Chapter Eight: The Punishment
Erin was grateful that the last classes passed quickly, allowing her to leave school and return home. Voight had informed her via text not to go to the station for a few days, piquing her curiosity. When she inquired, Voight explained they were preoccupied with a major case and had a new sergeant on board.
Walking through the alley she usually took home, hands in her pockets, Erin reflected on the day, which was fairly uneventful except for a confrontation with a classmate regarding her boyfriend.
Unfazed by the exchange, Erin brushed off the incident and continued on her way. However, it appeared that Tish harbored ill feelings towards Erin, as she continued to send glares and threats whenever their paths crossed.
'Erin, hold up,' a familiar voice called out, prompting the brunette to turn and unexpectedly come face-to-face with someone she had not anticipated seeing. She swallowed nervously as he approached with a smirk, accompanied by Charlie.
Erin involuntarily opened her mouth to inquire about Luke and Charlie's intentions when Luke abruptly seized her phone and shattered it on the ground. 'Luke, what on earth?' Erin inquired sharply, stepping back.
'Hello, Erin, did you miss us?' Luke inquired as he cornered her against a wall, with Charlie on the other side to prevent her from escaping. 'What are your intentions?' Erin asked, attempting to evade beneath his legs. Luke smirked as he observed Erin's escape attempt.
'To begin with, I wanted to check on you and wow, look at you,' he remarked, running his fingers through her hair. 'All dolled up,' he added. 'Are you involved with the detective?' he asked, kissing her neck.
'I missed you, but that's not why I'm here just yet. Terri called me saying she needed me to discipline you for trying to pursue someone else's partner,' Luke stated as Charlie stepped back.
Erin attempted to distance herself from Luke as he forcefully kissed her. 'I was aware of you were a slut, but it is audacious of you to attempt to seduce someone else's boyfriend while you have one of your own,' he remarked with a low groan.
'Please, leave me alone now,' Erin murmured as she averted her face and bit his hand when he placed it on her cheek. 'You despicable person,' Luke jeered as he struck her across the face, causing her to collapse against the wall.
Subsequently, Luke grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall. 'I simply intended to reprimand you for interfering with someone else's boyfriend, but it appears you are in need of a lesson in manners,' he sneered as he tightened his grip around the brunette's neck.
Erin moved her hands to try to remove his hand from her throat. 'Luke…please stop,' she whispered, as he increased the pressure around her neck and used his other hand to repeatedly punch her in the stomach.
Luke forcefully pushed Erin to the ground and proceeded to deliver strong kicks to her chest and stomach, causing the brunette to cry out in agony. 'Luke…please…' Erin pleaded amidst the blood she was coughing up, attempting to shield herself by curling into a ball, albeit with little success.
'You despicable wretch, you are receiving the consequences you deserve. How will your detective, react upon witnessing your flirtatious behavior with other gentlemen?' Luke proclaimed as his assault on the petite brunette persisted.
'You are just like your mother, incessantly provoking others,' he scoffed disdainfully, exerting enough force to break her hand, prompting Erin to emit a piercing scream of torment.
'A mere harlot resembling her, but unlike her, your mother had the intelligence to depart from your existence, as you are deemed worthless,' he taunted.
Luke, with an intense gaze emanating from his blue eyes, launched another forceful kick toward Erin's chest, declaring, 'Be silent, you little wretch,' just as he was unexpectedly pushed into a wall.
Erin expressed pain as she attempted to lift herself from the ground upon realizing Luke was no longer kicking her but confronting someone new. Luke sternly questioned, 'Who are you?' as he glared at the stranger with his hand around his throat. Erin struggled to say, 'Michel…?' upon seeing the dark-skinned boy she had befriended earlier that morning.
Despite her efforts to rise to her knees, the excruciating pain coursing through her body prevented her from doing so, leading her to collapse back onto the ground. She could faintly hear screams around her as blood trickled from her mouth and her hazel eyes started to lose focus.
Meanwhile, Michel, on his way to work, was alerted by a woman's scream in the alley and rushed down to witness two men attacking a small body. His anger flared seeing the blonde man viciously kicking the defenseless figure, and his heart sank upon recognizing the voice.
Michel reacted to the weakened sound of Erin's voice, quickly intervening when Luke's actions became aggressive. Without hesitation, he pulled Luke away and forcefully confronted him, disregarding Luke's attempts to ascertain his identity.
Despite Erin's faint call for help, Michel stayed focused on handling the situation with Luke. 'I am someone who will engage in physical combat with you,' Michel declared firmly as he struck Luke in the abdomen, only ceasing his actions when Erin expressed pain.
Directing Luke and Charlie to leave the area immediately, Michel issued a stern warning before watching them depart. Luke directed a menacing threat towards Erin before exiting with Charlie. Michel then turned his attention to Erin, ensuring her safety in the aftermath of the confrontation.
Once Michel realized that Luke and Charlie were gone, he swiftly approached Erin and tenderly placed a hand on her face. 'Erin, are you alright?' he inquired, lifting her up as delicately as possible.
'You shouldn't have done that…' Erin attempted to speak but was interrupted by coughing up blood, causing her breathing to gradually slow down as her eyes began to close.
'Hey, don't you dare pass out,' Michel warned as he lifted her gently in his arms and carried her over to where he had parked his car. 'Now you'll be on Luke's hit list,' Erin cried out in pain.
'I can address that later; right now, we need to bring you to the hospital,' Michel insisted as he placed her carefully in his 67 Ford Mustang and closed the door. Erin rested her head on the seat as Michel settled into the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb.
'Stay with me, Erin. We'll be at the medical center in no more than ten minutes,' he assured her, but the brunette had already lost consciousness, her breathing dangerously slowing down.
Michel expressed frustration as he accelerated, grateful for his adoptive mother's profession as a police officer, which permitted him to drive faster due to the installed police lights. 'Hold on, Erin,' he said, gripping her hand firmly. It took him approximately twenty minutes to reach the hospital, hindered by traffic interruptions.
Michel hurriedly carried Erin inside, calling for assistance from the nurses as he placed her on a bed. 'I need help!' he exclaimed, catching the attention of a few nurses who quickly approached upon seeing the unconscious teenage girl in his arms.
'What happened?' inquired Sharon, directing the arrangement for a bed. Michel gently laid Erin on the bed that was brought over. 'Some individuals were assaulting her in an alley. I am unsure of her condition, but she has been unconscious for approximately twenty minutes,' he reported.
Sharon gave a nod to Maggie and instructed her to call Hank and Al immediately. The desk nurse was also given orders to move the patient to room 2 promptly, as Sharon stepped aside to allow Dr. Torri to transport her.
'Who could have committed such an act?' Dr. Torri inquired as he began connecting Erin to various machines, while his colleague began cutting open her shirt to assess the extent of the injuries.
'Certainly someone despicable,' Dr. Lee responded with a grimace as he examined Erin's injuries. Michel, observing the medical team's efforts from outside the room, clenched his fists and expressed regret, 'If only I had arrived a bit earlier, this could have been prevented.'
'You did everything you could by bringing her here, which was the right decision,' Sharon reassured him, placing her hand on his shoulder. 'Would you be willing to stay with her?' she asked. Michel nodded in agreement, his attention fixed on the medical team attending to Erin.