Some readers may find this chapter disturbing, please be careful.
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A man and a woman stepped out of the car. The young woman had fair skin, long red hair, and striking blue eyes, while the older man, likely in his fifties, wore a stern expression perhaps hardened by years of witnessing horrors on the job.
The officers rushed toward the children, shielding their eyes from the gruesome scene before them.
Officer Emma (F): "This is..."
Officer Alex (M): "I know... Take the children to the car. Call the bureau and request an ambulance immediately."
Emma nodded, concern evident on her face. She worried that the children might develop PTSD from what they had just witnessed. Kneeling down to their level, she gently took their hands and spoke in a soft, soothing voice:
"Come on, kids, follow me. Everything is going to be alright."
As Emma led the children away, Alex remained, his gaze locked on the lifeless body sprawled across the ground. There was no point in checking for a pulse it was obvious the man was long gone.
Shifting his attention, Alex's eyes trailed up to the burned-out apartment building looming over him. The damage suggested a past disaster, possibly a gas leak. He exhaled sharply before ascending the stairs, treading carefully. A misstep sent marbles skittering beneath his foot. He steadied himself, relieved he hadn't put his full weight down. In a place like this, it wasn't unusual to find such things families, children, and people surviving in whatever way they could, even if it was as simple as playing with marbles.
Reaching the apartment door, Alex hesitated before pushing it open. The air was thick with dust and decay.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Silence.
His fingers instinctively rested on the grip of his gun as he stepped inside.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
The sudden voice behind him nearly made him draw his weapon. Turning sharply, he let out an exasperated sigh as his pulse settled.
Alex: "Sigh... Don't sneak up on me like that. I almost shot you, Emma."
Emma: "Ohh, scary. I literally made noise coming in. Maybe you're just losing your senses, old man." (She winked).
Alex didn't respond, though the irritation was clear on his face. Together, they navigated the cramped, filthy apartment. It was unfit for any human, let alone a child.
Then, Emma froze. A muffled sound-coming from the bathroom.
Her breath hitched as she inched toward the door, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Meanwhile, Alex absentmindedly flipped through an old photo album. It held only a single picture of a poised, elegant couple dressed in fine clothing. It didn't belong here. What was a picture of such seemingly sophisticated people doing in a place like this?
Suddenly, a scream.
Emma's voice, sharp and panicked.
Alex's gun was drawn in an instant as he sprinted toward the sound.
"EMMA, ARE YOU OKAY?!"
He shoved the bathroom door open. Emma was on her knees, trembling, her breath shallow and uneven.
"What happened?!"
No response.
"EMMA, LOOK AT ME! WHAT HAPPENED?!"
Still nothing. Her wide, horrified eyes were locked on something.
Alex followed her gaze-then stopped dead.
His breath caught in his throat. Sweat prickled down his back.
Even after all these years... even after everything he had seen...
"Oh my God... What kind of animal would do this to a human being?"
The scene before them was beyond brutality. A woman was tied up, her body beaten beyond recognition. Bound. Broken. A grotesque display of cruelty.
Her eyes gouged out.
Her frail frame bore the unmistakable signs of torture.
Yet, somehow... she was still breathing. Barely clinging to life.
Then, with a voice so faint it was almost lost in the suffocating stillness, the woman whispered something.
A clue? A warning? A desperate plea?
Neither officer could tell.
But whatever it was... it was enough to shake them to their core.
Alex: "Mayday! Mayday! We have a critical situation"