The morgue smelled of antiseptic and decay.
Detective Nina Alvarez moved with practiced calm, eyes sharp beneath the harsh fluorescent lights. The body of Lieutenant Marcus Vane lay on the steel table—twisted, disfigured, the edges of flesh peeled back like rotten wallpaper.
Her jaw tightened as she examined the brutal handiwork.
No ordinary killer.
The barbed cruelty, the deliberate carving—it was a message.
Nina's breath caught when she noticed the badge clenched between Vane's teeth.
Her fingers traced the jagged edges of the scalpel wounds.
Not just a killer. A monster.
Behind her, a man adjusted his gloves and leaned over the body with clinical precision.
"Interesting wounds," he murmured, voice low, calm.
Nina turned sharply.
A coroner. Mid-thirties. Tall, lean, with dark hair cropped close and eyes like shards of ice.
She studied him carefully.
"You're new here," she said.
He nodded.
"Just transferred. Name's Dr. Reid."
Nina's gaze sharpened.
Something about him was... off.
As she directed the team, Nina found herself glancing repeatedly at Dr. Reid. His steady hands. His quiet confidence. The way his golden eyes flickered briefly—too briefly—in the harsh light.
The same shade as the killer's.
Later, alone in the lab, Nina reviewed evidence—photos, reports, sketches of the carvings.
A shadow shifted behind her.
"Detective."
She whirled to see Dr. Reid standing there, hands in pockets, an unreadable smile on his lips.
"You're chasing a ghost," he said softly.
She didn't blink.
"Then maybe I'm here to help you catch it."
His eyes gleamed unnervingly.
For a moment, Nina saw something else flicker beneath that calm facade: a predator.
Outside, the rain hammered against the windows.
Inside, the predator and the hunter shared a room each unaware how close they truly were.
Meanwhile, Jay under the mask of Dr. Reid watched Nina from the shadows, a smile curling beneath the coroner's cold exterior.
The game had changed.
Now, he was inside.
Waiting.