ONE

Chapter 7: The Fourth Sighting [Migai-Sridha]

Suggested Song for reading: 'Bad Kingdom' by May and Robot Koch [https://youtu.be/ptulohln5eM]

Recap

[Migai then wakes up to his phone ringing, in the same house but now alone. He takes the phone and answers it

Over the phone, "Migai, we've been allotted a case at Dak Bunglow street, Sector 2, Building 23. We need you here as soon as possible."

"Hmm "

He gets up and muffles his pocket to check for his belongings. He looks around the house as he stands alone. Finally, his gaze falling on the family picture, he looks at it with unbearable pain and then leaves.

From Chapter 2]

***

State: Merram (Central State)

Dak Bunglow Street, building 23; a stand-alone building in a society comprising of multiple buildings like this one. There are countless houses adjacent to it all attached to each other, one after another with a huge compound in the middle surrounded by the houses. This was a construction strategy that the new builders took to avoid too much land usage and reduce cost. Inside building 23 on the ground floor, A photographer is clicking pictures of the room with his flash on and two officials in uniform taking down notes. A forensic expert is collecting blood samples from the bodies. There are three bodies hung on the wall, their hands and legs tied behind them and nailed to the wall and their bodies riddled with holes. Blood is still dripping from those holes.

A man of about six feet in height wearing a dark coat arrives at the scene; he doesn't say anything to anyone, just simply walks up to the murder spot. He looks up at bodies like a master painter looking at a painting, showing no traits of emotions, just blankly staring at it.

"Sir, It looks like a Kusokan's work. Which means it's either the 'Rebel Faction' or a 'Rogue'." Martin speaks in a respectful manner.

"Why not the 'Aegis Corps' then?" Migai replies promptly.

"Sorry sir?" A startled Martin asks.

"You said it's the work of a Kusokan and then took two possible scenarios out of three, why not the third?

Why not the military (Aegis Corps)?" Migai moves around fiddling with the house-décor.

"Why would the military kill three civilians' sir?" Martin exudes in a soft voice.

"Then why would the rebels, they have no reason to enter a central state, especially to kill three measly people. Don't jump to conclusions Martin without enough data, I thought I'd already taught you that."

"Sorry sir, it was just the sight of the bodies.....it really....I got a little ahead of myself." Martin's face beams with disappointment in himself.

"You need to have a hold on to your emotions, it's part of the job. Moving on, who are they?" Migai consoles him.

"The elderly man was a shopkeeper, he ran an essential store a little far from here, the woman is his wife, she was a homemaker no prior jobs. The young man was his brother he was going to be a central administrative officer."

"A prospective first tier", he carefully observes the broken pieces of photo-frames then scratching his cheek he continues, "Run a background check on the brother. Find out all you can about him. What made you think it's the work of a Kusokan?"

"The holes in the bodies are all exactly of the same shape, as of now we've not found any bullets shells or casings. For a normal human to make those holes it would take hours. It looks like the work of an 'Emitter type'." Martin answers carefully, measuring his words.