Dr Frank escorted William into the big science laboratory. He made him wear a clinical mask over his face before entering. Inside the laboratory was buzzing with lots of activities. Many workers moved about from one building into another, wearing long white lab coats and nose masks. “Right this way, sir.” Frank led him into a room labelled ‘special project’. They came upon an electric door, and Frank slid a card through it. The lock clicked. Then he raised a hand to push the door open. They entered a smaller room filled with dim light. At the centre of the room was a clinical bed, and on it lie a lady who was fast asleep. Two doctors flanked her, scrutinizing her body behind large goggles. “I take it this is Mrs Clayton?” William whispered to Frank from behind. “Yes,” he affirmed. “And as you can see, we are keeping her under closed medical surveillance.” “Dr Kent, Dr Stone,” Frank called the attention of the two doctors examining her, “can we have some time alone with Dr Eulich
Dr Frank raised a hand to push the door, but before he could reach the door handle, it slid open and William came hurrying out of his office. “Sir, I’ve got the files on Mrs Eulich’s medical report—the one you asked for.” Frank said, scanning through the multiple files which he held in his hands, searching for Eulich’s medical report. “Good,” William remarked, hurrying past him. “Leave it on my desk. I’ll go through it when I get back.” “And one more thing, sir.” He stopped in his tracks. “What’s that?” “The mayor has asked to see you.” “We’ll have to reschedule that meeting until when I get back. I have to pick up my daughter from the hospital. She’s been waiting all day for me. And if I don’t make it back on time, then we’ll have to shift the meeting to tomorrow.” William hurried out of the building. ### Kevin sat on the bed, frozen in fear. A man wearing a mask just took my daughter from the hospital. Her words kept echoing in his head. He did not know what scared him th
Natasha—struggling to walk, was pacing the room. She grunted with every step. It felt like she was learning to walk all over again. Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside the door and peeked her eyes to see what it was. She caught a glimpse of someone standing outside the door. She could tell from its shadow that it was a man. “Who’s there?” she asked inquisitively, but there was no response. Her eyes narrowed. Felt like she was being watched, and it sent cold chills traveling down the length of her spine. “Hello?” she called out nervously, leaping cautiously to the door. “Dad? Is that you?” A knock sounded on the door and Natasha—frightened, stopped in her path. For a moment, she stared quietly at the door. A thought came to her. Dad doesn’t knock. Heart pounding against her ribcage, she slowly shuffled backward, away from the door. That’s not dad. She froze when she saw the doorknob slowly turn and the door slide open, giving off a terrifying creak. And she saw, standing at the
Climbing out of the car, William glanced about—a cloud of gloom settling over his face at the sight of the mob and several police vehicles parked in front of De-Laurel. He became worried about his daughter.“What the hell happened here?” He spoke in a low voice, directing his question to no one exactly.He got out of the car and walked to an older man dressed in a different uniform from the rest of the cops. He seemed like the one leading the operation. “I am William Martinez,” he introduced himself, flashing a badge at him. “Head of threat control unit.”“Inspector Alex Krevoy,” the agile officer answered, taking out his badge and showing it to him. “Head of city police.” He pushed the badge back in his pocket and tossed an inquisitive glance at him. “Mr William Martinez?” His brows furrowed. “You don’t happen to be related to one Miss Natasha Martinez, do you?”“She’s my daughter.” His interest was piqued, and he became even more worried. “Why? Did something happen to her?”“We got a
The afternoon breeze was musty and damp, sticking to Natasha’s throat like thick, saccharine molasses. She was slowly losing her patience as she sat silently at the back with Kevin while Landry drove. She groaned with impatience. “We’ve been on the road for about thirty minutes now and no one is saying anything,” she kvetched, raising her voice and turning to either of them for answers. “Where are you guys taking me?” “I thought I told you to trust me,” Kevin said, trying to calm her. “Just hang on a bit, we will get there soon.” “How can I trust you if you aren’t giving me anything?” “Okay, okay… fine.” He gave in to her request. “We are going as far away from here as possible.” Natasha shook her head. “That doesn’t answer my question, Kevin. Where exactly are you guys taking me?” “I’m taking you to stay with him,” he gestured towards Landry, whom she hadn’t heard utter a word since she got into the car. “—but this is only going to be temporary.” “What!?” She heard herself scre
Kevin entered the hospital where Mirabel had been admitted. Except for the smell of antiseptic which lingered, the air was crisp and clear. He went into the room and met Mirabel’s mum sitting on the corner of the hospital bed. She was engaged in an interrogative conversation with Alex, who sat facing her in an old, rusty armchair. He was putting down some information, which he considered vital, on a little note—until Kevin interrupted when he pushed the pewter white door open. “I apologise for taking so long,” he said, trotting towards the distressed single mother. “Mrs Lena, who is this, please?” slightly pissed, Alex asked, his eyes following Kevin as he came in and sat beside her. “T-t-this is Kevin,” Lena stuttered, tears trickling down her eyes. “H-h-he is the one I told you about who’s been helping me and my daughter.” “Hello Kevin, I’m inspector Alex Krevoy, head of state security.” He stretched his hand for a handshake. “Hello, inspector.” Kevin grabbed his hand firmly. “H
Kevin left the hospital without informing Mrs Lena—or the Inspector. He made sure not to mention anything about what Landry had said to either of them, especially Lena. He was more worried about how she would react to the news. When he arrived at the park, he spotted a small crowd that’d gathered. Heart pounding against his ribcage, he shuffled towards them, eyes bulging as he got closer. He struggled to move past the throng. As he walked up to the front, his hair stood on end when he saw Mirabel’s body, lying naked in her pool of blood, her face hideously disfigured and burnt. She had multiple stab wounds on her chest and several cuts on her face. Kevin felt a cold shiver go down his spine, his body trembling, his knees buckling. His lips were shaking as tears escaped his eyes, sliding down his cheek softly. He looked down at her little face. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Mirabel’s face was bruised and covered with great blotches. Her thighs and abdomen had been lacerated.
I’ll be back. Be ready when I return. T-Murek said those last words to him before he left. Kevin’s twenty-fifth birthday was in a week. He knew he was going to be seeing T-Murek a lot more often now the deadline was fast approaching. Only a few days were left for his birthday—a few days before T-Murek would finally show up to end his life in the most torturing way. The thought of this made him sweat. He did not want to die, at least not in that way. Kevin realised he was still kneeling before Mirabel’s body amid the crowd that’d gathered. He noticed the crowd had gotten bigger, and he was receiving the most attention. The cops were already present, and Alex led the team. He got down from his vehicle and was accompanied by the rest of the officers who were with him. The crowd fell silent for a moment, then came to life in a burst of conversation. Alex took out his badge and shouted, “Police!” The crowd parted. He put his badge back in his pocket and walked up to where Kevin knelt b