The squad car weaved through the labyrinthine streets of New York City, its siren blaring in the darkness. Sarah Gomez stared out of the window, watching the bright lights of Times Square fade into the distance as they made their way towards the heart of Brooklyn. The city never slept, but tonight it seemed quieter than usual, as if it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

Sarah was a rookie detective, fresh out of the academy, and this was her first real case. Her partner, Detective Jones, was driving, and the pressure was mounting with every passing moment. She had heard all the stories about how brutal the city could be, but she had never imagined that she would be faced with something like this.

Finally, they arrived at the scene. It was a small apartment building that had been recently renovated. The smell of fresh paint hung in the air, and Sarah wondered who could afford to live in such a place. As they climbed the stairs, Sarah's nerves began to get the better of her. She had never seen a dead body before, and she didn't know if she was ready for what she was about to see.

At the top of the stairs, they were met by a small crowd of people. They were huddled together, whispering to each other, and staring at the door to apartment 5B. Sarah knew that they had all seen something they wished they hadn't.

Detective Jones pushed his way through the crowd and knocked on the door. There was no answer. He kicked the door open, and they stepped inside.

The smell hit Sarah first. It was like nothing she had ever smelled before. Her stomach churned as she took in the sight before her. Blood was everywhere, covering the walls and the floor. In the center of the room, lay the victim, a young woman in her twenties. She had been stabbed multiple times, and her body was twisted into a grotesque position.

Sarah felt a wave of emotion wash over her. This was someone's daughter, someone's sister, someone's friend. And now she was dead, for what? Sarah didn't know yet, but she was determined to find out.

The apartment was small, with only two rooms. The living room was a mess, with furniture upturned and belongings scattered everywhere. The kitchen was small, with a fridge and stove against one wall and a table and chairs in the center. It was here that Sarah noticed something odd. On the table was a piece of paper, with the words "You're next" scrawled in blood.

Sarah's mind raced with questions. Who did this? Why? What kind of person could do something like this? She knew that the answers wouldn't come easily, but she was determined to find them.

As they began to gather evidence, Sarah couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. She had read about cases like this in textbooks, but she never thought she would experience something like this in real life. She tried to keep her emotions in check as they collected fingerprints, DNA samples, and other evidence that would help them find the killer.

As they worked, Sarah's mind kept going back to the victim. Who was she? What did she do to deserve this? It was clear that this was a brutal, premeditated murder, and Sarah knew that they needed to catch the killer before they struck again.

After several hours, they finally finished gathering evidence and left the scene. As they walked back to the squad car, Sarah couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The killer was still out there, and she knew that they needed to act fast if they were going to catch them.