Wei could barely sleep that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ming's lifeless form on the floor of her shop. The smell, the sight, the sheer brutality of her death clung to him like a shroud. He sat on the edge of the bed in mei's spare room, the dim light from his bedside lamp casting long shadows across the room.
In his hand, he held the blood-smeared slip of paper Ming had left behind. He'd spent hours trying to decipher its cryptic message: *"Find the hidden… in the shadow…"* The words echoed in his mind like a haunting refrain.
The weight of responsibility bore down on him. He couldn't help but feel that they'd failed Ming, that he'd failed her. She had been scared, and they hadn't acted quickly enough. Now, she was gone, and they were left with more questions than answers.
