Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
Erin and Darren walked into the mortuary as they took a look around the rooms. Somehow the caretaker had disappeared into thin air, they couldn’t even ask him for help if they wanted to. They traced each room with a coffin inside, hoping to discover some clue. Darren walked around the tiny chapel with a beautiful white marble coffin. He paused at the side when he spotted a red stain on the carpet “Erin, take a look at this.” He called.
She rushed over and bent down on her knees to look at it “Blood?” she glanced up and her eyes met with a bamboo tube sticking out of the side of the coffin “What’s this?” she pointed.
Darren placed a hand over the end of the tube “There’s air!” Erin stood up as the two used their full strength to open the coffin cover. Darren turned to Erin with a victory grin “There’s a prize in every box of cereal.”
Erin smiled “If only Mia could hear you now.” Together they helped Michael out of the coffin. He was weakened with the little air but the tube kept him alive for days. The blood was from his tongue that he bit to spit through the tube in hopes that someone would see. He would be proud to know his faith in the team will never defer.
Outside, the other team members were successful in finding Darwin, who was buried alive again under a maple tree with the same bamboo tube sticking out slightly from the ground. It was Eric and Matt that discovered Nora’s body. It looked like she was buried hastily, a foot was poking out of the tiny mountain of dirt. When they pushed the dirt aside, the smell of rotting human flesh was too much for Eric as he covered his mouth. Matt turned to him with a worried expression “You okay?”
Eric nodded but was holding one hand on the stomach and one hand over his mouth. When he could not take it, he turned and puked onto the ground. Erin and Brad rushed over after they placed Michael down next to Darwin with Dennis and Joe watching them. “Did you find her?” Erin asked.
She glanced at Eric who was looking more pale by the minute, Darren turned to her “It looks like someone just lost their dinner.” But the odor was disgusting as he too had to cover his nose “Damn!”
Matt and Erin flinched but they were able to take the smell “Looks like she’s been dead for days.” Matt pointed to her missing hand “I think we found the little gift they sent you.”
Erin nodded “It’s not Mia’s.” she turned to Darren who looked relieved.
“No one found Julie?” Matt asked, when he remembered the final missing person.
Erin said shortly “We’ll wait for Michael to explain that.”
Darren turned to her with crossed arms “How do you always manage to put the pieces together?”
She laughed, “I read one too many psychology books.” She joked openly. They were just happy to see everything back to normal “Such a shame…Nora.” Her face saddened at the thought of Brad finding out.
Matt turned to her with a nod “I’m sure he’ll understand. How’s Ted doing?”
“I don’t know.” Erin reached for her cell phone as it suddenly rang “Speak of the devil.” She smiled while answering “Ted?”
“Yeah…great news!” He sound excited.
“You got them?” Erin asked.
He laughed “You read my mind. We found them disguised at the airport trying to get a ticket out to Europe.”
Erin smiled as she gave the guys the thumbs up sign “Meet us at Yan Sum Hospital. Bye.” She hung up and together they escorted the two unconscious guys while Nora’s body was covered and taken to the hospital morgue.
They were rushed into the emergency room with Brad and Doug already there waiting. The two quickly got up to meet their team “Did you find everyone?” Brad asked.
The four guys turned to Erin as she turned away “Why do I have to explain?”
Darren tilted his head with a smile “Because Eric will throw up again. And it’s certainly not our place to tell Brad.”
Eric gave Darren an ugly face “Watch it or I’ll puke on you!” he threatened.
Erin couldn’t look at Brad in the eyes “We found Michael and Darwin. But…Nora is… dead.” She said hesitantly. She peeked up at him to see his reaction. Brad looked shock and his brows ruffled “It was her hand that they sent to our apartment.” She explained.
Doug nodded understandingly “No wonder Mia’s hands were still there! I was wondering who’s it was.” Darren shook his head at him and he finally got the point as he looked up at Brad “Sorry, man.”
Erin’s eyes wandered down and she saw his leg was patched up “Brad…are you okay?” she pointed to his leg.
He returned to reality from her concerned voice “I’m okay. Just a dart. Those two really had this planned.” Brad shook his head “Too bad they got away.”
“Not quite.” Ted answered with a broad smile “We caught them at the airport. They’re in custody now. Don’t worry, with the charges we have, they’ll be in jail for life.”
“How’s Mia?” Darren asked suddenly.
Erin grinned “He’s been waiting forever to ask that one.”
The team laughed while Doug and Brad exchanged knowing glances. Brad looked solemn “It’s been over an hour, the doctors are not out yet. At first I wasn’t worried, but it’s taking to long to recover her.”
Darren’s smile slowly faded “You think something’s wrong?”
Doug shook his head “I hope not. I guess we just have to be patient.”
Together they waited patiently at first. A doctor came out and gave them news on Michael and Darwin. They were dehydrated but nothing serious that they could not heal on their own. But after another hour, Mia’s doctor still had not come out yet. Darren grew more nervous as he began to pace the floors in the waiting room. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit it. Joe looked at him sternly “Don’t smoke in the hospital.”
“I’m nervous!” Darren snapped.
Erin turned to Joe with a smile as she got up and shook Darren’s arm “They’re going to kick you out if you don’t put it out. If you have to smoke, I’ll join you outside. Brad will call us once they hear something.”
Darren was listening to the voice of logic as he nodded slowly “Okay.” He walked outside and quickly finished another cigarette. Erin stood by the bench as she watched the patients being rolled in wheel chairs and escorted around the tiny park. Darren was even more restless but he managed to ask her “What are you thinking of?”
She looked back at him with raised brows “Nothing. I’m saying a prayer for Mia.”
It seemed to calm him down as he crush the butt onto the cemented ground. He walked over to where she stood “I’m sorry, Erin.”
“About what?” She asked with a smile.
“About blaming you for Mia’s disappearance. It’s not your fault, they’ve been planning this for ages. I was a little harsh on you. I should have trusted your loyalty with Mia. You would never do anything to deliberately hurt us.” He was apologetic.
Erin smiled “To be honest, it did hurt. And I did blame myself a lot.” She let out a sigh as she turned her head to the sky “I just wished you would have warned me before knocking me out unconscious.”
Darren laughed “Sorry about that. I was just so excited about my plan…”
“It’s understandable.” She said quickly. Suddenly her eyes moved behind his shoulder when she noticed Brad coming “Good news?”
Brad shrugged “I don’t know yet. Joe told the doctor to wait until you both come back.” Before he even finished, Darren was rushing back into the hospital. Erin and Brad were quick to follow.
Joe nodded at the three when they rushed back, he pointed to a distinguished man to the left “This is Dr. Cheung, the hospital’s neurosurgeon.”
The elder man with the gray/white hair nodded to the group “Nice to meet all of you. The reason why this evaluation on Miss Lam is taking so long is because we found a substance, which was injected into her brain. At this point, we do not know what it is, but it is sitting right above her right cerebrum.” The man patted on his own head exactly where he was talking about “I have never seen a case like this before in my entire 30 years of practice. I do not want to make hasty judgments yet, but I want you all to be prepared.” He looked at them solemnly “She is currently in a coma.” After he said this, Erin lips began to quiver while Brad placed his hand gently over her shoulder. Darren was in total shock “There is a 20% possibility that she will wake up.”
Doug was on his feet as he looked at the doctor earnestly “Are you sure?”
The man shook his head “It is my opinion from the past experiences on comas. There have been very few that have awakened. Even when they wake up, there is a chance they are immobilized.”
Darren backed up against a chair as he sat down with a thump “20%…” he muttered to himself. It was bad enough he lost her once, now he may lose her forever? What was he going to do? Nothing was more real than that very moment.
“Can we see her?” Matt asked the question everyone wanted to but forgot.
The doctor smiled “The more the better. She will need her loved ones support. Maybe a miracle will happen. My last advice to all of you is to not give up. If you want her to live past this, never give up.”
Joe got up to shake the man’s hand “Thank you. We won’t give up.” After the surgeon left, he turned to Darren “Why don’t you take a moment with Mia?”
Darren looked up blankly as he nodded and began walking to the exit like a zombie. He asked the nurse who took him to Mia’s room. She was in a little glass box like room, he had to put on a gurney just to stand outside the window of her room. They didn’t want any contamination to the patients. He touched the window separating him from being in the same room with her. His eyes grazed around her face, its been etched into his soul since the day he met her.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed angrily “Why?” he asked calmly, his eyes welled up with tears “WHY??!!” he cried as he banged his fist against the glass while sobbing her name “MIA!!…Mia…” Darren’s head leaned onto the glass as it streaked with his face oil. Slowly, his body began to slip to the ground and he fell to his knees.
Erin and Brad witnessed the whole scene as they watched him slowly giving up. Erin took a step towards the door while Brad pulled her back “Give him some time alone.”
She wiped the tear that escaped her eyes and nodded. Instead the two headed off to Michael’s room. They opened the door and unexpectedly found Julie sitting beside Michael. Their fingers entwined but the minute she saw Brad and Erin, she quickly let go of Michael’s hand “How did you get out?” Brad asked.
Julie got up as she looked away and raced for the door. Erin blocked her as she pushed the girl back “You’re not going anywhere until you explain everything!!” she cried angrily. Her face red from crying.
Brad turned to Erin “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Erin pointed at Julie with much hatred “Ask her. She’s the third kidnapper.”