Awake Chapter One Abandonment
Awake Chapter Two Dirt and Death
Awake Chapter Three Severing of a Tie
Awake Chapter Four Blood of Innocence
Gravity banged on Cameron's door.
"Sis, don't do this." Shadow warned. He was standing next to her, as the door opened.
"Where's Melissa?" Gravity demanded.
"She's right through there. I'll take you, if you like; I just need to speak to your brother first. Shadow, it's good you're here, I forgot to give you this." Cameron handed over a sealed envelope.
"Cameron, take my hand."
"Don't! Gravity, don't do this. Think how much these people have done for us. If you do this, then you're just going to tear that away."
"I have to do this Shadow. These people mocked me and screamed at me and they need to pay. I'm sorry." Gravity reached out with her left hand and brushed Shadow's arm. The boy stood back from the door and started examining the envelope.
"What's going on? What are you talking about? I'm sorry about what happened before."
"I know you are, I need to talk with Melissa. Take my hand Cameron."
Cameron grabbed her hand and led her to his fiancee. Melissa was sitting on the sofa watching television. Gravity smiled, as she stood behind the woman. Cameron was standing next to her. "Goodbye Melissa." She suddenly heard a whining by her foot. She crouched down. "Oh Bliss, you're doing the puppy eyes look, aren't you? Isn't it lucky, I can't see you?"
Melissa jumped up suddenly and Gravity heard the woman walking over to her. "Gravity what are you doing here? I'm sorry about before."
"Yeah, I just came by to say, no hard feelings. Shake my hand?" Bliss whined again and rubbed her head against the girl's legs. Melissa nodded and took the outstretched hand, before falling backwards. Cameron frowned. "What did you do?" Gravity sighed and reached out with her right hand and touched Melissa's fiancee. He ended up keeling over. With her right hand moving along the wall, to steady herself, Gravity unsteadily walked over to where her brother was. When she believed she had reached the door, she called Shadow over to her. She held out her hand infront of her and her brother walked into it. Rubbing his eyes he looked around and saw Cameron and Melissa, seemingly unconscious. "What did you do?"
"They're just in temporary comas. It won't last long. They won't remember this happening."
Shadow started opening the envelope, he had been given by Cameron. There were two copies of a letter in there, one with English writing and one with Braille. Shadow started reading it.
Dear Shadow and Gravity,
I am sorry, I have to bring you this news but I have received word that your grandfather has died. I am truly sorry for your loss. The nurses in the care home have told me, that he has lived a full life and he has died of natural causes. The funeral is on Monday the thirteenth at twelve twenty at New Oak cemetary.
From your best friend,
Cameron
"Gravity I think you should read this." Shadow handed her the Braille version. After a few minutes, a few quiet tears started falling out of her eyes.
It was twenty past twelve on Monday the thirteenth and Gravity and Shadow were standing in New Oak cemetery.
The vicar was giving a sermon. "Thomas Wilkins was a good man at heart. Everybody who knew him, loved him. Even in the last years of his life, he remained as cheerful and optimistic as he was when he was younger. Thomas Wilkins was a loyal and loving father, husband and grandfather. He will be sorely missed."
Shadow looked around at the departing crowd and vaguely recognised somebody. He went over to him. "Consultant Jones?" Shadow asked, uncertainly.
"Yes, my dear boy, do I know you?"
"Yeah, we met at St. George's hospital."
"Oh, now I remember, yes I want you to know that I am sorry about leaving your sister like that, but I was very busy."
"No worries. How did you know my grandfather?"
"After St. George's hospital was blown up I was transferred to the nursing home where your grandparents lived."
"Why isn't my grandmother here?"
"In the last few years of your grandfather's life, your grandmother's health deteriorated rapidly."
"Ok, nice meeting you, goodbye. We might come and visit our grandmother in that nursing home. We can see you there. I'll see you later." Shadow turned away.
"Wait. I'm afraid that will not be possible. I have been transferred again, back into a hospital. Maybe I could meet with you there."
Shadow agreed and turned away to walk back to Gravity.
"Come on, sis, let's go."
Mitch and Sarah were standing beside a hospital bed. "He was brought in, in this state a few weeks ago. It looks like he was in a coma, but we still have to discover the causes of it. At the moment he is just resting." Gideon Jones explained.
"Is it possible to wake him? We need to ask him some questions about the incident."
"That'll be fine, but he is very exhausted. I wouldn't expect to get a very clear answer out of him."
"Do it anyway, please." The patient slowly and unsurely opened his eyes.
"Don't worry Cameron, my name is Inspector Mitch Crosby and I need to ask you some questions. You were brought into this hospital in a coma. The medical staff have done numerous tests on you and they don't have a clue about how you got into this state. Can you tell me anything you remember?"
Cameron shook his head and rubbed his eyes and Mitch instantly saw a glimmer of fear.
"A friend was coming around for tea; his sister somehow did this to me and my fiancee. Oh my god, how is Melissa? Is she safe?"
"Don't worry, she is in perfect health. Tell me what happened to you?"
"My friend's sister, she did something to me and my fiancee, something not human. Don't let hear near me." Mitch saw Cameron curl up in a defensive state. Cameron's eyes flashed nervously around the room. "Can you tell me what these people looked like? Anything at all that you can tell me will help us take these people into custody."
"I'm not sure what they looked like...I think they were really dirty...the girl might have been blonde...can I have some water please?" Gideon passed him a glass. Cameron took it and swigged it down. He suddenly dropped it and started convulsing; he fell deathly still. Gideon leapt up and looked at the monitor. "A fast acting poison entered his system; there wasn't anything I could have done."
"So it appears that someone doesn't want to be found out."
"Now what do we do?" Sarah asked.
"Now I report this to Milton." Mitch stood up and walked outside. The policeman picked up his radio and pressed a button. Milton was on the other line. "What is it Mitch?" He asked.
"I've spoken to the victim of the last attack and he has just been poisoned. I believe this was because he was about to reveal vital information which could've given us an idea who his attacker was. Before he died he briefly described his assailants and the report given was very similar to the one the man who was attacked at three a.m. gave. I believe there's a very strong connection between these two cases. I also believe that it is absolutely imperative that we bring this girl and boy in as soon as possible."
"Good work Mitch. I'll get right on it."
YOUNG MAN POISONED
"The unnamed man is the fifth murder to happen in a matter of weeks. No connection has been found and the police are baffled."
Shadow stopped reading. "This unnamed man was Cameron, wasn't he? You didn't need to kill him!"
"Yes I did. He was going to tell the police about us." Gravity responsed calmly.
"He was trying to help us, even if he did rat us out; I doubt we would be imprisoned. He was trying to help us!" Shadow cried out, with tears in his eyes. Gravity shook her head in disgust.
"Pull yourself together. If we do get caught, we would be split up; I doubt we would ever see each other again. Shadow, all we have is each other, and no matter what, nobody is going to take that away." She went over to Shadow and gave him a reassuring hug.
Shadow smiled. "What about Melissa?"
"I think she's still in a coma, but when she wakes up, she shouldn't remember a thing about us."
"You wiped her memory? Why didn't you just do that with Cameron? Why did you have to kill him?"
"I have to set an example. If somebody sees that you're soft then they'll just walk all over you. Besides you can't take any chances."
"Nobody cares about us, why do you have to be seen as hard?"
Gravity turned her head away. "If people found out we're doing this and you get put up for adoption then nobody is going to want to foster you. Nobody is going to want a murderer. You have to stop killing people Gravity, for your future, you have to stop."
Mitch sat down opposite Milton.
"You said you had found something new?"
"Yes sir I have. Do you know the book StoneCold by Robert Swindells?"
"No. What are you getting at, Mitch?"
"In the book there is a man called Shelter who wants to kill all of the homeless people in London. Now in this case it could be the other way around."
"You're saying that our killer could potentially be a homeless person. Why do you think this?" Milton asked, curiously.
"I'm thinking that homeless people would have the most reasons to be angry and kill someone. These people have been abandoned by society and forgotten about. These people have been abandoned by society and forgotten about. Every night they're sleeping rough and barely eating. Living like that for a prolonged period of time could really change someone for the worse."
Milton thought for a while. "It's the only theory I've heard so far. You realise you're going to have to bring me some hard evidence." Mitch nodded and walked out of the room. Sarah stood up and went over to him.
"What did he say?"
"He believed us. Now we have to find evidence."
"How do we get evidence?"
"I know this might sound cruel, but we need to wait for somebody else to be killed."
Gravity and Shadow were trying their luck begging. The routine was the same as usual; Shadow would go out into the crowd and try the "generosity of the public." Gravity on the other hand was sitting on the pavement, with Bliss, holding a discarded cup with a little bit of change. Gravity suddenly sat up straight and moved her head. She could hear a rustle of coins and then the sound stopped; she felt around the cup...it was empty. Bliss saw what happened and before the thieve could make a getaway, Bliss bit him in his leg. "Get off you stupid dog." Said the man, with pure venom. He then used his other leg to kick the dog off. Gravity heard Bliss' yelp and suddenly shot her hand out...
Thursday, 20 October 2016
Thursday, 13 October 2016
Awake Chapter Four Blood of Innocence
Awake Chapter One Abandonment
Awake Chapter Two Dirt and Death
Awake Chapter Three Severing of a Tie
Mitch was in St. Peter's hospital, running down the corridors, with his coat flapping behind him like a cape. He barged into a room and went over to the bed. He could see the patient had a nasty cut along his neck, presumably caused by a knife. "Hello, I am Inspector Mitch Crosby. I am the policeman who has been sent to interview you." He signalled to the nurse.
"It's ok. Go right ahead. I'll give you some privacy. If you need me, just give me a buzz." The nurse got up and walked of the room. Mitch took out a notepad and a pen and wrote down some basic observations. He had written that the witness had a cut along the neck, which had already ruled out the means of the investigation. "Ok, this is nothing personal. Just a few routine questions. Is that ok?"
"Yes that's fine."
Mitch nodded. "What's your name?"
"John Blake."
"How old are you?"
"Fifty four."
"What's your job?"
"I'm a senior sales consultant."
"Where were you when this happened?"
"I was walking to the Exeter Building."
"What time was it?"
"Early day. It was around eight to nine a.m."
"Can you tell me your version of what happened?"
"This young man was holding a knife against a man's throat and there was somebody else lying lifelessly on the ground. I took my phone out and I was going to call the police, but the man saw me and I panicked and started to run. I don't know what happened with the hostage, but the man snuck up behind me and cut my throat and then knocked me out. Next thing I knew, I woke up here."
"Do you think you had done anything at all to anger him?"
"No, this attack was completely unprovoked."
"Why do you think this man left you alive rather than just killing you?"
"I'm not quite sure. Obviously I am grateful to this man. Even though he could've killed me, he didn't. I'm not sure why. Maybe he just didn't want to. Maybe he wasn't capable of it."
"Ok, John thank you for your time." Mitch closed his notebook and walked out of the room.
Shadow and Gravity were standing outside a TV showroom, which was broadcasting the 'news at 10.'
"Good evening, we have some breaking news; the police are investigating a murder of a young man, which has happened in the business district. David Tucker is at the scene."
"Thank you. Yes I am right at the scene of the crime. At eight thirty a.m. today, police received a phone call describing a young man lying on the floor dead; the police have determined that his cause of death was a knife cut along the carotid artery. Only one witness has come forward. A Mr. John Blake has pleaded his case to the police. He has given a report stating that he saw one teenage girl and one young man involved in the incident. That's all from us here, back to you in the studio." The siblings turned away and walked off.
"Hmm, I thought we had dealt with him." Shadow stated.
"Obviously not, but the police will be on the lookout for us now. We need to be careful." Gravity warned.
"Don't worry sis, they didn't get a description of us. All we need to do is pretend we don't exist."
"Everybody pretends that." Gravity gave a sad smile and walked off.
John Blake woke suddenly and sat up. The curtain to the window was not closed and the moonlight poured into the room. He looked around and saw a blonde girl and a tall young man leering down at him. He flinched, as he heard the sound of a dog barking. "Shut her up." The man whispered, harshly. He then smiled at John.
"Hey, I know you-" Before John could finish, he saw a knife protruding into his chest. The girl held the buzzer up and pressed it. "They won't be able to save you." She hissed.
"Come on, let's go." The dog barked one more time and they ran quickly through the hospital, past the dead night receptionist and through the doors into the night air.
"How did the interview go?" Sarah asked, carefully.
Mitch sighed and shook his head. "It didn't go very well at all. The only thing I found was the culprits are young people. He didn't give us an accurate enough description. Finding them is going to be like trying to find an ice cube in an ocean." Mitch's radio crackled into life. The static clear up and a very angry voice was relayed through. "Mitch, this is Milton, whatever you're doing drop it and get down to my office immediately." Mitch rolled his eyes and left his office.
"Mitch, what the hell do you think you're playing at?! I gave you a direct order to leave the murder case alone and what do you do? You prance along and question the victim."
"Sir, I believe that these cases may be linked."
"That's not good enough. You are off the murder case. Sarah will take over the case of the bombing at the hospital and I'm suspending you for three months. Don't come in for your own health. It starts tomorrow."
"Sir this really isn't necessary. I can change."
"It's not good enough Mitch. I'm giving you some time off and I suggest you take it."
Mitch stood up and stormed out of the office. He was fuming. He ran back into his office and slammed the door. He looked up at Sarah. "Did you tell Milton, about the interview?"
Sarah nodded.
"Why? I'm out of a job now."
"I'm sorry, but it was for your own benefit. You had become overly obsessed with this case. I was just trying to help."
"What do you want me to do in return? Bow down and kiss your feet? You didn't HELP!" Mitch shook his head and walked out of the office. Sarah sighed; she knew that anybody who knows Mitch is well aware of how extremely sensitive, one dimensional and arrogant he is.
It was morning and Shadow was sitting looking at his sister who was also awake. He quietly arose and crept away. Gravity sighed; she knew that her brother tried to wake up earlier, so he could beg that little bit of extra money. She sighed and picked up her begging cup and put it in front of her. As she heard the first clink of coins, she wondered how long Shadow would be gone for and if he would come back, with that extra money they so desperately needed. As it turned out, Shadow was not gone for very long. "Hey Gravity, I've got a big surprise for you, but it would probably be better if you opened it somewhere private." Gravity nodded and Shadow helped her up and gave her Bliss' leash and then they walked off. Shadow led his sister down an alleyway and they stopped. It smelt like sewage and the brickwork was uneven and slimy, but it would do for this. The siblings had stayed in worse places. "Ok sis, take this." Gravity took it. She let her hands see for her. "Wrapping paper. It's a present!"
Shadow smiled. "Go on. Open it."
Gravity excitedly tore off the paper and felt around the edges. "It's a book." She put her fingers down to the cover and started to feel all over the bumps and ridges.
"Darkness!
"A gripping story, full of suspense and terror. When I finished it, I went straight back to the start." The Daily System
Written by Mark Gilbert." She flipped to the back and started reading the blurb. "Darkness and prison. Two things, everybody is scared off, but what happens if those two fears are combined. In this thrilling novel discover what it's like to experience your worst fears and try to discover the biggest mystery that's going on." Shadow this must have cost a fortune. How did you afford it?"
Shadow smiled slyly. "I know a few people. Happy thirteenth birthday Gravity."
Mitch raised the bottle to his lips once again and let the liquid trickle down his chin. He had not taken well to being laid off. He had started drinking heavily. Out of nowhere he heard the doorbell ring, bringing him out his drunken fantasy. He forced himself off the sofa and staggered over to the door. Sarah was standing on the other side
"What are you doing here?"
"Milton sent me here-"
"Oh what does that son of a bitch want now?!"
"He wanted me to talk to you. He said he'll reassign the hospital case and we should focus our efforts on the murder case and he wants you back on the job."
"What changed his mind?"
"I'm not really sure. I suppose he felt that bombing at the hospital was a dead end."
Mitch shrugged, casually. "When do I start?"
"How about tomorrow?"
Mitch nodded. Sarah disdainfully grabbed the bottle out of his hand and threw it in the bin.
"Hey Sarah, I know I'm not at my best, but if I tidy up, do you want to go with me to dinner tonight?"
Sarah smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. Well, you can get me on the radio, I best be going back to the office now. I'll see you tonight.
Mitch parked his car outside Sarah's block of flats and went up to her apartment. He had completely sobered up and now he was wearing a rented tuxedo and was very proud of it. Nervously he knocked on Sarah's door. Without much waiting, it opened.
Mitch thought Sarah looked fantastic. His date was wearing a vintage low cut black dress.
"Are you ready for dinner?"
Sarah nodded. "Where are we going?"
"I was thinking of L'Amore."
"Wow, that place is expensive."
"Don't worry, I'm a little saver." Sarah smiled and started walking down the stairs.
Mitch and Sarah were sat next to the window, a virgin Cuba libre each, "I'm not letting you drink wine, it'll turn back into an alcoholic," as she put it. They had ordered Saumon Tartare and Moules Mariniere for starters. "Why did you invite me here, Mitch?"
"To celebrate me getting my job back." Mitch replied, casually.
"You're such a bad liar. You're very sweet, but we can't let anything happen. Milton would fire us."
"Bugger Milton." Mitch leant in and started passionately kissing Sarah. Sarah leant back a bit surprised, but then started to lean inwards enjoying it. She suddenly turned away. "I'm sorry, but it just seems a bit too public to do that."
"What? This restaurant started in Paris. The city of love."
"Yeah, but it's still too public. If, you want we'll go to my apartment after dinner."
Mitch nodded. "I'd like that."
The waiter set their meals down. "Bon appetite."
"Good morning Gravity. Today we're going to see an old friend of mine. Do you remember Cameron?" Gravity shook her head.
"He was my old school friend, but he's managed to get a good job and he has always bailed us out."
"I don't remember him."
"Why don't you remember him? When we were begging in Ashford, he let us stay in his house for a few nights."
"I still have no memory of him."
"Hmm. Ooh I know. He has a smooth soft voice." Shadow knew that Gravity was quite sensitive to different voices. "Oh now I remember. Yeah, he's a nice guy."
Shadow nervously knocked on Cameron's door; a pretty fair haired woman opened it. "Hi, I'm Shadow and this is my sister Gravity, is Cameron there?"
"Oh yes, Cameron said you'll be coming, he's right through here. Come inside. I'm Melissa, Cameron's fiancee. Wow, what a lovely dog. What's her name?" Melissa knew down and started stroking her. The dog felt that it could trust Melissa and playfully started to lick her hand. The young woman smiled.
"It's Bliss. Don't worry, she's fully house trained." Shadow stepped through the doorway followed by Gravity. He walked through another doorway, to find himself in a rather cosy looking lounge. The lights softly glowed onto the comfortable looking leather sofas. He suddenly noticed a young brown haired man enter the room. "Hello Shadow. It's so good to see you after all this time."
"Alright Cameron. It's good to see you too.
"I'm just cooking dinner at the moment. I decided to make a roast. Do either of you want to wash or anything, while it cooks?"
Shadow turned to Gravity. "Sis? Do you want to go first?"
Gravity nodded. "I'll take her up there." Melissa offered
"Yeah, that's fine." Shadow agreed. Gravity held out her hand and Melissa took it and started leading her off. "Wow I'm usually surprised by how well Melissa is taking Gravity's blindness. Usually people freak out or get scared."
Cameron shrugged and smiled proudly, but quietly. "Melissa's sister is blind as well, I suppose she's used to this."
"Wow. That was a brilliant dinner, Cameron." Shadow said, rubbing his stomach. Cameron smiled modestly.
"Hey Gravity, if you're all done I can braid your hair if you like." Gravity nodded. Melissa stood up and went over to her. "I'm sure you have beautiful eyes, can you open them for me? Can you do that for me?"
"Gravity is very sensitive about her eyes and people looking at them, they don't always react very politely when they see them. They usually make some rude comments and this really hurts my sister's feelings."
"Shadow, I know that you're trying to protect your sister and that's fair enough, but I'm telling you that there's no need to worry. I really don't mind about this. My sister is blind, I know what Gravity's going through."
Shadow sighed and turned to his sister. "Sis, it's up to you."
Gravity nervously smiled and hesitantly opened her eyes. Melissa smiled back and looked into them. She jumped back and started screaming. Gravity turned away, feeling guilty, and shut them. Cameron quickly came into the room and went over to comfort Melissa. "I think you should go. There are bags by the front door, with everything you need." Shadow nodded and walked out. He picked up the bags and opened the door. "He gave us two hundred pounds and some fresh clothes." Gravity smiled quietly.
"Let's just hope nobody has taken our spot." Shadow joked.
Shadow and Gravity were in their spot, eating sandwiches. They had talked about it and decided the money would last longer, if they did not blow it all and on a big restaurant meal. Gravity viciously bit into her sandwich. Shadow frowned. "Everything ok, sis?"
"I'm going to kill her! There was no need to react like that."
"Don't worry about it; she was just shocked that's all. It was an accident, I'm sure she never meant do that. Just forget about it."
"NO! I'm going to kill her. Gravity stood up and stormed off.
Awake Chapter Two Dirt and Death
Awake Chapter Three Severing of a Tie
Mitch was in St. Peter's hospital, running down the corridors, with his coat flapping behind him like a cape. He barged into a room and went over to the bed. He could see the patient had a nasty cut along his neck, presumably caused by a knife. "Hello, I am Inspector Mitch Crosby. I am the policeman who has been sent to interview you." He signalled to the nurse.
"It's ok. Go right ahead. I'll give you some privacy. If you need me, just give me a buzz." The nurse got up and walked of the room. Mitch took out a notepad and a pen and wrote down some basic observations. He had written that the witness had a cut along the neck, which had already ruled out the means of the investigation. "Ok, this is nothing personal. Just a few routine questions. Is that ok?"
"Yes that's fine."
Mitch nodded. "What's your name?"
"John Blake."
"How old are you?"
"Fifty four."
"What's your job?"
"I'm a senior sales consultant."
"Where were you when this happened?"
"I was walking to the Exeter Building."
"What time was it?"
"Early day. It was around eight to nine a.m."
"Can you tell me your version of what happened?"
"This young man was holding a knife against a man's throat and there was somebody else lying lifelessly on the ground. I took my phone out and I was going to call the police, but the man saw me and I panicked and started to run. I don't know what happened with the hostage, but the man snuck up behind me and cut my throat and then knocked me out. Next thing I knew, I woke up here."
"Do you think you had done anything at all to anger him?"
"No, this attack was completely unprovoked."
"Why do you think this man left you alive rather than just killing you?"
"I'm not quite sure. Obviously I am grateful to this man. Even though he could've killed me, he didn't. I'm not sure why. Maybe he just didn't want to. Maybe he wasn't capable of it."
"Ok, John thank you for your time." Mitch closed his notebook and walked out of the room.
Shadow and Gravity were standing outside a TV showroom, which was broadcasting the 'news at 10.'
"Good evening, we have some breaking news; the police are investigating a murder of a young man, which has happened in the business district. David Tucker is at the scene."
"Thank you. Yes I am right at the scene of the crime. At eight thirty a.m. today, police received a phone call describing a young man lying on the floor dead; the police have determined that his cause of death was a knife cut along the carotid artery. Only one witness has come forward. A Mr. John Blake has pleaded his case to the police. He has given a report stating that he saw one teenage girl and one young man involved in the incident. That's all from us here, back to you in the studio." The siblings turned away and walked off.
"Hmm, I thought we had dealt with him." Shadow stated.
"Obviously not, but the police will be on the lookout for us now. We need to be careful." Gravity warned.
"Don't worry sis, they didn't get a description of us. All we need to do is pretend we don't exist."
"Everybody pretends that." Gravity gave a sad smile and walked off.
John Blake woke suddenly and sat up. The curtain to the window was not closed and the moonlight poured into the room. He looked around and saw a blonde girl and a tall young man leering down at him. He flinched, as he heard the sound of a dog barking. "Shut her up." The man whispered, harshly. He then smiled at John.
"Hey, I know you-" Before John could finish, he saw a knife protruding into his chest. The girl held the buzzer up and pressed it. "They won't be able to save you." She hissed.
"Come on, let's go." The dog barked one more time and they ran quickly through the hospital, past the dead night receptionist and through the doors into the night air.
"How did the interview go?" Sarah asked, carefully.
Mitch sighed and shook his head. "It didn't go very well at all. The only thing I found was the culprits are young people. He didn't give us an accurate enough description. Finding them is going to be like trying to find an ice cube in an ocean." Mitch's radio crackled into life. The static clear up and a very angry voice was relayed through. "Mitch, this is Milton, whatever you're doing drop it and get down to my office immediately." Mitch rolled his eyes and left his office.
"Mitch, what the hell do you think you're playing at?! I gave you a direct order to leave the murder case alone and what do you do? You prance along and question the victim."
"Sir, I believe that these cases may be linked."
"That's not good enough. You are off the murder case. Sarah will take over the case of the bombing at the hospital and I'm suspending you for three months. Don't come in for your own health. It starts tomorrow."
"Sir this really isn't necessary. I can change."
"It's not good enough Mitch. I'm giving you some time off and I suggest you take it."
Mitch stood up and stormed out of the office. He was fuming. He ran back into his office and slammed the door. He looked up at Sarah. "Did you tell Milton, about the interview?"
Sarah nodded.
"Why? I'm out of a job now."
"I'm sorry, but it was for your own benefit. You had become overly obsessed with this case. I was just trying to help."
"What do you want me to do in return? Bow down and kiss your feet? You didn't HELP!" Mitch shook his head and walked out of the office. Sarah sighed; she knew that anybody who knows Mitch is well aware of how extremely sensitive, one dimensional and arrogant he is.
It was morning and Shadow was sitting looking at his sister who was also awake. He quietly arose and crept away. Gravity sighed; she knew that her brother tried to wake up earlier, so he could beg that little bit of extra money. She sighed and picked up her begging cup and put it in front of her. As she heard the first clink of coins, she wondered how long Shadow would be gone for and if he would come back, with that extra money they so desperately needed. As it turned out, Shadow was not gone for very long. "Hey Gravity, I've got a big surprise for you, but it would probably be better if you opened it somewhere private." Gravity nodded and Shadow helped her up and gave her Bliss' leash and then they walked off. Shadow led his sister down an alleyway and they stopped. It smelt like sewage and the brickwork was uneven and slimy, but it would do for this. The siblings had stayed in worse places. "Ok sis, take this." Gravity took it. She let her hands see for her. "Wrapping paper. It's a present!"
Shadow smiled. "Go on. Open it."
Gravity excitedly tore off the paper and felt around the edges. "It's a book." She put her fingers down to the cover and started to feel all over the bumps and ridges.
"Darkness!
"A gripping story, full of suspense and terror. When I finished it, I went straight back to the start." The Daily System
Written by Mark Gilbert." She flipped to the back and started reading the blurb. "Darkness and prison. Two things, everybody is scared off, but what happens if those two fears are combined. In this thrilling novel discover what it's like to experience your worst fears and try to discover the biggest mystery that's going on." Shadow this must have cost a fortune. How did you afford it?"
Shadow smiled slyly. "I know a few people. Happy thirteenth birthday Gravity."
Mitch raised the bottle to his lips once again and let the liquid trickle down his chin. He had not taken well to being laid off. He had started drinking heavily. Out of nowhere he heard the doorbell ring, bringing him out his drunken fantasy. He forced himself off the sofa and staggered over to the door. Sarah was standing on the other side
"What are you doing here?"
"Milton sent me here-"
"Oh what does that son of a bitch want now?!"
"He wanted me to talk to you. He said he'll reassign the hospital case and we should focus our efforts on the murder case and he wants you back on the job."
"What changed his mind?"
"I'm not really sure. I suppose he felt that bombing at the hospital was a dead end."
Mitch shrugged, casually. "When do I start?"
"How about tomorrow?"
Mitch nodded. Sarah disdainfully grabbed the bottle out of his hand and threw it in the bin.
"Hey Sarah, I know I'm not at my best, but if I tidy up, do you want to go with me to dinner tonight?"
Sarah smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. Well, you can get me on the radio, I best be going back to the office now. I'll see you tonight.
Mitch parked his car outside Sarah's block of flats and went up to her apartment. He had completely sobered up and now he was wearing a rented tuxedo and was very proud of it. Nervously he knocked on Sarah's door. Without much waiting, it opened.
Mitch thought Sarah looked fantastic. His date was wearing a vintage low cut black dress.
"Are you ready for dinner?"
Sarah nodded. "Where are we going?"
"I was thinking of L'Amore."
"Wow, that place is expensive."
"Don't worry, I'm a little saver." Sarah smiled and started walking down the stairs.
Mitch and Sarah were sat next to the window, a virgin Cuba libre each, "I'm not letting you drink wine, it'll turn back into an alcoholic," as she put it. They had ordered Saumon Tartare and Moules Mariniere for starters. "Why did you invite me here, Mitch?"
"To celebrate me getting my job back." Mitch replied, casually.
"You're such a bad liar. You're very sweet, but we can't let anything happen. Milton would fire us."
"Bugger Milton." Mitch leant in and started passionately kissing Sarah. Sarah leant back a bit surprised, but then started to lean inwards enjoying it. She suddenly turned away. "I'm sorry, but it just seems a bit too public to do that."
"What? This restaurant started in Paris. The city of love."
"Yeah, but it's still too public. If, you want we'll go to my apartment after dinner."
Mitch nodded. "I'd like that."
The waiter set their meals down. "Bon appetite."
"Good morning Gravity. Today we're going to see an old friend of mine. Do you remember Cameron?" Gravity shook her head.
"He was my old school friend, but he's managed to get a good job and he has always bailed us out."
"I don't remember him."
"Why don't you remember him? When we were begging in Ashford, he let us stay in his house for a few nights."
"I still have no memory of him."
"Hmm. Ooh I know. He has a smooth soft voice." Shadow knew that Gravity was quite sensitive to different voices. "Oh now I remember. Yeah, he's a nice guy."
Shadow nervously knocked on Cameron's door; a pretty fair haired woman opened it. "Hi, I'm Shadow and this is my sister Gravity, is Cameron there?"
"Oh yes, Cameron said you'll be coming, he's right through here. Come inside. I'm Melissa, Cameron's fiancee. Wow, what a lovely dog. What's her name?" Melissa knew down and started stroking her. The dog felt that it could trust Melissa and playfully started to lick her hand. The young woman smiled.
"It's Bliss. Don't worry, she's fully house trained." Shadow stepped through the doorway followed by Gravity. He walked through another doorway, to find himself in a rather cosy looking lounge. The lights softly glowed onto the comfortable looking leather sofas. He suddenly noticed a young brown haired man enter the room. "Hello Shadow. It's so good to see you after all this time."
"Alright Cameron. It's good to see you too.
"I'm just cooking dinner at the moment. I decided to make a roast. Do either of you want to wash or anything, while it cooks?"
Shadow turned to Gravity. "Sis? Do you want to go first?"
Gravity nodded. "I'll take her up there." Melissa offered
"Yeah, that's fine." Shadow agreed. Gravity held out her hand and Melissa took it and started leading her off. "Wow I'm usually surprised by how well Melissa is taking Gravity's blindness. Usually people freak out or get scared."
Cameron shrugged and smiled proudly, but quietly. "Melissa's sister is blind as well, I suppose she's used to this."
"Wow. That was a brilliant dinner, Cameron." Shadow said, rubbing his stomach. Cameron smiled modestly.
"Hey Gravity, if you're all done I can braid your hair if you like." Gravity nodded. Melissa stood up and went over to her. "I'm sure you have beautiful eyes, can you open them for me? Can you do that for me?"
"Gravity is very sensitive about her eyes and people looking at them, they don't always react very politely when they see them. They usually make some rude comments and this really hurts my sister's feelings."
"Shadow, I know that you're trying to protect your sister and that's fair enough, but I'm telling you that there's no need to worry. I really don't mind about this. My sister is blind, I know what Gravity's going through."
Shadow sighed and turned to his sister. "Sis, it's up to you."
Gravity nervously smiled and hesitantly opened her eyes. Melissa smiled back and looked into them. She jumped back and started screaming. Gravity turned away, feeling guilty, and shut them. Cameron quickly came into the room and went over to comfort Melissa. "I think you should go. There are bags by the front door, with everything you need." Shadow nodded and walked out. He picked up the bags and opened the door. "He gave us two hundred pounds and some fresh clothes." Gravity smiled quietly.
"Let's just hope nobody has taken our spot." Shadow joked.
Shadow and Gravity were in their spot, eating sandwiches. They had talked about it and decided the money would last longer, if they did not blow it all and on a big restaurant meal. Gravity viciously bit into her sandwich. Shadow frowned. "Everything ok, sis?"
"I'm going to kill her! There was no need to react like that."
"Don't worry about it; she was just shocked that's all. It was an accident, I'm sure she never meant do that. Just forget about it."
"NO! I'm going to kill her. Gravity stood up and stormed off.
Thursday, 6 October 2016
Awake Chapter 3 Severing of a Tie
Chapter One-Abandonment
Chapter 2 Dirt and Death
Shadow returned and sat back down, next to Gravity. He had a handful of change in his right hand and yesterday’s newspaper tucked underneath his left arm. He let Gravity count the change, over the years she had become used to the shape and texture of the coins and Shadow remembered hearing that if you lose one of your senses all the others become heightened. He took the newspaper and quickly flicked through it before turning back to the front page story. He held it up and read it aloud.
At ten thirty a.m. yesterday on the fifth of January St. George’s Hospital was absolutely obliterated in an explosion caused by an unknown source. Three C4 bombs were let off in various locations across the Occular ward. The bombs were let off so suddenly and without warning, that only one survivor has been reported: hospital Consultant Gideon Jones. This story continues on page 7.
Shadow stopped reading and looked up at Gravity. “We did well. We made five pounds forty. We should be able to buy some sandwiches or at least snacks.” Bliss moaned slightly. Gravity sighed gently and softly stroked Bliss’ head. Apart from Shadow, Bliss was the only family Gravity had ever known. She started to think about how Bliss came into their lives.
My family bought Bliss, shortly after I had turned four; Shadow had always wanted a dog and my grandparents thought that a dog could provide an extra level of companionship. We grew up around each other. We kept each other safe. Once Bliss had learned to trust me, she was a loyal and brave friend. She never left my side and protected me against absolutely anything. The relationship between the two of us was stronger than diamonds. The six hundred pounds our grandparents gave us was not only spent for our own purposes, but also on keeping Bliss alive and healthy.
The six hundred pounds had lasted them a decent year, but when the money had started to run low; Bliss had started to come down with something and the siblings could not afford to take her to the vet. Then from completely out of the blue their grandfather had managed to track them down. For the time being Shadow and Gravity had been invited to live with their grandparents. Their grandfather certainly had a lot of questions for them.
"Have you been living on the streets all this time?” Their grandfather exclaimed.
“Yes, we did rent out an apartment, but we ran out of money.” Shadow explained.
“Have you been keeping well?”
Gravity nodded. “How are you and grandma getting on?”
“I’m fine, but your grandmother is in a bad state.”
“That’s terrible Granddad, but how did you find us in the first place?”
Their granddad smiled mischievously and tapped the side of his nose. Upon Shadow telling her what her grandfather had just done, she laughed a little before turning serious.
“Granddad, we’re worried about Bliss, we don’t have the money to take her to the vet.” Gravity explained, anxiously.
“I understand, well we must find a vet straight away and don’t worry I’ll pay for it.”
“Granddad, are you sure? This is your money after all.”
“That’s utter nonsense; I’ll pay anything to help my grandkids.”
****
That had been two years ago. Bliss had checked out fine, it had been a complete false alarm, and it was back on the streets for Shadow and Gravity. Their grandparents had given them some clean clothes and an extra two hundred pounds.
“Shadow, I don’t think Bliss is well.”
Shadow frowned. “Are you sure, she’s not hungry?”
“No, I don’t think so, she feels different, and a lot more run down.”
“I’m sorry, Gravity, we haven’t got the money.”
“We’ll ask granddad.”
“That’s not fair on him. He’s spent so much money on us, already.”
“Shadow, he said, he didn’t mind and I’m not joking. I really think Bliss is ill. Please, Shadow we have to help her.”
Shadow nodded. He knew of the tight bond Gravity and Bliss shared and he also knew if Bliss got seriously ill or even died, then part of Gravity would die with her. He would not let this happen. “Let’s go find granddad.”
****
After a few hours spent finding their grandfather, they were at the vets. When their grandfather, who was still in good health, had questioned the siblings over how they had found him, Shadow smiled mischievously and tapped the side of his nose. Gravity Shadow and their granddad were in the waiting room. The girl was wringing her hands nervously. She was extremely worried about her dog. They had never been separated for this long before. A Veterinarian came out off the room, where Bliss had been taken, and walked over to them.
“Our diagnosis has shown that your dog has contracted Parvovirus.”
“What’s that? Is it bad?” Gravity asked.
“We think it’s in its early stages, but we’re going to have to ask you some questions just to confirm or hopefully refute our findings. Ok let’s begin. Did you give your dog the necessary vaccinations when she was a puppy?”
Shadow nervously glanced at his grandfather. “We got Bliss after she was a puppy. I’m not sure whether she had the vaccine.”
“You really should’ve checked. The animal sanctuary should’ve informed you about this. How old was Bliss when you received her?”
“She was two years old.”
“How old is she now?”
“Ten.”
“You’re in luck; Bliss is still young enough to receive the vaccines. Has Bliss been eating properly?”
“No, she has barely touched her food.”
“Has she been vomiting a lot?”
“Yes, she has.”
“It sounds like she’s becoming malnutritioned. Has she seemed dehydrated or generally weak of energy to you?”
Gravity nodded solemnly.
“I’m sorry to say it, but your dog definitely has Parvovirus. She is certainly showing all the symptoms. Since the virus has not finished developing yet, we can control it with vaccines, but there are some things you can do as well. If you keep her warm and bleach her food and water bowls, as well as keeping her to this strict diet, then there is a strong chance of her making a full recovery.”
Shadow decided not to mention, that they could barely afford enough food for themselves, let alone for Bliss.
“Come along tomorrow at two o’clock for the first injections. I’m afraid we’ll have to keep her here, under observation.”
“I’ll see you at two.”
The family stood up and made for the door.
“Wait, sir I’m going to need your name.”
“It’s Wilkins.” Wilkins was the old family name, but Shadow had not used it in a long time.
****
Mitch’s radio crackled into life.
“Mitch, I’ve had a talk with HQ and they’ve agreed that we can keep working on the murder case, but investigating the explosion at the hospital will be our priority, where we’ll be collaborating with SC07.”
“That’s fair enough. I think it’s time to check out the hospital. Meet there in two hours with a forensic team. I know the other guys will have already checked it, but there can’t be any harm, giving it a secondary sweep.”
****
Mitch was standing in the rubble and shattered glass which was once Saint George’s hospital. Mitch was taking notes down on a clipboard. “I have reason to believe, that the explosion at the hospital has a connection with the death of the receptionist, Fiona Davids.” Mitch said, before walking over to a man in a white coat.
“Found anything?”
“Yes, we’ve found a single hair. It’s blonde, but it might also have been a bit of fur.”
“What do you mean, by “have been“?”
“I’ve sent it off for analysis; I’ve told them to send the results to you.”
“How long will it take them to analyse it?”
“A few weeks.” Mitch gave an exasperated sigh and walked back to his car.
****
Mitch was in his office. He had seen the test results and saw that the hair was actually fur from a golden retriever. The golden retriever would probably be a guide dog, which would not be unusual in a hospital. However, there was a chance that they could match the fur to a guide dog, which had been given to someone. If they could find the dog, then maybe they could find the owner.
****
Mitch was in a hospital interviewing a victim of attempted murder.
“I was attacked, at three a.m., while I was watching TV.” The victim stated.
“Why were you watching TV at three a.m.?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing at all sir. I was just very surprised at hearing that. When it’s three a.m. in my house I’m usually fast asleep. Anyway, did you see your attackers?”
“No, it all happened so fast, but I think there was a girl, a boy and a dog.” The victim said, quickly.
“What breed was the dog?”
“I think it was a golden retriever.”
“How did they get into your house?”
“I’m not sure; I suppose they could’ve climbed through a window.”
“Thank you very much sir for telling me this information. I’ll let you get some rest now.”
Mitch walked out of the room and picked up his radio. “Hey, Sarah it was interesting talking to the victim.”
“Was it now? I’ve read the details of the case: he was attacked at three a.m. while watching TV and he was in a coma for nine hours. Have you found out anything else?” Sarah asked.
“He managed to describe his attackers, but not in very much detail. He said there was a boy and a girl and a golden retriever.”
“Are you thinking, what I’m thinking?”
“Yes, I am. We need to get a forensic team around the victim’s house, straight away.”
“I’ll radio HQ about it.”
****
It was the next day and Mitch and Sarah were around the victim’s house, with a team of men in white coats. Mitch and Sarah were in the kitchen, with a man who had a magnifying glass.
“I think I may have found something.”
Mitch looked up at the man who spoke.
“I’ve found this golden hair. It might’ve come from a golden retriever or it might be from somebody who has blond coloured hair. I’ll run some tests to see, if it’s from a human or an animal, then I’ll send it off for further analysis, the results should be around-”
“In a few weeks, I’ve done this before. Ok, if it does turn out to be fur, then we can cross-reference it with the sample we found at the hospital. I‘ll send it round to you. Have we had any progress on finding out how the assailant entered the house?”
“That has been more interesting. Now the assailants must have used a laser cutter, to break open the window, because there isn’t any excess glass in the surrounding area. Also the window has been very neatly cut, so there’s no jagged glass and unfortunately no clothes tearing.”
“Ok, thank you for your help. We will be in touch.” Sarah said, professionally. She and Mitch headed out of the door and back to the car.
****
It was the end of another slow and boring few weeks and Mitch was sitting by his desk, with Sarah opposite him and the results of the test were between them. It turned out that the ‘hair’ was actually a piece of golden thread.
“This killer really doesn’t want to be found out.” Mitch said, dejected.
Sarah nodded and then perked up a bit. She reached into a cabinet and pulled out files on all of the recent murder victims.
“Do you know the one thing that all of these cases have in common?”
Mitch shrugged.
“All of the people that have been attacked have had connections with the medical industry. The first case, where the receptionist, Fiona Davids, had been murdered, now where did she work? At St. George’s hospital. Now the second case, Nikki Lambert, was an Ophthalmologist at St. Anne’s hospital. The third case was an explosion at St. George’s hospital. Where were the bombs placed? Across the Occular ward. Do you see my point?”
Mitch nodded with enthusiasm.
“That’s our pattern: people in the medical industry."
“I think it would be very important to find out what job the fourth victim has.” Mitch nodded in fierce agreement. Sarah placed the files back into the steel cabinet, while Mitch was pulling on his overcoat. Afterwards he walked out of the office and down to the car park, with Sarah following him, before driving off to the hospital.
****
“Hello, we’re here to ask some more questions, if that’s ok?” Sarah said, gently. The man nodded.
“What’s your job?”
“I’m an assistant to an Ophthalmologist. Like a nurse to a normal doctor.”
“Where did you work?”
“Here, in this hospital.”
“Who did you work for?”
“Doctor Nikki Lambert.”
“Do you know what happened to her?” Sarah enquired.
“Yes, I heard she had been murdered.”
“Yes, that’s right; she had been attacked in the same circumstances as you.”
“Do you know any reason why anybody would want to attack you?” Mitch asked.
The man shook his head. “Nothing comes to mind.”
“Are you sure you haven’t angered anybody?”
“Well you can’t please everyone, but I am sure that I haven’t caused anyone enough discomfort to kill me. Is this to catch the person who did this to me?”
“We can hope it can help us with that. We’ll leave you alone now.” Mitch and Sarah walked out of the room.
“I think that definitely confirms your hunch.” Mitch remarked.
“Come on, we had better report this back to HQ.” Sarah replied.
****
“Do you have it?” Gravity asked. Shadow nodded and passed it to Gravity. She handled it with caution. “It feels really painful.”
“We’re not the ones; it’s going to go into.” Shadow said.
Gravity smiled and stroked Bliss. “I think, those injections did the trick, Bliss is feeling so much healthier.”
“That’s good news.”
“Have you got everything else?”
“Yes. This is going to be perfect. We’re going to be undetectable.”
“So, who have you chosen this time?” Gravity asked, with interest.
“He’s a trainee stockbroker. This should break the pattern.”
“What time is it now?”
Shadow looked up at the nearby clock tower. “It’s four p.m.”
“We might as well get started.”
****
“Mitch, guess what.”
“Another death.”
Sarah nodded.
“This guy is on a murder spree. Any connection, between the other cases?”
“None at all. This man has died through a completely different method and in completely different circumstances. This man was stabbed in the back, at five thirty just as he was coming home from work.” Sarah explained.
“What work does he do?”
“He’s a trainee stockbroker. Now we’ve been looking around his house and it seems that the backdoor got pick locked open. Also we’ve found what seems to be the murder weapon, buried in the back garden. It is a bit dirty, but it’s being analysed at the moment.”
“That seems a bit weird: burying the weapon in the garden. It’s like the killer wants to be caught.”
“Maybe he does, kill enough people and it will get to you.” Mitch walked over to a white tent, where tests were taking place. He picked up a clipboard, which had the results of the killer’s identity. Mitch frowned and then went over to show Sarah.
“That can’t be right. That doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s what was on the knife.”
“Ok I think we should bring him in for questioning.” Mitch’s radio suddenly crackled into life.
“Mitch, I want to talk to you. See me back in HQ.” Mitch groaned and went back into the car.
Mitch was back in the police station and sitting in the office of Chief Superintendant Milton. “Mitch, this is a shoddy affair. Now, I do believe the murder case was going quite well, until this one came up. You were so sure, you had found the means and then this happened. Also, what is happening with the hospital? I make that your main priority and you do not do anything about it. You better do something or you’re off the murder case completely.”
“Sir, with all due respect there is nothing to find at the hospital it was just terrorists or something like that. This is just a relapse of an old terrorist attack.” Chief Superintendant Milton sighed.
“Mitch I know, you are very dedicated to the murder case, but this is much more important. So many more people died.”
“I understand.” Mitch turned and started to walk out of the door.
Gravity was already sitting upright, when Shadow awoke. He got up and stretched his arms. “Anyone on the list, today?” He joked.
“I think we should be more concerned, with trying to keep us alive, rather than ending other people’s lives.” Gravity harshly replied.
“Ok, I’ll be back soon.” Before Shadow left, he led his sister into a nearby, deserted alleyway, just to keep her safe. He also gave her an empty cup with a little bit of change, in the faint hope that someone might walk through the alleyway. From her current position, Gravity could hear it was a busy day and she knew there would be quite good takings. She was brought out of her thoughts, when she distinctly heard three male voices, crowding around her. She heard a rough scrabbling and she guessed what was happening. It occurred often enough.
“Put the money down.” Gravity said, solidly.
“Ooooh, what you going to do? You dumb blonde.” The first voice spat out. The voice had a rough gravely sound to it. The voice suddenly found itself with a knife pressing into his back.
“You really don’t want to know what she can do.”
Gravity perked up. “Hey Shadow.”
“How’s it going sis?” Shadow suddenly lashed out behind him and caught the knee of a man sneaking up and then with amazing speed got behind the man and pressed the knife into his throat. The man started whimpering, as he felt the cold metal being pressed into his skin. Shadow gently whispered into his ear.
“She can’t do anything; she’s as blind as a bat and just as ugly.” The first voice snarled.
Bliss growled deeply and jumped onto the first voice, knocking him to the ground. The dog sunk her teeth into the man’s shoulder. Gravity stood up and smiled and started to follow the sound of Bliss’ growling and the man‘s pathetic whimpering. Bliss was still on him, but very sharply the man stopped convulsing and lay still.
“What did you do to him?”
This time it was Shadow who smiled, as he drew the knife across his victim’s carotid artery. The poor man collapsed. Blood spurting from his neck. Shadow turned to the last man.
“Now if you want to stay alive, you’ll run along and never tell anybody about what happened here.”
The man nodded and sped away.
“We should get out of here too; this place won’t be safe for us anymore.” Shadow pulled Gravity up and they quietly ran away.
Chapter 2 Dirt and Death
Shadow returned and sat back down, next to Gravity. He had a handful of change in his right hand and yesterday’s newspaper tucked underneath his left arm. He let Gravity count the change, over the years she had become used to the shape and texture of the coins and Shadow remembered hearing that if you lose one of your senses all the others become heightened. He took the newspaper and quickly flicked through it before turning back to the front page story. He held it up and read it aloud.
ST. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL GONE UP IN SMOKE
At ten thirty a.m. yesterday on the fifth of January St. George’s Hospital was absolutely obliterated in an explosion caused by an unknown source. Three C4 bombs were let off in various locations across the Occular ward. The bombs were let off so suddenly and without warning, that only one survivor has been reported: hospital Consultant Gideon Jones. This story continues on page 7.
Shadow stopped reading and looked up at Gravity. “We did well. We made five pounds forty. We should be able to buy some sandwiches or at least snacks.” Bliss moaned slightly. Gravity sighed gently and softly stroked Bliss’ head. Apart from Shadow, Bliss was the only family Gravity had ever known. She started to think about how Bliss came into their lives.
My family bought Bliss, shortly after I had turned four; Shadow had always wanted a dog and my grandparents thought that a dog could provide an extra level of companionship. We grew up around each other. We kept each other safe. Once Bliss had learned to trust me, she was a loyal and brave friend. She never left my side and protected me against absolutely anything. The relationship between the two of us was stronger than diamonds. The six hundred pounds our grandparents gave us was not only spent for our own purposes, but also on keeping Bliss alive and healthy.
The six hundred pounds had lasted them a decent year, but when the money had started to run low; Bliss had started to come down with something and the siblings could not afford to take her to the vet. Then from completely out of the blue their grandfather had managed to track them down. For the time being Shadow and Gravity had been invited to live with their grandparents. Their grandfather certainly had a lot of questions for them.
"Have you been living on the streets all this time?” Their grandfather exclaimed.
“Yes, we did rent out an apartment, but we ran out of money.” Shadow explained.
“Have you been keeping well?”
Gravity nodded. “How are you and grandma getting on?”
“I’m fine, but your grandmother is in a bad state.”
“That’s terrible Granddad, but how did you find us in the first place?”
Their granddad smiled mischievously and tapped the side of his nose. Upon Shadow telling her what her grandfather had just done, she laughed a little before turning serious.
“Granddad, we’re worried about Bliss, we don’t have the money to take her to the vet.” Gravity explained, anxiously.
“I understand, well we must find a vet straight away and don’t worry I’ll pay for it.”
“Granddad, are you sure? This is your money after all.”
“That’s utter nonsense; I’ll pay anything to help my grandkids.”
****
That had been two years ago. Bliss had checked out fine, it had been a complete false alarm, and it was back on the streets for Shadow and Gravity. Their grandparents had given them some clean clothes and an extra two hundred pounds.
“Shadow, I don’t think Bliss is well.”
Shadow frowned. “Are you sure, she’s not hungry?”
“No, I don’t think so, she feels different, and a lot more run down.”
“I’m sorry, Gravity, we haven’t got the money.”
“We’ll ask granddad.”
“That’s not fair on him. He’s spent so much money on us, already.”
“Shadow, he said, he didn’t mind and I’m not joking. I really think Bliss is ill. Please, Shadow we have to help her.”
Shadow nodded. He knew of the tight bond Gravity and Bliss shared and he also knew if Bliss got seriously ill or even died, then part of Gravity would die with her. He would not let this happen. “Let’s go find granddad.”
****
After a few hours spent finding their grandfather, they were at the vets. When their grandfather, who was still in good health, had questioned the siblings over how they had found him, Shadow smiled mischievously and tapped the side of his nose. Gravity Shadow and their granddad were in the waiting room. The girl was wringing her hands nervously. She was extremely worried about her dog. They had never been separated for this long before. A Veterinarian came out off the room, where Bliss had been taken, and walked over to them.
“Our diagnosis has shown that your dog has contracted Parvovirus.”
“What’s that? Is it bad?” Gravity asked.
“We think it’s in its early stages, but we’re going to have to ask you some questions just to confirm or hopefully refute our findings. Ok let’s begin. Did you give your dog the necessary vaccinations when she was a puppy?”
Shadow nervously glanced at his grandfather. “We got Bliss after she was a puppy. I’m not sure whether she had the vaccine.”
“You really should’ve checked. The animal sanctuary should’ve informed you about this. How old was Bliss when you received her?”
“She was two years old.”
“How old is she now?”
“Ten.”
“You’re in luck; Bliss is still young enough to receive the vaccines. Has Bliss been eating properly?”
“No, she has barely touched her food.”
“Has she been vomiting a lot?”
“Yes, she has.”
“It sounds like she’s becoming malnutritioned. Has she seemed dehydrated or generally weak of energy to you?”
Gravity nodded solemnly.
“I’m sorry to say it, but your dog definitely has Parvovirus. She is certainly showing all the symptoms. Since the virus has not finished developing yet, we can control it with vaccines, but there are some things you can do as well. If you keep her warm and bleach her food and water bowls, as well as keeping her to this strict diet, then there is a strong chance of her making a full recovery.”
Shadow decided not to mention, that they could barely afford enough food for themselves, let alone for Bliss.
“Come along tomorrow at two o’clock for the first injections. I’m afraid we’ll have to keep her here, under observation.”
“I’ll see you at two.”
The family stood up and made for the door.
“Wait, sir I’m going to need your name.”
“It’s Wilkins.” Wilkins was the old family name, but Shadow had not used it in a long time.
****
Mitch’s radio crackled into life.
“Mitch, I’ve had a talk with HQ and they’ve agreed that we can keep working on the murder case, but investigating the explosion at the hospital will be our priority, where we’ll be collaborating with SC07.”
“That’s fair enough. I think it’s time to check out the hospital. Meet there in two hours with a forensic team. I know the other guys will have already checked it, but there can’t be any harm, giving it a secondary sweep.”
****
Mitch was standing in the rubble and shattered glass which was once Saint George’s hospital. Mitch was taking notes down on a clipboard. “I have reason to believe, that the explosion at the hospital has a connection with the death of the receptionist, Fiona Davids.” Mitch said, before walking over to a man in a white coat.
“Found anything?”
“Yes, we’ve found a single hair. It’s blonde, but it might also have been a bit of fur.”
“What do you mean, by “have been“?”
“I’ve sent it off for analysis; I’ve told them to send the results to you.”
“How long will it take them to analyse it?”
“A few weeks.” Mitch gave an exasperated sigh and walked back to his car.
****
Mitch was in his office. He had seen the test results and saw that the hair was actually fur from a golden retriever. The golden retriever would probably be a guide dog, which would not be unusual in a hospital. However, there was a chance that they could match the fur to a guide dog, which had been given to someone. If they could find the dog, then maybe they could find the owner.
****
Mitch was in a hospital interviewing a victim of attempted murder.
“I was attacked, at three a.m., while I was watching TV.” The victim stated.
“Why were you watching TV at three a.m.?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing at all sir. I was just very surprised at hearing that. When it’s three a.m. in my house I’m usually fast asleep. Anyway, did you see your attackers?”
“No, it all happened so fast, but I think there was a girl, a boy and a dog.” The victim said, quickly.
“What breed was the dog?”
“I think it was a golden retriever.”
“How did they get into your house?”
“I’m not sure; I suppose they could’ve climbed through a window.”
“Thank you very much sir for telling me this information. I’ll let you get some rest now.”
Mitch walked out of the room and picked up his radio. “Hey, Sarah it was interesting talking to the victim.”
“Was it now? I’ve read the details of the case: he was attacked at three a.m. while watching TV and he was in a coma for nine hours. Have you found out anything else?” Sarah asked.
“He managed to describe his attackers, but not in very much detail. He said there was a boy and a girl and a golden retriever.”
“Are you thinking, what I’m thinking?”
“Yes, I am. We need to get a forensic team around the victim’s house, straight away.”
“I’ll radio HQ about it.”
****
It was the next day and Mitch and Sarah were around the victim’s house, with a team of men in white coats. Mitch and Sarah were in the kitchen, with a man who had a magnifying glass.
“I think I may have found something.”
Mitch looked up at the man who spoke.
“I’ve found this golden hair. It might’ve come from a golden retriever or it might be from somebody who has blond coloured hair. I’ll run some tests to see, if it’s from a human or an animal, then I’ll send it off for further analysis, the results should be around-”
“In a few weeks, I’ve done this before. Ok, if it does turn out to be fur, then we can cross-reference it with the sample we found at the hospital. I‘ll send it round to you. Have we had any progress on finding out how the assailant entered the house?”
“That has been more interesting. Now the assailants must have used a laser cutter, to break open the window, because there isn’t any excess glass in the surrounding area. Also the window has been very neatly cut, so there’s no jagged glass and unfortunately no clothes tearing.”
“Ok, thank you for your help. We will be in touch.” Sarah said, professionally. She and Mitch headed out of the door and back to the car.
****
It was the end of another slow and boring few weeks and Mitch was sitting by his desk, with Sarah opposite him and the results of the test were between them. It turned out that the ‘hair’ was actually a piece of golden thread.
“This killer really doesn’t want to be found out.” Mitch said, dejected.
Sarah nodded and then perked up a bit. She reached into a cabinet and pulled out files on all of the recent murder victims.
“Do you know the one thing that all of these cases have in common?”
Mitch shrugged.
“All of the people that have been attacked have had connections with the medical industry. The first case, where the receptionist, Fiona Davids, had been murdered, now where did she work? At St. George’s hospital. Now the second case, Nikki Lambert, was an Ophthalmologist at St. Anne’s hospital. The third case was an explosion at St. George’s hospital. Where were the bombs placed? Across the Occular ward. Do you see my point?”
Mitch nodded with enthusiasm.
“That’s our pattern: people in the medical industry."
“I think it would be very important to find out what job the fourth victim has.” Mitch nodded in fierce agreement. Sarah placed the files back into the steel cabinet, while Mitch was pulling on his overcoat. Afterwards he walked out of the office and down to the car park, with Sarah following him, before driving off to the hospital.
****
“Hello, we’re here to ask some more questions, if that’s ok?” Sarah said, gently. The man nodded.
“What’s your job?”
“I’m an assistant to an Ophthalmologist. Like a nurse to a normal doctor.”
“Where did you work?”
“Here, in this hospital.”
“Who did you work for?”
“Doctor Nikki Lambert.”
“Do you know what happened to her?” Sarah enquired.
“Yes, I heard she had been murdered.”
“Yes, that’s right; she had been attacked in the same circumstances as you.”
“Do you know any reason why anybody would want to attack you?” Mitch asked.
The man shook his head. “Nothing comes to mind.”
“Are you sure you haven’t angered anybody?”
“Well you can’t please everyone, but I am sure that I haven’t caused anyone enough discomfort to kill me. Is this to catch the person who did this to me?”
“We can hope it can help us with that. We’ll leave you alone now.” Mitch and Sarah walked out of the room.
“I think that definitely confirms your hunch.” Mitch remarked.
“Come on, we had better report this back to HQ.” Sarah replied.
****
“Do you have it?” Gravity asked. Shadow nodded and passed it to Gravity. She handled it with caution. “It feels really painful.”
“We’re not the ones; it’s going to go into.” Shadow said.
Gravity smiled and stroked Bliss. “I think, those injections did the trick, Bliss is feeling so much healthier.”
“That’s good news.”
“Have you got everything else?”
“Yes. This is going to be perfect. We’re going to be undetectable.”
“So, who have you chosen this time?” Gravity asked, with interest.
“He’s a trainee stockbroker. This should break the pattern.”
“What time is it now?”
Shadow looked up at the nearby clock tower. “It’s four p.m.”
“We might as well get started.”
****
“Mitch, guess what.”
“Another death.”
Sarah nodded.
“This guy is on a murder spree. Any connection, between the other cases?”
“None at all. This man has died through a completely different method and in completely different circumstances. This man was stabbed in the back, at five thirty just as he was coming home from work.” Sarah explained.
“What work does he do?”
“He’s a trainee stockbroker. Now we’ve been looking around his house and it seems that the backdoor got pick locked open. Also we’ve found what seems to be the murder weapon, buried in the back garden. It is a bit dirty, but it’s being analysed at the moment.”
“That seems a bit weird: burying the weapon in the garden. It’s like the killer wants to be caught.”
“Maybe he does, kill enough people and it will get to you.” Mitch walked over to a white tent, where tests were taking place. He picked up a clipboard, which had the results of the killer’s identity. Mitch frowned and then went over to show Sarah.
“That can’t be right. That doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s what was on the knife.”
“Ok I think we should bring him in for questioning.” Mitch’s radio suddenly crackled into life.
“Mitch, I want to talk to you. See me back in HQ.” Mitch groaned and went back into the car.
Mitch was back in the police station and sitting in the office of Chief Superintendant Milton. “Mitch, this is a shoddy affair. Now, I do believe the murder case was going quite well, until this one came up. You were so sure, you had found the means and then this happened. Also, what is happening with the hospital? I make that your main priority and you do not do anything about it. You better do something or you’re off the murder case completely.”
“Sir, with all due respect there is nothing to find at the hospital it was just terrorists or something like that. This is just a relapse of an old terrorist attack.” Chief Superintendant Milton sighed.
“Mitch I know, you are very dedicated to the murder case, but this is much more important. So many more people died.”
“I understand.” Mitch turned and started to walk out of the door.
Gravity was already sitting upright, when Shadow awoke. He got up and stretched his arms. “Anyone on the list, today?” He joked.
“I think we should be more concerned, with trying to keep us alive, rather than ending other people’s lives.” Gravity harshly replied.
“Ok, I’ll be back soon.” Before Shadow left, he led his sister into a nearby, deserted alleyway, just to keep her safe. He also gave her an empty cup with a little bit of change, in the faint hope that someone might walk through the alleyway. From her current position, Gravity could hear it was a busy day and she knew there would be quite good takings. She was brought out of her thoughts, when she distinctly heard three male voices, crowding around her. She heard a rough scrabbling and she guessed what was happening. It occurred often enough.
“Put the money down.” Gravity said, solidly.
“Ooooh, what you going to do? You dumb blonde.” The first voice spat out. The voice had a rough gravely sound to it. The voice suddenly found itself with a knife pressing into his back.
“You really don’t want to know what she can do.”
Gravity perked up. “Hey Shadow.”
“How’s it going sis?” Shadow suddenly lashed out behind him and caught the knee of a man sneaking up and then with amazing speed got behind the man and pressed the knife into his throat. The man started whimpering, as he felt the cold metal being pressed into his skin. Shadow gently whispered into his ear.
“She can’t do anything; she’s as blind as a bat and just as ugly.” The first voice snarled.
Bliss growled deeply and jumped onto the first voice, knocking him to the ground. The dog sunk her teeth into the man’s shoulder. Gravity stood up and smiled and started to follow the sound of Bliss’ growling and the man‘s pathetic whimpering. Bliss was still on him, but very sharply the man stopped convulsing and lay still.
“What did you do to him?”
This time it was Shadow who smiled, as he drew the knife across his victim’s carotid artery. The poor man collapsed. Blood spurting from his neck. Shadow turned to the last man.
“Now if you want to stay alive, you’ll run along and never tell anybody about what happened here.”
The man nodded and sped away.
“We should get out of here too; this place won’t be safe for us anymore.” Shadow pulled Gravity up and they quietly ran away.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)