D.I.E - DEATH IN EXERTION

CHAPTER 4 - THE SINISTER RITUAL

CHAPTER 4 – THE SINISTER RITUAL

"The psychopath is social ice — he makes a chilling impression of a person."

-Hervey M. Cleckley

RECAP:

One of the retired officer from crowd in frightened described the murderer, Karna decided to shift his immediate focus to it and reinvestigate the case of the Sevi's High School shooting. After a deep investigation the only information he acquired is: A girl had committed suicide due to privacy concerns. Further investigation revealed that her entire family had died, with only her brother missing since their parents' deaths. Later, the superior officer wasted no time, pressing Karna for an update on the progress of the case. Karna warns, "Confess now if you're in on it before it's too late..." That lead to suspension of Karna. Karna's grip on the phone tightened, his anger reaching a boiling point. In a fit of frustration, he slammed the device down, shattering it in the process. Realizing that he had accidentally broken Vrindha's phone, remorse washed over him. Apologizing sincerely to Vrindha for breaking her phone, he vowed to replace it.

STORY CONTINUES:

After that tragic event, two days had passed. It had, in fact, left a lot of impact on Karna mentally and physically. He wouldn't leave his room, afraid that he might hurt anyone with his uncontrollable rage, which was fuelled again by the voices in his head that started talking around him: "Kill yourself, you worthless piece of shit..." "Why didn't you save me?" "Karna, save yourself for me..." Karna just couldn't control his feelings or thoughts. Even sleeping wasn't easy; he was practically suffering from insomnia. At this point, Karna couldn't distinguish between hallucination and reality, so he chose to consume alcohol to calm himself, a dangerous coping mechanism that would only bring temporary relief.

After drinking a bit too much, Karna decided to get some fresh air. He drove around town, breathing in the clean air for the first time in a long time. As he drove, he felt a sense of healing washing over him. He parked his car near a park and sat on a bench to think about all the clues he had for the case. Then, he noticed a mall nearby and remembered that he'd broken Vrindha's phone. He went into the store and bought a mobile phone. In order to show her how serious he was about his intentions, he reasoned that giving her the phone would not look well in the hospital environment. He considered looking for a more suitable location, one imbued with meaning and personal significance, where he could present the gift to Vrindha and express his gratitude in a heartfelt manner.

Leaving the store with a light heart, Karna had kept his promise. But as he settled into his car, parked outside, the urge for alcohol returned. Turning on the radio for some company, he took his first sip just as a news report began. The news was shocking - a murder had occurred on the town's outskirts, deep within the forest. The details were horrifying, so much so that Karna couldn't bear to listen further. It wasn't the act of murder itself, but the brutal way it was described. "There's no way," he muttered, disbelief coloring his voice. "No way someone could do something so horrific." He dismissed the report as media exaggeration, a gruesome story fabricated for ratings. His hands trembled on the steering wheel, mirroring the turmoil within him. He desperately wished the report were false; no one deserved to die in such a way. The weight of guilt pressed down on him, heavier even than the alcohol coursing through his veins. A week after the last murder, another one already? The news filled him with a sickening dread.

Driven by a creepy curiosity from the radio report, Karna drove towards the spot. The air felt heavier with every turn, and he wasn't sure where the road was leading him. Finally, feeling worn out, he reached the off-limits forest. A crazy scene greeted him: police officers huddled together, cameras flashing from reporters, journalists pushing each other around, and a crowd of curious people watching. Karna hated the crowd, worried they might mess up any clues left behind. But he couldn't do anything about it, with everyone so excited to find out what happened. The whole place buzzed with a weird kind of interest, everyone wanting to know the details of the crime hidden inside the forest. As he moved forward, he suddenly stopped: blood on a tree nearby, casting a dark shadow over the people gathered there.

As he got close to it, his eyes wanted to close themselves, his legs wanted to run immediately away from that spot. Not a single movement happened in his mouth as he was completely shut down by what he had seen. He just stood there with his eyes and mouth wide open. Slowly, tears started to come out of his eyes, and in an instant, all the high he had while drinking alcohol disappeared into nothingness. The guilt hit him completely. "How could I let this happen in front of me? Why couldn't I do anything?" he told himself. A nearby reporter started to ask him questions, without even caring how he was feeling at that point. Karna became completely aggravated and shouted towards the reporter. "Get the fuck out of here... I am trying to do my job here", listening to that everyone took a step back from Karna , thinking that he was some kind if a maniac.

The crime was indeed horrific and cruel, where the victims tongue was mercilessly severed, and his skin was completely scraped away almost as if the murderer used a scraper to do it, the body had no eyes, and the hairs were pulled out of him while he was alive and those hairs were used as stitching rope to stich his mouth, his body had nail marks all over him that were stomped with a hammer, after observing the crime scene, the officers realized an exorcism had happened here where the victim was the sacrifice, it simply left everyone in shock.