As they arrived at the nearest subway station located along Taft Avenue, Christopher and Elizabeth made their way straight to the security office, using their credentials to gain immediate access. The guards monitoring the surveillance feeds were startled by their sudden arrival, but calmed as Christopher firmly explained, "We believe a killer may have passed through this station."
The guards quickly cooperated, allowing them to review the footage. It didn't take long before they found him--he had indeed exited the sewers through this very station. The footage showed the killer, clearly wounded, limping through the dimly lit tunnel before disappearing into the crowd.
After thanking the guards, they left the station. Outside, Christopher let out an annoyed sigh. "This guy is slippery and sharp. We need to gather more evidence at your station--predict his next move."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement, and they headed back to her department.
In her office, they dug into the killer's case files, starting from his earliest known crime. One of the first was a gruesome scene: a mural drawn in blood, left as a message. It read, "There's no one innocent with power." The blood used for the message was confirmed to belong to police officers--each with a history of corruption or misconduct.
Elizabeth studied the case closely, disturbed by what she was seeing. "This looks like a direct message… a callout against abuse of power in the police force."
As she looked deeper, her heart sank. The victims were officers from her own station. Shock and confusion spread across her face. "Why didn't I know about this…?" she whispered.
The more she thought about it, the more questions surfaced. She wasn't the chief back then, but even so, this case had never been brought to her attention. Not even the previous chief had spoken a word about it. It had been kept buried, untouched and unspoken for nearly four years.
She immediately brought it to Christopher, who reviewed the files with equal unease. "Why was this hidden? Not a single report in the media... nothing."
They continued digging.
The killer's second case was just as mysterious—and symbolic. A pastor named Apollo had been murdered, crucified upside down in a twisted display of mockery. The crime scene was haunting. But the question lingered: why him? Pastor Apollo was known for his charitable work and donations nationwide.
Christopher turned to the department's computer, using Elizabeth's clearance to access sensitive records. He combed through Apollo's history but found only clean records--no criminal background, no scandals.
They were hitting dead ends. Night after night, they sifted through every detail, trying to make sense of the pattern, the message, the motive. But all they found were shallow clues--symbolic deaths, disturbing artistry, and just enough ambiguity to cloud the truth.
And yet, they both knew one thing for certain: this killer wasn't just a murderer.
He was sending a message.
They reviewed the third and fourth cases next, both of which occurred on the same day. The first was a chilling report: a woman, later identified as a congresswoman, was found hanged in a public park. Carved into her skin was the number 06, etched deeply by a knife. The second victim was a known robber, stabbed exactly 13 times in what appeared to be a brutal and personal assault.
Elizabeth leaned forward, staring at the photo evidence of the congresswoman's corpse. "What does the number 06 mean?" she muttered to herself. "A date? A count? A code?" Her mind raced, trying to connect it to the previous murders, but nothing seemed to add up.
Before she could speculate further, an officer burst into the room, panting and wide-eyed in panic. "Ma'am--sir! A senior high school building is under attack! Students are defending themselves--we don't know the full situation, but it's chaos over there!"
Both Christopher and Elizabeth froze for a second, the weight of the words sinking in. Then without hesitation, they bolted out of the office and sprinted to the car. The engine roared to life as they raced toward the school, unsure of what they would find--but certain that the nightmare wasn't over yet.