjective time, he was back to his senses.
The state of the second victim, another human, wasn’t too different. No eyelids, traces of sewing on the lips, signs of torture on the whole body.
The death of this one was more recent, and the deterioration less advanced, but this only allowed Sylke to attend to many of the tortures. At least he was able to partly detach himself from the pain they caused. He never saw the killer, and only once he heard him talk, this time a little before the death stroke. «I’m here for you» he whispered.
«This one we found yesterday» Throll announced pulling open the drawer that contained the third and latest victim of what could be certainly classified as a serial killer.
Sylke couldn’t help noticing that it was another human, although a female this time, showing exactly the same signs as the previous ones.
Since she had died recently, the deterioration was almost non-existent. In spite of this, he found himself watching a scene that had already started, as he was already sitting and tied, with his mouth mutilated by strong thread. He saw the tip of the blade slowly reach his left eye, then darkness as he uselessly shut it tight to protect it. Light came back along with pain when his cut eyelid was pulled away like peel from a ripe fruit.
«So, Sylke, haven’t you understood yet?»
He suddenly broke the contact with the body and was back in the present, turning abruptly. Seymourne, Throll and the coroner assisting them stared at him in wonder. Some time passed before the captain started talking.
«Did you see anything useful?»
Sylke didn’t answer. Not exactly.
«Did you say anything?»
«I asked you whether...»
«Not now, earlier. While I was still examining the body.»
Seymourne shook his head. «I know you prefer silence...», but Sylke wasn’t listening. He had been confirmed his first impression, the killer had been talking to him! He had used the sensorial memory of his victims to send him a message. Apparently, not only he had known that he would be summoned for the investigations, but even how long after the first death this would happen. He had timed his words so that deterioration wouldn’t prevent him from hearing what he wanted to say.
But who in the world could know him so well?
The voice hadn’t rang a bell. Maybe he could have recognized the face, if only he had been able to see it.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The unreflecting blade to prevent the victims from seeing in it the face of the killer. The...
«The victims knew the killer!» he said suddenly, making the coroner start.
«How can you say that?» Throll asked.
«He didn’t saw their mouths shut to prevent them from screaming. He did so that they could not say his name... so that I could not hear it.»
* * *
«What do we know about the victims?»
Throll sent him a reproachful look. «Investigations are not your business. You don’t even have a reason to be still here» he told him.
In truth, Sylke had already reported every single detail of what he had been able to see, and there was no other way he could contribute to finding the killer, but by then it had turned from a professional into a personal matter.
«It’s definitely my business. Whoever is doing... that, he’s trying to reach me.»
«Unfortunately he’s killing anyone but you.»
«If you let me
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