Game Over
AJ twiddled his thumbs as he sat all alone in his hospital room. He was glad to see his mother leave finally after what seemed like ages of her not eating or sleeping. There was nothing worse than watching someone he loved worry and lately he had his share of witnessing that. He pretended to be asleep just so his mother would allow herself to weep. He heard her call Kevin and was grateful that he talked her into going to the Nicosia’s for a while. It was just what she needed, but maybe not what he needed.
Now that he was alone, he started to feel a little uneasy, the memories coming back to him of the man pulling out a gun and shooting him. Would be ever be able to sleep peacefully again without that image creeping it’s way back into his dreams?
Brian had left to stay over a friend’s house and although he felt guilty he found himself calling his older brother and asking him for company. Good old Brian, for all the times they yelled and fought with each other, he knew he could always count on him when things were bad.
And things were bad, he was so sick to death over letting Nick be taken; the guilt he felt was unimaginable. He would never openly admit that to anyone, but still, if anything happened to the little guy he would never ever forgive himself. A loud peel of thunder was heard in the distance as a sudden flash of light was seen in his room followed by an explosion of rain pouring down and hitting his window.
“Great, that’s just what I needed.” He muttered under his breath, deciding to turn on the television to take his mind off things.
He was the biggest baby when it came to thunderstorms, well next to Nicky. He hated them and now he was sure Brian would have something to taunt him about when he finally got here. ‘If he ever GETS here’ he thought to himself looking around for a clock.
The lights flickered in the hallway of the hospital, which made AJ sharply turn his head to see what was going on. A nurse appeared in his doorway, “Don’t be alarmed by the lights AJ, seems like the storm is affecting the generators.”
“Okay thanks,” He said as he clung to the railing of his bed.
At least the lights in his room were working fine and dandy; it was just the ones in the hallway that were wacko. He turned slightly to try to get himself more comfortable and winced at the pain it caused. He felt like an old man the way he slowly had to move to do anything.
Once again the lights flickered in the hallway, this time cutting off completely before the few emergency lamps kicked in. You could hear patients complaining about the sudden darkness as a few rooms began to lose power.
“Please let my power stay on…please let my power stay on…” AJ begged as he saw the lights going off all around him like a domino effect.
Then darkness.
“Shit.” He muttered to himself as his television shut off and everything else, leaving him in complete darkness.
Now more than ever he wished that Brian would hurry up and get to the hospital, because as the lightning illuminated the halls he thought he saw the man who had attacked him in the first place. Of course it had to be his imagination, right?
Petrified, AJ clicked the pager on his bed for a nurse to come in but because the power was out it wasn’t working properly. “Son of a bitch!” He whimpered as he attempted to sit up and get off his bed, now thoroughly frightened as the man who he thought was his attacker made his way closer to his room.
Rob seemed to make it to the house in no time flat and as he climbed out of the car to look at Maria, Kevin senior filled him in as best as possible. “We need to hurry Rob, he might be there already!” He added just as they all piled into the car.
“Have you called the hospital?” Howie asked.
“Yes, I have. We have two of our men racing up to AJ’s room now. If he tries anything we’ll be there to get him.
“Thank God.” Kevin said allowing himself to exhale.
“We better get out of here because we don’t need anyone seeing your dad and our men will be arriving shortly to further investigate this house and Maria’s death.” Rob backed out of the driveway and peeled away towards the hospital.
“Why would he be going to the hospital?” Howie asked trying his best to get into the psycho’s mind.
“He knows what makes Kevin vulnerable, and since AJ is there...” Kevin’s dad said turning his head to face Howie and his son.
Rob carefully blew through a red light as he spoke, “One other thing you guys should know, we got a note and it seems he has killed another little girl.”
“He has?” Kevin asked now sitting as close to the front seat as possible so as not to miss any of the conversation.
“Yes, it came addressed to Tyler this time and said since he knew you’d be busy he thought he’d give Tyler something to do.”
“I thought he would have stopped killing.”
“Son, I know this may sound horrible for me to say, but it’s a good sign that he’s killing, it means that he is looking for someone else to harm other than Nick.”
That did little to console Kevin as he shook his head, “Did he say where the body is?”
Rob shook his head.
“You don’t think Nicky saw him…saw him kill Maria and the little girl do you?” Kevin knew the answer to his own question, but he just couldn’t wrap his head around it. How someone would allow an 8 year old to be witness to something so incredibly horrible.
“Maybe he is on his way to finish off AJ and make Nicky watch.” He said in a monotone, trying his best to detach himself from the situation.
“Let’s try to stay positive Kev,” Howie replied placing a hand on Kevin’s shoulder, “Like Rob just said; there are people at the hospital that are guarding AJ now. He’ll be safe.”
“Still, I’ll feel better if I call him.” Kevin took out his cell phone and dialed AJ’s number.
All he got was a busy signal after three times of trying so he finally gave up, “Weird, it’s a hospital you think they’d answer.”
“Maybe he’s not allowed calls after a certain time.”
“I even tried the main number and nothing.” Now worry filled his veins again, “Are we almost there Rob?”
“About another ten minutes.”
Kevin nodded and gripped onto Rob’s headrest as they sped towards the hospital.
AJ stood, clutching his stomach, now visibly horrified as he saw people scurrying around outside his room. It seemed as if in a state of panic, the nurses responding to people as they yelled out of their rooms for help. Everyone was concerned about the monitoring systems, making sure everyone who needed medical equipment was getting it so no one was really paying all that much attention to AJ, except for the shadow of the one big man who now stood in his door.
“What do you want?” He asked shaky as he made his way further from the bed and closer to the bathroom, ready to lock himself inside if the need arose.
The man didn’t answer and instead took a few steps inside the room only to turn his head back towards the hallway and then quickly exit as a new flurry of people made their way down the hall. AJ breathed a sigh of relief which he let out just as Brian entered the room.
“What in the world is going on in here, my butt just had to climb five flights of stairs to get to you…I hope you’re happy. Why are you out of bed?”
“I’m not sure what the deal is with the power but I thought I saw…” He stopped as Brian grabbed his arm, wrapped it around his neck and escorted his brother back to his bed.
“What do you think you saw?”
“There was this guy standing in my room, I think it might have been him, you know?”
“Him who?” Brian gently laid his brother back on the bed just as the lights came back on.
“The guy who hurt me and took Nicky.”
At those words, Brian instantly paled, “What? He was here?”
“I don’t know but I think so.”
“Which way did he go?” Brian asked now looking out the door.
“I think he went left, he was going to come in here but then stopped when he heard you coming.”
“How long ago?”
“Had to be less than a minute.”
“Okay, stay here and ring for a nurse and tell them to call Kevin!”
“Where are you going?”
“To look for him.”
AJ’s eyes grew wide, “What? Brian no, you can’t do that!”
“AJ if he was here, he probably has Nicky with him.”
“Brian it’s too dangerous.” But before AJ could say anything more, his brother was off and running down the hall.
They managed to turn into the hospital just as the lights started to gradually go on again floor by floor. “Looks like there was a blackout.” Howie stated as they came to a stop in front of the main entrance.
“I hope it was because of the storm.” Rob said placing his gun in his holster before turning towards Kevin senior, “You know you can’t come in with us.”
“I know, I’m going to bring the car into the parking lot and see if anyone comes out.”
“Good idea.”
As the men got out of the car, Kevin senior grabbed his son’s arm, “Be careful in there.”
“Always, and you too.” Suddenly Kevin felt a wave of emotion hit him. Had his father ever shown that kind of concern towards him before?
Once more Kevin looked back at his father and smiled, before running into the hospital full tilt. The building was in utter chaos, people complaining to the main desk as security lingered there in the lobby just in case things got out of control. The lines for the elevators seemed never ending so they all decided to climb the stairs. That is where they met the two agents that were supposed to be watching his brother.
“Why are you down here and not up there with AJ?” Kevin snapped, making some of the agitated doctors and visitors, who were waiting, turn their heads.
“When the lights went out we got trapped in the elevator, they just now opened up again.” One answered.
When they finally reached AJ’s floor everything was just about settling down. Kevin quickly ran ahead and stopped just short of the door to try to calm himself down before he walked in. The last thing he wanted was to clue his brother in on the fact that something might be going down.
He didn’t expect to be hit with what AJ said when Kevin finally entered his room, “Where were you? I tried calling you”
“You did? Is everything all right?” Kevin made his way next to his brother and sat on the bed.
“No, I think the guy who attacked me is in the hospital and Brian went chasing after him.”
Kevin stood up quickly as Rob and Howie finally entered the room, “He did what? Where?”
“He went down the hall hurry Kev.”
Kevin turned towards Howie, “Stay with him D okay?”
Howie nodded and Kevin and Rob went flying out of the room.
At the time, it seemed like a good idea. The heroic older brother leaves in pursuit of the villain who harmed his two little brothers. In retrospect it was a great story to tell his grandkids some day. He hadn’t put much thought into HOW exactly he was going to find this guy and what exactly he would do IF he found this guy. Fear almost made him turn back towards AJ’s room not once, but twice.
Deep down inside he knew it was a dumb idea to chase after a nameless, faceless monster. But he had to take that chance because that monster most likely was dragging around his baby brother. So he did his best to swallow his fear and continued to run down the long corridor, passing confused patients and a doctor giving him dirty looks for running in the first place.
When he barreled through the door to the staircase, he saw a figure all in black running down the steps like a bat out of hell. Once again his instinct took control as Brian found himself desperately running to keep up.
“Nicky?” He found the courage to say, partly hoping to hear his brother cry out at the sound of his voice, and partly hoping nothing like that would happen.
The latter turned out to be true as nothing but silence was returned. Still he continued running as he heard a door swing open and then close just ahead of him. He had reached the last flight of stairs; they must have been for hospital workers only because of the lack of traffic on them.
He stopped at the bottom of the steps just short of the metal doors, “You can do this Brian, don’t be a chicken. Nicky needs you.” He said to himself opening the doors that led straight to the morgue.
Slowly he walked down the tiled path to the end of the hall where the second set of doors waited for him. He had hoped to see someone down here, anyone in a lab coat to perhaps make this easier on him by kicking him out, but it was long after hours and the blackout probably hindered people from feeling the need to hang out with the dead.
“Hello?” he stupidly asked, at least that’s how he felt as the words came out of his mouth but yet he couldn’t stop them from happening, “Is anyone down here?”
Still not a sound was heard, just a whirring above his head from a fan that decided to kick in at that very moment making him almost scream. He continued forward with his heart in his throat but stopped cold when he heard a bang coming from behind the second set of doors. It wasn’t until he heard the second bang that he allowed his feet to move in the opposite direction of the noise. He had heard it enough from television to know exactly what it was, gunfire.
Nervously looking down the hall there was absolutely nowhere he could hide, he had to make it back the way he came before those doors opened and he was out in the open. Years of basketball playing and races with his friends had him down the hall in the matter of a minute which was all it took for the man to come barreling out of the doors, just missing Brian who was now hidden safely behind the second set of doors which he came through originally.
“Please take the elevator.” He whispered to himself clutching the cross he wore around his neck. He knew if the guy decided against the elevators and headed for the stairs he’d have Brian dead to rights.
Just as Brian had feared he heard the guy walk past the elevator and head straight for the door he was behind. In a panic, Brian quickly looked around trying to figure a place where he could possibly hide. He knew he’d never get past maybe the fifth step before the guy came through the door. He crept into the corner where it was a little shaded and crouched down not allowing himself to breathe as the swinging door opened and in came the killer.
Kevin and Rob went running down the hall and as they passed the same patients and doctor that Brian had just moments before; the duo stopped and asked if they had seen his brother, giving a brief description.
The doctor pointed to the stairs marked personnel only with a slightly disgusted look on his face. “Keep everyone away from these stairs!” Rob ordered flashing his badge as he tried keeping up with Kevin who only had one thing on his mind and that was getting to Brian before Brian got to Scott.
He charged down the steps at full tilt with Rob closing in space behind him, “Please let him be all right.” He found himself chanting in his head over and over again. He couldn’t take it if someone else he loved were to be hurt or killed by this man.
Kevin stopped for a second when he noticed some bloody footprints on the stairs just below, leading to the door marked basement level one. “Please don’t belong to Brian.” He said motioning for Rob to look down at his grim discovery. At that, both men removed their guns from their holsters and got into position, ready to open the door and take aim at whoever stood behind it.
When the door swung opened, all that was waiting for them were huge bins of laundry. One of which could have contained the waiting form of the killer or for all Kevin knew, the dead bodies of both of his brothers. The bloody tracks led all the way down the hall but even still, both agents proceeded with caution ready with guns aimed at each bin they passed.
When they got to the end of the long hallway, Kevin felt it safe to say his brother’s name. Just incase he lay hiding in one of those bins, “Brian are you in here?” He asked, in a whisper that showed no trace of the almost breaking point he was hitting.
Rob made a motion to Kevin, indicating that he was going to walk through the doors and further examine where those bloody prints went off to. He nodded in return and started to walk back towards the other end of the hallway. Maybe Brian had just overshot the guy and ended up going all the way to the bottom. It was a common mistake by even the most trained professional to think that the perpetrator would venture as low as he could go. Rob came back a second later, “I found his shoes; he must have realized he was tracking blood and changed.”
“I’m going down the stairs to see if I can find Brian.”
“Kevin, be careful.”
“You too.”
Both men nodded at each other as Kevin kicked open the door and started down the stairs knowing full well that he’d end up at the morgue. He got down about two more flights, fear once again making its way into his heart as he saw those bloody prints again. “He had been down this way and was climbing up the steps and ended up in that first level of the basement.” He said to himself as he continued down, this time more cautiously and slowly. Only one set of footprints was his clue that Scott had come up and not down this set of steps, which meant that whatever was down below had been the source of the blood.
That thought sent a chill down his spine, but luckily as he rounded the last flight of stairs, he saw his brother crouched in the corner, head down and rocking. Slowly he walked down the steps and placed his hand on Brian’s shoulder.
“GET AWAY!!” he screamed immediately pushing at Kevin and trying to break free of his grasp. Kevin never let go and grabbed the boy by both of his shoulders.
“It’s me Brian, you’re safe.” He said shaking his younger brother gently trying to get him to realize what was going on.
“Kevin?”
“Yes, are you okay?”
“Thank God, I thought I was…I thought he was…” He didn’t finish his sentence instead he fell into his big brothers arms and held him in a tight embrace.
Kevin pet Brian’s hair as he hugged his brother tight, “It’s okay, I’m here now and you’re safe. Did you see him?”
Brian nodded but still never let go, “I hid here...I didn’t know what else to do. I heard the gunshots and then froze; by the time I was able to get through the door…I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Did he see you?”
“No, at least I don’t think he did. He ran up the stairs so quickly he didn’t look back…if he had looked back…I”
Kevin gripped his brother tighter now, “What were you thinking going after him by yourself like that?” His tone was sharp but quiet.
“I know it was dumb but Kev…he had Nicky, I thought he did but…”
“Did you see Nicky?”
“No, he was alone.”
“Brian you could have gotten yourself killed!” Brian finally released his brother and stood with one arm wrapped around the other as if he was a scared and vulnerable child.
“You said you heard gunshots?” He asked when he saw how shaken Brian still was.
“Yes, coming from the morgue.” His face took on a panic stricken glint again, “Is someone with AJ because he went back up the stairs?”
“Yes, Howie is with him.”
“Good.”
“And you need to be too, take the elevator and go back to AJ’s room.”
“No way! I’m not going anywhere without you.” Brian said, grabbing Kevin’s shirt as they walked back into the hallway and out of the stairwell.
“This is now a crime scene and I need to go in there and see what’s going on.”
“Then I’ll stay out here, Kevin please?” Kevin looked into Brian’s pleading and wet eyes and nodded.
“Okay fine, stay right here, right outside this door and don’t look in there at all, chances are if you heard a gunshot, there’s a dead body in there.”
“Kevin, it IS a morgue.”
Kevin chuckled despite the situation, even in the worst circumstances, sometimes you had to find something comical. “You’re right smart ass, now don’t move!”
Quickly, the humor faded as Brian nodded at his big brother, “Kevin please be careful.”
“I will.”
Kevin slowly and cautiously opened the swinging metal doors that led to the morgue, expecting to find the coroner on the floor. Instead he found a huge man lying face down in a pool of his own blood.
Jumping into action, Kevin crouched down beside the man just as Rob came into the room, “Call and have them seal off the morgue.” He said looking at his boss.
As Rob went running to the nearest phone to make the call, Kevin turned the man over, “Jesus Christ…” He gasped followed by a screamed “NO!!” In frustration which had Rob look back Kevin’s way, now his eyes wide with fear.
“Oh my God.” Rob said, “Now what?”
“I don’t know…” Kevin answered, covering the body of Scott Wilson, the wanted serial killer and kidnapper of his baby brother. On the floor right next to the body was a business card sized paper with Kevin’s name clearly seen in bold marker, when he flipped it over there were only two words.
Game Over
:O) hehehe. Be back next Wednesday! You guys rock by the way!
