HORIZON 1.1

Part-12

It was happy times again in Hope City. After the release of Paranormal statement, everything was back to normal. All establishments, including factories, offices, schools, and retail stores, were operating normally, as if Hope City had never experienced anything.

Not too long ago, two people passed away, but it seemed like no one was interested in remembering them.

Shiva sat in the same park chair he used to, looking across the street at the dancing academy.

There were girls performing classical dance, and a woman was instructing them by showing them her moves. She appeared knowledgeable and skilled.

Today, the park was crowded with people running, exercising, and eating food from ferries. The kids were having a good time playing games.

The road was overcrowded, and there were vehicles everywhere.

Today was a busy day in the city.

"Teacher, look at the man on the other side of the road. He is observing us intently."

A girl at the academy noticed Shiva and informed the teacher.

"Where?" The teacher moved to the window and asked.

"There," the girl said, gesturing to the platform.

Shiva was no longer at his location.

"Teacher. Don't believe her. She's saying this because she's not interested in practicing," said another girl.

"I promise. I saw him. He was sitting there on the platform, staring at us with suspicion. He has now left." She replied, rolling her eyes at another girl.

"That's enough for today, girls. We'll pick up again tomorrow. We're practicing after several weeks, so please take it easy and give your body a break from sports."

Every girl rushed out of the room as the teacher clapped, indicating the end of class.

Before long, the classroom was empty.

The street-facing glass window began to close and then solidified into metal.

She took out a towel and began wiping the sweat from her face as she exited the hallway and entered her office.

"Hello. She remembers me."

Shiva was playing with her soul—a cat—while seated in her office.

After seeing Shiva, she was not scared. A sweet smile appeared on her face.

"If you don't stop snooping, I will lose some students for sure." She said, walking up to Shiva. "You were sitting there, observing my academy. I noticed."

She positioned herself at the desk in front of Shiva.

She waved the towel jokingly at Shiva's face and placed it on her shoulder.

"What brought you here?"

Shiva remained silent.

"You appear worn out. Would you like to shower with me?"

She had a sensual smile on her face.

"I was worried about you. I was always there, but you never came." Shiva answered without making eye contact.

"The town was completely locked. I am too." She stated.

"Good,"

"I am aware of the case that you are investigating. Please stop accepting cases of this kind. Politicians are not to be trusted."

"They gave me a big payment. I now have Jules to settle all of my bills," Shiva uttered.

"You shouldn't take risks."

She moved closer to him. Their bodies came into contact.

She turned Shiva's focus in her direction. "I earn enough Jules for both of us. You are welcome to stay with me."

"Perhaps this time I'll succeed on my mental exam. I'll get a detective job once again," said Shiva.

"I never asked about your job. Your decision is important to me."

She clasped Shiva's hand in her own.

Shiva huddled.

Their faces close.

They could feel each other's breath.

"I'm waiting for your decision," she said.

She kissed Shiva's hand.

"We shouldn't discuss this." Stepping back, Shiva spoke.

"It does hurt, yes. A lot. But at some point, we have to start over. We should talk about it." She enquired.

"I'm not sure." Shiva was stuttering.

Shiva was having difficulty expressing himself.

Her wristband rang at the same time. It's a social message. She began to look.

"Hey, you should watch this. It's airing on every platform." She turned on the wall display and said to Shiva.

"I'm going to murder someone. Tonight."

On camera, a human figure was speaking.

Shiva got up from the chair right away.

"Can you play it from the beginning?" Shiva said as he approached the screen.

A man with a metal mask covering his face and dressed entirely in black was speaking.

"Greetings, Hope City residents. I hope everyone is having a great day. Enjoying the freedom granted to you today based on wrong facts. You guys have been lied to.

Citizens have a right to know the truth. We deserve better. Better than Paranormal and police departments. And there's Shiva, the self-proclaimed detective. I also enjoy his work. You also failed me, Mr. Shiva. You all failed this city."

The figure stopped. The aggressive tone in his voice and his manner of speaking were enough to frighten anyone. He inhaled deeply. You could hear his inhale in the video.

"Bullshit, Paranormal, you liar. You lied to your own citizens, saying that there was some sort of infection. That's untrue. So, here I am, taking responsibility for killing Vaibhav and his girlfriend. Citizen, I know you people will not believe me against Paranormal. So, just to prove my point, I'll do it again.

Tonight, I'm going to murder someone. Tonight. I'll give you another opportunity to show your worth. Mr. Shiva, I hope you won't let me down this time."

"This video is all over social." She said, turning off the display.

It sounded like gunfire outside. Shiva and she dashed out of the apartment.

There was chaos outside.

The video went viral like wildfire. Everywhere you looked, you could see the same video.

Every billboard had been compromised and was under the control of the metal figure man.

The park, which was once teeming with people having a good time, had become mesh.

Guards and police were shooting pointless shots into the air in an attempt to control the crowd.

People are running to each other out of fear. There was carnage on the road.

"Hey, captain." Picking up his wristband, Shiva said.

"I hope you're not sleeping this time." Maya spoke from the opposite end.

"No, I'm not."

"I'm giving you police protection. You will be protected by us until we find where this footage is coming from," stated Maya.

"Absolutely not, captain. This is not required."

"You idiot. He uses your name in his video. Did you not notice that?"

"Captain, you should use this to your advantage if you want to get him. He may decide not to come if I'm being protected by the police." Shiva said, hanging up.