Finishing the Puzzle of My Corpse

On Mom's death anniversary, drug dealers break into the cemetery and take me away.

To get revenge on my brother, Zack Smith—a forensic pathologist—they torture me until there isn't even a single uninjured spot left on my body.

I hold on for almost three days, barely surviving, until I finally get a chance to call him for help.

However, Zack replied, "Why didn't they kill you for good? A jinx like you who killed your own mother shouldn't be allowed to live!"

When the drug dealers notice my action, they shatter all of my bones.

The next day, a janitor discovers several large bags of human remains in the trash can.

Zack painstakingly reassembles my body back together with his own hands—yet he fails to recognize that it's me, his younger sister he always claims to hate.

When the drug dealers are finally arrested, he descends into madness.

After I was tortured to death, my soul drifted back to Zack Smith's house.

It had been three years, yet it was still exactly the same as I remembered.

I greedily roamed through every room, hoping to find every trace of Zack.

At that moment, he returned home with Madison Smith.

"Get some rest, Madie. I'll make you your favorite pork ribs." Zack affectionately sent Madison back to the bedroom before heading toward the kitchen.

My heart ached as I took in the sight before me.

Long ago, Zack used to treat me with the same gentle care. However, everything changed after Mom died.

He said I was the one who caused Mom's death, and refused to acknowledge a jinx like me as his younger sister.

I tried desperately to explain that Mom went out just to buy a cake for Madison.

But Zack never believed me, simply because Mom was clutching tightly onto a mango cake when she was hit by a car. And Madison was allergic to mangoes.

As such, he despised me and kicked me out of the house. He also forced me to get on my knees in repentance every year during the week of Mom's death anniversary.

It just happened to be the first day of that very week when the drug dealers broke into the cemetery.

Zack's phone suddenly rang at that moment. "Zack! Come to the police station as fast as you can!"

…

It was already night time by the time Zack rushed to the police station.

"Another case?" he asked, turning to look at Officer Wright, captain of the homicide unit.

"Take a look yourself," Officer Wright replied with a sombre look.

Zack opened up the black plastic bag placed on the autopsy table. The smell of blood mixed with decay hit him like a wave, making him frown involuntarily.

His face paled when he saw the dark red chunks of flesh mixed with bits of bones in the bag, hands trembling as he gripped the bag.

"This…they're truly monsters!" Zack said, his tone filled with pity.

After putting on gloves, he carefully took all the chunks of flesh and bits of bones out of the bag.

"This is just too cruel!" Zack's eyes reddened, looking beyond enraged.

Seeing him like this, I suddenly recalled how, three years ago, his eyes were just as red in anger—all because I was kneeling at the door, begging him not to kick me out.

I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Zack began to carefully reassemble the flesh and bones. He continued on for a good 20 hours, not daring to rest for even a second.

Finally, he managed to reassemble my entire body. Unfortunately, I was without a head—the drug dealers had fed it to the wolfhounds in order to exact their revenge.

Although everyone present were experienced detectives or forensic pathologists, they still couldn't help but gag. Even I felt sick to the stomach seeing the uneven, dark red body on the autopsy table.

Officer Wright's face went as white as a sheet. "What monsters! They'd better not let me catch them!"

"They're worse than monsters!" Zack trembled as his tone filled with rage. "From the condition of the body, the victim likely had her bones shattered and flesh dug out when she was still alive. Not only that—her teeth, eyes, and nails were all pulled out."

His words drained the color from everyone's faces, and the atmosphere turned heavy in an instant.

But in that moment, a flicker of pride rose in my eyes.

As expected of the most renowned forensic pathologist in Zornia, Zack was able to describe everything I went through just by examining my battered body.

"But—" His gaze darkened as he looked at the body's right arm.

My heart clenched with overwhelming tension.