Revenge After Death ( Michael Ford )
Chapter 379

I sat in the bathtub, clutching my phone with trembling hands.

Howard and Peter's schemes had kept me housebound for a long time. Yet, I feared that Steven might fall prey to Yasmin's deception, leaving me alone and unresolved about my murderer. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was Steven.

I breathed a sigh of relief and answered the call in panic, but it wasn't Steven's voice on the other end.

"Stephanie Carlson... " a strange, distorted voice came through, courtesy of a voice changer.

My nerves instantly tightened upon hearing the mention of "Stephanie Carlson".

"I heard you haven't given up on replaceing out the serial killer," the voice said with sinister amusement.

I gripped my phone nervously, my body trembling uncontrollably. "Who are you? Where's Steve? Why do you have his phone?"

"I'm the serial killer, I'm God... " the voice lowered, then suddenly laughed. "You can call me 'the Juricator'."

I stood up abruptly, my vision darkening. "Steve... Where's Steve?"

"Because of you, he tried to hunt me down... What a pity. Even 'God' shows weakness when it possesses feelings." The voice's laugh grew eerier. "He was too eager to prove himself, too eager to catch me." "What do you want?" I asked, quivering, "Please, don't hurt Steve."

"Leave your house now, don't tell anyone, or else... he dies," the voice threatened.

"I'll do as you say, just don't hurt Steve." I stumbled out of the bathtub, limping quickly toward the door, ignoring the injury on my foot which had not completely healed.

"He has deduced the Death List, but unfortunately, it isn't complete." The voice chuckled. "He's very smart, but... love has turned him into a fool."

My fingertips turned cold. "What have you done to him?"

"Don't you want to know how he fell into my hands?" The eerie voice continued to laugh over the phone. "It was because of you...

My steps froze, my breathing quickening. So, this was the killer... the one I had been searching for, the one who had killed me.

"Don't stop. Keep walking, or else I'll kill him." The person on the other end of the line could tell I had stopped.

"Leave the neighborhood; you'll see a minivan within a mile. Get in it," the voice instructed.

"I won't comply unless you let me speak to Steve first," I stated cautiously, holding the phone warily.

"Haha..." The voice laughed. "Speak?

Do you think I would allow him to remain conscious, knowing he's a genius who can escape as long as he breathes?"

I frowned, my fingers trembling.

"Ding!" A message popped up on my WhatsApp, sent from Steven's account.

It contained a photo of Steven lying unconscious, an IV drip attached to his wrist...

Instantly, panic seized me, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.

That lunatic had confined Steven in a glass cabinet resembling a fish tank.

"You bastard... don't hurt him, please... " My voice choked, my legs growing weak.

The photo reminded me of the state I had been discovered by the police.

Venet

"Such a flawless human... " The voice expressed astonishment tinged with an eerie undertone. If preserved, he would make the most perfect exhibit."

"Please, spare him... I'll do as you say... "I scanned my surroundings warily, aware that the person was watching me nearby. Any hint of suspicion on my part - such as calling the police or anything else – would likely result in harm to Steven.

"Just don't hurt him... I beg of you," My voice trembled as I pleaded.

"Do you truly care for him, Stephanie Carlson? But you have no heart, so you care for no one. Why beg me now?" The voice laughed maniacally.

From this, I could conclude that this individual knew me well and understood me thoroughly.