Page 12 of Deadline for Love

Sometimes, we were lucky, and the bodies were covered up when we went to locations to report accidents, but a more disturbing scene was the norm.

Of course, we didn’t take any photos of the bodies, but we were allowed to take pictures behind the barriers.

“I started watching horror movies, so nothing can scare me anymore.”

A sudden loud yelp sounded, making Nia scream, making her reliability go out the window. However, I couldn’t laugh at her reaction because I flinched too.

Another shrill scream rang out—Nia and I ran off because we could hear it more clearly now.

We went deeper into the park, and a few branches broke. We heard birds fluttering around us, and they seemed startled by the scream.

It became quiet again, but a girl ran towards us, her face pale as a sheet and tears streaming down her face.

“Help,” she screamed. We grabbed her when we reached her because she didn’t stop when she saw us.

It was as if she was in a daze.

Wearing a jogging suit that was a bit wet. Her hair was loose, and a few strands were stuck to her face.

It looked like she had been here for a run. I couldn’t tell that anything had happened to her. It didn’t look like she was hurt.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked, but the girl clung to Nia and sobbed loudly instead of answering.

At some point, we realized that the trembling of her body was lessening; she pointed her finger to the north and stuttered, “There—there are three women.’’

I was confused after her statement. “Okay…?”

“Three women are lying there, oh my God…” she repeated, still confusing me.

“Okay… Nia, why don’t you wait here with the girl or take her back to the car. I’ll go and check it out.”

Instantly, she shook her head. “I’m coming with you.”

At first, I couldn’t see anything until my feet came to a halt as I recognized why the girl had been screaming.

Nia pushed her away, grabbed the camera, and lifted it to take pictures, but I covered it with my hand.

“No, Nia... call the police,” I mumbled.

The crying girl had now clung to me and buried her head against my chest, her body shaking again, but I still stepped a little closer to the image I saw in front of me.

Two women had been placed with their backs against two trees. Their heads were tied to prevent them from hanging down.

Their legs were crossed, and their hair was tied in plaits. Both had one side blonde and the other bloody red.

In the center was a woman spread out naked, her hair ginger was loose, her skin was pale. Her gray eyes were lifeless and open, staring at the sky, slightly covered by the leaves of the trees.

I asked the girl in my arms to let go of me for a moment to check her breathing, but she didn’t let go.

Instead, she bent down with me and hid behind my back.

My pulse quickened as I realized that the woman lying sprawled naked was the woman from last night who had run out of the restaurant.

Holding my hand under her nose, I touched her neck. There was no pulse…

A few minutes later I got up and stood next to Nia, who was talking to the police. The young girl next to me cried and clung to me again.

I patted her shoulder and mumbled that everything would be all right, not taking my eyes off the three apparently dead women.

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