The Final Confession

Daniel Malik had everything a lawyer could dream of — success, money, power. His name was etched in gold outside a firm that defended the city’s most dangerous men. And he had a reputation: if Daniel was your attorney, you walked free — no matter how guilty you were.

He told himself it was just the job. Everyone deserved a defense. But deep down, he knew he’d bent the law more than once to protect criminals. It never bothered him much.

Until the letters started coming.

The first one arrived in a plain envelope. No return address. Inside was a single sentence typed in all caps:

> “A man will die under the wheels of a 7:42 train at Silverpoint Station.”



Daniel tossed it aside. Probably some protestor trying to scare him. But two days later, the exact death was reported on the evening news. The same train. The same time. Even the victim’s description matched the note.

He felt a chill. Coincidence? Maybe.

Then the second letter came.

It described a woman in a red dress, strangled in a downtown hotel. “Room 415. Red silk scarf around her neck. Wedding ring missing.”

That murder happened the next day — exactly as written.


---

By the time the third letter arrived, Daniel’s hands were shaking.

> “The judge who traded justice for money will meet the weight of his own gavel.”



And just like clockwork, Judge Harlan — the very same man who had once helped Daniel’s client avoid a life sentence — was found dead in his home. Blunt force trauma to the skull. The weapon? His ceremonial gavel.

But what haunted Daniel the most was what the police didn’t release to the press.

A cufflink was found at the scene. Silver. With Daniel’s initials engraved.

It was his.


---

Sleep left him. Food had no taste. He locked his office door and combed through his old case files. It didn’t take long to see the pattern: the victims of these murders weren’t random — they were tied to his past.

Each one had helped protect or release a guilty man Daniel had defended.

And then he found the Gaines case.

A rich businessman, drunk behind the wheel, had struck and killed a young mother. Her son survived, but barely. Daniel had crushed the prosecution and smeared the mother’s reputation. The client walked. Daniel won. Another trophy on the shelf.

But the child who lost everything? He was never mentioned again.


---

The fourth letter arrived.

> “You wore the robe of justice, but your hands were red. Now it’s your turn.”



Enclosed was a photo. A young man in his twenties, standing outside Daniel’s office. Cold eyes. Familiar face.

The boy from the Gaines case.

He was all grown up — and he wanted justice.


---

Daniel ran to the police. He told them everything — the letters, the patterns, the murders. But they didn’t buy it. His fingerprints, they said, were being found at scenes. Evidence was stacking against him. His story sounded like panic. Like guilt.

And maybe it was.

Then, a private message arrived at Daniel’s door.

> “Meet me. Alone. No police. Bring nothing but the truth.”



He followed the instructions, arriving at an abandoned courthouse late at night. Inside, Elias — the boy he had forgotten — stood waiting.

“I know what I did,” Daniel said. “I thought I was doing my job. I never thought of what it cost others.”

“You thought about winning,” Elias replied. “That’s all.”

Then he handed Daniel a folder.

Inside was a typed confession — a detailed account of every case Daniel had twisted, every criminal he’d helped go free. It was all written out like a legal affidavit, ready for public release.

“Sign it,” Elias said. “Let the world see what justice looks like.”

Daniel stared at the pages, heart pounding. He knew what would happen if this went public. He’d lose his license, his firm, his legacy.

But maybe that’s what he deserved.

He signed.


---

Daniel disappeared the next day. No trial. No arrest. But news broke anyway — leaked documents, anonymous tips, media frenzy. His fall was complete.

And Elias?

Vanished.

But the city remembers. And somewhere, another envelope is being sealed.

Daniel vanished. Elias disappeared. But one question still echoes in the silence he left behind —
Where did Elias go… and is his justice truly over?