Howard narrowed his eyes and pulled out his phone. "They were supposed to arrive in half an hour, but they’re here early."
Just as Howard was about to make a call, I grabbed the nearby knife and plunged it fiercely into his shoulder.
"Ah!" he scread in agony, his blood splattering into my eyes as I pulled out the knife.
I knew Howard couldn’t die so easily at my hands; If he did, I’d be even in deeper trouble with the police.
As Bobby tried to approach, I stabbed him with the knife in defense. Then, I cowered behind the bed, terrified, my legs giving way as I fell to the ground.
The man with tattoos leaned against the car, watching casually, seemingly enjoying my resistance.
Suddenly, the sound of police sirens filled the air, and the entire scrap iron factory was surrounded.
Howard’s face discolored instantly. He and Bobby tried to get up and flee, but the police tackled them to the ground; I remained on the ground, hugging my bare legs in fear.
anwhile, as the police rushed in, the tattooed man took off his sunglasses and wig. He then walked over to and draped his jacket over my shoulders, saying, "Useless fool."
Trembling, I gazed at the man before , noticing his tattoos were all fake. Although he had applied dark foundation all over his body, I could still tell he was - Joel, the high schooler.
I looked up at Joel, who dressed like a gangster straight out of a movie, feeling a surge of grievance for so reason.
"Where’s Dexter..." I sniffled, trying to choke back tears.
Why didn’t Dexter co?
Joel furrowed his brow and said, "Seriously, if you don’t wise up, Dexter might end up dead because of you sooner or later."
I lowered my head, tears falling to the ground.
Joel continued, "Dexter asked to keep an eye on Mrs. Coleman all this ti, trying to prove your innocence. He knew she would collaborate with Peter. He specifically told you to stay ho, but you just had to go et Mrs. Coleman, didn’t you?"
Joel tossed away his cigarette butt and crushed it underfoot. "Actually, it’s a good thing you’ve turned into a a bit of a fool, but try not to be too stupid, will you?"
Joel paused halfway through, staring at skeptically, "Sotis I really wonder if you’re the real Sophia Milford."
My heart skipped a beat as I nervously stared at Joel. "What happened to Dexter?"
"Since these people finally acted, I need to ensure they take you away so I can assist the police in catching these filthy rats and uncovering the human trafficking ring behind them, don’t I?" Joel shrugged nonchalantly.
Obviously, he had used as bait.
"Does Dexter... know about this too?" I clenched my fists, feeling a mix of relief and a sharp pang in my heart.
Did Dexter know I was taken away? Did he cooperate with the police and agree to use as bait to lure Howard, Bobby, and the human trafficking ring behind them?
Though it was a sound tactic, capturing these individuals might help solve the case of missing teenagers...
But still, why did I feel so upset?
"You better go back now; otherwise, Dexter might kill himself." Joel frowned.
"What do you an?" I grabbed Joel’s arm.
Joel’s emotions were spiraling out of control. "Dexter couldn’t possibly let you get into danger, could he? If he witnesses what just happened, nobody here would make it out alive!
"You know damn well that every ti you’re involved, he loses control. Yet, you keep putting him in danger over and over again. If I let him co, he’ll probably spend the rest of his life in the ntal hospital!"
He then took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I tricked him into the basent and locked him in a room. So, we better head back now. If he doesn’t see you soon, he’ll go crazy in there."
I understood Joel’s concern. Howard and Bobby were crucial figures; they couldn’t die right now.
However, if Dexter had found them before the police, he would surely ensure they paid for their cris...
Joel had made the right call, but if Dexter was locked up knowing I was in danger, he would really start hurting himself!
Ignoring the pain in my legs, I struggled to stand and rushed outside, my bare foot stepping on the nails on the ground, causing to wince in pain as I fell.
But there was no ti to dwell on it now.
I had to see Dexter imdiately; I knew he would continue punishing himself until he saw .
"The human traffickers have been apprehended, and these two are in custody. Thanks for the information." Zion announced, having intercepted the traffickers en route here.
Zion shook hands with his fellow officers, casting a concerned glance my way. "Sofia, are you okay?"
Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at Zion. "Take ho. Dexter is at ho... Take ho."
Joel was right. If I didn’t return ho sooner, Dexter might really harm himself.
As soon as I arrived ho, I hurriedly got out of the car and dashed toward the basent.
Stevie had been incessantly barking in his cage, clearly sensing his owner’s danger and restlessness.
My heart raced with panic as the wounds on my foot reopened, causing to stumble down the stairs. Pain surged through my body, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
Despite the pain, I limped toward the basent, consud by fear.
If the basent was noisy, I wouldn’t have been as worried because it would have ant Dexter was still smashing things.
It was the silence that terrified , rembering Joel’s words about Dexter’s tendency to harm himself.
I didn’t know why I was so anxious. It was as if there was a voice inside urging to save him, to go and rescue him...
With trembling hands, I gripped the doorknob and twisted the iron wires on the outside, pushing the door open.
As soon as I opened the door, the sll of blood filled the air, sending shivers down my spine.
Terrified, I stood at the doorway, taking in the sight of the room. Everything was smashed, with traces of blood splattered everywhere. It was evident that Dexter had lost control.
Dexter lay on the couch, his fingers still dripping blood, appearing exhausted from the rampage.
He was hurting himself.
"Dexter... " I called his na, my voice quivering.
He struggled to open his eyes, and when he saw , his gaze flickered.
With a surge of strength, he pulled into his arms, murmuring, "Sophia... I’m sorry."
Even though it wasn’t his fault, he always felt the need to apologize to .
"You promised you wouldn’t hurt yourself." My voice still trembled with fear.
"I didn’t hurt myself... " Dexter lowered his head, acknowledging the lie.
I grabbed his wrist; the wound on the back of his hand was still bleeding.
"Sophia... " He gazed at nervously, removing Joel’s jacket from my shoulders, and replacing it with his own.
"Sophia... did they hurt you?" Dexter’s eyes focused on the swollen marks on my ankle, evidence of Bobby’s assault.
Luckily, a policewoman had given a skirt on the way here, covering the bruises on my thighs.
When Dexter noticed the bloodstains under my foot, he knelt on the ground, his gaze turning violent. "I’ll go kill them... "
"This is my own doing." I held Dexter’s face up, forcing him to look at . "Sophia... she was hurt by the people at the orphanage, wasn’t she?"
In my fading mories, Howards ntioned they had drugged Sophia before, trying to harm her.
Dexter gazed at , gently touching my swollen cheek, his eyes filled with rage and viciousness.
"Sophia’s body... is immune to drugs," Dexter whispered. "Juliet was the one who lured you over. You knew her intentions but went along anyway."
"Why would I go along with her plans?" I clenched my hands.
"Because those bastards have been using the sa thod to... harm Carol," Dexter looked up at .
I took a deep breath, my fingers instinctively tightening.
"Eason said, many years ago, there was a case where a teenager from the orphanage was stabbed. The wounds were shallow, not fatal. Although the teenager’s life wasn’t threatened, he was scared out of his mind when he woke up...
"Did I do that?" I asked, wondering why I had no faintest mory of it.
Did I deliberately let Juliet trick and then personally stab soone for the sake of Carol, or justice?
"Yes, that person was Jayden Cox, the leader among the boys. He led others to bully Carol, seeing that she was intellectually disabled. That was their secret." Dexter took a tissue and pressed it against the wound on my foot.
So, back then, not only was Sophia sober despite being drugged, she even stabbed the boys’ leader Jayden.
Jaydon Cox was the first male victim in the serial killings.
Joel, who had shown up at so point, leaned against the door fra and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Dexter was alright.
"Two lunatics... " he remarked.
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