Roya wished for this nightmare to end quickly so she could wake up. With every moment she endured the pain inflicted by that psychopath, her patience wore thin. She whispered to herself, "If only I were in my original body, I would have made you grilled meat on embers by now." Worse than the torture were the memories of the body's original owner bleeding into her mind; she remembered having a young son named Loui, who was sick and bedridden. She used to work three jobs to pay off her debts and buy him the gift he had long desired. When she finally bought that beautiful gift, she buried it in the yard to hide it until his birthday, planning to search for it with him to surprise him. But unfortunately, when she returned exhausted from work, that maniac hunted her down and murdered her in the most gruesome way. Yet, her soul was still searching for her son, whom she had left alone in the hospital after his father abandoned him, leaving her as the only one to care for him.
After a long struggle, Roya woke up from that dream, declaring, "If I find you, I will strip your flesh from your bones. I promise you this; I will make him regret the day he was born." She decided to go to that house on Huska Street, in the neutral zone near the sea. She dressed in black and chose to ride her motorcycle, weary of the bus and the judgmental stares of people who viewed her as a "delinquent" or a bully. She also didn't want to waste her money for nothing.
The Forgotten Box in the Backyard
She arrived at the location after three hours; it was a ruined house covered in dust, appearing abandoned for centuries—and indeed, five years had passed since the woman's death and the child's disappearance. She went to the backyard, filled with the bushes the mother had planted for her son, and dug in the spot she saw in her dream. There, she found the box. Inside was a sailboat; Loui loved the sea and used to tell his mother, "One day I will buy a boat and we will sail together to see the fish, far from the city's noise."
Roya opened the carefully folded letter to read:
"To my dear Loui... You do not know how much your mother loves you, and that you are the most important person to her in this world. I know you are always sick and see yourself as a burden to me, but you are wrong. You are my first and last love. You are the person who made me feel human and worthy. Whenever you say 'Mom' or 'I love you,' I forget all my pain and exhaustion. Thank you for being born. Thank you for staying alive and fighting for me... I love you."
Roya laughed bitterly and said, "With all the pain you went through that night, I don't know what to say... truly, you are a hero."
Meeting Loui: The Boy Who Became a Man
She went to the nearby hospital, and after searching, they told her that his father had taken him five years ago and that he was now in the "Goring" area. She said skeptically, "My goodness! Now I have to go for five hours to get there? Am I going to the end of the world to find him this time too?"
She arrived in the evening and asked at the police station about a boy named Loui. The officer grew tense and asked, "Why are you looking for the Head of the Station?"
Shocked, she replied, "The Head of the Station? What are you talking about? I'm talking about a child named Loui who was seven when his father took him. Do you know him? They said you know everything here, so you must have a file for a boy by that name."
He answered, "Yes, I know a boy named Loui, but he is the Head of the Station."
She said sharply, "Call him to me!"
A tall, muscular man with brown hair and cream-colored eyes entered and said, "My name is Loui, but do you know me?"
She stared at him for a long time, thinking to herself, "He has changed from the dream. Was he cured? How can a human change this much while I haven't changed an inch since I was ten?" Then she asked him, "Was your mother's name Lily?"
His eyes widened in shock: "Yes, my mother's name was Lily, and she died at the hands of a mad killer five years ago. But how do you know her?"
She lied after clearing her throat, "My mother and your mother were close friends. Your mother gave my mother a gift and said she would take it later for your birthday, but my mother passed away and left me the gift and your mother's name. That's why I looked for you."
She took out the box and said, "This is a gift your mother left for you. Please keep it and read the letter well... goodbye."
She left and watched him from a distance; his hands trembled as he opened the box. The moment he saw the gift, he burst into tears and hugged the letter, sobbing. In that moment, Roya saw the ghost of the mother embracing her son from behind, kissing his head with tenderness. Roya said sadly, "Strange how life sometimes gives you parents so good you'd kill yourself for them, and sometimes it gives you parents who are like demons on earth... and I was the victim among them."
She waved to the woman who was smiling at her from afar and said, "I did what you wanted, so don't come into my dreams anymore; you annoy me greatly."
The Great Confrontation: The Hidden Killer
Roya returned home exhausted and slept, only for the woman to thank her in the dream and vanish. Roya woke up angry: "Damn you and the day I said thank you! I hate you and I hate the dreams you bring. I hope you never return."
At the university, a new professor entered with black hair and a scar under his jaw. After the lecture, he said to her, "Roya, I want you in my office. I just want to have a few words with you."
She followed him, and he offered her tea, asking, "I heard you ran away from your family, according to the other professors. Is that true?"
She replied, "Yes, I did. Is there a problem?"
He asked, "You live alone? Aren't you afraid? The area is dangerous for someone alone."
She said confidently, "No need, I can protect myself."
He said mysteriously, "Fine, but be careful."
While walking in the park, she found Arthur, the one with blue-hazel eyes, waiting for her. He said, "You don't understand the meaning of shadows haunting you. I smell the scent of blood on you."
She replied rudely, "And you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong! Shut up, it's none of your business. Better mind yourself," and she brushed past him arrogantly.
Arriving home, she found Loui waiting to warn her: "Ma'am, I heard from the officers that someone is following you... that killer is still at large. Take this tracker and my number. Call me if anything happens."
She entered her house thinking, "So that bastard is still free? I still have a way to avenge the fool who tortured us in the dream." She laughed loudly, "I'll make you regret it."
The End of the Monster
The next day, Roya lured the professor to an empty place. She felt him following her, and suddenly... Boom! He struck her head with a heavy stone and dragged her to a dark warehouse. When she opened her eyes, she found herself bound. The man entered in his mask, singing, "The eighth victim... time to enjoy."
He pulled out a large pair of clippers, but was stunned to find her smiling diabolically, saying, "I found you, you bastard. Or should I say Professor Werdi? Do you think I didn't notice you watching me? Or your constant questions? And that scar under your jaw, given to you by a woman five years ago?"
He was shocked as she continued, "First, you failed at kidnapping me properly. Second, these restraints don't work on me."
She shattered the chains, having loosened them the moment she was tied, as she was never truly unconscious—she had padded her hat with thick cotton. She said, "Fourth, the police know your location because I put the tracker in my phone. And fifth..." she cracked her knuckles and neck, "I'm going to take what's mine from you."
She lunged at him, kicking him hard between the legs: "You don't need a future now, do you? We need to treat this madness of yours, starting with the head!"
She headbutted him until he bled and punched his face, screaming, "This is for Lily! This is for that red-haired girl!" She kicked him repeatedly, her rage boiling: "You bastard! Do you think your childhood suffering justifies torturing others? You're a heartless wretch. Humans are just animals walking the earth if left to their instincts!"
She didn't stop hitting him and breaking his bones until the police burst in. Loui grabbed her to pull her away, shouting, "Calm down! You're going to kill him!"
She screamed madly, "Let me kill this animal!"
Behind them, Arthur watched, laughing to himself, "She's completely insane. Just as she's been since her childhood."