Chernobyl’s Revenge

Ghosts Of The Past

I

The clock struck midnight. The streets were deserted, and terror hung thick in the air. While the entire city was gripped by panic, John worked tirelessly at the police station, trying to make sense of this enigmatic case. His partner, Kreves, had left several hours ago, and now he anxiously awaited his return. He needed to know if, by digging through his memory, Kreves had found any clue—no matter how small. All they needed was a tiny spark of hope to keep going.

During the long hours of Kreves' absence, the station had descended into chaos, and for good reason. They had four cases and six victims—none identified, all brutally murdered—and not a single indication that they were on the right track. This was, without a doubt, every detective’s worst nightmare. A deranged serial killer was roaming the streets of London, and not just any killer—this one was methodical and intelligent... capturing them would be a true challenge.

John went over all the murders again, jotting down the most important details in a black notebook. After all, Kreves had found a clue in one of the photos. He examined the locations where the bodies had been dumped, and, just like his partner, he noticed they formed a shape. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but they couldn’t allow the killer to finish it. Besides, in his experience, after getting away with it a few times, murderers either became overconfident or developed the urge to be recognized, leading them to start leaving traces.

But how long would it take for this killer? How many more unidentified bodies would there be before they became less careful? That was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

All he could do now was finish his notes. He hoped that by the end of it, he would uncover some kind of pattern—something that many killers tended to follow.

Compilation of the Victims:

Thursday, April 15, 1999 – 15:15: The first victim, a Caucasian male, had his body found at the intersection of Abingdon Street and Avenue 3212. Witnesses stated they were walking on the sidewalk when they heard a loud, unidentified noise. Upon turning, they saw a person’s body and initially thought he had lost consciousness—until they noticed the state of the corpse. They immediately called 911. Condition of the body: Disfigurement, dismemberment, cuts on the torso, desiccation, and scalp removal. No identification yet. Evidence: Possible Russian writing on the sidewalk. Detective Lockwood suspects it says, “peaceful atom,” but this has not been confirmed.

Thursday, April 15, 1999 – 23:00: The discovery of two victims was reported at The Collage Gardens, with the security guard as the sole witness. The victims were a Caucasian man and a woman. Condition of the bodies: The same as in the first case, except for the upper stumps being bound together with rope and sutures, along with the removal of the woman’s tongue, suggesting greater brutality towards the female victim. No identification yet. Evidence: A 1986 coin, possibly linked to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Friday, April 16, 1999 – Approximately 14:00: Caucasian male. As in the first case, the victim was found by passersby, who reported hearing a loud sound before finding the body, unknown impact. When they turned, they saw the corpse and called 911. Condition of the body: Same as in the first case. No additional evidence was found.

Saturday, April 17 – Approximately 03:00: The victim was a Caucasian male found by a passerby on Lambeth Bridge. Initially, the witness thought he was looking at a drunk man on the bridge, but upon approaching, he noticed the state of the body and called 911. No other people were present at the scene. The witness was taken in for questioning, but nothing significant was reported. Condition of the body: Similar to the first case, including dismemberment, disfigurement, and scalp removal. The difference was the placement of a gas mask on the victim. Hours later, at 12:00, a second victim was discovered at Lambeth Bridge, but this one had been placed underwater. The forensic report from Dr. Abbat is still pending. Evidence: A note addressed to Kreves along with a riddle. A possible trap?

Reviewing all of this, John realized several things. First, this killer had committed each crime with such meticulous precision that he hadn’t left a single loose end. That meant everything had been planned well in advance. Second, he moved so quickly that he prevented the identification of the bodies through missing persons reports. This also indicated that he had kept them hidden somewhere before their deaths—it was humanly impossible to capture someone, torture them, kill them, and dispose of their corpse in less than twenty-four hours.

For now, his hopes rested on Kreves. If Kreves had any interaction with this killer in his childhood, then he might have some idea of how to find him. There was nothing else John could uncover at this point. What he did know was that they would have to study the Chernobyl disaster in greater detail—the killer had made it clear that it was closely linked to him.

John began to feel a sharp headache. This entire case was weighing on him, and no matter how he looked at it, every path led to a dead end. The small pieces of evidence they had found had all been planted by the killer to elicit some reaction from them. And then, at that moment, he remembered the riddle…

"If a king kisses a queen, and a queen kisses a king, what public building in London does it represent?"

Until now, he hasn’t found a solution to the riddle. There was no building in London that resembled two people kissing, and even those related to royalty didn’t seem to fit well enough to be the answer. Despite John’s usual skill with these problems, he was completely stuck. His mind wasn’t working with the same agility. The lack of sleep, stress, and constant uncertainty was clearly visible in his appearance—enormous dark circles marred his usually cheerful face, his hair was a complete mess, and his normally pristine clothing was in utter disarray. If he kept up this work pace, he wasn’t going to achieve anything except exhausting himself even further. So, he decided to go home. It was already very late, and he doubted Kreves would come to the police station at this hour. They could always talk in the morning.

On the other hand, Kreves was on his way to the station contrary to John's assumption. Checking the time, he realized that John probably wouldn’t be in the office, but that didn’t matter to him. He wanted to get there and review the evidence from each of the cases. Now, he had more information at his disposal and could see everything from a new perspective.

Upon arriving at the station, he was met with an eerie silence. Only a couple of officers from the night shift remained, as the rest had gone home hours ago. Most of the station was shrouded in darkness. He quickly made his way up to the office and found all the case files John had left behind. There were reports from Dr. Abbat, photographs of every crime scene, and several notes scribbled on the documents.

He meticulously went through all the evidence available to him—reviewing the locations where the bodies had been left, the way they had been discovered—searching for anything that could provide additional clues about the case. And after a few hours, his prayers were answered.

On the foot of the first victim found at Lambeth Bridge, there was an inscription: “Рудий ліс.” Just like in the previous case, if one didn’t examine it carefully, it could be mistaken for a simple stain. But now, Kreves remembered his native language and understood it clearly. “Red Forest.” He didn’t know its exact significance yet, but he was sure that his adoptive parents held answers to the many questions piling up in his mind. His memory was still incomplete; however, he was becoming more aware of the killer’s motives.

He turned his attention to the map where the locations of the victims had been marked. Now, he knew that the pattern forming was not random—it was connected to the 1986 catastrophe. He needed to figure out exactly what was being drawn, which meant he would have to visit his "parents" once again in search of answers.

Hours passed as Kreves remained in his office, thinking about the events of the last twenty-four hours—everything he had discovered—trying to piece it together with their current case.

However, he wouldn’t be able to continue.

At four in the morning, the station’s phone rang.

Another body.

And this time, the killer had added a theatrical touch to the scene.