Chapter 15: The Detective Meets Esther
Detective Alan Emerson came down into the underground parking structure and looked around it. "Where are you Esther?" he asked, "Maybe you're in the woods. But I think you're here, now." He pulled his pistol out and cautiously walked down the steps to the desolate parking lot. He stared around as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He then started off towards his car, keeping his gun lowered. He saw it about 20 feet away so he jogged towards it. He took his flashlight out when he got there and checked the backseat. Nothing. He checked the whole interior and noticed it was empty.
He nodded his head and got in, putting his gun away. He set the gift bag down and started up his car. As he was about to pull out, the passenger door opened quickly and a small figure got in aiming at him then shut the door behind them.
Both Esther and Alan stared face to face as she held her gun pointed at him. They both sat frozen, neither knowing quite right to do. "Hello Detective Emerson," she said, smiling at him. She smiled, pulling back the hammer. "Esther?" he asked dazed. "Yes, it's me Detective," Esther said smiling, "Be a smart boy and take us out of here. And throw away your gun." He kept looking at her; studying her as he did so, tossing his gun out of his door side. "Get us moving, cop," Esther said again, "And try and watch the road. I don't want to wind up fucking crippled." He slowly pulled out of the police parking lot. She smiled at him and licked her lips relishing his powerlessness. He kept his stern face as he drove.
He kept driving as she smiled at him. "You're quite persistent," Esther said, "I know you know who I am. And I know you, Alan." "You don't know me at all," Alan said, "We're just strangers on opposite sides of the line you're not supposed to cross." "It's great to finally meet you," Esther said pleasantly, "You don't know how impatiently I've waited for this moment." "Well, the feeling's mutual," Alan said, "To tell you the truth, we've been looking a month for you." "It's been a month?" Esther asked him; "You haven't given up on me, then." He half smiled at her and shook his head.
"Who's that gift bag for, Alan?" she asked him. "Tony," he admitted, "He's with us now, Esther." "WHAT?!" she asked, "He left me?" "I'm afraid so dear," Alan said, "He escaped this morning. He was in pretty bad shape, Esther. Why'd you do that do his grandpa? He didn't have any other family." "He has me!" She hissed at him, "And I loved him very much." "Like you loved John?" he asked. She started to say something then she stopped. He went quiet, realizing he said that without thinking first. He should've been dead by now. Why was she toying with him? He decided to play with this.
"Esther, why'd you do it?" Alan asked, looking at her slowly. "Kill daddy?" she asked. "John Coleman was a good man," Alan told her, "A design architect and married father of 2." "You mean 3!" she yelled at him. "You weren't there to be a member of the family," Alan said, "You were there to take John away from his family. He didn't want Leena Klammer. He thought Esther loved him." "I did love him!" Esther moaned, her eyes looking glassy. "Then why kill him, Esther?" Alan asked. "Because time is short!" Esther snapped, "They would've caught on eventually. And he didn't love me back."
As she started to cry, he grabbed her arm and she fired out the window. "Hey, what are you doing?!" she screamed, firing off another round. The car sped uncontrollably; zig zagging through the busy street. They both screamed as she pulled her arm away, and aimed at his chest. He smacked the gun away and head locked her, hearing her muffled scream. Her hat fell off and she struggled for her guns that lied on the floor. He then bit his arm, making him pull away. She kept he leaning on his leg, making his leg stay stuck on the gas. She grabbed the gun and he grabbed her wrist. He pushed her back into her seat and she laughed as he aimed at her.
He seen her buckle her seat belt quickly and turned to see he was driving on the side walk and a parked semi truck say there in front of them. He slammed his foot down on the brake, but it was already too late. The car nose-dived into the side of the titanic truck, making the car flip over and collide with the road, glass exploding out of all sides of it. It skidded along the road for a few moments then sat there.
Alan now lied on the roof of the car, which was over turned. He watched in great pain as Esther unbuckled her seat belt and landed beside him. She turned her head, seeing him unable to move. His leg was pinned under the collapsed driver's seat. She kissed his cheek and crawled out, grabbing her gun. He weakly reached after her, but she was already out side. He seen her turn back and look at him, as his arm stayed out stretched. She reached in. He thought she was going to pull him out too, but she punched him and grabbed the gift bag. She then aimed at the engine and fired. She then ran away, laughing.
He smelled the gas and started fumbling with the seat that held his leg down. He sat up and grabbed it with both hands. He seen smoke start swarming his vision and fire light up the ground around his fallen car. He lifted it up and lifted his leg out quickly. He then rolled onto his stomach and crawled out with his knees and elbows. Crawling out from the car, he moved away as quickly as his limbs could take him, getting a safe distance before the car blew up into an orange red inferno.
He lay there out of breath, his arms open and his chest heaving. He sat up and watched the blaze burning; thanking Christ that he'd been lucky enough to make it out alive from Esther.