Dare You To Death: Solve the Mystery, See the Death.

Investigation Part 13

 

When they arrived at Tonkla's room, Khamin and Jade knocked three times. The door opened, and it was not the owner of the room, but Jay, who came out to greet them instead.

 

"You arrived early." Jay smiled at Khamin, but it was a tired and somewhat forced smile. The young sergeant could tell, so he just shouldered Jay out of the way and walked into the room. When he walked in, he found Tonkla sitting on the sofa, looking unperturbed, and an open letter on the table.

 

“Who opened the letter?”

 

"I did."

 

“Did Jay touch the letter?”

 

"I'll take it." Khamin nodded before putting on gloves and picking up each item to examine. There was only white paper, black paper, and a photo, similar to the envelope Tar received. But the strange thing was, why was this one only filled with TRUTH and no DARE?

 

“Is this all there is in the envelope?”

 

"Yes," Tonkla replied before getting up and going into the kitchen. Khamin then turned to Jay instead.

 

“Is that all?” His tone was calm, but there was a hint of pressure in his voice, making Jay's palms sweat. It was as if he were back in the interrogation room again.

 

"Yes"

 

“Okay.” Khamin handed it to Jade to examine as well. The young sergeant pretended to look around the room before taking the glass of water from Tonkla and taking a polite sip so that the two children wouldn’t feel too pressured. “Who else knows that Tonkla got the letter?”

 

"Time," said Kla, "I called you earlier. I was with Time, but he had earphones on, so I thought he couldn't hear me. The others should go back first."

 

“It’s all illegal stuff,” Jade said after looking at all three photos.

 

“Didn’t you guys just come to check the letters? Isn’t it something else that’s not really related to the case we’re working on?”

 

“I’ll take this letter and check it out. In the meantime, do you have any relatives or siblings you can stay with?”

 

"No, I can live alone."

 

“Two friends have died, and you yourself have received a letter exposing you and threatening you. Aren’t you afraid?”

 

“I think it’s nonsense. The death was due to an accident. The death of Tar might have been because he got into a fight with someone in the club while he was drunk. He came to take the drugs back; that's all."

 

"I don't think outsiders would know what's inside the letter. Only our own people would know about things like this, right?" Jade said before putting all the letters in the evidence envelope.

 

“Let’s just say I’ll have the staff come by every two hours to check on you. If there’s anything, feel free to call me. Is there anything else you want to tell me? Maybe I can provide any missing information.” Khamin looked at Tonkla before shifting his gaze to Jay. The kid in front of him wasn’t good at lying at all. You could tell he was having some kind of trouble. He suspected that there must have been some kind of conversation between the two of them before they arrived.

 

"No."

 

"Um, then I'll go back now. Do you want to go back together?" Khamin asked Jay, who was still standing there.

 

“I’ll stay with Kla for a little while, and then I’ll go back myself. Do you want to eat anything special, Min? I’ll buy something to make at home."

 

“It’s okay. And you don’t have to cook dinner. I’ll treat you to a meal.”

 

"You didn't say anything," Jade interrupted.

 

"I'm telling you." Khamin turned and walked out of Tonkla's room, followed closely by the station captain. When they entered the elevator, Jade stood close to Khamin, even though there was still plenty of space in the elevator without having to stand close together.

 

“Why do I feel like your intention isn’t just to treat me to a meal?”

 

“I intend to treat new residents to a meal.”

 

“And?” Khamin sighed before completing the other person’s sentence.

 

"And squeeze the truth out of your brother's mouth."

 

“At home, this is fine.”

 

“If he had just one excuse to rush into the bedroom, we wouldn’t have any questions.”

 

“Just go ask him in his room,” Khamin said, looking up at the floor number above the elevator door. “Answer Jade's question.”

 

“One, it's too much pressure and might make him never trust us again. Future work will be more difficult. Two… As the number was set to one and the elevator door was about to open, Khamin turned to look at Jade to finish answering the remaining question. “I have enough manners not to break into other people's bedrooms.”

 

Jade watched the small back walk out of the elevator after scolding him. His feelings of satisfaction increased because no one had been good to him with their mouths for a long time. And people who were good with their mouths didn't just keep talking nonsense. But his principles were also reasonable and plausible.

 

When Khamin arrived at the dormitory management room, he began questioning the staff about the various pieces of mail they had received for tenants. The management informed him that a delivery person would come and leave the items on the table in front of the management room. 

 

At six in the evening, the staff would go inside, take all the items, separate them by room number, and inform the residents to come and collect them the next day. When he asked about the security cameras, Khamin had already obtained images from two days ago and today. He had to go and check again to get more information, even though he was sure the perpetrator wouldn't have been careless enough to send the letter himself.

 

The two drove back home after delivering the letter for Rin to check and took out the documents that they would use to work on at home. Khamin went upstairs to pack his things and take a shower to get rid of his drowsiness and exhaustion, but before he could even go into the bathroom, there was a knock on the door.

 

"What's up?" Khamin asked the person outside without opening the door.

 

“Bring me something.”

 

"Can I go down and get it later? I'm going to take a shower."

 

“Just a sec.” Khamin had no choice but to open the door for the host, with only a towel wrapped around his waist and a small towel slung over his shoulder. As he opened the door, he saw that the person standing in front of him froze before returning to normal in no time.

 

"What"

 

“Why don’t you dress properly?”

 

“This is my room, and I’m going to take a shower.”

 

“Give me the house key.”

 

“Just this? You can wait a bit. There’s no need to rush to bring it to me.”

 

"Oh, come on," Jade said, then quickly stuffed the keys into Khamin's hand and walked down the stairs, leaving the newcomer to look on in annoyance.

 

Jade walked down, opened the refrigerator, and grabbed some water to pour down his parched throat. Who would have thought that Khamin would be in that state? He just thought the other person was probably getting ready to shower, but they weren't. The smooth skin and well-proportioned muscles were still in his mind. Oh my god.

 

Jade paced around in the kitchen for a while before he noticed his younger brother had just walked into the house. It wasn't that he didn't know what kind of person his younger brother was; he just didn't stop Khamin from trying to squeeze the truth out of the kid in front of him because he couldn't tell the whole story.

 

“Uncle Min.”

 

"Shower"

 

"So, where is he taking me to eat? Do I need to shower and change clothes?"

 

"It's up to you. Min must be tired, so he took a shower before going." Jay walked over and sat at the counter before collapsing on the table.

 

"Aren't you going to ask?"

 

"If I ask, will you tell me?"

 

"May"

 

"Then it's a waste of time. Go take a shower and change your clothes." The two siblings went their separate ways, unaware that someone else had received the letter.

 

Bell was pacing around in her room after opening the envelope with her name on it. The message, the pictures, everything was frightening to her. It was something she didn't think anyone would know except for her and her only close friend. Bell looked at everything on the table before waiting for the person on the other end of the line to answer her phone.

 

TRUTH OR DARE

 

BELL

 

A photograph of her and a group of hired people standing around a young woman in a student uniform. Her hair was a mess, her face was covered in red palm prints, and her clothes were wrinkled and covered in footprints. Bell remembered what had happened that day. The young woman who was crying and raising her hands in a wai was a freshman from another faculty who had messed with her ex-boyfriend. A small lesson that she didn't think anyone would see was captured by someone she didn't know.

 

Another picture made Bell feel even more terrified than the first one. Even though it was just an old photo of a photo shop sign, to her it was like a heart-warming device.

 

No matter how hard she tried to call, the other party wouldn't pick up, so Bell grew angry. From walking like a mouse in a trap, she began to stomp her feet violently because she didn't know what to vent.

 

“Fuck! Why aren’t you answering the phone, Eser?!”

 

Another photo was a group shot of her and her friends, but two people had their faces cut off so badly that they were completely invisible. They were Pui Fai and Tar. At first, she thought it was a prank, or that someone was trying to play a joke on her. But it wasn't when a piece of paper appeared. The information, including names, date, time, and location, was clearly written on it, and only three people knew what it was. 

 

Bell threw her phone onto the sofa, her emotions boiling. She wanted to scream out loud, equal to the rage and fear in her heart.

 

Bell chose to pick up the phone again before leaving a message for Cherene, who didn't answer. All the papers were put back in the envelope, as before, except for the black paper with her choice.

 

"Eser, are you the one who sent me this damn letter? It's not funny at all. Do you think I'm the only one at fault? When it's your turn, you're the one who tricked him!?" 

 

Bell said angrily, grabbing a pen and putting it away. "I won't be the only one in trouble, you know that."

 

TRUTH

 

“A beautiful university star, so confident, everyone approves of her. Who knows how rotten she is behind the scenes? Right, Bell? Your mouth and your heart are so cutthroat; these words really suit you. You say everything so beautifully and persuasively, with good intentions on your face, but behind your back, you do all sorts of evil things. Do you still remember the kid whose future was ruined by your acid? Do you even remember that kid who never saw the world? Isn’t it true, Bell, that you told Cherene about Fai’s pregnancy? Isn’t it true, Bell, that you said you meant well, but then you drugged your friend and took her to an abortion clinic?!”

 

DARE

 

“Choose. Choose the one who will die in your place. Choose Bell. JAY OR CHERENE"

 

Anxiety and anger made Bell choose without hesitation. She circled Cherene's name with a red pen before crumpling it and throwing it on the ground in frustration.

 

Two hours of worry and waiting passed slowly in her mind. When nothing happened, she started to think that it was just a prank. Bell chose to put everything down on the sofa and went to get some water to relieve her remaining anxiety. The young woman did not plan to contact people today because she wanted to soak in the water to relax after the anxiety she had just experienced earlier.

 

Bell slowly took off her clothes until she was left completely naked. Her breasts were shaped like a teardrop, the perfect size to match her slender waist and wide hips. Her figure often caught the eyes of both men and women, prompting them to turn and look back. Her slender feet slowly lowered into the tub, filled with warm water and pink from a famous bath bomb brand. It gave off a relaxing scent to the person who threw themselves into the tub. Bell slowly closed her eyes before sighing. If she had paid attention to her own symptoms, she would have known that the dizziness she was experiencing was abnormal. It's been unusual since she drank the water from that jug.

 

An uninvited guest opened the door to the room. A person in a black robe from head to toe walked into the room unhurriedly. A hand wearing extra-thick rubber gloves reached out to grab an envelope placed on the table before turning to look towards the bathroom. The soft music playing in the background made it impossible for Bell to hear anything. Or it could be said that at this moment, she was barely 100% conscious.

 

The bathroom door slowly opened, and a masked person walked in, looking at Bell with an expressionless face. The two glass bottles in her hand had their caps removed and were placed on the floor. The voice changer's words made Bell slowly open her eyes to look at the newcomer.

 

"Truth or Dare"

 

"You... who are you?!" The hallucinogenic drug made Bell try to stand up, but her legs were too weak to support herself.

 

"Truth or Dare"

 

“Get out! I’m calling the police!” Bell tried to get up again, but this time the person sitting on the edge of the tub grabbed her head and slammed it hard against the edge of the tub, causing blood to slowly flow from her forehead into the water in the tub. In her daze, Bell cried out as she looked at the person in a black robe and a white mask, tilting his head to look at her before bending down to pick up a glass of brown liquid and holding it.

 

“Truth or Dare, the final time”

 

"Sob, sob, I already told you to dare me again. Let me go. Don't do anything to me. Sob, sob," Bell sobbed heavily. The more she saw the paper the person in front of her handed her, the more she cried, unable to hold it in.

 

“How was it? Being betrayed by your friend, was it fun? Was it fun, Bell?” The cloaked man pinched the chin of the woman crying her heart out. The beautiful pair of eyes widened when they met. But it was too late for the impending death. The glass bottle had been opened and stuffed into Bell’s mouth. Even though the bottle was bigger than her mouth, the person who was standing lifted the tip of his foot and kicked the bottle until Bell’s jaw was torn. The sulfuric acid inside slowly flowed into her mouth, throat, and down to her internal organs. Bell struggled in agony, unable to make a sound. The pain was so intense that she couldn’t even struggle for a minute before her heart, which was already beating, was eroded and damaged. It could no longer function for its owner's body.

 

Seeing that Bell had gone still, a second glass bottle was poured down the body of the person whose lower face, down to the neck, was torn and blistered, and the flesh was torn to the bone. The acid slowly eroded the body that had once been beautiful until it was completely gone. The water that had once been pink with glitter, looking beautiful and lovely, had turned bright red with blood and flesh, including the paper that had once been in Bell's hand.

 

That message was the only thing that made the word "friend" in this group even clearer.

 

DARE

 

“Choose the person you want to die for. Choose CHERENE OR BELL. The word friend never existed.....