Sorry for the long wait, but here is the next chapter. Enjoy and review!
Seven
The graphic pictures of the recent victims lay spread out over Sven's desk. Sven had seen enough and sat down in an office chair nearby, watching the other officers studying the photographs. He had never been so worked up by a case before but something about this whole thing made him feel uneasy.
Maybe it was the murder he witnessed, the look in that woman's eyes as her life was drained out of her through the ragged cut in her throat. Maybe it was Eve, the little girl who was abandoned, her mother murdered just beyond Sven's reach. The one person he tried so hard to save, yet he failed, only to face the bombshell that there was a young girl in her care. No matter the reason, this case was different.
The clues were beginning to mount up. This legendary assassin, the infamous Black Cat...It had to be him. The cats at each crime scene, the coincidental presence of each victim at the Lib Tyrant assassination, the lack of any other suspects. There was little doubt. Only a trained killer could cause such damage and still get away with it. Only a pro could butcher someone in such ways. The precise incisions on the first few victims were unmistakeable signs of a professional.
"So." It was the chief's voice. "Any luck?"
Sven was taken by surprise. This was the first time the chief hadn't made a complaint or insult. For once he was actually interested. He leaned forward in his chair and scratched his eye patch.
"I have a strong hunch. We don't have concrete evidence but what we have is incriminating enough."
"Really? Who is the nut job then?" The chief was excited.
"Remember Lib Tyrant?" Sven mumbled.
"That was the mayor who was shot dead right?"
Sven nodded. "The guy who shot him...He's our killer."
The chief's expression darkened. "What?"
"I said the Black Cat is the killer. He's our only suspect. No-one else had any motive to hurt these people. He also has the skills required to carry out the grim mutilations on each victim. Also, his trading card...A black cat, there has been one at every crime scene. We also have a witness. If we can get Kyoko to describe our man we can run a file check and see if it matches up."
"But...We haven't caught him yet. We've got no files on him."
Sven frowned. "I assumed as much, but I've done some digging. " He glanced up with a beaming smile. "I think I know where to find him."
Eve read through the folder about the Chronos asylum and became drawn in. The articles in the folder were compelling, each one more interesting than the last. This place sounded like the product of every child's nightmares, a pure taste of hell.
Eve was almost too afraid to stop reading, as if putting the folder down would somehow curse her. She read through to the last article which had a bold print heading reading: Patient 00013: Train Heartnett (Black Cat)
A large photograph of a young man was clipped to the right hand side of the page. He was only a youngster, barely in his twenties. Wild locks of slick brown hair fell across his face in thick spikes. His eyes were odd. They were almost feline, with a yellow tinge and narrow pupils, much like those of a cat. He looked rather aggressive, but nothing even remotely close to the expectation of an asylum patient.
As Eve read through the file she learned a terrifying secret. The Chronos asylum had an ulterior motive for admitting its patients...They were selected for more than just their mental issues...
"My god...this is...this is..." She was unable to finish her sentence. There was nothing she could say to describe the evil deeds this place was conducting. It sent a shiver up her spine just reading about it. It was almost too much to bear, but she was incapable of putting the file down. It begged her to read more.
All that remained were four pages of colour photographs. The first page showed low quality images of the cells. They were dirty, disgusting, unkempt and just the thought of living in one of them made Eve feel ill. The cramped, filthy cells, crammed so close together that a lone man's cries for help would echo throughout the whole facility...It was horrific, but it was tame compared to the next page.
The second page showed pictures of patients being lined up, beaten, force-fed, strapped to tables and even being operated on.
The third page went into more detail. The large splotches of red made Eve feel queasy and she was about to put the book down when her hand moved of its own accord and turned the page. She shrieked at the sight of it and hurled the book to the ground.
The photograph was completely unrelated to the asylum. It didn't belong there whatsoever, but that was not the worst part. The worst part was that the photograph was of Eve's own mother!
Eve shuddered, trying to get the image of her mother out of her head. The photograph of her mother, naked, caked in dried blood and her wide unblinking eyes staring right at the viewer, reaching into her soul.
"W-Why? Why is that photo there?" She whimpered to herself. Her skin crawled when someone else replied.
"Your mother was tempting, but I was interrupted by that police man. Now that he's busy for the day...I shall have her daughter!" The voice was unfamiliar. Eve knew she had to do something; escape, fight back, something...But she was too afraid to even turn around.
A hand clasped around her mouth and she tried to scream, but instead she became overwhelmed with sudden drowsiness. Her head felt heavy. Her knees were weak. Her eyelids drooped and she tripped on her own feet, only to be swept up in the arms of the intruder. She was under the sandman's spell before she could get a good look at his face, but even from the blurred glimpse before passing out Eve recognised the face from the folder.
It was definitely one of the patients...There was no doubt. She knew the name of her mother's killer. She knew who committed all the murders. His name was-
"Train Heartnett?" The chief repeated.
Sven nodded. "Yes. According to the records at the asylum he was admitted due to his erratic violent behaviour. He was captured along with a team of mercenaries several years before the assassination and was admitted. He was let out after receiving a healthy psychological profile only a day before the shooting and on the day of the shooting he was brought back, though he came of his own free will."
"What?"
"He was merely placed back in his cell and forgotten. The place was shut down a few years back when the staff were suspected of aggravating their patients and supposedly training them in martial arts and armed warfare."
The chief's eyes widened. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"No. Their spokesman said that military styled training distracted the mind from their mental ailments and also taught them discipline, both physically and mentally. The feds however were not happy with them training soldiers, even if it was the miracle cure for ADHD or schizophrenia. They place was shut down and the patients were all transferred to other mental hospitals."
"So, where is he?"
"Well, the old facility has been completely abandoned ever since it's closure. If he's hiding out low, then I bet he's still using the facility as a home." Sven clenched his fists. "I can feel it. He's close. We are within reach of him. We are so close to finding this guy and ending his rampage."
"Are you certain it's him? We can't go locking up some innocent-"
"I'll bring him in. If Kyoko identifies him then he is our man. If not, we can cart him off to the closest hospital where he belongs. If we find nothing then at least we tried."
The chief sighed. "Alright. I hope you're right about this. We can't afford to let this guy roam free anymore. At first when he was taking things slow I wasn't so concerned, but now this has gone too far. We've lost far too many citizens in these few short days."
"Don't worry. I'm certain that Train will be there. I don't know why, but I just know it..."
"How many cars should I send out?" The Chief asked, reaching for his phone.
Sven stared down at his hands. They were bunched into fists so tight that his veins were bulging, almost exploding out of his skin. He wanted to go alone, to finish what he started, but he knew as well as anyone that this guy was not to be taken lightly.
"Two cars. That should be all we need. Tell them where to go." Sven glared out the window, into empty space. "I'm going to get a head start."
The cold hit hard, a strong sudden chill that crawled under her skin and drove deep within her bones. Eve felt her body shiver spasmodically in a fit of cold. It was below freezing, or at least it felt that way. Eve's panicked breath release short bursts of mist which drifted before her eyes for a moment before vanishing right before the next breathless pant.
Where am I? It's so dark. I can't see a thing.
In her terrified state her mind played tricks on her, making her see vague shapes in the darkness reach out to her, their silent voices haunting her. She closed her eyes but the very same visions remained. She reached out with her left hand and felt something like concrete or stone. It was a wall. She felt her way along, moving slowly, grasping out at the darkness with one hand while keeping the other firmly stuck on the wall.
As she shimmied across the room she kicked over something. From the clanging metallic sound it could have been a bucket, but it was too dark to see anything, not even her hand in front of her face...But her hands weren't in front of her face...
Eve screamed, it came out far louder than she had expected and the sound reverberated off of the high stony walls creating a haunting echo. She backed away from the unknown assailant but suddenly she was falling. She tripped over on something soft and spongy and hit the ground hard. It was cold and wet. She scrambled backwards but bumped into something else. It was like a punching bag, but less dense.
An awful sound assaulted her ears, a piercing whine that made her entire body seize up. The noise suddenly changed into a distorted form of laughter, laughter which sounded worse than nails on a chalkboard. It was the single worst thing she had ever heard in her life and it gave her a headache.
She cried out for it to stop but it merely got louder...And closer.
Eve tried to pick herself up and run but she slipped on the wet floor and came crashing down again. She whimpered as she imagined dozens of invisible hands wrapping their bony fingers around her and dragging her into the abyss, trapped in a world of perpetual darkness and endless pain.
She crawled forward, determined to keep moving, but the deafening clatter of footsteps behind her were getting closer and closer with each, eternal second.
No! I don't want to die! Please! Someone help me! Sven! Anyone! Please!
"You cannot run forever. I can already see you. I can smell you, I can hear you...I can feel you!"
A frozen, clammy hand clasped around her shoulder. She screamed again but her cries were cut short the instant she could feel someone breathing on the back of her neck. Her whole body convulsed with fear but another hand gripped her other shoulder, holding her steady. The rancid stench of death suddenly caught her senses and she wanted to gag, but her body was refusing to even breathe.
"Do you want to see you mother again?" The sickening, taunting voice asked.
Eve sobbed. She couldn't answer. Her vocal chords had tightened and her lungs collapsed, unable to speak or breathe, she merely sat there, wheezing while stinging tears rolled down her face. The darkness around her was only adding to her fears, paralysing her and rendering her helpless against the killer. She couldn't do anything. Unable to help herself, and far from anyone else Eve had no choice but to remain locked in the killer's vice-like grip.
He was chuckling under his breath, relishing in the fear that emanated from his prey.
"You're a pretty little thing aren't you? Just like your mother. You have her hair, you have her eyes...You even have her scream! If so, then your blood must be as sweet as hers...I'm going to enjoy this!"
Eve screamed in her mind, but in reality her heart had stopped. Her sobbing ceased, as did her erratic wheezing. Her shivers disappeared and Eve began to feel light-headed.
She fainted, the last thing she heard, mocking laughter...The last thing she saw...Darkness, overpowering and empty. Hiding its sinister secrets and swallowing her whole.
Eve lost consciousness and she doubted she would wake up again...
No! Not Eve!
Don't let her die! Review before it is too late!