In a dark room illuminated only by a single flickering bulb, the air was thick with fear.
"Have mercy, have mercy... I still have a family." The desperate plea of a young woman echoed through the room. Her hands were tightly bound, her face smeared with dirt, her body worn out from struggling against the looming death that now confronted her.
"Shh." The doctor raised a finger to her trembling lips, holding a syringe in his other hand. As he approached her, she fought harder against the ropes.
"Please don't... I'm begging you." Tears streamed relentlessly down her cheeks.
The doctor nodded to the man beside him, signaling him to gag her with a handkerchief, silencing her cries as he prepared for a gruesome operation.
"Where should I start?" he asked her casually, as if picking a canvas rather than a human life.
Terror was written all over her eyes. No matter how violently she thrashed, she couldn't escape this nightmare. The rancid smell of human blood filled her nose. She struggled to breathe through her sobs.
She was dressed in nothing but a towel—easily removed. The doctor pulled it away, revealing her vulnerability. But he had no lust for her body.
"Your eyes are beautiful," he whispered.
She shook her head violently in protest, but he ignored her. With mechanical cruelty, he began to stab her eyes repeatedly.
Her fists clenched in agony as his laughter filled the room. Her tears mixed with the blood pouring from her wounds. Her breath grew shallow.
"Take care of those eyeballs. A lot of people will want them," the doctor said to his assistant.
She heard everything clearly. Every word etched into her soul. Panic swelled inside her. What other parts of her body would he steal?
Why do I have to suffer like this? What great sin did I commit to deserve this kind of death? Her thoughts raced.
More pain followed as the blade cut through her flesh. Her wounds pulsed with agony. Blood loss made her dizzy. The smell of blood suffocated her.
She felt cold, despite her sweat. No air, no escape. Just the light of the bulb and the fading beat of her heart.
Then—silence.
When she opened her eyes again, everything was dark. Not even the bulb's light remained. She was dressed in the same clothes she wore when she was abducted—her school uniform.
She walked forward, alone. The silence was deafening. Her throat tightened.
Celine, Celine...
A voice called her name. She turned and saw a young woman smiling gently. The woman reached out a hand. Celine, hesitating at first, took it.
Suddenly, they were in another place, walking endlessly. A soul embraced her tightly.
"We will find justice," the woman whispered softly in her ear.
Though no details were shared, Celine felt their pain mirrored her own. She cried uncontrollably.
"My mom... my siblings... I can't leave them behind." She sobbed into her palms.
The woman held her hand again, and suddenly, they stood outside a familiar house.
"This is my home. I live here," Celine whispered, stunned.
Inside, her mother looked out the window anxiously.
"Mom, is Sister Celine going to be okay?" her sibling asked.
Her mother didn't respond, only checked her watch, her worry deepening.
Then they returned—to the place where she died.
Celine cried out when she saw her mutilated body being stitched together like a broken doll. The image scarred her. The eyes on the corpse seemed to stare straight into her soul.
Her whole body trembled. Fury boiled in her veins. She screamed.
"Never—never will I let you rest! No!"
She lunged forward and struck one of the men, but her fists passed through him like air. Nothing she did could hurt them.
"Ahh!" she screamed again, trying to release the unbearable pain.
She watched her body being stitched, bagged, and discarded like trash.
"Just throw it away. It's useless now," said the doctor.
Her fists clenched tighter. She followed where her body was dumped. She knew it would be on the news again—another forgotten girl.
Then, she was back with the woman who brought her, led again to a large mansion.
Ellese stared at the mansion, her eyes burning with rage.
"Someday... someday..." she repeated, trembling. "I will never—never stop haunting you. Never." She shook her head again.
Celine said nothing. They were both cast back into darkness.
Their journey wasn't over—not until they found what they were looking for. Not until justice was won.
She had seen her death. She had seen the deaths of others. She was one of many.
You can do it. You can do it, she whispered to herself. The tears fell silently, vanishing like bubbles in the void.