"The truck driver said he didn’t see anything, and he didn’t even get out of the truck to check after the collision. Just sat in there after calling the cops, half-scared out of his mind," the cop said tensely, her face tight. "Whoever it was, he could have switched the bodies then."

"What could have caused the accident? Did someone tamper with the brakes?" Frank asked. He couldn’t help feeling that the worst was just beginning. Joe and Vanessa were missing, there’s a killer on the loose, possibly two, and the worst thing was, he didn’t even know if Joe and Vanessa were still alive. True, he’d been exhilarated to know that the bodies were not Joe’s and Vanessa’s, but he was terribly worried; they could still be seriously injured. They might even be-dead.

"Apparently a disturbance in the radio frequency disrupted the radio system and somehow affected the brakes-" The female cop tossed her head toward the van. "They’re still checking it out over there. We believe that whoever tampered with it, it was done via remote control. There was no sign of anyone messing with the brakes." Then she suddenly remembered the envelope she was holding in her hand. "Oh-it’s for you-but the police will want to keep it later for further investigation."

Frank nodded and took it. With slow and deliberate movement, he opened it.

Frank’s eyes strayed away from the bold, crude words, each alphabet etched permanently in his mind as he stared off into space, thinking. Could this be another clue? Like the other envelope they found under his window? Could there be a link somewhere, a link that I’ve missed somehow but I know I shouldn’t have?

Frank snapped out of his reverie and looked at his father and the female cop, were both staring at him expectantly. They must have somehow seen or maybe heard the wheels in his mind racing, Frank could swear they were that loud. "I want to listen to the radio. Is it still working?"

"Vanessa?" Vanessa whirled around. And saw no one. Perplexed, she turned her head sideways. Still no sight of anyone. And why is everything so dark? She peered into the pitch-black pea soup. Still, she couldn’t see a thing.

"Vanessa…" There it was again. That voice.

Where is it coming from? Vanessa squinted in the dark, trying to determine the source of the voice. It sounded so much like-like-

"Joe? Joe, is that you?" Vanessa called out uneasily. She had no idea where she was and what she was supposed to be doing here. Well, I can’t exactly say where here is. Everywhere she looked, everywhere she turned, she could only see darkness; it was like being locked in an underground room and left to die. More like a vault, she thought as she tried to breathe in deeply, but she quickly found out that she couldn’t seem to get much air in her lungs. Her chest hurt somewhat. But that wasn’t what really concerned her.

"Vanessa, help me…" Someone was whimpering. Vanessa grew more agitated. What the hell is going on here? She raised her hand, intending to give herself a sharp pinch on the cheek but gasped instead when fiery burning pain ran up her elbow to her shoulder, all the more painful because of its unexpectedness. Alright, now I’m scared.

"Vanessa…" This time the voice was directly behind her. She whirled around and instantly her jaw dropped, horrified at the sight awaiting her.

"Oh my God, Joe…" Her boyfriend was standing in front of her and he looked terrible. Blood was running down the side of his face and both his arms were hanging by his side in awkward angles, as if broken, and his clothes were drenched in blood. Vanessa took a voluntary step back and a strangled cry escaped her lips. There was a gaping wound in the middle of his chest and blood streamed down the front of his shirt, gushing out in a steady stream. Joe looked-dead.

"Joe, wh-wh-"

"I love you, Vanessa. Just remember that." Joe’s disfigured face was distorted in a permanent expression of agonizing pain but the way he said those words was very tender, the way he’d always said it when they were still-alive? Are we dead? Am I dead? Vanessa shook her head in disbelief. No, that’s-that’s impossible.

And suddenly everything changed. Joe started to vanish right in front of her eyes and she couldn’t do anything to stop it as the image of Joe gradually grew fainter and fainter, and for one second Vanessa could see right through him. Joe, please don’t go.

As if transported back through time, Vanessa suddenly found herself lying on a bed and as she stared up at the ceiling, she was aware of how badly she was hurting and how the cool, sleek sheet beneath her did nothing to ease her discomfort. The unfamiliarity convinced her even more that she was dead. I’m lying on a bed of satin. I know I’m already dead so that must mean I’m in heaven.

"Hello, Vanessa."

In death still Vanessa could feel pain and it ran down her whole spine, encircling the base of her neck in a vice-like grip of invisible hands squeezing every piece of her vertebrae. She tried to turn her head but could only whimper when the pain intensified. But still she felt compelled to answer to that voice.

"Yes…" she whispered hoarsely. Her eyes flew open in surprise. She could hardly speak! What IS going on? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the figure who had been sitting in the chair by her bedside suddenly rise and she followed him with her eyes as he walked slowly to the foot of her bed.

Then she understood. I’m really dead. I’m really, really dead.