[INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT – DIMLY LIT]
James (sipping his coffee, exhausted):
"I don't know, Sofia… feels like I'm turning into Stephen."
Sofia (leans back on the table, voice low):
"You are, in some way. But… there's more. You remind me of someone. Duke."
James (pauses):
"Duke?"
Sofia:
"He was like you. Sharp. Angry. Brave. But… he kept everything inside. Always walked alone, always hunted monsters. Until one day he just disappeared. Later we found him."
James (quietly):
"Found him where?"
Sofia (pulls out a folded old photo from her jacket):
"An abandoned building. This was the last picture. Someone clicked it. He was screaming—like something tore his soul. Then we found his corpse in a chair, hanged. Same chair. Same place."
James (staring at the photo):
"Always the monster… hiding behind their own eyes. I remember Stephen saying something like that. And Lucas…"
Sofia (softly):
"You miss him."
James:
"He was my partner. My friend. I don't know where he is now. But if he's out there… I hope we meet again. And I hope we finish what we started."
---
[INT. CRIME SCENE – CHRISTMAS NIGHT – A DEAD SILENCE]
Officer:
"Sir, we have something. It's… bad."
James (tightens his gloves):
"Define 'bad'."
Officer (shaken):
"A mother, sir. Wrapped up… like a Christmas present. Taped. Sealed. Her little son found her."
[INT. HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – CHRISTMAS TREE STILL ON]
Boy (screaming):
"Mommy?! MOMMY?! She said she'd be my gift this year…"
[James kneels beside the gift box. Blood on the tape. Child-size scissors nearby.]
James (whispers):
"Another one."
Sofia (off-screen, entering):
"James… it's happening again, isn't it?"
James:
"Yeah. A psychopath with a holiday fetish. He doesn't want to just kill. He wants to make art out of screams."
Sofia (clutching files):
"We've checked his past drops. All victims were silenced. But this time—this one—he wanted the boy to find her. He wanted the scream."
James (thinking):
"No… not just the scream. He wanted the scream to echo. He's planting pain like ornaments."
Sofia:
"Psychological imprint?"
James (nodding):
"Yes. He wants pain to be a legacy."
---
[INT. POLICE BRIEFING ROOM – WHITEBOARD WITH PHOTOS, STRINGS, DATES]
Dr. Fredrick (looking over crime scene details):
"This is no ordinary killer. He's not satisfied with death. He's addicted to fear. He's chasing it. Like… a composer chasing the perfect note."
James (coldly):
"Then we stop the song before it finishes."