3. Echoes of Fear

The police tape was tied between the school gates. The time now showed past seven in the evening, and the atmosphere was bustling. The discovery of the body had shocked the surrounding residents. Many people, police officers, and medical personnel had already arrived. Police cars and ambulances filled the alley. Curiosity drove everyone there, making the place crowded with people of all ages, from the young to the old, eager to know what was happening.

Elsewhere, Karin had already been taken to the hospital. Falling from a wall 1.8 meters high wasn't the same as tripping over her own feet. If left untreated, it could lead to serious consequences. Karin lay on the bed, her leg bandaged, thinking about the earlier event that nearly cost her life. The vivid memories replayed in her mind like a broken tape.

"Karin…" Someone ran toward her and hugged her tightly, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Karin patted her friend's shoulder. "Let go, I can't breathe," Karin tried to free herself from Selin's tight embrace. If she kept holding on like that, Karin might stop breathing.

Selin released her hug and looked at Karin. Her eyes were swollen from crying. "Karin, I was so scared something would happen to you." She hugged Karin again, this time crying even louder. Karin patted Selin's back to calm her down. If Selin was this scared, then how much worse must it have been for her, to face the killer directly?

"Come, sit," Karin offered, gesturing for Selin to sit next to her. Now, the two sat in silence, accompanied only by Selin's occasional sobs, while Karin gently rubbed Selin's back to soothe her.

"You didn't notice that your phone fell, did you?" Selin's sudden question made Karin furrow her brows, slightly confused.

Now she realized that she hadn't been holding her beloved phone this whole time. Recalling what had happened earlier, maybe her phone had fallen when she was running away from that psychopathic killer. "Huh? So where's my phone? Don't tell me it's lost," Karin grew more upset, not wanting to lose her only phone.

"The police took it as evidence," Selin replied, still sniffling a little.

"What? How did that happen?" Karin was frustrated that she couldn't get her phone back right away, but at least she was a bit relieved knowing it was in a safe place.

"Don't worry, they'll return it," Selin wiped the traces of tears from her cheeks.

"The police found it, right?"

Selin sighed heavily at Karin's endless questions. She was still in such an emotional state, and being bombarded with questions only made her more annoyed. "Ugh, so many questions. Your phone was taken because the culprit held it for a while."

"WHAT? How did he manage to get his hands on my phone?" Karin's loud voice drew attention from those around her. Realizing her outburst, she quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed by her behavior.

"Remember when we were on the phone earlier? When your phone fell, it was still connected to me." Selin took out her phone and showed it to Karin. "Look at this. I got a message."

'Hi.'

Just one word, but it was enough to send chills down Karin's spine. She felt the same fear and panic she experienced at the school. The message had been sent from Karin's phone to Selin.

"And after that, the call didn't disconnect. It stayed on. Do you want to know what I heard?"

Karin nodded eagerly. "What?"

"Just the sound of slow footsteps. Then it stopped, and not long after, the call cut off." Selin whispered to Karin. "On my way here, I called the police and told them everything. That's why your phone was searched and taken as evidence."

Karin sighed deeply. Today was officially the worst day of her life. She lay back down again. Karin reached into her pants pocket and realized that the money, which had brought her all this bad luck, was also missing. She searched her other pocket. Still nothing—no money.

She felt like cursing out loud. Not only had her phone been taken by the police, but now her money was gone too. She guessed it had fallen out while she was trying to climb over the high gate, jumping several times to get over it. Karin stomped her foot and hit the bed a few times to vent her frustration.

"Oy, what's wrong with you?" Selin tried to hold back her friend, who wouldn't stop moving. "Doctor, my friend's gone crazy."

Hearing that, Karin hit Selin with a pillow. "Watch your mouth!"

Not wanting to lose, Selin threw the pillow back, hitting Karin square in the face. "You are crazy!"

The emergency room now turned into a battleground between two teenagers, throwing pillows at each other. In their unique way, they forgot the events of the day.

---

Due to the murder case, the school was closed for two weeks, and during that time, all Karin did was stay at home. Today, she was finally going to get her long-awaited phone back. The investigation process took quite some time due to a lack of evidence and witnesses.

Of course, to retrieve her phone, Karin had to submit a very complicated request for the return of evidence. She even had to stay up late writing a reasonable and acceptable explanation. All that effort is just for one item. It was all because of that psychopath, and Karin still held a grudge against him.

At the police station, Karin explained in detail what had happened to her. She hoped the police would soon catch the murderer because lately, her life had felt anything but peaceful. Karin didn't want to be the next victim.

If only the school had CCTV, the culprit might have been caught immediately. The same goes for eyewitnesses. Karin was the only one who saw the person. The police had already questioned the people living near the school to check if they had seen anything suspicious around the area.

All their answers were the same. No one else had seen anything except Karin.

The door opened to reveal Karin's blue-themed room. Selin immediately jumped onto the bed.

"Such an ungrateful person, huh?"

Selin didn't care. She chose to relax on Karin's soft bed. "I went to the police station earlier. I've already retrieved your phone." Selin tossed her bag to Karin. "It's in there." Karin quickly rummaged through Selin's bag. Her priority was now right in front of her.

"Thank you, my best friend," Karin said with a wide smile.

"Now you call me your best friend just like this?" Karin ignored Selin's comment.

When Karin got her phone, she immediately tried to turn it on, but it was dead and needed a charger. Swiftly, she ran to the nearest outlet by her desk.

She sat in her chair and watched as her phone powered up. The battery showing one percent didn't stop her from starting to use it. She opened all her social media accounts. Karin desperately needed a dose of social media. After days of not being able to access the internet, she felt like a living corpse.

Many messages were asking about her well-being. News about Karin encountering the murderer had spread throughout the school community. It had made her a trending topic for almost two weeks.

After indulging in her internet browsing, Karin found herself unsure of what to do with the phone. When she wasn't holding it, there seemed to be so much she wanted to do, but now she was confused about what to do next.

Finally, she chose to open her gallery. To her shock, something unexpected happened. There were several candid photos of herself taken by someone. Karin covered her mouth, feeling her heart race as if she had just run a marathon. The uncontrollable sensation of pounding fear gripped her again, much like the fear that had haunted her during the incident at school.

When her eyes caught sight of the picture of Mr. Budi's corpse, Karin felt her entire body freeze. The image was like a flash of a horrifying scene, bringing back all the terror and sadness from that day. Her hands trembled as she dropped her phone, her face turning as pale as a sheet, and her breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Karin took a deep breath, trying to control the panic that was beginning to engulf her. Her head spun, and the world around her felt surreal. She glanced at the photos again with a deep sense of dread, each image seeming to suggest that the danger was far from over. Her heart was filled with panic and confusion—what was she supposed to do now? Was she being watched by the culprit?