1 A call to pack

Melanie strolled crossed the busy intersection, leaving the sprawling university behind her, as she headed to the student's hostels six blocks towards her one bedroom.

Mel's school was one of the best abroad so the streets were always packed with people regardless of the time of day or week.

The graduation ceremony only added to the congestion as everyone flocked to the campus grounds.

This day was no different, with the streets bustling with activity.

At the young age of twenty-five, she had already achieved both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in criminology, a field that is not commonly pursued by many.

In fact, she could easily count the number of females in her department on one hand, with plenty of fingers left over.

Despite this underrepresentation, she persevered and accomplished a great deal, ready to launch her career.

With her hands tucked into the pockets of her hoodie, she was a true vision of beauty, with luscious dark-brown locks cascading down her slender neck, delicate lips that curved gracefully into a captivating smile, a perfectly sculpted figure, and a long neck that exuded elegance.

Her striking gray eyes seemed to hold a world of mysteries within them, and her complexion was a flawless ivory white that radiated a timeless charm.

Every aspect of her being was impeccably arranged, making her a truly admirable sight to behold.

She had already removed her graduation gown and packed it in her small bag since none of her family had attended the ceremony.

She had watched other students celebrating with their families at the graduation ceremony, a twinge of jealousy is what she could describe she had felt seeing them with their parents.

She had only managed to take a few photos thanks to a kind guard. Although she wanted to blame someone for her lack of family support, she knew that studying abroad came with its own set of challenges.

Mel dragged her tired body along slowly, as darkness began to set in. She hoped to reach her destination soon so she could get some much-needed rest. The farewell party from the night before had left her feeling exhausted.

When the depressingly pink stucco building of girls' hostels appeared in the distance, she crossed the other side after reaching the zebra crossing and walked about four hundred meters to the building.

As the gate swung open, the lady guard Coya, greeted Mel with a friendly smile, "Good evening, Melanie. Hope you enjoyed your graduation."

Mel smiled warmly at the elderly woman, nodding in response. This had become a daily routine for her over the past seven years while studying criminology and staying in the same place with the same guard, who never seemed to tire of her work.

She chose to walk away from the guard, knowing that the woman had a penchant for storytelling and gossiping. Not wanting to deal with that, she decided to avoid her altogether. Mel hadn't even taken the space she needed away from the guard when she heard,

"Hey, when are you leaving?" the woman shouted with a hint of annoyance in her voice, persistently nagging. "It appears that your roommate has already left, along with her boyfriend."

"I'll be leaving in two weeks." Despite having graduated, she was not inclined to let the remaining deposit go to waste by vacating the building early.

Mel observed, sensing that the woman might be upset about it. It seemed that Briana and her boyfriend had managed to annoy her in some way.

"What time did Briana leave?" Mel asked, patiently, not wanting to upset the guard before vacating.

"A while ago," the woman responded, holding up a pink letter. "She left this with me before leaving."

She picked up the letter and made her way to the end of the building, where their room was situated.

Mel's mind was feeling a bit jumbled now. She couldn't understand how Briana Steel could have left without informing her. After all, they had been roommates for seven years, despite Briana's demanding schedule as a pharmacy major.

With a quick turn of the handle, Mel swung the door open and made her way inside. Out of habit, she headed towards the living room and tossed her bag onto the small couch.

The room was in disarray, with clothes strewn about and the table cluttered with items Briana didn't need. Her pants were carelessly scattered on the floor, possibly to prevent her from snacking on them again, this was what Briana's typical boyfriend would do.

Mel's priority was to sleep, so she decided to tidy up Briana's scattered belongings later. As she removed her boots, they accidentally knocked over a glass jug, but she was able to catch it before it shattered.

Mel's phone rang loudly, interrupting her thoughts the glass jug slipped and shattered into small pieces, and Mel sighed. What was the meaning of even rescuing it a minute ago?

It was an incoming call from her dad, who she had been expecting to hear from for a while. However, she wasn't surprised to receive his call now, especially since the graduation ceremony had already ended.

At first, Mel decided to ignore the call and collapsed onto her bed, shutting her eyes tightly in hopes of finding some much-needed rest. However, the persistent ringing of her phone prevented her from dozing off.

Eventually, she gave in and picked up the call.

"I have bad news," he started as soon as the call was connected, "Unfortunately, another body has been discovered at the airport, and it's causing a great deal of grief for the victim's family," her dad informed her over the phone. "The situation has put our country under immense pressure, and my profession is at risk.

The dead body was of a young man, the greater part of the chest area was torn away and from the jagged hole, the heart was missing," her father said, sadly this deemed as another group of people emerged and its mystery wasn't something her father could handle singlehandedly.

As her dad spoke, Mel felt her heart grow heavy with emotion. She began to respond,

"Dad..." Her exhaustion vanished, and she sat up in bed, fully alert and attentive.

In recent times, the mysterious deaths of citizens in their country had become a significant problem.

It was becoming increasingly clear that these deaths were not just a coincidence, as the victims had all died in similar ways and their bodies were found in public areas. As a result, citizens were pointing fingers at the government for their inability to protect them.

"The government has issued a mandate that all criminology graduates must return to the country immediately," Mel's dad informed her, his tone serious and urgent.

''At last, someone has knocked some senses to our dearest president's head!'' Mel interrupted, and her father quickly warned,

"Stop badmouthing him, Mel. And we have already secured a plane ticket for you, and you need to be at the airport within the next two hours," Mel's dad instructed her. "Don't waste any time, young lady - you're expected to attend the general meeting the next afternoon."

As Mel listened to her dad's instructions, she could hear a commotion in the background, directed at him. She held her phone for a moment, waiting until she heard the familiar sound that indicated the end of the call.