Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

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 Dexter might fall prey to Juliet’s deception, leaving me alone and unresolved about my murderer.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was Dexter.

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

"Sophia Milford... " a strange, distorted voice came through, courtesy of a voice changer.

My nerves instantly tightened upon hearing the mention of "Sophia Milford".

"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 Dexter? 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’." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I stood up abruptly, my vision darkening. "Dexter... Where’s Dexter?"

"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 Dexter."

"Leave your house now, don’t tell anyone, or else... he dies," the voice threatened.

"I’ll do as you say, just don’t hurt Dexter." I stumbled out of the bathtub, limping quickly toward the door, ignoring the injury on my foot which had not completely healed.

"He has deduced the Death List, but unfortunately, it isn’t complete." The voice chuckled. "He’s very smart, but... love has turned him into a fool."

My fingertips turned cold. "What have you done to him?"

"Don’t you want to know how he fell into my hands?" The eerie voice continued to laugh over the phone. "It was because of you... "

My steps froze, my breathing quickening. So, this was the killer... the one I had been searching for, the one who had killed me.

"Don’t stop. Keep walking, or else I’ll kill him." The person on the other end of the line could tell I had stopped.

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

"I won’t comply unless you let me speak to Dexter first," I stated cautiously, holding the phone warily.

"Haha... " The voice laughed. "Speak? Do you think I would allow him to remain conscious, knowing he’s a genius who can escape as long as he breathes?"

I frowned, my fingers trembling.

"Ding!" A message popped up on my WhatsApp, sent from Dexter’s account.

It contained a photo of Dexter lying unconscious, an IV drip attached to his wrist...

Instantly, panic seized me, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.

That lunatic had confined Dexter in a glass cabinet resembling a fish tank.

"You bastard... don’t hurt him, please... " My voice choked, my legs growing weak.

The photo reminded me of the state I had been discovered by the police.

"Such a flawless human... " The voice expressed astonishment tinged with an eerie undertone. "If preserved, he would make the most perfect exhibit."

"Please, spare him... I’ll do as you say... " I scanned my surroundings warily, aware that the person was watching me nearby. Any hint of suspicion on my part — such as calling the police or anything else — would likely result in harm to Dexter.

"Just don’t hurt him... I beg of you," My voice trembled as I pleaded.

"Do you truly care for him, Sophia Milford? But you have no heart, so you care for no one. Why beg me now?" The voice laughed maniacally.

From this, I could conclude that this individual knew me well and understood me thoroughly.

"Don’t worry, I won’t harm him like you did. He only behaves when he’s unconscious... " the voice assured, though distorted, still carrying a hint of affection and attachment. Who could this person be... Simeon? But Simeon was already dead.

"Don’t play tricks!" Just as I was about to discreetly message Zion and Eason, the voice on the other end suddenly snapped sharply.

Startled, I froze and began heading out of the neighborhood.

"Don’t go!" Before I could reach the minivan, Joel suddenly emerged and grabbed me from behind, his breath ragged.

"Don’t go... He told me to tell you not to go anywhere. Trust him, he’ll come back for you," Joel said nervously, sighing with relief after stopping me from getting in the minivan. He took my phone and, through gritted teeth, addressed the person on the other end.

"I don’t care who you are, stop playing games with me! If you’re really that capable, show me what you’ve got, and go kill Juliet and all the people on your Death List!"

I quivered as I stared at Joel, bewildered by this fearless teenager.

Did he know he was talking to the serial killer? And Dexter was still in his hand!

The killer fell silent on the other end of the phone.

Frightened to death, I tried to snatch my phone back from Joel. "Dexter is still in his hands..."

"Stay out of this!" Joel pointed at me and continued to talk on the phone, "Well? Say something!"

After a long silence, the killer suddenly laughed maniacally, as if truly gone mad.

"The names on the list will all die..." The voice on the phone grew even eerier.

"Since Damien and Dexter have been guarding Juliet and Sophia so well, let’s play things a little differently, hahaha..."

At that moment, the voice on the other end of the phone didn’t sound human - more like a demon, a lunatic.

"Are you crazy? Who do you think you are?" Joel continued scolding, "Why don’t you come and g—"

I assumed Joel wanted to say "Why don’t you come and get me too?", but he spoke too soon.

Before he could finish his sentence, someone emerged from the alley and sedated him while he wasn’t paying attention. I was sedated too before I could scream for help.

As I slipped into unconsciousness, I realized we were being dragged into the minivan.

This was bad... I knew I shouldn’t have counted on Joel. After all, he was just a high schooler. I couldn’t expect him to be mature and cautious.

Now, not only was I implicated, but Joel was dragged into this too.

To my surprise, I remained

unconscious for quite some period. Clearly, the sedatives used by the killers.

These sedatives seemed more like inhalation anesthetics, capable of rendering my consciousness completely dormant.

It only took a few seconds to knock me out; one moment, I was struggling, and the next, I was plunged into darkness.

I couldn’t determine how long I’d

been out. When I finally regain consciousness, I felt a throbbing headache as I groped around, trying to sit up.

But when I opened my eyes, a chill ran through my entire body.

Where was I? I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. For a moment, I feared I had gone blind.

It was pitch black, with no hint of light in sight.

What place was this?

"Joel..." My voice was hoarse, my throat dry as if it were about to split open.

How long had I been unconscious?

As I raised my hand, I felt something on my wrist. Tentatively, I explored it, realizing it was an IV needle.

The killer was administering a nutrient drip to me...

Suddenly, a wave of fear washed over me, from toe to head.