Lines of Deception

Case File Entry #005

The police station lay quiet under the midnight haze, shadows settling into the corners of empty hallways. Captain Leo was stationed at his desk, attempting to focus on paperwork, but an odd, faint sound made him pause. It was soft at first, almost like the drifting hum of a lullaby, but the tune grew clearer, carrying an unsettling, almost haunting melody that sent a chill down his spine.

Rising cautiously, Leo followed the sound toward the holding cells. The dim lights flickered as he moved, casting uneasy shadows along the walls. As he approached, he recognized the voice—it was Nanon.

Inside the cell, Nanon swayed in a strange, slow rhythm, his eyes half-lidded, his lips curled into a slight smile. His voice floated through the corridor, and the lyrics carried a sinister lull that made Leo's skin crawl:

"One for sorrow, two for pain,
Three for the lost who'll never come again..."
"Four for silence, five for cries,
Six for the ones who told no lies..."

Leo hesitated, feeling an instinctive fear at the sight of Nanon, but his duty pushed him forward. He gripped the bars, clearing his throat to steady his voice. "Korapat, enough. Stop singing and sit down."

Nanon's head tilted toward him, eyes glinting with a dark amusement as he stepped closer to the bars. There was something unsettlingly calm in his gaze, as though he could see right through Leo, peeling away layers with a single look.

Without breaking eye contact, Nanon spoke softly. "Captain... when you hit someone on the head with a hammer, it hurts less than slicing off their fingers... one by one."

Leo felt a prickling dread, but he forced himself to stand firm. "Korapat, quit the games," he said, voice strained but steady. "You're not scaring anyone."

But Nanon's expression remained unfazed, his lips curling into a faint, eerie smile. And then, almost as if ignoring Leo's command, he began to sing again, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper:

"Seven for secrets, eight for the fall,
Nine for the shadows that creep through the hall..."

Leo couldn't shake the feeling of cold seeping into his skin as Nanon's song filled the silence once more. The other prisoners had gone silent, their eyes averted, a tangible sense of discomfort hanging in the air.

Meanwhile, across town in his apartment, Deputy Commissioner Ohm lay awake, a feeling of restlessness gnawing at him. Unable to shake the strange impression Nanon had left on him, he picked up his phone, accessing the live security feed from the station. Scrolling through the surveillance cameras, he located the cell block, pausing as the feed brought Nanon into view.

Through the screen, he watched Nanon, alone in his cell, continuing to sway and murmur his eerie melody. There was something disturbing in his movements, something almost unhinged yet disturbingly calm. Ohm's eyes narrowed as he observed, a strange feeling settling over him—part curiosity, part unease.

Nanon paused suddenly, as if sensing he was being watched, and turned his face toward the camera, looking directly into the lens with a faint smile, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable. He raised a hand slowly, pressing a single finger to his lips in a silent "Shhh," as though sharing a secret only he understood.

Ohm's grip tightened on the phone, a chill washing over him as Nanon's gaze remained fixed on the camera, piercing, intense.