|| 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐑 || HeeJake ||

• || 20 || •

Jake woke up with a start, his heart pounding in his chest. He was back in his room, drenched in sweat. The nightmare still clung to him, vivid and terrifying. A sharp knock at the door made him jump, snapping him out of his daze. He glanced around the room, disoriented, before stumbling out of bed and toward the door.

When he opened it, he was met by the stern faces of two police officers standing in the hallway. Their presence immediately set him on edge, his mind racing to figure out what was going on.

"Mr. Sim, we need you to come with us right now," one of the officers said, his tone firm but not unkind.

Jake blinked, still trying to shake off the remnants of his nightmare. "What? Why? What's happening?" he asked, confusion and anxiety lacing his voice.

The officers exchanged a quick glance, their expressions unreadable. "It's urgent, sir. Please, we need you to come with us."

Jake nodded slowly, though his confusion only deepened. "Okay, just... just give me a second," he replied, stepping back into his room to grab his jacket.

As he moved to the window to check outside, his heart sank at the sight that greeted him. A crowd had gathered around his building, their faces tense with worry and curiosity. Police cars with flashing lights lined the street, and an ambulance was parked nearby, its back doors open. The scene was chaotic, a stark contrast to the quiet of his room.

Curiosity and dread gnawed at him as he quickly slipped on his shoes and headed toward the door. "What's going on?" Jake asked the officers as he followed them out of the apartment.

The officers didn't answer, simply guiding him down the stairs and out into the street. As they emerged into the night, the cold air hit Jake like a wall, cutting through the remnants of his sleep-induced haze. He glanced around, trying to piece together what had happened.

It wasn't long before he spotted it—a cluster of people standing near the entrance of his building, their expressions grim. Jake's stomach twisted as he pushed his way through the crowd, driven by a need to see for himself.

When he finally managed to get a clear view, the sight that met his eyes made his blood run cold. A woman lay crumpled on the pavement, her body twisted at an unnatural angle, surrounded by a pool of blood. The gruesome scene was almost too much to take in—the shattered glass, the mangled limbs, the eerie stillness of her form.

Jake's breath caught in his throat as he took a closer look at the woman's clothes. Recognition hit him like a punch to the gut. It was his neighbor—the one who had always annoyed him with her constant complaints and prying questions. She had been a thorn in his side, but he had never wished her any real harm.

Now, here she was, lying lifeless on the cold, unforgiving pavement. The world seemed to tilt around him as he stared at her, the noise of the crowd fading into a distant hum. He couldn't tear his eyes away, his mind struggling to process the horror of what he was seeing.

Jake barely registered the police officers approaching him again, their voices muffled as they spoke to him. All he could do was stare at the lifeless body of his neighbor, the reality of the situation crashing down on him like a tidal wave.

At the police station, the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a cold, harsh glow on the sterile surroundings. Jake sat in an uncomfortable chair, his nerves on edge as he waited. The room was sparse, with nothing but a table and a few chairs. The ticking of the clock on the wall seemed unnaturally loud, each second dragging on for an eternity.

Jake's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, still reeling from the sight of his neighbor's lifeless body and the chaotic scene outside his apartment. He barely had time to process what was happening before he was brought here, and now the uncertainty was gnawing at him.