Murder and a Visit

The sound of panting.

It was as if her ears had been covered, yet the resonance traveling through her skull allowed her to hear each desperate breath with extraordinary clarity.

There was also the sound of her heartbeat.

Everything around her was dim. She could not tell whether it was dawn or after sunset.

She was running, glancing back from time to time with a panicked expression.

She was barefoot, but the ground was not soft. There was no lush green grass beneath her feet. It was muddy and uneven.

She looked back again. Something terrifying seemed to be chasing her.

Then she fell to the ground, but immediately scrambled back up. She no longer had time to care about her injured knees and continued running amid her ragged breathing.

At last, she seemed to crash into something soft, warm, and gentle.

"Don't be afraid, Caroline."

"Dad, the dog... That scary dog... It chased me..."

"Don't be afraid, Caroline. I'm here."

I'm here. I'm here.

I'm here...

I...

She suddenly drew a deep breath.

Her pupils, beautiful like patterns of pigment blooming in water, appeared abruptly and shattered the darkness. The first thing Caroline saw was the blades of a slowly turning ceiling fan.

Her entire body was drenched. She did not know when she had started sweating, but the sensation made her extremely uncomfortable. Sunlight streamed in from outside, somewhat dazzling.

She should still have been lying on the sofa in the living room of Arno's home, Livia's boyfriend. Caroline closed her eyes again, trying to clear her mind.

It seemed she had overslept. She had originally intended to leave first thing in the morning.

Caroline opened her eyes again. She felt much better now, and at the same time, she felt as if her hand hanging beside