Underestimated Retribution

Chapter 53: Tattooed Man Confessions

Brown hesitantly lifted the lid of the cardboard box, his heart pounding wildly against his ribcage. He had almost let out a sigh of relief, after the package didn’t explode in his face, when he discovered a sight that froze him in his tracks.

A miniature brown coffin lay inside the box with a note secured to it by a red ribbon. Brown lifted the coffin and placed it on the desk.

“What the hell?” One of the officers gasped in shock.

Brown gulped down nervously and pried the note loose from the coffin. He lifted it up to the light instead, with his hands as though it weighed a ton, and squinted to read the words drawn in neat cursive.

“The soul that sins shall die.” His breath caught in his throat and a wave of anxiety engulfed within his soul. With trembling hands, he dropped the note, his eyes scanning the room frantically, every shadow now a potential threat, every creak of the floorboards became a haunting echo of his fear.

***

Mark slowly emerged from the haze of unconsciousness,