Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.
Chapter 12: Blood Red Dawn
Don Eppes groaned loudly as consciousness returned, albeit slowly.
" Where the hell am I? Thought Don as with cloudy vision, he took in his surroundings, then in an instant everything came back to him and one single thought raced through his mind.
Charlie, where was Charlie?
Don was instantly on his feet and he all but slammed into the door of the room, when he found it to be locked, he wanted nothing more than to smash through it. The sky was a ever lightening shade of purple, dawn was on its way. As Don futily tried to pry the door open, the memories of what had happened before he'd passed out came back to him in a tidal wave. The last thing he could remeber was seeing Charlie staring down at him, telling him everything would be alright. Don whirled around, looking frantically for anything that would help him open the door. When his gaze fell on the night stand, he immediatly zeroed in on the key that rested there. WIthin seconds, Don was visciously ripping the door open and bounding into the hallway, looking desperatly for any sign of either Charlie, his father, or his two fellow FBI agents.
soft groans eminating from the rooms on either side of the room he'd just been in was the welcome sign he was looking for. Don bolted to the room to his right and unlocked the door, the sight of a very groggy looking Alan Epps greeted him.
" Dad!" Yelled Don as he rushed to his father's side.
" Donnie?" Asked Alan as the effects of the sedative was beginning to wear off.
" Donnie, where's Charlie?"
Don was about to answer when the sound of another door opening made him turn his attention back to the hallway. The guest roomdoor opened to reveal a pair of very ruffled lookingFBI agents.
" David, Colby!" Yelled Don to get their attention.
The two men turned when they were called and jogged up to the door.
" You guys got your heads on?" Asked Don, noting the way the two of them looked totally frazzeled.
" Yeah, we're here Don, more or less." Muttered David tiredly, Colby trying to shake off the sedative behind him.
It was doubtful Don actually heard the comment because he'd bolted past everyone and was now flying down the stairs. David and Colby following suite, Alan behind them.
When Don reached the first floor, he was shocked to see that everything was the way it had been the night before save for the hole that now graced one of the walls.
Don looked around frantically until he looked down the hall towards the back, seeing the first rays of dawn through the glass panes of the back door.
David, Colby, and Alan watched as Don ran with all his might down the hall towards the back.
Don burst through the back door, the glass panes had been shattered, he stopped dead when his frantic gaze fell of the two forms before him. Don felt like he had somone's hand wrapped tightly around his windpipe as he gazed on the form of his baby brother Charlie cradling the lifeless body of a Japanese woman. Her eyes were glazed an unseeing, a samurai sword hilt jutting from it grotesque lodging in her gut.
" Oh My God." Whispered Someone behind him, it sounded like his father, but at that moment, Don could care less. Don Eppes's attention was focused completely on Charlie. The image before him would be forever burned into his memory.
Unruly curls obscured Charlie's face, the light grey T-shirt he was wearing was barely recognizable, slashed and blood drenched in several different places.As Don looked closer, he felt another jolt as he saw blood, trickling from several wounds all over his baby brother's arms.It was like the young man was frozen where he sat, on the dew and blood covered grass of the backyard.
Don swallowed thickly before taking the tentative steps forward and came to kneel beside his seemingly catatonic brother. Don licked his suddenly dry lips before he spoke.
" Charlie?" He asked softly, hoping to get a response from the other man.
All he got was silence. Don tentatively reached out with his hand and brought it under Charlie's chin and gently tuned his brother's face towards him so that their gazes met. The moment Don looked into Charlie's eyes, he felt his heart shatter and a feeling of fear settle over his stomach at what he saw. Once vibrant, bottomless orbs of the deepest brown stared back at him vacantly, stained with the salt of long dried tears.
" I tried to stop her." Came a barely audible whisper.
Don felt a jolt, Charlie had just spoke.
" Charlie, Buddy what happened?" He asked gently.After another pregnant pause, a shaky voice answered.
" Sh-She did this to herself, she rammed her own sword into her own gut Don." Said Charlie, his voice slowly regaining strength with each word as he looked back down at the corpse in his arms.
" It didn't have to be this way... It didn't have to be this way... It didn't..." Charlie's voice trailed off as violent sobs began to wrack through his whole body.
" Hello, this is FBI Agent Colby Granger, I need assistance at the Eppes house,send overan ambulance... And the coroner." Said Colby into his phone as he watched Charlie hug the body even tighter to him.
Don watched his brother as he rocked back and forth, sobbing brokenly, fresh rivets of salt pouring from his eyes.
" Oh buddy... Oh God Charlie." WHispered Don as he reached out with both his arms and physically pulled Charlie away from the corpse, who he knew was Koyuki Jenshio. The two of them took several steps back towards the koi pond
" No, let me go." Moaned Charlie as he faught feebly to get away from Don's vice-like grip, then suddenly his legs buckled underneath him.
Don gently eased himself andCharlie back to the ground. He watched as pain etched itself across Charlie's face a he let out a soft cry. It was them that Don realized that both of his hands felt strangely wet. Don pulled back one of his hands and felt a fresh wave of horror as he saw the deep crimson that now stained his fingers a palm.
" Oh God, where's that ambulance!" Screamed Don as he cradled Charlie to him.
As if a prayer had been answered, the sounds of sirens blasted through the air. Seemingly dozens of law enforcement vehicles screeched to a halt, a red and white ambulance pulled all the way up the driveway, two male paramedics bursting out, on a hispanic, the other a tall dark haired man had the stretcher.
They reacheda semi-conscious Charlie, gently prying him from Don's vice-likeand began spewing out medical lingo.
" BP is dropping, we gotta move this guy, he's gonna go into shock!" Yelled on of the medics as they strapped Charlie to the stretcher and hastily made their way back to the ambulence. Don was ran after them but both Colby and David held him back while Alan just stood there in shock and watched as they wheeled his baby away.
The paramedics loaded Charlie into the back of the rig and within seconds, were on there way to the hospital.
Charlie stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before he turned his gaze to one of the paramedics.
" Don't worry sir, you're gonna be just fine. Smiled the hispanic paramedic.
" Cut the crap Mojave and get me off of this board." Muttered Charlie flatly, no trace of the emotional wreck he'd been just five minutes ago.
" Hey cut us some slack, we gotta play Paramedics here Ghost." Said the other Paramedic from the driver's seat, none other than Christian Wolfe AKA Knighthawk.
Charlie let out a dry chuckle as Julio Vargas undid the restraints. Though they were indeed headed for apublic hospital, Charlie wouldn't need that much patching up, hell, most of the damage was superficial, Steele would be waiting for them when they arrived.
Charlie let out a soft hiss of pain as Julio gently applied alcohol toone of thecuts on his arms.
" It wasa good kill". SaidChristian as he drove. He was met with silence for a moment.
" It wasn't my kill, the bitch turned herself into a sishcabob, she took the cowards way out." Muttered Charlie with a hint of disdain as he laid back down on the gurney for the remainder of the ride to the hospital.
" You were a good warrior Koyuki Jenshio, but you lived with the mindframe of dying with honor. You never realized that one doesn't die with honor, they live with it." Thought Charlie