The Two Who Were Alone

Rebirth Of A Society

The sound of a phone ringing filled the empty office where Chief Diego, Aya, Connie and I sat. Diego picked it up and listened to the caller. "Anastasia! Do you have any leads so far?" He decides to put the phone on speaker when we all hear a "yes" from the other line.

"The dogs picked up Erik's smell when we entered the apartment. They lead us to an empty bridge not too far from where we were previously." We all look at each other.

"That sounds too good to be true." Everyone's eyes land on me as I look at the phone again. "Are you sure the dog's are right?" I hear her scoff.

"They are usually right..." She pauses. "...98% of the time." I sigh. "Chief, we need to get new dogs. Buddy just turned 15!" Diego straightens his back.

"I will look into it later, Ana. For right now, what's the status?" I hear movement in the background.

"Right, well for right now, we're going to scope the area to see if--" a distant scream is heard. "What the hell?" The phone then sounds like it was dropped and another scream is heard. It was closer this time, and sounded higher pitched. The call then cuts. We all look at the phone in silence as it then rings once again. Diego immediately picks up.

"Anastasia?" We hear laughing.

"Nope! One more try though." The person giggles as our eyes go wide.

"... Erik." The person cheers.

"Ding, ding, ding! Aw, I missed you Diego! How's the wife and kid?" Diego looks visibly upset as he suddenly stands up from the chair. "Oh, wait... they're dead because of me, right?" I feel sick as Erik laughs some more. "Well I think we should visit each other sometime, don't you think?" Diego puts the phone close to his mouth and grumbles.

"Don't move an inch, got it?" We hear Erik laugh once more.

"Yes, mister officer!" He hangs up the phone and slams it on the ground.

"I still can't believe he uses that tactic, and goddamnit, does it still work." Connie walkes up to Diego and places a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Chief." He sighs and grabs Connie's hand, taking it off of his shoulder.

"I appreciate it, son, but in the end it was my fault. I was working that night when the news broadcasted about Erik. I decided to stay at work and drink with my pals. Next thing I know and I find then dead in the living room having been killed by Erik. Since that day, I vowed to work hard everyday to protect the families that I can save." We smile with remorse at Diego. You really have no idea the things a person is really going through. "Enough about me. Let's go catch this fucker." I raised my brows at Diego when he cursed. I unfortunately know what it's like to lose someone close to me, and I never want that to happen again. Not to me, not to Connie, not to anyone! I nod at him as we all exit his office.

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Tracking down Anastasia through her phone's location, Diego parks Connie's car close to the empty bridge. He takes his shotgun out and looks at us. "Listen closely, kiddos. Erik isn't your average serial killer; he knows how to start and finish the job quickly, so please don't underestimate him. And Indigo?" I focus on him, slightly raising my brows. "Don't go in for the kill right away." I pout, but nod regardless. This guy can see right through me or something! We all exit the car with our weapons and gear and wait for Erik to emerge. It's very quiet at the moment, but I know he's here somewhere. My eyes land on Anastasia's bloody body and I look away, scrunching up my nose. The smell is strong, so that will distract me for sure.

"Erik! We don't want any trouble, we just want to talk." We hear laughing and turn our heads to a phone on the ground. It plays his laugh once more. "What the hell?" Suddenly, a knife emerges from the trees, slicing the side of Diego's neck. He falls back as his neck begins to show blood. I dodge the next thrust of the knife and lean to the side to see Erik's figure emerge from the shadows. I use this opportunity to knee him in the stomach and it works. He kneels to the ground, exhaling air that was knocked from him but quickly stands to his feet. Connie runs over to us with a shout and raises the baseball bat.

"Die, shitbag!" He dodges his bat but his leg gets caught when the bat hits the floor. He sucks air through his teeth and looks at Connie with a straight face.

"I hope you're prepared for worse!" He plunges the knife in Connie's leg and he yells in pain.

"Connie!" Aya and I scream and we make our way to Erik. Aya, with her bladed boomerang, starts swinging at Erik with all her might, but he quickly swoops under and thrusts the knife towards her leg. He then fails when she moves her leg a bit and swings it to sweep Erik off his feet, literally. He falls to the ground and the floor makes contact with his chin. As I wait for him to stand, Aya runs over to Diego and Connie, to which they were bleeding out.

"Indigo, we have to go!" I don't pay attention. With a straight face, I wait for Erik to stand.

"When the fuck did you get so weak, Erik?" I entice him. "I'm not fighting you like this. I've waited to mutilate your nuts and shove them down your throat the second we escaped from you, so I need a fair fight right here, right now." I see him struggle to get to his feet. I don't hesitate to kick him in his side, and he squirms once again. While he's injured, I grab the shotgun that was on the floor and point it at him. I shoot at his left arm and leg and watch him scream. Still with a straight face, I pick him up and carry him to a section of the broken bridge. Below is a busy stream that carries branches and rocks. I watch as his eyes slowly close and open with every move I make. "Any last words, Erik?" I point the shotgun at his forehead.

He tiredly smiles at me. Suddenly, a gunshot is heard from where Connie and the rest are. I turn my head but can't see much since we are far, but when I look back, I see Erik's mouth open.

"You remind me of my brother y'know. Before he committed, he was a very strong guy. The difference between you and him, though, is that you don't let anyone get to you, making you stronger along the way. Keep it up, Indigo." He salutes to me as I watch him fall off the bridge with ease, like he was an expert. His body clashes with the water and I turn my head.

"You were tired... I could tell. At least now you can rest with your brother." I say out loud. I run back to the group and see what I saw before I left. Aya looks at me and tears stream down her face.

"Diego's dead... Connie's hanging in there, but we need to go now!" I nod as we help Connie to his feet and walk slowly to the car. I start the engine and drive off to the government building. If I remember correctly, it had a 24/7 hospital.

"Diego... at least now you can rest with your family." I hear Aya whisper. I continue to look at the road as I speed to the building.

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