Revenge After Death

I sat in the bathtub, clutching my phone with trembling hands.

Howard and Peter's schemes had kept me housebound for a long time. Yet, I feared that Steven might fall prey to Yasmin's deception, leaving me alone and unresolved about my murderer. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was Steven.

I breathed a sigh of relief and answered the call in panic, but it wasn't Steven's voice on the other end.

"Stephanie Carlson... " a strange, distorted voice came through, courtesy of a voice changer.

My nerves instantly tightened upon hearing the mention of "Stephanie Carlson".

"I heard you haven't given up on finding out the serial killer," the voice said with sinister amusement.

I gripped my phone nervously, my body trembling uncontrollably. "Who are you? Where's Steve? Why do you have his phone?"

"I'm the serial killer, I'm God... " the voice lowered, then suddenly laughed. "You can call me 'the Juricator'."

I stood up abruptly, my vision darkening. "Steve... Where's Steve?"

"Because of you, he tried to hunt me down... What a pity. Even 'God' shows weakness when it possesses feelings." The voice's laugh grew eerier. "He was too eager to prove himself, too eager to catch me." "What do you want?" I asked, quivering, "Please, don't hurt Steve."

tell anyone, or else... he

of the bathtub, limping quickly toward the

complete." The voice chuckled. "He's very smart, but...

turned cold. "What have you done to

eerie

this was the killer... the one I had been searching for, the

Keep walking, or else I'll kill him." The person on the other end of the line could tell I

the neighborhood; you'll see a minivan within a mile. Get in it," the voice

speak to Steve first," I stated

voice laughed.

knowing he's a genius who can escape as long as he

my fingers

up on my

photo of Steven lying unconscious, an

my

in a