Inside Walls

Jamie and Sandra exchanged a glance, neither speaking further, yet the air between them was thick with an unshakable chill.

Sandra approached the wall, donned a pair of gloves, and tapped lightly against its surface. The dull, muffled sound confirmed it was solidly filled. Taking a deep breath, she reached for a trenching shovel and struck the wall with force.

Bang!

A crack splintered across the surface, and an overwhelming stench of decay and mildew rushed out, filling the room.

Jamie instinctively covered her nose, alarm bells ringing in her head. "That smell…"

Sandra frowned, continuing to break away at the wall. Dust and splinters rained down as a dark cavity slowly emerged.

Then—Sandra's hand froze.

Jamie narrowed her eyes, peering into the opening.

A pale face stared back at her from the darkness.

They both recoiled instinctively. Jamie nearly stumbled into the desk, while Sandra swiftly drew the tactical knife strapped to her belt, eyes locked onto the gaping hole.

The face didn't move.

It was eerily still—almost like a wax mask. But as Jamie focused, she noticed the skin had a sickly yellow tint, with faint traces of decay creeping along the edges.

Sandra steadied herself and switched on her phone's flashlight, shining it directly into the opening.

Inside, the wall was filled with bodies.

No—not just bodies, but corpses stripped of their eyes.

Layer upon layer of withered remains were crammed within the wall cavity, their skin shriveled, their eye sockets gaping and hollow, mouths frozen in silent screams.

Worst of all—every single skull faced outward, staring blankly into the room.

Jamie felt her stomach churn. "What the hell… is this?"

Sandra's face darkened. "These people… they were the missing victims."

She pulled out her phone and immediately dialed Jack.

The moment the call connected, Jack's exasperated voice came through. "Sandra? What is it? I'm already dealing with—wait. Don't tell me. You two found another paranormal mess, didn't you?"

Sandra's tone was grave. "Jack, get the forensic team here. Now. We just found multiple bodies inside the walls."

A long silence.

Then, a string of curses. "What the—?! What kind of hellhole do you two even live in?! Fine, I'm on my way."

Sandra hung up, exhaling slowly.

Jamie, still staring at the horrific sight inside the wall, swallowed hard. "These bodies… their eyes were taken. Could this be some kind of ritual?"

Sandra considered for a moment before answering. "Maybe not a ritual. Maybe… a punishment."

Jamie turned to her. "A punishment?"

Sandra's eyes remained fixed on the darkness within the wall. "Someone wanted them to watch. Forever."

—

Thirty minutes later.

Jack arrived with several officers and forensic specialists.

The entire apartment was locked down as crime scene technicians carefully extracted the bodies, layer by layer. The forensics team murmured among themselves, their faces grim as they examined the remains.

Jack, however, stood near the doorway, his expression one of profound regret the moment he saw the corpses.

"Holy… shit." He swallowed hard. "I knew it. The second I got involved with you two, I should've expected something like this."

Jamie glanced at him, unimpressed. "So you're just gonna stand there and not help?"

Jack coughed, shifting awkwardly. "Well, uh… I figured I'd let the forensic guys do their job. I'm better at dealing with… you know, people who are still alive."

Sandra ignored them, kneeling beside one of the corpses. "Can you estimate the time of death?" she asked the forensic pathologist.

The examiner carefully inspected the remains, his expression shifting as he examined one of the bodies.

"These corpses… some are at least three years old," he muttered. "But others… are much fresher."

Sandra's eyes sharpened. "How recent?"

The pathologist hesitated. "…Within the past six months."

Sandra's expression turned stone-cold. "That means the killer… never stopped."

Jack's earlier bravado vanished. He immediately pulled out his radio. "Get the crime analysis team here. Now. I want full records on this building—who's owned it, who's lived here, and every missing person case tied to it."

—

By dawn, the investigation was still ongoing.

Jamie sat on the cold concrete steps outside the apartment, a cup of coffee in her hands—long since gone cold.

But her mind wasn't on the coffee.

It was on the whisper that had haunted her all night.

"…Don't leave me…"

Sandra approached, handing her a folded document. "The police found something."

Jamie opened it.

It was an old photograph, yellowed with age.

A group of people stood in front of the apartment building, one man circled in red.

Below his image, the name was written in faded ink:

Li Ziran.

"The guy who disappeared six months ago," Jamie murmured.

Sandra nodded. "But here's the real story. Years ago, there was an underground doctor operating in this building. People say he provided… 'special treatments.'"

Jamie looked up. "What kind of treatments?"

Sandra's voice was like ice. "Corneal extractions."

Jamie's breath hitched. "You mean… this place was involved in organ trafficking?"

Sandra nodded grimly. "The victims' eyes were surgically removed—the cuts are too precise to be anything but professional work. The police believe this building was once a black-market clinic, dealing in illicit eye transplants. And those who didn't survive… were simply hidden in the walls."

Jamie's stomach twisted. "Then… the eyes inside the wall?"

Sandra's expression darkened. "It could have been part of a ritual. Or maybe… their hatred, their agony, was so overwhelming, they forced you to see them."

Jamie said nothing.

Her gaze drifted to her own hands.

The blood she had touched the night before… the remnants of those trapped souls.

Those people…

What had they suffered in their final moments?

Where had their eyes been taken?

Who had bought them?

And most chilling of all—

Was the true mastermind still out there?

Jamie exhaled shakily.

Something told her—this case was far from over.

(Story Unfinished—The True Mastermind Has Yet to Emerge...)