Finding Him

Dhalia POV

We step through, and suddenly, the quiet is replaced by a cacophony of screams and shouts.

“I don’t get it. Why did they all hide upstairs?” I ask, bewildered by the lack of logic.

“Because their first instinct is to try the doors, and when that fails, they rush upstairs to try and escape through the vents. Only the vents are closed off,” Jax explains, laughing at the futility of their efforts. But I still feel uneasy, not just by what’s happening but by how casually they’re moving through this place.

As we descend, I see another body, this one slumped against a wall. I recognise him. A man sits next to it, covered in blood, holding a knife. “Cafe,” Jax mutters, clearly addressing the man. “Don’t sit in the middle of it, go to the cafe.” The man nods and stands, his shoulders shaking as he cries.

Blake leans in close to me, his voice low. “Do you remember the case? Your body froze slightly like you recognised him.”

“I do,” I whisper, my voice shaky. “It was six years