Friday

4:47 PM

5.001 inches

For Ethan, there was more than one life at risk.

He stood the entire time sitting on a chair next to Norman's bed, forcing himself to stay awake to watch over him. Time seemed to have slowed down and the rain falling over the window reminded him of what he was supposed to do. However, he too felt terribly tired and could not allow both of them to leave and risk everything. He would let himself sleep for a few minutes, only to wake up scared, looking around himself and realizing not a minute had passed. The man sighed, hoping Shaun would be strong enough, hoping he would be strong enough...

For Norman, there was nothing but darkness.

Lost in nightmares, he begged for help as a dreadful pain ran through his body and reminded him of his teared body. Often waking up, scared, he would look at the sleeping man next to him and thank God for having someone with him. Sweating and moaning he would blink many times, wishing his sight wouldn't be so blurred, and once again fall into a deep slumber. This went on for many times before he definitely woke up, almost falling from the bed in a desperate try of getting up.

"N...Norman!" Ethan called him, awakening with the deep coughing that came from the pale agent.

"I-I'm sorry..." He whispered, feeling bad for waking him up. But Ethan simply helped him to sit and brought him a cup of water. His throath dry, Norman couldn't be more thankful.

"What time is it?" He asked, drinking it all in seconds, his fingers twitching due to grief.

Ethan looked at him with sympathy and compassion, saddened after seeing such tired eyes trying to shine, the man's body completely covered with sweat and struck by shivers. He looked terrible, weak and uncapable of moving on... Ethan felt destroyed. "It is 4:50 PM. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good" Norman replied, smiling weakly, lying to himself "What about you? Did you sleep?"

"I'm well rested, don't worry about me. Would you like to take a shower?"

"Could you take me to the bathroom? I'm afraid I'll end up falling on my way" He laughed, returning the cup to the architect, who gladly helped him once again. Letting him relax under the running water, Ethan cleaned his soaked bed and made sure to get them something to eat. By the time Norman left the bathroom and changed his clothes, there was some coffe over the table and also some clean towels and bandages over the bed. Without arguing, Norman let Ethan check his wound and change his bandages before they could finally eat. Both sat on the table, silent, and ate a little, the warm coffe warming up their spirit once again.

"I... I believe I can find out where Shaun is" Jayden said after a while, breathing slowly "I have some information from the Blue Lagoon. If we can avoid the last trial..." He sighed, already relieved just by thinking about the possibility of freeing Ethan from any more suffering.

"Are you sure? What did you find in there?"

"I don't remember... But I will as soon as I take a look at it" He answered, looking to his watch and getting up "If you don't mind, I think it is about time I do that."

Letting the man walk by himself, Mars stood still, waiting as Norman picked up his glove and glasses, feeling somewhat hesitant about using them. Before he could think too much, however, he decided to work and so he sat on his desk, being engulfed by the well known forest ARI created for him. Ethan was now a distant memory to his sick mind.

The father looked to the watch, realizing time had finally passed by. As if with butterflies on his stomach – "Butterfly" brought him a bad feeling - , Ethan laid his head on his hands and waited, aware to any problem the agent could have.

"Oh, one last thing, sir. You should be careful not to over indulge in you-know-what. It can be dangerous, very dangerous. It'll end up killing you, if you're not careful... That would be most unfortunate, sir"

The words echoed on his mind, the waiter nowhere to be seen. It had been some time since he had spoken to him and having him appear so suddenly was, at least, disturbing. Ignoring that, Jayden opened his clues box and let the newest information float in front of him. There he found the well known tire tracks, the orchid and the origami figure. The first thing he saw was new was a video and a burst of hope made him choose it without thinking twice.

Pressing the play button, he concluded ARI was in record mode when they were fighting with the killer. He watched Ethan being launched against the wall once again. In sequence, he saw himself falling over the chair where Paco's body was and, with a chill, watched the sword stabbing him, a reminder of the hate he felt towards the man who had almost killed them and that was almost killing Shaun. He replayed the video, analizing the scenes until he found something familiar: A Gold Watch.

"I'm sure I've seen this before, somewhere..." He thought to himself, finding it a little difficult to think, when it finally made sense to him. The watch was the same given for promotions to lieutenant. The killer... The killer was a cop!

Ethan blinked a few times, listening as Norman seemed to be having problems breathing. He looked at him, seeing as he used ARI, apparently well. Perhaps he was worrying too much. Perhaps...

Jayden felt better than he had ever done. Physically, his pain was gone and even though he was tired, his thinking had not been affected at all. He smiled to himself, relieved, and searched for new clues. Around him, it seemed the wind had become more violent and rotten leaves started to fall from the trees. The air became denser and the sky darker. Jayden, however, noticed nothing and kept on working, searching.

Ethan got up and got himself a cup of water, the tension growing as he stared at the watch again. Five minutes had passed... He walked around the room, cursed by the same bad feeling he felt before leaving for the Blue Lagoon. He looked at Jayden and, a little worried, decided to call him.

"Did you find anything?" He asked, shy. But Jayden didn't answer, too focused on what he had found. Ethan decided not to push him and, although worried, decided to let him work a while longer before talking to him again.

There was nothing new besides the video and the killer's gun. Norman closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. Both only confirmed the killer was from the police and nothing else. Without paying attention to the sudden thunder that reached his ears, Jayden tried to find anything in common between the flower shops, the Origami figure and all of the other clues he had with the fact that there was a cop murdering children around the city. Trying to keep calm, he didn't feel as a trail of blood drained from his right eye, more thunder reaching him, the sky now almost black.

8 minutes. Time was running fast yet so slow. Three minutes felt like an eternity but as he thought about it, it had gone by faster than he wanted it to. Norm was still working but Ethan, looking at his back, felt his body shiver, a shallow breath now being heard. Only one minute would do. He would give him one more minute before calling him again, afraid to screw up his thoughts and therefore lose the chance of avoiding the last trial...

Suddenly, horor took over him. Norman searched everything and analized each one of the clues he had over and over and over... And there was nothing! He could not tell where the killed lived, he didn't have any adress nor any means of finding it. He felt tempted to close ARI and think but something made sure he didn't, something made sure he would keep on searching until...

A suffocated gasp came from Norman's mouth, his hands now convulsive, his breathing fast, forced. Ethan was now scared and, no longer wainting, approached the man and called for his name... As he saw blood running down his eyes, Ethan freaked out.

"Norman? Norman, talk to me! Norman!" He called, putting his hand over Norman's shoulder, watching as he didn't listen, as he found himself lost in this trance. He called and called, Jayden ignoring him, the sound of falling leaves and violent gusts of wind too loud for him to he heard. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to react and the only thing he could think of was to remove the glasses from his face.

That was when Norman returned to himself and faced a living nightmare.

As if back to reality, the profiler closed his eyes with force, his blood red eyes, gasping, fainting, dying. There was something preventing him from breathing and he forced himself to cough, his right hand closing around his chest begging for his heart to stop from beating so fast, begging his mind to stop killing him inside out. Ethan was trembling as much as he was, useless as the man in front of him found himself facing death itself, unable to do anything to help. He held Norman's head on his hands, forcing him to look at him, and lost himself, crying silently as the green eyes he knew so well looked at him so lost, so feeble. He let Norman lay his head over his chest, trying to calm him down, the only thing he could do, but Jayden's breathing was already imperceptible, his hands were numb and he couldn't even ask for help.

Ethan closed his eyes, unable to contain more silent tears. The next second, Jayden was motionless, his hand laying over Ethan's. "C'mon, Norm... P-Please, Norm, d-don't leave me alone...!", he begged, desperate.

For a few seconds, there was only silence while Ethan bit his lips, holding Jayden's head with care, gasping sounds coming from the profiler's mouth. But suddenly, when Ethan thought it was too late, something brought him back and this time he coughed blood, feeling oxygen run into his lungs once again. Breathing loudly, desperately, he laid his back against the chair, staring at the ceiling, his body still trying to collapse, his mind forcing him to accept it, the dreadful pain making him wish he would, and Ethan stood next to him, saying words he couldn't understand, glad for having him back to cousciousness. He waited until Norman could properly breathe, until he could properly see and, his breathing becoming slower as seconds passed, Ethan sighed in relief seeing life return to the man's body.

Norman felt broken, barely able to move, and he looked at the man next to him, fear and sadness reflected in their eyes. Ethan said nothing; instead, he let the agent lay his head over his chest again and held Jayden's shivery hand into his. Heartbroken, Norman stared into nothing, confused. Betrayed by his brain, betrayed by himself. ARI has tried to kill him, ARI, that which should help him to save lives! He was killing himself, he had betrayed himself, he... He had failed. He had failed!

"N-Nothing..." He whispered, refusing to believe "I-I analized everything... And found n-nothing...!"

"It is alright, c'mon..." Ethan told him, depressed by his friend's tone of voice. "We have the last figure, we can do this!"

"I-I don't want you to... S-suffer anymore, Ethan..."

"Nothing will happen as long as we are together, okay? Nothing!" Ethan said, even more depressed, seeing his partner in such a state.

But Norman was too broken. His physical pain had driven him mad but having to accept his mind was killing him even though he wanted to help... He just wanted to have a normal life, he just wanted to protect his friend but how could he do that if he could not even protect himself? Not able to listen, inconsolable, he whispered his last words before he lowered his gaze, ashamed, terrified, confused... Betrayed.

"I'm sorry, Ethan... I-I'm so s-sorry..."