Disclaimers: I own nothing... I guess.
Author's Note: I know I have not update my previous story- On the edge: Restless in ages. Sorry for all the inconviniences. I'm forced to put that story on hold because I can't seem to find time to complete the new chapter. This new story is an idea I got after watching Snow Day. I had been working on the first chapter for quite some time but I've no idea where this story will go. Seriously, a review would be really helpful. This is the first time I write in someone POV, good or bad review is equally welcome. Hopefully, this story is not a disappointment to the readers. - Sam.
I groaned groggily. I hardly got to enjoy being in the arms of the man who I finally dare to be in a relationship with after he helped me went through the trial of the crime I survived that had haunted my whole life. I had to pull double as the crime lab was short-handed since Danny was still recovering from the injuries he sustained from the drug case and would not be working in the field until the next Monday. I giggled as I recalled the way Danny pouted like a child when Mac ordered him to stay out of the field until his hand was fully recovered.
My guilty conscience had me agreed to cover Danny's shift since I was the reason Danny got hurt in the first place. Eyes still half shut, I willed my hand toward the digital alarm clock to turn off the annoying sound. It was then my still sleepy mind realized the sound hadn't stopped even though I had hit the button and I groaned once more. My hand moved sideway to my cell which was beside the little wake-me-up device. Danny slightly stirred and I felt his hand which wrapped around my waist earlier moved upward while his free hand played with my curls.
I allowed a small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. It felt so good to have the kindest not to mention sexiest man in this city to sleep next to me, knowing I would feel secure in his embrace every time I drifted off because he would chase away all my nightmares. What did I do to deserve a man like this? Shut off those doubts and answer the damn phone Monroe!
Grabbing the silver color device, I picked up finally. My nasty habit, always greeted others at the other end of the line in professional slash work mode.
"Monroe."
My frustration from earlier when the chirping sound disturbing my sleep was forgotten when I turned to face the practically naked man sleeping next to me. He looked like a child, his feature so soft totally different from the man I saw during the day.
"It's Mac. Look I'm sorry to call at this hour but we got one fresh body in Manhattan. I just sent Hawkes home so you're the only one who's available. Flack, Stella and I stuck with another crime scene but we'll come over once we're done here." Mac said.
"Sure, I'll be there right away." I got off the phone and placed it back on the nightstand.
"Hmm… who's calling?" Danny murmured, eyes still closed.
I smiled, he was the sweetest guy I ever knew. I cupped his face with my hands and kissed his soft lips. Every time I saw his lips, I couldn't resist tasting it and the feeling was always great. No wonder whenever I saw him licked his lips, I felt a strong impulse flickered inside me. This short but sweet moment was not an exception, I suddenly felt energized.
"It's Mac. I've got to go. Go back to sleep, cowboy." I kissed him again.
"Well Montana, you're going to need to do more than that for me to let you go because you just ruined one of my best dreams." Danny said playfully, tightening his hands around my waist.
"Then cowboy, are you going to tell me what dream it is?" I asked mischievously.
He pretended to think for a moment then shook his head, "Umm…umm." Ooh ooh, not a good sign, he was thinking about something naughty.
"Then, what can I do to bribe you to let me go?" Two can play the game, Messer.
He moved closer and said, "For starter, you can tell me what you are giggling about in your sleep. You aren't dreaming about some other guys, are you?"
Cute, now he feigned hurt. You deserved an academy award for best actor, cowboy.
"Not when I have the one and only man I ever wanted sleeping next to me."
"Good answer. You pass the first Q & A test. Now last task before I let you go."
"What? Danny, I'm late. As much as I love spending all day with you, I've got to go. Weren't you sleeping soundly earlier, how in the earth you could hear me giggling?" I asked.
"How in the earth would I miss the moment catching the woman I love giggling foolishly?" He countered.
"I give up. What do you want, cowboy?" I surrendered or else I would hear from Mac.
"That's more like it. A nice promise lunch on you…" he trailed off waiting for my reply.
"Fine, now let me go before I got a lecture form Mac." I pleaded.
"Uhh…Uhh. Not so fast, Montana. You have to let me scrub your back too." He finished the sentence with a sly smile.
"I'm trap with a BIG BAD WOLF, just my luck." I rolled my eyes.
His eyes lit up, "Yes Montana. You stuck with me now I'll claim my prize."
His hands loosened, now was my chance. I slipped away from his arms and smirked.
He looked at me in awe. "Victory is mine, cowboy. Never underestimate the ability of a Monroe."
"You're lucky this time because my guard was down. You won't get away next time." He stated cockily.
I moved toward the bathroom and his eyes never once left my face so did the cocky smirk of his never escaped from his handsome face. His blues met my browns telling me he was expecting the words he wanted to hear from me and I wasn't going to let him down.
Just as I stepped inside the bathroom, I turned around and said cheekily, "Well what are you waiting for, cowboy? Aren't you going to scrub my back?"
Hopping into the SUV, I placed my kit at the passenger side and turned on the ignition. I remembered the words Danny said to me before I was out of my apartment, he really was a best guy I could ever get. I mean how many men would really care about someone enough to say 'Love ya and be safe' when she went out. Pulling out of the parking lot, I drove through the busy traffic even though now was 3 in the morning. What can I say, this is New York City where crime never sleep. Finally, one more turn I would see the crime scene. Hopefully, Mac and Stella weren't there yet or else I would have to face the boss for being late.
Phew, no sign of two of them, I made it. The address led me to a typical two storey town house but now it had became a typical crime scene where the entrance was sealed by the yellow tape. There was a cruiser and two uniform officers guarding the entrance because the scene couldn't risk to be contaminated and it was their job to make sure it wouldn't.
Parking the car just before the yellow tape area, I got out, kit on one hand. I showed them my shield and greeted them before I stepped inside the crime scene. The house wasn't large and the first floor consisted a small living room and a packed kitchen. The first floor seemed undisturbed and just now one of the officers, Officer Henson informed me that the body was inside the bedroom on the second floor, I would say it was safe to presume that the bedroom might be the primary crime scene.
I set my foot on the step and began ascended the stairs, the creak of the floorboard was the only sound inside the quiet place. Even though I believed in science, I admitted that the creaking sound was a bit eerie.
Upstairs was made up of a bedroom and a bathroom. Inside the bedroom, all items including the victim were consumed by darkness and the only light source was the fluorescence light from the hallway.
Before I stepped inside the crime scene, I set down my kit, pulled out a new glove and slipped it onto my hands. Next, I fished out a flashlight and used its beam to search for the switch. Clicking it, the white fluorescence light illuminated the room. Now I had a clearer look at the room. The victim, Chloe Johnson was lying face down on the hardwood floor, a pool of dark crimson liquid was already staining the floorboard right under the upper torso. The only visible wound I could see was the long narrow mark on her neck which was probably made by a knife blade. Everything inside the room was still in place except the messy bed which showed the only sign of the victim trying to escape from her ill fate and apparently she failed miserably because she only manage to make a few steps away from the bed.
Like any other crime scene, I started processing the scene by snapping shots of the victim and the scene. Holding up the camera and focused on the subject, my index finger ready to hit the button when I heard a light thud then another which slightly louder than the first one. I put my task on hold and ready to check out the origin of the sounds, it was then the blackout happened. Immediately, I switch on the flashlight and placed the camera into my case.
"Officer Henson! Officer Graham! Is everything alright?" I called out.
Agitation began to flow inside my veins as the only reply I got was silence and I hated being in the I-know-nothing situation. Bracing myself, I released my 9 millimeter from the holster and aimed it at 90 degree which was the same thing I did with the flashlight before I got back out to the hallway slowly approaching the bathroom that was located next to the bedroom and to my relieve, it was cleared. The moment I stepped back out, I could hear the sound of dragging coming from downstairs. Was I imagining things? Why was the situation always worsened when I just got some of my cool back? Damn it!
The beam of the flashlight danced shakily and so did the tip of my weapon. Hell, my whole body was shaking with fear, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop them. Perspiration had my shirt glued to my shirt and worsened my already ruined mood. Sucked up one more breath, I knew I had no choice but to go down there. Repositioned myself, I once again moving at the hallway, this time I made small and slow steps toward the staircase. Silently counting one to three, I moved in a swift move, aiming both my gun and my only source of light toward the open space below me and my eyes caught nothing.
Swallowing down my panic, I descended as slow as I can. Creak. Creak. Creak. Damn, I curse this staircase. If somebody was down there waiting to jump me, I was giving my position away! Now I could only pray that I was imagining things, the officers might be away to check on the power supply and didn't hear me. Hell, if there was really someone down there, I hope he didn't have a weapon then I would have the advantage for being armed.
Reaching the final step, I finally got to the first floor and I turned 180 degree to move toward the entrance. I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could and wishing that my pray would be answer and meet the two officers again. The entrance was in sight, the moon cast solemn blue light diagonally through the gap between the wooden pane and the wide-opened door. Suddenly, my eyes caught something that sent chills down my spine. It was a tip of something black and when I was near enough to see what it was, my pupil widened in surprise. The object was the tip of the officer's shoe and its position told me the officer was lying outside but there was no telling whether he was alive or not. My mind wondered what happened to the other officer.
Stunned by the sight in front of me, I sensed movement behind me. I spun around and aimed the gun and the beam straight ahead. Too late, my mind screamed. Before I could digest what I was facing, a crystal glass vase came into contact with my head and it shattered right after it hit its target. My flashlight and gun fled from my hands and landed with a loud thud. Feeling the hot searing pain on the left side of my head, I lost my balance and landed hard on my backside. Warm crimson liquid flowing freely from my wound caused more obscurity to my already blurred vision. The attacker's face was blurry, but I could tell that it was a he and the man was big and quite tall. In addition, dizziness began to consume my consciousness. Not good, my mind screamed. I had no chance to win against my attacker and the only chance to survive was to get away and call for backup. Then it hit me that I had my cell phone with me but I couldn't use it right now, I must get to a safe place.
For the second time of the day, shocking situation happened right in front of my very eyes. The floorboard sounded when the silhouette making his way toward me and he pulled out a shiny object along the way. Is that a knife blade? God, he was the killer? Why is he still in the house? Wasn't the scene being cleared by the uniforms? Adrenaline helped me remained conscious and frantically I used my hand to search for my 9 millimeter in the darkness. Apparently I wasn't out of luck, the tips of my fingers found what I was looking for. Here was my chance, I leapt for my gun and just as I turned around to aim my target, his speed took me by surprise. I watched his strong arm grabbed my armed wrist and twisted it at an odd angle. I screamed in pain and dropped my only protection again. He used his knee to give me a blow on my jaw before it pinned me down by landing hard on my ribcage. Tears were filling the rims of my eyes, I was sure my ribcage was cracked if not broken.
Unwilling to give up just yet, I willed my free hand to punch my attacker but again my self-rescue attempt failed as his elbow hit my injured rib twice and again I yelled in pain. Darkness threatened to took over my mind but my strong will refused to give in. In my last attempt, I focused all my strength on my knee to give him a surprise attack on his back and it worked. My attacked rolled off me and hissed in pain. Seizing the opportunity, I got on my wobbly feet and ran as fast as I could toward the entrance but my rib refused to cooperate. Before I could get out, a hand pulled me by my collar and yanked me back onto the floor. The man blocked the entrance with the mass of his body and I got no choice but to run upstairs. The man acted at the same time I made my move.
The silhouette managed to get a hold of my ankle and tried to pull me down with force. Gripping my hand hard on the handrail, I gave him a kick on the head to free myself. I succeed and used the strength I had left to get to the bedroom not forgetting to lock it. Hopefully, the door could hang on until I managed to get some backup. Backup! I could phone someone for help now but to my horror, my cell phone wasn't with me anymore! I slipped to the floor slowly in frustration, not knowing what I could do. Mac, Stella and Flack would be my last resort now but I wondered whether God would allow me to wait for them. I made a quick inventory at myself, I wasn't in a good shape, far from it indeed. My head throbbing in pain, my ribs hurt like hell, my right wrist might be broken and my heart was going nonhuman as it was pounding crazily probably faster than a NASCAR and my whole body trembling in a way I had never experienced before.
In the darkness, I could only make out all the objects in shadow forms. My eyes shifted around and finally settled on the sight of the victim. I already knew that dying on the job was part of the risks from the first day I determined to become a CSI but right at this moment, I was not ready to die, not when I just began my promising relationship with the first man I ever madly in love with. Danny. The images of him appeared in my head had me realized that I was already missing his warm body. On the verge of crying, I wanted to see him so badly suddenly. I wondered whether I could keep my promise and treat him to a fine meal.
I had expected the attacker to knock the door down but when the banging started, it still startled me. Got up immediately, I used my own body to add more resistance for the door to open. With more force each time his body hit the door, I couldn't hold on for more than a few minutes. The door flew open sending me jerking backward against the cupboard. The man wasted no time this time and aimed the tip of the blade toward me and at the same time he said, "No more running and hiding, pretty cop lady." His cynical laughter echoed throughout the house.
I tried to duck but with a well-trained move, he pinned me down in the bed. Both his knees secured my hands and his body was atop of me creating no room for me to escape or fight back. Blood ran cold inside my veins when I knew I would share the same ill fate like the victim and probably worse than her. The sharp edge of the blade came down right in front of my eyes, my defense mechanism was triggered and I willed my left hand to break free and block his blade from making a hole in my chest. As we struggled, he switched the knife to his other hand in a swift move and jabbed it into my right thigh, my scream mixed with his laughter echoed through the entire house.
"This is what you get if you do not obey me. You should understand that there's no way you can get out alive. Why not let me grant you a better way to die?" His voice was hoarse.
Stubbornly, I used my forehead to knock his as hard as I could. Take that, you bastard. A Monroe wouldn't give up to some psycho. My foolish act only earned me more unbearable pain when he pulled out the blade and jabbed deeper into the same spot, this time with more force. The pain was so intense I almost passed out.
"That's it, bitch. You want a painful death so be it."
That mad man got off me and grabbed my injured leg before dragging me all the way through the hallway and then we went down the steps. With every step, my condition worsened as pain shot through my whole body and I could hardly tell which part hurt more and which didn't. Just when I thought all my hope had gone, the gun I lost caught my eyes. Wasting no time, my hand reached for it and without him noticed I fired at his shoulder catching him by surprise. He released my ankle immediately and went into hiding. I got up but my right thigh was too badly injured to function. Breathing had become a difficult task and my vision was worsening by the second but I couldn't afford to go down just yet. Knowing he would be hiding, waiting to finish me when I was too weak to fight him.
I couldn't take risk and I would have to bring him down when I had the upper hand. Approaching the kitchen, the cell phone that I lost just now shrieked. Putting my current task on hold, I traced its sound to the corner of the living room. Limping over, I grabbed my phone and held it to a distance where my blurred eyes could see. It said Mac. It was Mac. The backup I depended on.
Flipping the phone open, I had let my guard down and allowed the bastard to get behind me. Mac's voice could be heard in the silent atmosphere but I was too stunned to answer him. Goose bumps formed all over my upper torso when the sick bastard held the knife blade against my neck and hissed, "Say goodbye, detective." I watched what befell me in horror. In the last moment I got to see the reflection of his creepy dark eyes as his weapon acted as a mirror when it met with the beautiful moonlight before his sharp blade made a long slit across my neck. At that precise moment I too saw my own terrifying face reflected on his weapon. My blood made a spatter pattern that I often saw at the wall. Before I went down, the man gave me one last strike by grabbing my hair before using all his force to bang my head against the glass-made coffee table. It too shared the same fate as the crystal glass vase.
Satisfying with what he had done to me, convinced that I would not survive the injuries I sustained, he left me there to die. Even though my whole body went limp, my eyes could still manage to catch him left. I could no longer move any part of my body, not even an inch. As though the heat of my body went out along with my blood, I felt colder by the second as I was losing the warm liquid in a fast rate. Pool of dark red crimson formed under my paralyzed body soaking my clothes. Mac was still on the phone shouting words that I couldn't make out. Minutes later or even longer, siren could be heard and my half shut eyes could see the dancing red and blue light. Three figures appeared and one scooped my upper torso into her arms. Stella. Why was she crying? I wanted to ask her but found no stamina left to do so.
"Lindsay, hang on. Help is on the way. Stay with us kiddo." She said gently.
I had every intention to do so but I was too exhausted. I wanted to succumb to the darkness as it seemed to be a place where I could find peace and warm.
"Linds, keep awake. Danny is coming. You can't give up." Now was Flack's turn.
Danny. Danny. I wanted him here now so badly, I don't know how much longer I could remain conscious.
"How is she?" I heard Mac's voice but his feature was blurred.
I knew they were having conversation but their voices began to fade into the background. A familiar voice raised me up to the surface of the darkness just before I surrendered to the total darkness. That voice belonged to someone who I would do anything just to see him. An easy task of opening my eyes took more effort than I remembered but I did it anyway. His handsome face would be the last thing I wanted to see if this would be the last moment of my life.
"Da…nny." No kidding, I couldn't recognized my own voice.
Seeing him, I had no more reason to fight against the dark world that was more than welcome to have me. Little did I know, his name would be the last word I would ever say. Little did I know, this day would change my life forever. Again, I had survived a horrible crime but this time it left my life in a shattered mirror-like state. The day I learned that my life would be completely altered, I cursed that bastard. I cursed him for not making sure I was dead for good when he left.