"Eh!"
"Ahh!"
"Where am I?"
"Help, can anyone hear me? Help!"
I heard a loud female voice desperately calling for help, but I couldn't place it. I didn't even know where I was. Why did everything here look so old-fashioned, as if I were in the past? Could I have traveled back in time? That can't be possible… Or maybe it is. Maybe I really traveled through time.
"Help! Can anyone hear me? I'm chained in the living room!"
the woman shouted again.
Yeah, if only I knew where the living room was… there seemed to be about twenty doors.
"Hello, can you hear me? I'm from the SFC. Tell me where you are!"
asked an unknown man.
Why does everything look so old-fashioned? And why don't I have my AI with me? It feels like I'm 100 years in the past.
"I'm behind door No. 234. The door should be on the left!"
the woman screamed.
The wooden floor creaked under my feet with every step. Have I gained weight? Whoever built this place clearly didn't know what they were doing. Why are the walls and doors red? I could've done a better job. Ah, there's the door.
"I'm coming in now!"
shouted the unknown man.
When the man entered the room, he could hardly believe his eyes. The air was cool, and the window on the right side of the room was open. On the left was an elegant table. In the center of the room sat the woman, long blonde hair, pale skin. Her lipstick was bright red. But the shocking part was that she was dead… The man recognized the pattern. A woman chained to a chair, her eyes covered, her face slashed open into a grotesque smile.
The unknown man was sweating, his breathing becoming louder and uncontrollable. He slowly approached the corpse, trembling.
"Get up, Mithars! We have a mission!"
Mithars abruptly woke up from his nap. But once he realized it was just a dream, he calmed down.
"Elea, I had this strange dream that felt so real…"
Mithars said to Elea.
"Yeah, I believe you. Look at you, you're all sweaty!"
Elea replied.
Elea and I had known each other for almost five years. She had been bullied back then because she was a mutant.
"The boss is waiting for us, Mithars!"
Elea shouted.
The two walked down the hallway, and Mithars realized that he had truly returned to reality. He pulled out his AI and looked at old photos from 100 years ago, realizing the timeline didn't match. His dream had looked much older. Looking back 200 years, it seemed much more realistic.
Hm... my dream probably took place 200-300 years ago. Even though it was just a dream, I want to learn more about it. Why was "Smile" there? Did "Smile" subconsciously traumatize me? Probably not just "Smile" – I've seen so many dead bodies that it probably traumatized me. Should I quit my job and do something else? I mean, mental health is very important, but somehow since the dream, I feel the urge to catch "Smile." There's this energy inside me. It's like I'm hoping that the new mission will have something to do with "Smile."
"Why do you look so thoughtful? Are you
really okay?"
Elea asked
"No, no, I'm fine. I'm great!"
Mithars replied.
The two continued down the gray, cold hallway, until they reached their boss. It seemed like she had been arguing with someone.
"Hello, Catelin! We're here!"
Elea shouted down the hallway.
Catelin reminded me a bit of the woman from my dream, except Catelin had dark blue hair and didn't wear lipstick. The woman in my dream had been beautiful. It's a shame I wasn't alive back then.
"Oh, there you are!"
Catelin said.
"We've been given a private assignment. Don't tell anyone!"
She whispered.
"We know when and who Smile's next victim will be."
When I heard this, it felt as if time had stopped. I looked at Elea, and her mouth was open in shock.
"Are you sure the information is correct, boss?"
I asked softly.
"Yes, the information is reliable. The operation will take place tonight in 'Main City' at the 'Cyber' hotel."
she said. Elea's mouth was still hanging open, which was a bit disgusting…
"You can head over there and check out the situation."
Catelin said.
With that, she walked away without saying another word, as if nothing had happened.
"Ha… ha… Did you hear that? We're going to catch Smile today!"
Elea said joyfully. But my gut told me something was wrong. How could one of the most successful serial killers be caught so easily? Even if we stood in front of him, we'd probably have to fight.
9:50 PM
It was 9:50 PM. The weather had gotten worse, and the storm was starting. We were five people here, guarding the victim.
This time, the victim wasn't a mutant, nor was it a woman, even though Smile had always killed mutant women. Something wasn't right.
Catelin, Elea, and Bran were securing the doors and windows.
Leo and I were keeping an eye on the victim.
9:55 PM
The atmosphere grew colder, and every swallow became louder. Everyone was sweating, and everyone was fully focused.
9:57 PM
No one spoke, and even the breathing was uncontrollable for everyone.
9:59 PM
It was 9:59 PM. Any moment now, he should arrive.
10:00 PM
The lights went out. With the DR glasses, we could see even in the dark. No one moved.
10:01 PM
The lights came on, and the victim was dead.
"Catelin, come here immediately!"
Mithars screamed.
"The victim is dead…"
"Scan!"