1 The Unknown

"What a bloody heck?"

The chief of police was so shocked at the scene of the crime.

A pool of blood and a lot of dead bodies were scattered all over the place. But the most horrifying view he saw was the only corpse pinned on the wall. It was affixed by knives through its hands and legs. The chief knew that corpse very well.

"Gruesome, huh?" The chief's companion remarked.

"I don't know if I should be mad or happy." The chief replied.

"So, it is him again?" It sounded not a question but a confirmation.

"Yeah, I guess. He strikes again." The chief had a grim face and looked so pale. He was not approved of what happened.

The corpse that was pinned on the wall was Alberto Gierro. He was one of the most wanted drug leaders they had in their files. They were tracking him down for months but the guy was so slicked that they always failed to catch him. And yet he was here now. Dead cold.

"He is always ahead of us." The chief's friend said. He lighted a cigarette and puffed a cloud of smoke. He was in deep thought.

"Hard to accept but yes. He is always ahead of us." The chief walked a bit while the other police were busy fixing the dead bodies. His eyes were focused on the one who was pinned on the wall.

He got a tip that the bastard was hiding in this abandoned church in a province. But he didn't expect that they would meet like this. He was already late. The punisher came first.

"What are your plans now, chief?" The man with the cigarette asked.

"Clean this shit, of course."

The man smirked. He puffed again and stared at that dead body pinned by knives on the wall. There was admiration in his eyes.

"This guy is such a bastard that I felt so relieved he was dead now." The man said with satisfaction.

"Oh yeah? Then what good did it do to us aside from he was not a pain in the neck anymore?" The chief irritatingly asked.

"I understand your predicament. You and your team would be a laughingstock again since the punisher stole the spotlight again. That is really shameful." The man answered playfully.

"Is that really funny to you?" The chief was seriously pissed.

"I was just kidding. Come on, pal. Don't be a killjoy." His friend chuckled.

"I really wanted to rip this bastard's neck but I badly wanted to tear the guts of that vigilante as well. He is doing a mess in our lives. He has no right or whatsoever to do this. He is a criminal too." The chief angrily spat.

"Well, he's playing a hero and thinks highly of himself. So, how are you going to catch that rebel?" The man asked. He already finished the cigarette and tossed it on the ground.

The bodies were carefully put on the ambulances. The examiners were still busy with the pieces of evidence and leftovers at the crime scene.

The chief got a glimpse of one of the corpses. It was slashed on its neck. He saw that some were slashed too but there were also gunshots in their bodies.

"I will do everything to get him. If I have to find him in hell, I will gladly do it. Just to stop his vicious acts." The chief answered with finality. It was a vow he said to himself.

The police were putting Alberto Gierro's dead body on the leather bag and zipped it. They collected all the knives in plastic to check them later on in the laboratory for fingerprints.

"Good luck to you then, chief. We are all aware that this unknown guy is a shadow of imagination. No information about him means no chance to get a hold of him." The man said and walked toward the wall where the corpse came from.

He examined it like a piece of jewelry. He was looking for something.

The chief followed him. He also tried to look for something. Though he had no idea what it was, still he was hoping to find anything that would help them with the investigation.

The man stared at the wall. Then he saw it.

He was staring at it when the chief got curious and tried to look at what he was looking at intently.

They were finally both staring at it.

It was a symbol. It was just a simple x mark inside a circle. But what made it striking was it was drawn by blood. Alberto Gierro's blood. They both knew it.

It was the symbol of the punisher. Every time he killed a criminal, he was drawing it on a wall or floor above the head of the body. And he was always pinning the culprit with knives and spread its arms and legs like a display in a bloody exhibit.

They both stared at it in awe.

"He is so proud of this shit. Like putting a mark on his masterpiece." The chief's companion retorted.

"Yeah... How nice it would be to see him handcuffed and in jail. That sleeky bastard." The chief said. His face was contorted and you could see a determination in his eyes. He was really pissed.

"Don't forget to call me if that happens." His friend said and smiled at him.

The chief smirked.

"Someday, he will be running out of luck and I will make sure he will rot in jail."

"But be careful not to make a mistake. Stick to the law so he will not come to you and knocking at your door." His friend patted his shoulder.

"You know me well. I am always on the right side." The chief proudly said.

"Sure. But I have also heard that from those officials who were blinded by corruption. In the end, they were killed by him." The man chillingly replied.

The chief was suddenly aware of the eerie atmosphere inside the church. He felt the biting coldness of the air around them.

"Just a friendly reminder, chief." The man said and he playfully saluted at him before he turned his back to walk away.

"That cheeky rascal..." The chief mumbled to himself while staring at his back.