The sunlight enters through the slightly open window of Eda's room, it hits her eyes and causes her to awaken from her peaceful slumber. She wakes up and rubs her eyes and blinks them a few times obtaining a clearer vision before she rises from her bed.
A while later, she's dressed for the day and heads downstairs. On the table, her younger brother named Evan is seated and currently devouring some freshly make pancakes with dripping maple syrup and a butter on top.
Eda smiles and goes up to him, ruffling his hair a bit. Evan was 14 years old and currently in school. Eda settles down on the chair opposite to his.
"Enjoying pancakes without me, I see" Eda said.
"Not my fault you decided to wake up late" Evan said, stuffing another spoonful of pancake into his mouth. Eda chuckles.
Just then, the grandmother, Rosy, steps out of the kitchen holding some more pancakes in a plate. She places it in front of Eda, Eda's eyes lit up at the sight of the mouthwatering pancakes. She grabs some whipped cream and fresh strawberries to put up as toppings.
"It's so good having you kids back again. I won't lie, it does feel lonely to be all by yourself in this house." The grandmother said.
"Considering how much of a hell this place had been a few months back, it's a relief to be living in a housefull of people to look after each other" The grandmother spoke again. Evan, who was in the middle of eating, stops. Eda looks up at her grandmother's frowning face.
"Why, grandma? Did something happen? Has anyone been bothering?" Eda asks, worried.
"It's just...before you kids came, this town wasn't so pleasant and the peaceful place it used to be." The grandmother said.
"I get it, Robberies these days are getting common in such small towns" Eda said and Evan nodded.
"No, Eda. It wasn't robberies. It was the brutal k*llings." The grandmother said. Evan nearly choked on his food after hearing it.
"You're kidding, right?" Evan asks.
"It's not possible, grandma. The people here... they're too good. I don't think such an occurrence could ever take place in a town like this" Eda said, unable to believe the words of her grandmother.
"I wish it was a made up story, but it's not. The town was in terror just a few months back due to a serial k*ller. Every week, 2-3 bodies would be found in the most horrible state you can think of, right in the middle of some round, mostly during night time or late evening such things would happen. No trace of the k*ller, no evidence of his identity.." The grandmother said.
"So you're saying he's still out there, roaming freely? And no one's catched him yet?" Evan asks.
"Yes, they've failed to catch him. To bring justice to the victim's families. The loss of our own people...shattered us beyond the point of recovery, some say they're still searching while some claim that the killer must've left this town." The grandmother said.
"So you're saying that this killer went on a k*lling spree, spread terror in a peaceful town, took away loved ones from their families and these b*stard's didn't do anything to find him? To track him down?" Eda asks.
"They tried their best, Eda. You think they would just sit by and watch it happen with the knowledge that they could possibly be the next victim?" The grandmother asks.
"It's sick that he's out there somewhere, freely roaming..heck, maybe somewhere else spreading terror amongst other people." Eda said.
"Or maybe he's still here, lurking around in the dark, waiting for the right moment to strike.." Evan added.
"Oh shut up, Evan. A young boy like you shouldn't concern yourself with matters such as these. What happened was the past, long forgotten by some. We're all at peace now, happy and recovering, that's all that matters." The grandmother said.
Evan frowns but continues with eating his breakfast, Eda was lost in her own thoughts.
Eventually, the family is done with their breakfast. Evan goes out to play and Eda visits a nearby old bakery, the same one where she'd visit the most during her childhood.
As she walks in, she's welcomed by the aroma of cupcakes being prepared.
"Making cupcakes today, Aunt Martha?" Eda asks, smiling.
Martha's an old woman, a friend of her grandmother's. Martha and her husband had been running this small bakery for 10+ years now.
"You're just in time, dear. Take a seat and I'll bring you some strawberry cupcakes. You always loved those when you were small" Martha said. Eda smiles.
"You still remember my favourite" Eda said.
Eda took a seat at one of the table nearby, she looked around. Everything was the same, just a few changes in all these years.
Meanwhile, Rustam, who was in his own house and currently in his room was standing in front of a board near the desk in his room. Being a detective, he would often pin up necessary information regarding the cases on which he worked. For months, he hadn't had any case which would cause complications for him. Any case handed, he would figure it out in a matter of weeks. But, he had himself taken up the case of the serial k*ller. The very same serial k*ller who painted the town red just months ago. While some may have kept it as a bad memory in the back of their mind and went on with their regular lives, Rustam couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling that in the near future something terrible would take place yet again. Rustam couldn't go unnoticed by the fact of how the daily lives in the families of victims must go by, knowing that they were wronged, that their loved ones didn't deserve what happened.
Rustam sighs and sips on the cup of coffee in his hand. He rubs his temple in an attempt to soothe the growing headache. He required sleep as he had been awake since 3 in the morning. He decided on pinning up some information before heading for a few hours of power nap. He took out newspapers, old ones, and started cutting up the news of the incidents involving the serial k*ller. He'd read it later, analyze it and perhaps connect a few dots which could possibly perhaps bring him closer.
As he pins the final cutout, he turns around and goes to sleep.
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End of chp 02