Criminal Case (Complete)

Chapter 1

Standing outside the Bureau, I wiped the sweat from my forehead. The memories of my past were resurfacing, stronger than ever, despite my efforts to ignore them. "Damn it... I have to get out of here before it's too late..." I couldn't complete my thought when I heard footsteps approaching. "Where did she go?!" The voice belonged to my boss, Chief Elizabeth Ripley. I had to stay hidden, to protect them from myself. As I ducked behind a tree, the sliding doors opened, and tears streamed down my face. "Shelbie, where are you? Please come out; we want to help you, don't do this!" That was Carmen Martinez, my partner, her voice laden with worry. Peering around the tree, I saw Carmen, Michelle, Grace, Marina, Elizabeth, Ingrid, Lars, Elliot, Jack, Jonah, Armand, and Sanjay. The entire Bureau was searching for me. I faced a decision: accept their help to fight the nightmares or flee as far as possible. I chose to run. As they turned their backs, I sprinted into the dense Peruvian woods. "She's running for it; we've got to go after her now!" The Bureau scrambled into the jeeps, chasing after me, fearing what might happen if they didn't reach me in time. Once I was a safe distance away, I collapsed, crying, and noticed my hands and arms were scratched from running through a thorn bush, my hoodie torn.

I tossed it aside and walked over to the small puddle, gently washing off the dried blood. Looking down, my reflection stared back at me. Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I made my way to the temple, gazing up at the bright blue sky. But before I could take another step, a sharp pain shot through my body. I dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around myself, hoping to quell the pain. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Bureau approaching. (Huff...Huff...Huff...I have to push the pain aside and keep moving...) Summoning my last ounce of strength, I pushed myself off the ground and headed towards a nearby cave, but not before a familiar voice called out. "Hello again, Senior Trooper Shelbie. Surprised to see you here without your partners." I didn't dare look back. "What do you want, Asal?" It was Asal Hawaa, Jack Archer's ex-girlfriend and a Mossad agent. "Aww, don't be like that, Senior Trooper Shelbie. Why so cold?" I kept my head down, fists clenched, feeling my nails dig into my palms. "It's none of your business, Asal. Now leave me alone." Before I could walk away, Asal was suddenly behind me, her right arm around my neck and her left around my waist, pulling me close. "Hmm, it seems something's on your mind, wouldn't you agree?" I remained silent, choosing not to waste my breath on her. "Not going to answer, are you? Well, I have other ways of making you talk." Before I could react, I felt my wrists being bound with rope. "We're going to play a game, Senior Trooper Shelbie. If you win, you're free to go, but if I win... ha, you'll find out." My eyes widened at the thought. I couldn't let her win. So, when she turned her back, I took off, not caring about my own safety, only that of my friends.

"So, it seems you've already got a head start. Well then, I hope you're ready because here I come!" The entire Bureau arrived minutes later, scouring for any sign of me. "Damn it, she's not here! Where could she have gone?" Everyone began searching the area until Sanjay stepped on a piece of cloth. "What's this?" he muttered, brushing off the dirt and leaves, revealing my torn and bloodied hoodie. "Everybody, I've found Shelbie's hoodie; it's all torn and covered in blood!" The team rushed over, and upon seeing the hoodie, everyone except Jonah, who was searching for more clues, started to tear up.

"For as long as I've known Shelbie, she's never given up, no matter the situation. We'll find her and bring her home," everyone agreed, searching for any clues that might lead to me in time before it was too late. As I continued running, my body began to ache, and I was losing too much blood, but I didn't stop. Despite feeling like my world was falling apart, many good things emerged I made many friends, which brought a smile to my face. Coming to a halt, I took a deep breath and looked around to see if Asal was following. Sighing in relief, I dropped to my knees and started coughing so violently that I collapsed, crying silently. "I-I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I don't want to be alone anymore!" My tears soaked into the ground as I bit my lip, tasting blood. Gathering the last of my strength, I slowly stood up, stumbling, but before I could move, a sharp pain shot through my back and right arm. "Looks like I win, Senior Trooper Shelbie, hmm?" I quickly glanced back to see Asal standing behind me with a stun gun. I tried to move, but my body lacked the energy to continue. "Now then, it's time to claim my prize." As she dropped the stun gun and drew a knife, I watched her approach. (I guess this is it... I'm sorry...) I closed my eyes, bracing for the final blow, but it never came. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw her leaning over me, so close that a blush crept over my cheeks. "Uh... What are you doing?"

Before she could respond, I felt a sharp sting in my neck. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a syringe filled with an unknown substance.

"What are you doing..." As my eyes slowly closed, I succumbed to a deep sleep. "Sorry, Senior Trooper Shelbie, but I can't lose to you."

Before I realized it, she was pulling me toward the cliff's edge, near a massive waterfall. "I hope you can forgive me one day for what I'm about to do."

She gripped my wrists, dragging me to the brink of the waterfall. She looked down at me one last time before throwing me over the edge into the icy waters below. The chill of the deep lake jolted me awake.

Frantically swimming to the surface, I began gasping for air, coughing up water and blood. With my eyes closed, I felt hot tears streaming down my face. Slowly standing, I reached into my pocket and took out my phone, dialing Carmen's number. It rang for a minute before she picked up. "Hello? Shelbie, where are you? Are you alright? Please, answer me!"

My breath became shaky as I tried to stay calm, but the feeling was too overwhelming. "No, I'm not okay; I need help, please."

As I fell to my knees, tears streamed down my face. I longed for an end to the torment, for the nightmares to stop. "Hang in there, Shelbie, we're on our way; just hold on a bit longer!"

Feeling weak, I glanced down and noticed blood seeping through my shirt. "I'll try, but I'm losing so much blood. Please, hurry..." My strength faded, and I collapsed into unconsciousness. "We need to hurry!"