Chapter 1 The Case of Grim Reaper

That night was dark and cold. The city's giant bells rang three times signaling darkest midnight. The big red moon illuminated every corner of the city with dim light making the night atmosphere chilling cold. Even though the city is usually bustling with activities and never slept, silence spread through the night. Cars were dead, the subway was empty, and the cold wind blew through every gap of the street.

Streetlights flickered between the night fog and the glint of cat eyes occasionally appeared between the streets. Nobody was visible as if the city was a graveyard. Even the entertainment places were quiet.

Despite there is no one, a middle-aged woman broke the silence of the night by running fiercely along Baker Street. Every breath she took exhaled white mist breathlessly. Her eyes were full of fear and trembled in despair. Occasionally, lightning struck even though there were no clouds in the sky making the woman jump in shock.

She ran without shoes, her long skirt torn in various places, and her hands shaking from the cold. Her eyes darted around with terror.

The woman didn't care about her injured feet as she walked on the frozen pavement. She kept running block after block as if chased by a demon until she arrived at an empty intersection, where she stopped petrified. Her empty eyes stared at the dark and frightening crossroad. She can't choose where to run.

The night fall silent. There is not even one single wind. There is no sound but her heavy breathing. Her shabby clothes were soaked in sweat and her body trembled with fear. There was nothing there, but suddenly an electric pole not far away from her was hurled as if hit, crashing and emitting an ear-piercing sound of broken pipes.

The woman screamed in terror. Her cry echoed through the street breaking silence of the night. She ran as fast as she could along the dirty, narrow, and damp alleys. Without sound and shadow, a black figure fleeting behind her.

Nobody knew what that figure was. Whenever it passed, the roads and electric poles around it were flung, broken, and twisted. Trees fell, water pipes burst and sprayed water clashed into something invisible.

Suddenly, the woman turned and ran into a row of shops. The black figure was reflected in the storefront glass and a grim skull was visible under its hood. Its cloak was smoky black-red and there was large sharp black scythe spun around in its hand.

The woman ran in fear, crashing into everything in front of her: fences, plants, trash cans, anything, as if she had no tomorrow. Tears streamed down her face and she cried between gasps. She had passed three blocks. Until she could no longer run, the woman entered an old creepy house at the end of the street.

The house looked terrifying with plants twisted around the fence and a big banyan tree in the middle of the yard. She forced her way through the window and crouched among the tables, hiding. For a moment, the woman felt safe hiding in the house.

But her hiding only lasted for a while. A few moments later, the black figure that had been chasing her crashed into the fence of the house until it was destroyed, shattered all the light bulbs around it like fireworks, and pierced the wall, hunting her like a wild animal. Realizing that she had little time left, the woman took out her phone and whispered a few words, "Run, Nico..., forget who you are." Tears filled her face with a look of surrender and despair.

A moment later, a loud scream echoed in the house. Hundreds of sleeping birds perched on the banyan tree as they woke up and panicked. The scream only appeared once and then there was no sound at all after that. The house and the city were back silent again, like a grave. Only the flickering light of the phone in the woman's hand disturbed the silence of the night. Five minutes later, the chilling silence that had engulfed the city faded. The wind blew again, the white mist disappeared, and the leaves shook again.

Occasionally, people could be seen walking leisurely on the corners of the sidewalks. The city came back to life. Cars started up and drove by, and the lights of the houses turned on again. Nobody knew anything, and everything passed as if nothing happened. Until the next morning, the owner of the house reported half-terrified half-angry after finding their fence destroyed and someone dead in their old house.

Suddenly, the house was filled with police and forensic officers. Detectives Thomas and Thomson, who happened to be on duty that morning were confused when they entered the house. Many animals had died around the house. A flock of black crows gathered on the roof, while mice scurried and roamed the floor. They discovered the mystery of a very gruesome woman's death. Her neck was severed but still attached to her body, leaving a dark black line like a burn mark on her neck. Her room was completely closed and locked from the inside. In her hand was a phone with a screen displaying the logo of a famous knight association.

"Doesn't this person have a 10-year-old child? Where is he?" Thomson asked.

"I don't know," Thomas replied. "Their house had been sold three months ago and there was no trace of the child's departure. The child seemed to have vanished into thin air. How this can be happening?"

"What is his name?" Thomson Asked.

"His name is Nico," said Thomas.

"Cut the case. This case too mysterious for us. Give them to state detective, let them be puzzled," said Thomas.

After analyzing and failing to find a motive or evidence of murder, they began to think the woman was insane. They were confused. They did not understand how the woman could enter a house that was not hers. There is no key, but all doors locked, and they also did not understand why she chose to die there. After endless investigation for several months, although they did not find any sharp weapon, the woman, Rose, 39 years old, had to be announced dead due to "suicide".