Bad things, good people
Creak, creak, creak…
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Devin wondered, scraping his pale feet across the rough hardwood floor…
What sin have I committed?
He swayed down the hallway. The cold iron scent of blood lingered on him. Sirens could be heard from the distance…
What sin did she commit?
He stopped before a white door. He raised his hand, hesitant for a moment. Then he grasped the cold silver handle. Leaving his bloody thumbprint on it, Devin slowly twisted it open.
Click.
With a gentle push, the door mournfully creaked open…
For a moment, Devin stood in the doorway, his breath caught in his throat.
Creak, creak, creak…
He stepped into the room, his puffy, deep crimson eyes fixated on the unattended
bed. It's dark purple covers entombed a young lady.
Bathed in the light from the window, her curled grey hair lay spread on the pillow. Her
facial features closely resembled Devin's, her skin and lips a dead blue, and her once vibrant blue eyes now forever clouded.
Thump!
Devin fell to his knees, the pain from the hardwood floor nothing compared to the
hollow ache in his chest. His worst nightmare come true, "I'm so useless." He hiccupped.
"D-Darcey…" he croaked. He gazed upon her longingly. 'Sh-She'll get up, this is not real, this is not real…'
"Darcey…"
"Darcey…"
"Darcey!"
No response ever came…
He grimaced, unable to hold back the tears that poured down. His shoulders slumped,
his head hung as hiccups and sniffles filled the room.
"Why?"
"Why her?"
"What has she ever done…?" For a moment, Devin looked distant. Lost in the memories of happier times.
"What has she ever done!?" he roared, his veins pumping from his neck. He looked up
with righteous indignation. Above the white ceiling, above the sky, above the moon and the stars, to the being supposedly up in the sky.
"I'll do anything…" Again, he looked distant for a moment.
"I'll do, anything…" His voice sharpened at the end. He turned his gaze back to Darcey's still figure. 'Darcey…' He whispered.
"I'll do anything!" He looked up. "Gods, demons, I don't care!" He bellowed. "Just bring her back to me!!!"
His voice grew hoarse, "Just bring her back, to me…" He wept, defeated as his eyes fell to the hardwood floor.
…
Nothing.
Nothing ever came.
"Hha, hha ha…" He wept until he began chuckling. "Hahahha haha!" Looking up, he
cackled with a broken grin on his face.
Thump! The door swung open. Men in blue uniform filed in, their firearms drawn.
"Central Police Department! Turn around with your hands up!" The brown eyed officer at the door commanded.
"Hahahahaha! Hha ha ha!" Devin's laughter turned maniacal, his eyes wiled with despair. He barely registered the officers' commands.
The officer grimaced at this site while he tensely surveyed the scene. Right wall cracked with a small table not too far from it, missing a leg. Two beds lined the room with the one on the left directly by the window. Victim, young female, lay unconscious. Suspect, knelt close to victim, possibly going through a psychotic episode.
He repeated his command. "CPD! Turn around with your hands up!"
"Haahahaha…"
The officer scowled, before he gave an affirmative nod to his colleagues. They
moved in, surrounding Devin to the side.
"CPD! Turn around with your-"
The officer froze, his brown eyes reflecting Devin's fingers inches from his throat. The latter's crimson eyes blazing with madness.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
They opened fire, training their guns at the suspect, making sure to avoid the
victim.
The wall behind Devin dotted with holes. The room filled with dust, the acrid smell of gunpowder and the sharp sound of shattering glass, with the millions of shards falling on Darcey's bed.
The officers then held their fire, waiting pensively for the dust and smoke to settle.
Their faces were grim, as their eyes began reflecting the aftermath of the gunfire. Devin's world crumbled as he clutched at his bleeding body. His arms, legs, and torso filled with lead, with even a bullet lodged in his neck. He slowly fell to the ground, leaving a bloody trail on the wall.
The brown eyed officer quickly moved to Darcey's side while the other officers had their weapons drawn on Devin's wounded body.
He placed his index and middle finger on Darcey's neck. After a few seconds he sighed, feeling no pulse. He looked back to his colleagues and shook his head.
A number of the officers clicked their tongues, while the one by Darcey reported the situation on his com…
Devin wheezed, coughing out blood as the slimy liquid fell down his lips. He felt distant, turning his gaze to his dear sister.
"Dar-cey." He wheezed, before going blind. The last thing he heard was the officers report…
[All clear, three victims found, 1 young and 1 adult female, and 1 adult male. Medical assistance required, officer involved shooting. Suspect is…]
"What the fuck?"
"Where did he go?"
"I don't know? He was just there?"
The brown eyed officer heard his colleagues bicker among themselves at a time like this. He clicked his tongue and turned to see what the commotion was about.
He froze. Where the suspect previously stood, his bloodied blue top and pants remained glued to the wall and floor respectively, as if he'd been ripped from reality.
"Where did he go-"
The officer's voice trailed off as the room suddenly shook violently. The floor buckled beneath his feet, dust and debris rained down as the walls groaned under the strain with several cracks on their surface.
The officers' stumbled, struggling to keep their balance. Panic flashed in their eyes as they braced for the worst.
An urgent report came from the brown eyed officer's com.
[Earthquake alert! Earthquake alert! Take cover immediately!]
'Earthquake?' The officer looked at his com in disbelief, 'What the hell!?'
…
As the room continued to shake, everything went black. Two deep crimson eyes opened up in a dark space. Looking at the far reaches of nothingness, Devin wondered.
"Where am I?"
End of Chapter 1