Port Mystery
Rainy night. The old port area of the city is covered in fog. The light from the street lampposts seems to be unable to reach the ground properly. The sound of the waves in the distance, the occasional ship's horn, all combine to make the place mysterious and spooky.
Detective John was standing by the window of his office, looking out. There were some old files spread out on the table. There had been no major cases in the city for a long time. Crime seemed to have suddenly decreased. But John knew that the city was never completely quiet. The darkness was always lurking somewhere and committing crimes.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” John said in a serious voice.
His assistant David opened the door and entered. He had two cups of coffee in his hand.
“Black coffee for you,” David said.
John took the cup in his hand and asked,
“Any news?”
David said with a serious face,
“There was a murder in the port area. The police commissioner himself called.”
John's eyes sparkled.
“Finally, a job has been found.”
The two of them drove to the port. The rain was pouring down on the road. A few minutes later, they arrived at the scene.
A police car was parked in front of an old warehouse. There were barricades all around. Commissioner Harris came forward.
“John, you were needed,” he said.
“What happened?” John asked.
The commissioner led him inside the warehouse.
The body of a man was lying on the floor. He was in his fifties. He was wearing an expensive suit. There was a bullet wound to the chest. David bent down and looked at the body.
“Who is this man?”
The commissioner said,
“Victor Hellman. One of the richest businessmen in the city.”
John looked around. There were mud stains on the warehouse floor. A table was overturned. It looked like there had been a struggle.
Suddenly, John’s eyes fell on a small metal object lying against the wall. He picked it up. A silver locket. A strange symbol was engraved on the locket.
David said,
“Does that look familiar?”
John shook his head slowly.
“No. But I’ve seen this symbol somewhere before.”
The next morning, John and David went to Victor's house. It was a huge mansion. There were servants and cattle roaming around inside.
Victor's wife Elena stood in front of them.
Her eyes were red. She looked like she had been crying for a long time.
"Has your husband been in some kind of trouble?" John asked.
Elena was silent for a moment and said,
"He's been very scared for the past few weeks. He said someone was following him."
"Did he say anyone's name?"
"No. But he kept saying one thing, 'The Red Tide is back.'"
John and David looked at each other.
"Red Tide?" David asked.
"I don't know what it is," Elena said.
As they left the house and got into the car, David said, "The name Red Tide sounds like a gang."
John looked out the window and said, "Maybe. And it could have something to do with the sign on that locket."
They went to the old city records office. After an hour of searching, David pulled out an old file.
“John… look at this.”
The file read….
RED TIDE SMUGGLING NETWORK
John quickly flipped through the pages.
Ten years ago, the Red Tide was the most dangerous smuggling ring in this city. They smuggled weapons, drugs, diamonds, everything. Suddenly, the entire organization disappeared. John stopped when he saw the symbol inside the file. The same symbol. Just like a locket.
“So Victor Hellman was involved with the Red Tide?” David asked.
John said slowly,
“Not just involved… he was probably one of them.”
Just then, an old employee entered the office.
“Are you looking into the Red Tide?” he asked fearfully. John shook his head.
The old man whispered,
“Their leader is still alive.”
“Who is he?” John asked.
The man looked around and said in a low voice...
“The Ghost.”
That night, John’s office was attacked.
A few masked men broke through the window and entered.
“Get down!” John shouted.
David hid behind the table. The office immediately shook with the sound of gunfire.
John pulled out his revolver and fired back.
One of the attackers fell. The other two started to run away. David ran and caught one of them. As soon as he took off his mask, he saw the Red Tide tattoo on the man’s neck.
The man suddenly laughed.
“You’re late.”
“What do you mean?” John roared.
The man took a small capsule from his pocket and put it in his mouth.
He died within seconds.
David was shocked.
“Cyanide…”
John gritted his teeth,
“They’re very organized.”
The next morning, they went to investigate the old port area. Red Tide once operated from here. As John entered an abandoned warehouse, he felt like someone was watching them.
Suddenly there was a sound from above. A man was running away.
“Stop it!” David shouted after him.
The man went out the back door of the warehouse and entered the dark alley. John and David ran after him.
It started to rain again. The man climbed onto a roof. David also climbed up. Suddenly the man turned and took out his gun. The sound of gunfire. David dodged and escaped. John aimed and fired from below.
The man was shot in the hand. The gun fell down.
But the next moment he jumped off the roof and landed on another roof. John ran and looked down. The man had disappeared into the darkness.
However, he had left a bag behind him. When he opened the bag, David was surprised. Inside were many old documents and a map. A place marked in red ink on the map...
Dock number 17
At midnight they arrived at Dock 17. The place was completely empty. The sea breeze was blowing. An old ship was standing in the distance.
John whispered,
“Careful.”
They slowly boarded the ship.
Suddenly a voice came from inside.
“I knew you would come.”
A tall man emerged from the darkness. Wearing a black coat. A light beard.
A strange cold look in his eyes.
“Are you The Ghost?” John asked.
The man smiled.
“People know me by that name.”
David pointed his gun.
“Why did you kill Victor?”
The Ghost said as he walked slowly,
“Because he was a traitor.”
“Is the Red Tide still active?” John said.
“Stronger than before.”
John noticed shadowy movements around the ship. Many people.
Traps.
The Ghost said,
“You are very intelligent. But you made a mistake.”
“What is wrong?”
“You have come into my territory.”
Suddenly, armed men came out from all around.
David whispered,
“We’re surrounded.”
John said quietly,
“Not yet.”
He suddenly pressed the button on his watch.
The next moment, sirens rang out around the port.
Police!
The Ghost’s face changed.
“You…”
John smiled,
“I sent the location to the commissioner before I got here.”
A gunfight broke out all around.
David dodged bullets one after another and moved forward.
The Ghost tried to escape. John ran after him. The two began to fight on the wet deck of the ship. The Ghost pulled out a knife. John dodged the blow and punched his hand. The knife fell. But The Ghost pushed John again. John almost fell off the edge of the ship. David ran over and pulled him up.
The Ghost was about to take out his gun....
Just then, John fired.
The man stopped.
Then he slowly fell to the ground.
Police sirens and the roar of the sea all around. It was all over.
Two days later. John was sitting in his office in the morning light, drinking coffee. David stood by the window and said, “So the Red Tide is over?”
John smiled lightly.
“Crime never really ends, David.”
David said,
“Do you think there’s anyone else?”
John looked at the locket on the table.
“Maybe.”
Just then the phone rang.
John picked up the phone.
A frightened voice said from the other end...
“Detective John… save me… they’re back…”
The line went dead.
David said slowly,
“New case?”
John picked up his coat and stood.
His eyes had that familiar fire again.
“Come on, David. The city is waiting for us.”
It was almost two in the morning. Most of the lights in the city had gone out. Only the blue-red lights of the police cars on the street were breaking the darkness. Detective John stood still for a while, holding the phone in his hand.
David asked,
“Who was that man?”
John said slowly,
“I don’t know. But there was panic in his voice.”
“The location has been traced?”
John held out the phone to David.
“The last signal came from the East River area.”
David put on his coat.
“Then let’s get out without delay.”
The two of them got into the car and drove out. The city streets were wet. The sky was cloudy. Lightning could be seen in the distance. The East River area is one of the oldest areas in the city. Dilapidated houses, old factories, and narrow, dark alleys all made it an ideal place for criminals to hide.
Stopping the car, John looked around.
“Be careful,” he said.
David turned on the flashlight.
An old telephone booth appeared in the distance. The glass of the booth was broken. There were blood stains inside.
“The call came from here,” David said.
John bent down and examined the floor. Shoe prints on the mud.
“Not one,” John whispered, “there were at least three.”
Just then, a sound came from a distant alley.
The sound of something falling tin. Both of them pulled out their guns and moved forward. At the end of the alley, a man was sitting trembling against the wall. He was about forty years old. His face had bruises on it. The man saw John and said,
“They… they’re back…”
“Who are they?” John asked.
The man handed him a piece of paper with a trembling hand.
A symbol was drawn on the paper.
The symbol of a red wave.
Red Tide.
The man’s name was Mark Henley. He used to work at the port.
After David brought him into the office, he gave him hot coffee.
Mark said in a trembling voice,
“I thought they were all dead…”
John sat quietly listening.
“It all started three days ago,”
Mark said.
“I was working at the port at night. Then I saw some men lowering a large wooden box. They had that symbol in their hands.”
“Then?” David asked.
“I was watching. Suddenly one of them saw me. They’ve been following me ever since.”
John said,
“What was in the box?”
Mark was silent for a moment and then...
“People.”
Silence fell in the room.
“What do you mean?” David said slowly.
“There was a body inside the box.”
The next morning, John and David went back to the port.
Mark had identified an old warehouse near dock number 12. The door to the warehouse was locked from the outside. David broke the lock and entered. A bad smell. Like the smell of something rotten. When he shone the torch light, he saw rows of wooden boxes.
John slowly opened one box. Then he stopped. Inside was the body of a man. His eyes were closed. Each had a strange tattoo on his hand.
David said in surprise,
“Who are these?”
John began searching the pockets of the body.
He found a card.
It had only one line written on it...
“The Shadow Project has begun.”
Back in the office, Commissioner Harris was informed of everything.
The commissioner said seriously,
“This case is not an ordinary one, no clues were found.”
“What is the Shadow Project?” John asked.
The commissioner was silent for a moment and closed the door.
“Ten years ago, the government started a secret investigation,”
he said.
“Red Tide wasn’t just a smuggler. They experimented on hired killers and missing people.”
David was surprised.
“Experiments?”
“To control people mentally.”
The air in the room seemed to become deeper.
John said,
“So these bodies?”
The commissioner said slowly,
“Probably part of the experiment.”
That night, Mark Henley disappeared. Arriving at his apartment, John found the door broken. The room was messy. A sign drawn in blood on the wall.
Black waves. David found a small device below.
“What is this?”
John picked it up and looked. A GPS tracker.
The device was still sending signals.
Location...
An old mental hospital outside the city. The hospital had been closed for many years. Surrounded by jungle. The wind was making strange noises through the broken windows.
David whispered,
“I don’t like this place.”
John said,
“Because there’s something hidden here.”
They entered.
The corridor was dark. The paint on the walls had peeled off. A scream came from upstairs.
“Save me!”
Mark’s voice. Both of them ran upstairs. They stopped as they entered a room. Mark was tied to a chair. Standing in front of him was a woman. Wearing a black coat. Cold eyes. He said with a slow smile.
“Finally, we met the famous detective in town, John.”
John raised his gun.
“Who are you?”
The woman smiled lightly.
“My name is Sophia.”
David whispered,
“Red Tide?”
Sophia shook her head.
“The Ghost was just a soldier. The real organization is still alive.”
John said,
“What do you want?”
Sophia’s eyes suddenly hardened.
“To take back the city.”
Suddenly, the lights in the room went out. Gunshots rang out.
David was trying to free Mark. John fired in front. When the lights came back on, it was clear that Sophia was gone. The window glass was broken. She had escaped. They went outside with Mark. But John’s face was serious.
David asked,
“What do you think?”
John said slowly,
“This is just the beginning.”
“You mean?”
“The Red Tide is bigger than ever.”
A distant thunderclap. John looked up at the sky and said...
“And now they’ve targeted the entire city…”
It was dark. The city sky was covered in dark clouds. The distant lightning occasionally illuminated the entire city and then plunged it back into darkness. Detective John was looking at the documents spread out on the office table. David stood in front of him.
“If what Sophia said is true,” David said, “then the entire city is in danger.”
John shook his head slowly.
“The Red Tide didn’t just come back. They’ve been preparing for a long time.”
John pointed to the map on the table.
“All their activities are around these areas.”
David looked up and said,
“The old subway tunnels?”
“Yes,”
John said.
“The Red Tide used those tunnels ten years ago.”
Just then, Commissioner Harris entered the office. His face was serious.
“The news is not good,”
he said.
“Someone is trying to hack into the city’s power grid.”
David said in surprise,
“You mean they want to shut off the power to the entire city?”
The commissioner said slowly,
“And that’s not all. Intelligence says the Red Tide will be carrying out some major operation tonight.”
The air in the room became heavy.
John stood up.
“Then we have to stop them tonight.”
An hour later. John, David, and the special police team arrived in front of the old subway tunnel. The place had been closed for years. Rusty gates. Weeds all around. The lightning flashes in the distance made the place look even more terrifying.
David checked his gun and said,
“I think they’re waiting for us.”
John said quietly,
“Maybe.”
The gate opened and everyone entered. Cold air was blowing through the tunnel. The old railway line was lost in the darkness.
Suddenly John stopped.
“Can you hear it?”
The sound of machines was coming from the distance. Everyone slowly moved forward. After a few minutes, they reached a huge underground room. And what they saw made everyone stop. Inside the room, rows of computers. Large generators. Boxes full of weapons.
And in the middle stood Sophia. She clapped her hands slowly.
“I knew you would come.”
John stepped forward,
“It’s over, Sophia.”
Sophia laughed.
“The end? No, Detective. This is the beginning.”
He pointed to a screen.
The screen showed the entire city’s power grid.
“In a few minutes, the city will be plunged into darkness,” he said.
“Then the chaos will begin.”
David roared,
“You’re crazy!”
Sophia’s eyes were cold.
“This city has taken everything from us. Now it’s our turn.”
John said slowly,
“The Ghost said the same thing.”
Sophia’s face changed for a moment.
“He was weak,” he said.
Just then, members of the Red Tide emerged from all around.
Weapons pointed. The situation was dire. Suddenly, all the lights went out. The entire tunnel was plunged into darkness. The next moment, gunshots rang out. Screams everywhere. David rolled to the ground and hid. John fired into the darkness.
The sparks occasionally made out human shadows.
Commissioner Harris was leading the police.
A Red Tide member fired at David.
David dodged and punched him. Just then, Sophia tried to escape. John saw her and ran after her. Sophia was running towards the old subway line. Sirens were all around. A police team had entered in the distance. John shouted,
“Stop!”
Sophia turned and fired. The bullet missed John’s ear. John hid behind a pillar.
Sophia started running again. Suddenly she stopped. The railway line ended ahead. A deep ditch below. John slowly approached from behind.
“It’s over,” she said.
Sophia smiled softly.
“You don’t understand, John.”
“What?”
“Red Tide is not an organization. It’s an idea. When one dies, another is born.”
John pointed the gun,
“Maybe. But your game is over today.”
The sound of police can be heard in the distance.
Sophia stared at John for a few seconds.
Then suddenly stepped back.
David ran and shouted,
“No!”
But it was too late. Sophia jumped into the deep dark ditch. There was only darkness below. Nothing else could be seen. It was dawn. Light was slowly beginning to appear in the city sky. The police had taken over the entire underground base. Many members of the Red Tide had been captured. Commissioner Harris looked at John and said,
“You saved the city again.”
John smiled wearily.
“We all did it together.”
David came to stand next to him.
“But there’s a problem.”
“What?”
“Sophia’s body hasn’t been found.”
A moment of silence.
John looked at the city with the light shining in the distance.
Then he said slowly...
“The darkness never completely disappears.”
David smiled lightly.
“So are we waiting for a new case again?”
John put on his coat and started walking.
“There is no end to the mysteries in this city, my friend.”
The sun rises in the distance.
And the city awakens to a new day.
* The End *
2.Black Shadow
Detective John's office is in the old part of the city, on the fourth floor of a gray five-story building. Once upon a time, there was a crowd in front of this office from morning to night. Some came to look for missing people, some wanted justice for fraud, and some knocked on the door hoping to solve the mystery of murder.
Today, the office is almost silent. Even the ticking of the old clock on the wall can be clearly heard. Outside the window, the evening light is slowly descending on the city. The last rays of the sun are sparkling on the glass of the tall buildings in the distance. Detective John was leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed, half asleep. The old case files spread out on his desk seemed to have become a memory of the past.
His assistant David brought two cups of hot coffee and placed them on the table.
“Sir, it seems that the people of the city have forgotten us.”
John said without opening his eyes,
“What's the harm in forgetting? Let people live in peace.”
David sighed.
“You always say that. But you can’t pay rent with peace.”
John smiled lightly.
“Then find another job.”
“No sir, catching criminals is a different kind of fun.”
They both sipped their coffee.
Just then the office door burst open.
A young woman ran in. Panting, her face pale, her eyes filled with panic. It looked as if someone had been chasing her.
David stood up quickly.
“Madam, calm down. Sit down.”
Before the young woman could sit down, he said in a trembling voice,
“They’re back!”
John sat up completely straight this time.
“Who?”
The young woman was silent for a moment and then said slowly,
“Black Shadow.”
Hearing the name, the air in the room suddenly became cold.
David looked at her in disbelief.
“Impossible!”
Five years ago, Black Shadow was the most dangerous criminal gang in the city. Half of the crime in the city was under their control. Arms trafficking, kidnapping, drug dealing, murder, there was no crime left to commit.
And Detective John destroyed that gang.
Their leader, Henry, had died in a fire. That was all anyone knew.
John said slowly,
“Your name?”
“Molly.”
“Tell me everything.”
Molly took out a photo from her bag with shaking hands. In the photo was her younger brother, Arin. He was only sixteen.
“He’s been missing for three days.”
“Did you go to the police?”
“I did. They said he might have gone somewhere with his friends. But he’s not that kind of guy.”
John took the picture.
Molly said,
“For the past few nights, a man dressed in black has been standing in front of our house. He moves like a shadow outside the window. This sign was painted on the wall yesterday.”
She took out her mobile phone and showed the picture.
A strange symbol painted in black on the wall.
David's face hardened.
"It's a sign of Black Shadow."
Molly began to cry now.
"I got a letter this morning."
He handed the paper over.
Written in red ink....
"Old accounts still outstanding."
John's eyes widened.
He knew this was no ordinary kidnapping.
As night fell, they set out for Molly's house.
The busy streets of the city were slowly emptying. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky. Lightning flashed occasionally.
As they drove, David said,
"Sir, what if Black Shadow really comes back?"
John looked out the window and said,
"Crime never really ends. It just hides."
Molly's house was on the edge of town. An old two-story house. Surrounded by trees. A rather secluded area.
As he entered, David lit a torch.
The same symbol on the wall.
Suddenly, there was the sound of someone walking upstairs.
Talk… talk… talk…
Molly grabbed John's hand in fear.
David took out his gun.
The three of them slowly climbed the stairs.
The door to the last room on the second floor was half open. A faint light was coming from inside.
They stopped as John pushed the door open.
A chair was in the middle of the room. Arin was tied there.
The boy was unconscious. And on the wall was written in red....
"The game has started again."
Suddenly the door closed behind him. The room was dark. Then came a terrible laugh.
“Welcome, Detective.”
Henry slowly emerged from the darkness.
One side of his face burned. A cruel smile in his eyes.
David said in disbelief,
“You’re alive?”
Henry clapped his hands.
“Death couldn’t take me.”
John said coldly,
“So where have you been all this time?”
“I was waiting.”
Henry slowly approached.
“You destroyed my empire. You sent my people to prison. I lost everything. So I let the city calm down. Because the joy of destroying a quiet city is different.”
Suddenly, men dressed in black came out from all sides. They had weapons in their hands. David whispered,
“We’re surrounded.”
There was no sign of fear in John’s eyes. He said slowly,
“No. They’re surrounded.”
He took out a small device from his pocket. As soon as he pressed the button, the police siren blared outside.
Henry's face changed.
"You!"
"I knew you would come back."
Suddenly, gunshots began outside the house. The police surrounded the area. As the Black Shadow members tried to escape, a clash broke out. Henry ran to the window. John caught him. A fierce fight broke out between the two. Punches, shoves, and the sound of broken glass.
At the last moment, Henry took out a knife and went to strike, but John held his hand and threw it to the ground. Just then, Henry laughed.
“You think you won?”
John frowned.
Henry whispered,
“Black Shadow is not a person… It’s a network. Even if I’m caught, the game won’t be over.”
The police came and took him away. But John felt strangely uneasy. Two days later. The city was back to normal. The headline in the newspaper…
“Black Shadow’s leader arrested.”
David entered the office happily.
“Sir, this time we’ll be famous!”
But John was silent. His eyes were on an envelope on the table. The envelope had arrived a while ago.
Inside was just a picture.
The picture showed. A few people dressed in black standing in a dark alley in the city.
And underneath it was written…
“The shadow never dies.”
David’s face turned pale. John slowly stood up. He looked out the window. The city lights were on, people were walking, everything was normal. But somewhere, darkness was reborn.
He picked up his coat. David asked,
“Where are you going?”
A slight smile appeared on John’s lips.
“To work.”
It was about twelve thirty at night.
Most of the lights in the city had gone out. Only the lampposts on the main streets stood there, casting pale light in the fog. John was driving. David, sitting next to him, kept looking at the picture.
On the back of the picture was an address...
“Dockyard 17.”
The old port area of the city. Many years ago, ships used to come here. Now the place is almost abandoned. Ideal for criminals to hide. David said in a low voice,
“Sir, this could be a trap.”
John said calmly,
“Of course it is a trap. But sometimes you have to step into a trap.”
The car slowly entered the port area. Rusty containers all around, broken warehouses and the cold sea air. The sound of waves could be heard in the distance. They stopped in front of Dockyard 17. The place was strangely silent.
Suddenly a dog barked. Then silence again. David pulled out his gun.
“I’ll go first.”
“No,” John said, “We’ll go together.”
They slowly entered the warehouse. It was dark inside. Parts of the roof were broken. The moonlight dripped onto the floor. Suddenly...
Thump!
There was a sound of iron somewhere. David turned the torch around, but no one was seen. Just then, a voice came from above.
“Detective John… you’re here on time.”
Both of them looked up. A man dressed in black was standing on the iron platform on the second floor. His face was not visible.
John said in a serious voice,
“Who are you?”
The man laughed.
“Henry was just a face. I am the real head of Black Shadow.”
David whispered,
“Sir, it’s someone new.”
The man slowly started to descend the stairs.
As the moonlight fell on his face, David was surprised.
“Commissioner Michael?”
The police commissioner of this city! The man everyone knew as an honest officer. Michael smiled softly.
“Surprised?”
John’s eyes narrowed.
“You?”
“Yes. When you broke up Black Shadow five years ago, everyone thought it was over. But no one understood, the entire organization was run from within the police.”
David shouted....
“So until now”
“All the crimes, all the information, all the operations… I controlled.”
Michael slowly walked closer.
“You were very smart, John. That’s why I wanted to remove you. But Henry failed.”
John said coldly,
“So now?”
Michael smiled.
“Now the city will see darkness again.”
Suddenly, the lights came on all around. At least twenty armed men were standing around the warehouse. David gripped the gun tightly.
“What are you going to do now, sir?”
John looked around and said slowly,
“What I always do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Fight until the end.”
Suddenly, the entire warehouse shook with the sound of gunfire. David quickly jumped behind an iron box. John took cover behind a nearby container. Bullets were flying everywhere. Flashes of fire were tearing through the darkness. David shouted,
“There are too many of them!”
John shot one of the men and said,
“Then grab the head!”
Michael started to run towards the back door.
John chased him.
Outside, a storm had begun. The sea wind was blowing fiercely. Michael stood on the edge of the harbor and aimed his gun.
“If you take another step forward, I’ll shoot you!”
John didn’t stop. The sound of gunfire rang out. John stepped aside.
The next moment, a fight broke out between the two.
Michael was a strong man. But John had more experience.
Both fell to the wet ground of the harbor.
Michael pulled a knife out of his pocket.
“You’ve weakened the city!”
He shouted.
“You can’t control a city if people aren’t afraid!”
John grabbed his hand.
“Empires don’t stand on fear.”
At one point in the fierce struggle, Michael slipped and fell off the edge of the harbor.
The sea was raging below. His screams could be heard for a few seconds. Then all was quiet. David ran up and gasped,
“The end?”
John stared out at the ocean. After a while, he said slowly,
“No. The darkness never ends completely.”
A week later, the city was quiet again. News of corruption within the police department had been exposed. Many officers had been arrested.
People were starting to come to John’s office again.
David said happily,
“Sir, now our office will be busy again!”
John sipped his coffee.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
A young boy entered. He was carrying an envelope.
“Someone asked me to give this to him.”
John opened the envelope. Inside was just a black card. It said...
“See you soon.”
The same symbol drawn below. Black shadow. Deep night.
Outside the office window, the city lights were shining. In the distance, sirens were blaring, and people were laughing. It was as if the city had begun to live anew. David sat quietly, looking at the black card.
“Sir… so will it start again?”
John was silent for a while. Then he slowly got up and stood in front of the window.
“Crime never ends completely, David. When one shadow leaves, another is born.”
“Then will we fight for the rest of our lives?”
John smiled lightly.
“Maybe.”
Just then, the office phone rang.
Tring… tring… tring…
David picked up the phone. But no one was talking on the other end. Just the sound of light breathing. Then a voice slowly came...
“Look out the window.”
David looked at John in fear. Both of them quickly went to the window. A man wearing a black coat was standing on the street below. His face was not visible.
The man slowly raised his head and looked towards the office. Then he started walking through the crowd on the street.
“Stop!”
David ran out. John also ran after him.
The two of them went down the four-story stairs and reached the street.
It started to rain. There were many people on the street. Umbrellas, car lights, horns, all in chaos. The black coat appeared in the distance once, then suddenly disappeared. David gasped,
“Where did it go?”
John looked around. Then his eyes fell on a bench by the side of the road. There was a small box there. The two of them walked carefully forward. When they opened the box, they saw an old pocket watch inside.
David said in surprise,
“This is yours!”
John’s face changed. It was the watch that had been lost during the last campaign against the Black Shadow five years ago. Under the watch was a piece of paper. It read...
“All the answers are hidden in the past.”
Below was another address.
“Red House, Blackwood Road.”
The next night.
Old Blackwood Road outside the city.
Huge trees on both sides of the road. Fog in the air. No one has lived in this area for many years. At the end of the road stood a dilapidated red house. The Red House.
David said in a low voice,
“This place doesn’t look good.”
John slowly pushed the door open and entered. The whole house was covered in dust. The paint on the walls had peeled off. It seemed like no one had been here for many years. Suddenly, there was a sound upstairs. It sounded like someone was walking.
The two lit the torches and climbed up. They stopped when they reached the last room on the second floor and opened the door. In the middle of the room was a table. And on the table were countless pictures.
All the pictures were of John. Pictures of him when he was a child. Pictures of him joining the police. Pictures of old cases.
There were even recent pictures of him sitting in the office drinking coffee. Dew whispered,
“Who did this?”
Just then, a voice came from the corner of the room.
“Me.”
A person slowly emerged from the darkness.
An old man. White hair.
A strange peace in his eyes. John stared in surprise.
“Professor Sam?”
The man smiled softly.
Many years ago, Professor Sam was John’s teacher. An expert in criminal psychology. Everyone knew he was dead.
David said in disbelief,
“You’re alive?”
Sam said slowly,
“Yes. And Black Shadow too.”
John said seriously,
“You’re involved in all this?”
Sam looked out the window.
“I knew this town very well. People don’t stay calm just by obeying the law. They stay in control when they’re afraid. That’s why Black Shadow was created.”
“So, Henry, Michael, are all your people?”
“They’re just players.”
David said angrily,
“You’re crazy!”
Sam said calmly,
“No. I’m a realist.”
John slowly stepped forward.
“Game over, sir.”
Sam smiled.
“No John. You finish the game.”
Suddenly he placed a remote on the table.
“There are explosives under this house. In five minutes the whole house will blow up.”
David was startled.
“What!”
Sam slowly sat down in his chair.
“I’m tired. But the Black Shadow story needs to be finished. And you’re going to do that.”
John quickly grabbed the remote.
“Where’s the bomb?”
Sam just smiled.
“Find it if you’re a real detective.”
Four minutes on the clock.
John and David began searching the entire house.
Sweating, running, panicking. At the last moment they found the explosives hidden in the basement.
David began to cut the wire with trembling hands. Ten seconds on the clock. Nine…eight…seven… John shouted, “Cut the red wire!” David closed his eyes and cut the wire. The clock stopped. Silence. Both of them sat down on the floor panting. Later they came back upstairs. But Professor Sam is no more. The window is open. It's just foggy outside. He's gone in the dark.
A few months later. The city is quiet again. Black Shadow's network has been completely destroyed. Crime has decreased a lot. People are coming again in John's office. One evening David brought coffee and said,
"Sir, is it really over?"
John looked out the window and smiled softly. "Maybe."
Just then there was a knock on the door. A little girl entered.
"Are you a detective?" "Yes."
The girl handed over a letter.
"One asked me to give it."
John opened the envelope. Just one line inside...
"The shadow is gone. Now let people live in the light."
There is no name below. John slowly folded the letter. Then after many days the smile of true peace appeared on his face. The light of dawn was coming outside the window. The beginning of a new day.
* The End *
Story -1
Room number 13
It was almost half past two at night. There is a storm outside. Lightning flashes in the sky again and again. The old "Harrington Apartments", standing at the very end of the city, looked more terrifying in the dark.
As soon as the detective John got out of the car, the cold air blew his coat.
A police line ribbon is tied in front. Some officers are talking in a low voice.
An officer came forward.
"Sir... the scene is very strange."
John dropped the cigarette and squeezed it with his feet. "Where is the dead body?" "On the seventh floor."
The elevator is off. John began to climb the stairs. The old building was shaking with each step.
As if there is fear inside the building. On reaching the seventh floor, he stopped.
Flat number 703.
The door is half open.
John's eyes stopped as he entered. A young woman is lying on the floor.
Twenty-five if you are older.
White clothes are red with blood.
But the most terrible thing was something else.
The girl's eyes are completely open. And blood on the wall is written...
"Don't open the last door." Silence inside the house. A forensic officer said,
"The name is Elena D'Souza. She lived here alone." John knelt down.
The girl's hand is tightly closed. As John slowly opened his hand, a small key came out.
Old black key. A number tag with it...
“13”
There was a strange feeling in John's chest.
"Is there a room number 13 in the building?"
The officer shook his head. "No sir. There is no floor number 13 in this building."
There was lightning outside.
Just then...
Ting…
the old telephone in the corner of the room rang. Everyone was surprised.
John slowly picked up the phone. The sound of breathing for a while on the other side. Then very slowly a girl's voice....
"Don't open the door..." The line was cut.
Everyone in the house looked at each other. John's body got cold.
Because the voice… sounded just like the dead girl.
The next morning. John went to that building again. Now he wanted to find the whole place.
Building manager Mr. Harold is almost seventy in age. He said in a trembling voice,
"This building is not good, officer." "mean?" "A lot of years ago a girl died here too."
John looked.
"How?"
The old man was silent for a while.
“Suicide was called… but I don’t believe.” "His name?" "Sophia."
John wrote in the notebook.
"His room?"
Fear appeared in the old man's eyes.
"713."
John stopped.
"But there is no 13th floor here."
The old man said slowly,
"Not now."
night John was sitting in his office and gurgling old files. Sofia found the girl's case file. Ten years ago. John was shocked to see the girl in the file picture.
Almost identical to Elena. same eyes. same face. Suddenly there was a sound at the door.
John looked. A woman is standing. wearing black coat.
I could come in,
said the woman gently with a gesture of her hand. He went inside and said...
"Are you a detective?" "Tell me."
The woman came to the chair in front of John and stood, said.
"I'm Maya D'Souza. Elena is my sister."
John asked to sit quietly. Maya's eyes are red.
“The police are saying it was a murder. But Elena told me something before she died.”
“What?”
Maya said in a low voice,
“She said there was a secret room inside the building.”
John leaned forward.
“And?”
“She said… whoever finds that room will never live.”
Another thunderstorm broke outside.
That night, John went back to the Harrington apartment to solve the mystery of the death.
This time he came alone.
The entire building was almost empty. The corridors were dimly lit.
He went up to the seventh floor and began to examine the walls.
Suddenly, he felt a strange sound as he put his hand on a spot.
Hollow.
John pressed.
A part of the wall slowly opened.
Inside, a dark staircase.
It went down.
John lit a torch.
He slowly started to descend.
As he went down, he realized that this was not the official part of the building.
Old secret corridor.
Fungus on the walls.
A rotten smell in the air.
After walking a little distance, he saw the door.
A rusty iron plate on the door read...
“13”
Jan took the key out of his pocket.
He thought for a few seconds.
Then he inserted the key.
Click.
The door opened.
As he entered, his chest heaved.
Numerous pictures hung around the room.
All pictures of girls.
Some were laughing. Some were scared.
And a table in the middle.
Video camera on the table.
John turned on the camera.
The video started.
Elena on the screen.
Panic on her face.
“If anyone sees this video… they’ll know I’m probably not alive anymore.”
John held his breath and listened.
“The owner of this building is not human… he’s sick. He keeps the girls here.”
The video shook.
Elena was crying.
“He’s collecting faces…”
John’s body went cold.
Just then….
The sound of a door closing behind him.
Bang!
John turned around.
Someone is standing in the darkness.
Tall man.
Sharp knife in hand.
The man slowly came forward.
Half of his face was burned.
He smiled and said....
“You shouldn’t have come here, mister.”
John quickly pulled out his gun.
The man suddenly turned off the light.
The whole room was dark.
John could only hear the sound of footsteps.
To the right.
Then to the left.
Suddenly, a knife strike.
John somehow moved away. His hand was cut.
He fired.
Boom!
Scream.
The man fell.
As the light came on, John saw the man lying on the floor.
But…
It was Mr. Harold.
The old building manager.
He laughed as he coughed up blood.
“They were all beautiful…”
John gritted his teeth,
“You killed them?”
The old man laughed.
“Even after they were dead… they were with me…”
Suddenly his eyes froze.
Dead.
Silence descended again in the room.
John slowly looked around.
Then he saw a file under the table.
He stopped as he opened the file.
There were more names.
Many girls.
But his chest trembled when he saw the last name.
“Maya D’Souza.”
John stood up quickly.
Maya was in danger.
It was dawn outside.
John quickly drove to Maya’s house.
He kept calling.
No answer.
Rain was falling on the street.
Suddenly the phone rang.
John quickly caught up.
“Maya! Where are you?”
A trembling voice on the other side.
“She… she’s here…”
Then a scream.
The line was cut off.
John accelerated the car.
Fifteen minutes later, he reached Maya’s house.
The door was open.
It was dark inside.
John entered with a gun in his hand.
“Maya!”
No answer.
Suddenly, there was a sound from upstairs.
John ran upstairs.
The door of a room was half open.
As he entered, he stopped.
Maya was sitting in the corner, shivering.
But there was no one else in the house.
John said slowly,
"Everything is fine." Maya cried, “I saw her…” “Harold is dead.”
Maya shook her head. "No... there was someone else."
John's chest heaved. "What are you saying?"
Maya pointed at the bed with trembling hands. John looked. An old picture on the bed. The young Harold stands in the picture.
Another man next to him. On the back of the picture is written...
"Harold and David. Harrington Project, 1989."
John understood... Harold wasn't alone. Just then, the sound of footsteps was heard slowly outside the room.
Thak… knock… knock…
John pointed the gun at the door. A shadow stood in the darkness of the corridor.
The man came forward slowly. His face is half covered in darkness. And a strange smile on the lips.
“Harold was very weak…”
the man whispered.
"But I'm not done yet."
Maya screamed. The man suddenly ran. John ran after him. Crossing the corridor, the man went up to the roof.
A storm is blowing outside. The two stood face to face on the wet roof. The man took out the knife. "You don't know what we were making." "You were killing people!"
The man laughed.
"Beauty can never die."
He jumped. John shook his hand.
The two fell to the edge of the roof. The rain is falling harder. The knife fell away. The man grabbed John's throat.
John could not breathe. Maya climbed onto the roof and shouted....
“John!”
Just then John pushed the man with the last force. The man slipped. For a few seconds he waved his hand in the air.
Then fell down. Dreadful words below. All is over. After three days. The police have sealed the entire building.
The terrible truth of Harrington apartments has spread through the news. The cases of many missing girls have been reopened.
John was sitting in his office looking out the window. Elena's picture on the table. Maya slowly entered.
"All over?"
John was silent for a while. Then he said,
"Maybe."
After Maya left, John looked at the picture again. Just then his desk phone rang. John caught. The sound of breathing on the other side. Then a very familiar voice...
"The last door... is still open."
The line was cut. John slowly raised his head. Beneath the office door, someone's shadow disappeared in the dark corridor.
And outside the storm started again.
* The End *
Posts
0 Comments