inclement ｜choi yena

I

Noe sat next to her study desk, listening to the rain pelting the window. Her eyes were locked on her science notes, trying very hard to absorb as much information as possible. The thunder cried out from the dark, gloomy sky. Noe placed her notes on the desk and glanced outside for a brief moment. "The weather seems to tell me not to study," she whispered. 

She sat back in her chair and allowed herself to relax. She closed her eyes, allowing her consciousness to ebb. Her mind plummeted, spiralling with the beautiful disarray of a brand new dream. 

She had drifted away from reality and was completely unaware of her surroundings. She had left the front door of her apartment unlocked, making it easy for anyone to slip into her house. A fatal mistake on her part. 

Yena, who studies in the same school as Noe, had been eyeing on her for some time. She found out where Noe lived, what time her neighbours come home and her daily routine. She made Noe her temporary obsession. 

Yena stared at the door, which was roughened and dented with chipped light brown varnish. The doorknob dulled with rust, much to Yena's disgust. "What an uninviting place. She can't even make this door look decent," Yena muttered. She wore her gloves and slowly turned the knob, making a high-pitched screeching sound that churns her stomach all the time. She crept into the apartment, closed the door and made sure to lock it. 

As she surveyed the apartment, she noticed that Noe was fast asleep, saliva dripping from the side of her mouth. Yena walked around, trying her best to make minimal noise. When she was sure that no one was at home, she unloaded her bag.

She took out a butcher knife, a pot and a can of Campbell's mushroom soup . She scrutinized Noe's body, finding a good place to start. "Legs," Yena thought. She grabbed the knife and within seconds, she embedded the butcher knife on Noe's left leg, waking her up.

Noe let out a loud cry, as she felt immense pain on her lower left half but Yena was quick to put her hand over Noe's mouth. Yena had to shut her up and the only way was to kill her instantly. Yena swung the knife towards Noe's throat and upon impact, almost separating Noe's head from her body. 

"That's what you get for shouting. She certainly can't keep her mouth shut." Yena proceeded to remove the meat from the bone of Noe's left leg and placed it into the pot. She poured the canned soup next and set the pot down on the stove. She turned the stove on and waited for the soup to boil.

"Dinner is ready. Bon appétit." After cooking and gobbling the soup up, she left the apartment, leaving Noe's dismantled body.

"One man down."

.   .   .

"Major Crimes. Detective Kwon speaking," Eunbi picked up the telephone on her office desk as soon as it rang.

The officer said, "We need you at 12 Stone Boulevard right away. A student found dead in her apartment. Brutally murdered."

"I'll be on my way officer." Eunbi picked up her bowler hat and her Beretta 92 before calling out fellow detective, Kim Chaewon. 

"Chaewon, get ready, quick. Murder on 12. Student."

"But it's already 7pm. Why don't we attend to this tomorrow?"

Eunbi retorted, "No, this is a serious case. It will not be pushed to the next day. Quick! We don't have much time." Chaewon hurried and caught up to Eunbi who was already on her way down the staircase at the far right corner of the rather small office. Chaewon entered the car, put her seatbelt on and whispered a short prayer.

It had always been terrifying when Eunbi was driving, at least in Chaewon's opinion. Eunbi stepped on the pedal hard, making a beeline towards the main road. Chaewon held tightly to her seat, not muttering a single word. "We'll be there in about 4 minutes officer," Eunbi spoke loudly through the walkie-talkie. 

They took an alternative route, which Eunbi referred to as the 'hyper lane'. The 'hyper lane' was a secluded part of the city with minimal vehicles roaming around the area. The route would lead back to the main road and it shortened the travel time.

When they arrived at the scene, they were greeted by two police officers and a middle-aged woman, traumatised by what she apparently saw. "Ma'am, please take me through what you have witnessed," Eunbi said.

"She had been my neighbour for about 2 years now. When I got home from work about an hour ago, I noticed her front door opened so I called her name. There was no answer so I just went to check on her and I was horrified, and I still am. Her head was almost as good as separated from the rest of her body. The cut was just way too deep. Her left leg only had the bones left. The killer must have removed every bit of muscle and tendon carefully."

Eunbi nodded. She asked, "Have you noticed anyone eyeing on her for the past week or two?"

"No, detective."

"Ok, thanks for the info. The officers will take you to the station for a while. They need to type out some report and they'll need you to be there." Eunbi crossed under the cordon and entered the apartment. She examined the scene, trying to imagine what could have happened during the act of the crime. 

She looked at the dismantled body of Noe, analysing it from head to toe. Chaewon was feeling a little nauseated from looking at it, but she had no other choice but to analyse it too. Eunbi would scold her if she doesn't do so. 

"It is quite clear that this murder isn't because of a simple reason like robbery. Based on my experience, I am pretty sure the killer is a psycho," Eunbi said as she looked closely at the cuts. She told one of the officers to bring the body back for an autopsy then turned to Chaewon.

"I have a bad feeling about this. It is very similar to a case I took several years ago."