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Trigger warning: violence, disturbing content.

A dead body was laying on the ground. There was an axe next to it. The corpse was mutilated beyond recognition. And as the night became more intense by the second, you could barely see a thing. He looked around not remembering how he got here. His hands were bloody and smelled awful. In a state of panic, the man rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of cloth and a bucket of water with some lemon and soap in it. Picking up the bloody weapon, he quickly wiped it clean of his fingerprints and then tried to clean the blood off his hands. Soon, the cloth was bright red and too dirty to be used a second time. Realising that, he threw it into the fireplace to get rid of the evidence. It wasn’t supposed to take long since he came prepared, yet his time was running out, so he had to hurry up and leave the crime scene. As he went to the door, he suddenly realised that something was not right. A sudden sound came from the living room where the body was laying on the floor. He turned around and realized that the man he just killed was now standing in front of him with his head split open. The man looked at him and pointed his finger... “Guilty”, he said.

Aaron violently woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. It was another morning which meant that he needed to get ready for work. Slowly getting up from his bed he made his way to the bathroom and took a quick shower. His mind was hazy because he hadn’t gotten enough sleep. Putting on his usual attire—a navy suit with a white shirt—he went to the kitchen to drink his favourite black coffee and eat breakfast. Turning on the radio was enough to calm his nerves. While listening to some calming music, Aaron grabbed a newspaper and started reading.

Illustrated journal of 24 July 1992:

“A dead body, bloody axe, and a place abandoned by all living beings. In a village, 10 years ago, a tragedy took place. The murderer was never found. A police investigation had hit a dead-end. No suspect was accused. The only person who knew what occurred at that moment was gone. The story was soon forgotten by many. Now, after such a long time, nobody would suspect the investigation to start again with newfound evidence and a fresh crew to have a distinct perspective. Slowly but steadily, they started briefing the public on the latest information gathered thanks to modern technology. Nobody knew if the new team could really find the suspect and lock him up, but they knew the team was trying their best to bring justice."

Aaron was immersed in the news while sipping his hot coffee and getting ready for work when he read something that happened in his hometown long ago. It was about a mysterious murder that had been unsolved till now and still needed some answers. He remembered that day when everyone from Tahin Village gathered in front of the house, in the middle of nowhere, where a tragedy took place. A man living in that house was found dead with a body beyond recognition, yet nothing was stolen nor destroyed. The murderer must have known this man and killed him in his sleep. Aaron was among those people; he was shocked to see the body being taken out of the house by the police. It turned out that there was no sign of an intruder or anyone other than the owner to be in the house. All the people in the village were interrogated and the case was stuck in place. It scarred him for life and dug a deep wound in his mind, the memory simply terrible.

After finishing his coffee and putting on his coat, Aaron went outside into the early morning weather. It was cold this time of the year, just like that tragic day 10 years ago. Putting aside all the dark and unpleasant memories, Aaron went to his car and took off to work. It was around 10 AM when he arrived at the police station and parked in front of the building. Walking to the station and finally, to his office, he was already tired. Hearing in the news that a new team will be investigating the murder was not promising news for him, meaning that Aaron himself will lead this new team and will immerse in this investigation. This day couldn't be worse for the young man as this case has been a thorn in the side of the police force for such a long time.

His office was neat with everything necessary. Aaron spotted a few documents that were laying on his desk. It was a file from 10 years ago. So, it finally began, huh? He took them and sat down on the chair. Paging through them was mostly pointless since he already knew this case very well. Then a person came into the office with a cup of coffee, it was one of the officers' that was working under Aaron. His movements were steady as he put the coffee on the desk and sat down on another chair.

“We have to see the house. It's said that it's still standing there, and no one dares to live there. Nobody dared even going inside, so the place might be ruined by now, it's been a few years. There could still be some clues left, so we will take another look around, and since you lived there before, you know the place well.” Carol stopped talking and got up from his seat only to leave the room to his superior investigator's displeasure. Now Aaron will have to put his coat back on and take a 2-hour long drive to his hometown, Tahin Village.

The weather has gotten colder as the drive was starting to take forever. He didn't want to go to the place he once ran away from but there was no other choice. Upon arriving at the scene of the crime, Aaron realised that the house was in a terrible state and was soon to be demolished. They had to be fast and get the job done before the remains of the evidence will get destroyed.

The inside of the house was as pictured in the report, it was old and untouched. The crime scene looked the same as that day they found the body. On the carpet were still some red stains that turned darker than anything he’s ever seen. A memory slipped into his mind like a ghost haunting him even now. Blood was fresh that day and so was the man on the floor, life leaving him slowly yet inevitably. The carpet was drinking all of it and turning completely red. The smell was sweet and intoxicating. The weapon was heavy, sharp, and too strong even in the hands of a young boy. The body was still warm. The motion smooth and quick split open the man before him. It was perfect and there was no turning back from that.

Looking around the room Aaron stumbled upon the kitchen fireplace, slowly he opened it up and saw nothing but ashes. There was no more evidence that could have been left behind. A scene from a forgotten past flashed before Aaron’s eyes as he was stunned still. It was a person running into the kitchen and past him as if a shadow of the past. The boy took a piece of cloth and got a bucket of water with lemon and soap in it. Then he rushed out as fast as he got here. The memory soon faded away as Aaron was standing in the room not knowing how to act in front of his subordinate. Quickly, he turned around and went out of the kitchen and out of the house. Taking a breather and calming himself down the detective went inside once more.

In the living room was Carol, looking frantically for any left evidence they could get. It was pointless just like Aaron thought. It has been years and now they thought that something would change, it was futile, and effort wasted. The only thing that could give the police more information and close the case was testimony from the witnesses they didn’t have. This seemed like a tough job with endless possibilities. Do the people from back then still remember the incident? Everyone tried to repress it and move on since it didn’t involve them in any way. Are they still living here? It was a village with many older people so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already dead too. All those useless thoughts clouded Aaron’s mind as he was trying to focus on what Carol was saying. It was nothing new, so he didn’t bother remembering any of that. The investigation was now put to a close as the day turned into evening. There was still a long drive home and they wanted to come by the station again to look more into it.

The night was closing in on the two detectives as they silently drove back to the city. Upon arriving at the police station, Aaron went to his office with a fresh cup of coffee. He was lost in his thought as he reminiscent the old days in the Tahin Village. All the good and tough times he left there and thought that it will all be better now. The memories were coming back to him, it was a bad idea to go there in the first place but how could he oppose the Chief of the Police. The bloody hands and this disgusting feeling building up inside him was making him sick to his stomach. The stench of death was strong that day and he couldn’t get it out of his mind for the past 10 years. The images of the crime kept on popping in his mind as the anger grew stronger. He had to do something to cover up the mistakes but that would be suspicious. The feeling of being constantly watched or judged didn’t leave him and was now getting stronger as his mind wandered off to the darkest place.

The flashbacks were getting stronger as the feeling of guilt overwhelmed Aaron. He knew who the killer was and why he hasn't been found yet. The only reason that he joined the police force was to not let this case be reopened. He had reasons for it as he knew everything, every detail of the crime committed 10 years ago in his old hometown. It wasn't easy, living his life after what had happened. It may not be guilt but the strong resentment to the person who was the reason behind his carefree actions. Being raped as a 16-year-old boy was scary and painful, and it was the reason he changed completely. He had to do this, and yet there were these nightmares and this weird and foreign feeling of guilt building up inside Aaron every day for the past 10 years. The real murderer tried to cover up his mistakes by meddling with the past investigation as much as he could. Now it didn't matter if he were found guilty or not because he already paid the price and being thrown in jail would not be the worst thing that could ever happen to him. Sitting in the office, Aaron was remembering the incident from 10 years ago as he killed the man who raped him when he was just a kid.

It was a beautiful day and a starry night. Aaron was walking down the path to the old Johnson’s house. He was looking quite happy and carefree at that moment. The older man opened the door to his favourite boy in the Tahin Village and let him in. They sat down on the couch and sipped tea as they talked about various things, starting from school, and ending on the upcoming holidays. It wasn’t long before Johnson fell asleep on the couch. Aaron took that chance and got himself prepared. He went to the old shed in the back of the house and took an axe. The house was situated far from other villagers and it became the perfect place to commit a crime. When he returned inside the house, Aaron made sure that the old Johnson was asleep and upon confirming it he took the chance to strike. He lifted the axe and swung it hard smashing the head in half. Blood went everywhere, including his clothes. Soon the room looked like an impressionist painting. The body of old Johnson slowly fell to the floor with a loud thump. Aaron then proceeded to hurriedly get rid of his fingerprints and other signs of him ever being in that house. After the police arrived on the scene, he pretended to be just a passerby and was standing with all the villagers to not raise any suspicions.

Till now the case has been left unsolved and it is Aaron’s turn to reopen the investigation again.