A/N: Thank you so much for the awesome reviews and love! I hope my story continues to please! And yes, the drama continues!
Welcome all and any new readers! Please enjoy!
(Outskirts of Denver)
(Ms. Johnson's POV)
In a matter of four hours, my simple, quiet bungalow had become a mad house. The moment I informed the Parks and Upshurs their children were missing, they booked the next flight to Denver. Mr. and Mrs. Upshur tore down my door four hours ago, while Mr. and Mrs. Park will probably do the same when their plane lands.
I can see where Miles gets his drive from.
The two of them have been running around my house, calling detectives, the police, whoever, with their son's research spread out on the kitchen table. I guess they went to his house before coming to mine.
While serving them tea and fondant cake, I stole glances at the documents and the word 'Murkoff' caught my eye. I didn't know the huge details, but I knew they are some hot shot company that always seems to be making a killing off something.
Apparently, they are really BIG HOT SHOTS since all of the detectives hung up the moment the Upshurs mentioned them. It would've been extremely helpful for Miles to write down where he was going, but all he left behind was a stack of documents for us to piece together.
Well, he DID receive an e-mail late last night, but it is locked with some kind of security code; Mr. Upshur is currently trying to unlock it.
After Mrs. Upshur threw my phone at the wall for the 100th time and cursed in Italian, I decided to go check on Ae-cha.
I found her sitting on my porch steps, Annie settled next to her feet. Her grandma brought her a change of clothes and braided her hair back so she looked a bit better despite the scowl painted on her face.
"What are you doing out here alone, pumpkin?" I smiled, sitting next to her. "Don't you want to watch cartoons inside?"
She shook her head and continued to stare ahead, waiting for her father's red Jeep and her mother's black motorcycle to come around the corner.
"H-Hey!" I tried again, my resolve shrinking. "Your birthday is coming up soon. Do you know what cake you want?"
Once again, I received a head shake and a blank stare.
This little girl, once full of smiles, was now a shell of her former self and it killed me.
'Oh, Miles, Young-ja' I sighed, taking Ae-cha into my arms as tears came to my eyes. 'Where are you?!'
"Miss…Angel, are you…alright?" Felix asked as he carried me piggyback down the hallway.
"….Yeah." I breathed, watching my blood soak through the bandages and drip down his back. "Heh, heh, I'm painting your back, Felix. Such pretty Geraniums…"
In my hazy vision, my blood looked like flowers and I found myself laughing at the beautiful sight.
"Hold on, Miss…Angel." His voice quivered at the sensation, and I laughed once again. "We are…al…most at..the Male…Ward."
"Will he really be there…?" I had been chasing Miles for so long that I wasn't sure he really was there. Father Martin might be leading me into another trap. Well, what the fuck will they do to me next? Take my other arm? Take one of my legs? Pluck my eyes out? Anything to keep me from being with my family like I fucking wanted to be? Even if we escape from here, what could I do? I could no longer play the violin or piano. Or pick up my daughter and swing her around. Or ride my bike. Or embrace Miles.
Even if we escape this hell hole, nothing will be the same…..
"Miss Angel? Are..are you…crying?"
"Please, Felix." I whimpered, watching my tears mix with my blood through cloudy eyes. "Just..just take me to my husband so this freak show can come to an end."
Felix just nodded and continued moving forward, leaving me to mourn in silence.
The Male Ward was a lot different than I remembered it.
Of course, I was just passing through and running from those twins.
Yet, I vaguely recall someone warning me about this place. I racked my brain for any hints but came up with nothing.
'It was probably nothing.'
We were currently at some type of crossroads with a hallway on each side.
"Which..way shall we go..?" Felix inquired, gasping when I nearly slipped out of his grip. "Gah! Miss Angel! Are..you..okay?"
"Nnnh." I groaned, feeling my phantom limb acting up again. "Felix…hurry up and bring me to my husband."
"R-r-right..away!" Then Felix tore down the right hallway, chanting "Apostle appear! Apostle appear!"
And all the while, the blood started gushing out more vigorously and I knew I was fucked.
"F-felix…" I panted, my vision fading away and my skin becoming stark white.
'I..can't..die..just..yet..'
Just as Felix raced by an open door, I heard someone call out.
Apparently Felix heard it too since he back peddled and peeked inside.
"Hello..?" He called out softly.
"Is anyone down there?" A clear, coherent voiced called out from a speaker on a dumbwaiter. "Come on, answer me!"
'Is this one of the scientists? Did someone actually survive the slaughter?'
Felix scurried towards the speaker and leaned in close.
"Yes…we are down here…Miss Angel…is…hurt…and we are…looking…for Father Martin's Witness…"
"I might be able to help you and your friend. Hurry and climb into the dumbwaiter!"
For some reason, I felt uneasy about our 'savior' but I allowed Felix to place me inside the dumbwaiter before squeezing in next to me.
The machine came to life and we were lifted up slowly.
Thinking back on it now, maybe I should've put up a fight.
Maybe I should've told Felix to run away.
Maybe I should've done a lot of things.
But nothing mattered as the dumbwaiter reached its destination and we caught sight of our savior.
"Good choice." a withered and bony old man chuckled before yanking us out and throwing us on the ground.
"AAH!" I cried, landing on my injured side.
"MISS ANGEL,…RUN!" Felix screamed, scrambling off the ground and launching himself onto our attacker.
"Felix, no!"
"Jumpy little fucker, aren't ya?" The man snickered, easily slamming Felix back on the ground before digging his heel into his sternum. "Well, since you are so eager for attention, allow me to grant it to you."
The old man then pulled out a pair of bone shears from under his apron and stabbed the dull blades through Felix's windpipe repeatedly.
"NOOO!" I cried, reaching out towards the only Varient that showed me any compassion in this shit hole. "FELIX!"
Felix's mouth moved, like he was trying to say something, but all that came out was blood. Slowly, he extended his hand towards mine and…a smile formed on his face.
Then, just as I grasped his hand in mine, he went still and the world became cold.
"You idiot…" I sobbed, holding his cold hand to my cheek. "Why did you do that? I was going to take you with me…..How dare you? How dare you smile at me when I've done nothing for you?"
"How sentimental." The old bastard cooed, as if he didn't just kill an innocent man. "I haven't been this choked up since Susan Hayward's performance in I Want to Live."
"Shut up!" I snapped at him, wishing I still had my other arm so I could strangle him. "Felix was just trying to protect me, and you tricked us! How dare yo-!?"
"Yeah, yeah, boo hoo, How about you answer my question first?" The old man crouched down on one leg next to me. "What is a woman like yourself doing in our fine asylum? And-oh, look at the mess you're making on my floor."
The man gestured towards my stump, shaking his head in mock pity.
"Fuck off." I spat at his face, trying to push aside the sudden wave of nausea.
"My, my," He laughed, wiping my spit off his mask. "Such crass language for a lady…Hmmm."
The man leaned forward and pulled me up by my hair, causing me to wince in pain.
"What are you-?!"
"You look familiar, sweetie. You come here often or something?"
"Like Hell! That trash bin you call a brain must be imagining things!"
"…..Well what do ya know?" The old man suddenly chuckled, releasing his hold on my hair. "Never thought I see your face again, minxy."
"M-Minxy?! What are you talking about?!"
"What is this? You don't remember old Rick? I'm offended!" Gradually, he lowered the surgeon's mask from his face, showing me his missing upper lip. "Take a closer look."
Still confused, I did as he commanded and stared at his bony face.
Then, everything came back to me.
Those scornful eyes. That crass manner of speaking. That irritating smirk.
"Y….You….you were the man in the café." I gasped, not believing my eyes. "Mr. Richard Trager."
"Bingo!" Trager cheered, pulling his mask back up. "I knew you couldn't forget me. Is that why you're here? Decided to dump your string bean boyfriend for a real man, kiddo?"
"No! And I'm happily married to that string bean, thank you very much!"
"Really? Such a waste." Trager shook his head once again. "So, does Mr. Lucky know his wifey is here? How is my old buddy anyways?"
"What's it to you?" I glared at him, my vision starting to go double.
"Oh, I've just heard something about Father Martin receiving a witness today. …That wouldn't happen to be him, would it?"
I gulped involuntarily, and he laughed.
"It is him, isn't it? And, let me guess, you came here to rescue him like a good little wife, correct?" As I averted my eyes, Trager's laughter grew louder as he clutched his abdomen. "This is too perfect! Like something out of a soap opera!"
"Shu-AHH!" I screamed as he dug his long fingers into my stump.
"I wonder how he will react to see his blushing bride like this." Trager mumbled to himself, the smirk apparent in his voice. "Hmmm, this could be fun."
Suddenly, I was thrown over his shoulder and blacked out momentarily from the abrupt movement.
"Ngh….where are you taking me?" I moaned, the upright position causing my blood to gush out.
"Well you and your hubbie just provided me with some much needed entertainment. And as the main actress of the show, I can't allow you to die before the fun really begins, so Dr. Trager is going to fix you right up."
'Fix me up…?' My stomach churned at the ominous promise, but I couldn't do anything but let him carry me away as I watched Felix's corpse become smaller and smaller.
"Don't worry, Stumpy." He chuckled, running his nails down my legs. "I'm going to take great care of you."
A/N: What will Trager do to her?! And will Miles and Young-ja see each other soon? Will Ae-cha be with her parents soon?! :0 Look forward to the next chapter! I'll try to have some more happy moments, even if it is just in their memories...