To pursue the heart of Agent Grace Williamson

Part 26

One month later...

It has been a while since I last heard from the Chesapeake ripper. I was comfortable in my own home again and I brought Buddy home with me again. Abigail was in a care home and we closed the Minnesota shrike case, successfully. Now I was doing a raid of an apartment block because of a resident - named James Buck - had kidnapped, murdered and harvested six women's organs - probably more - and sold them online, rather gruesome.

——— the apartment block ———

I had my pistol held up as the FBI team were behind me. We hurried up the stairs to the fifth floor and we stopped outside James' apartment door.
"FBI! Open up!" I shouted as I banged at his door. I got static on my radio and I listened it to tried and make it out.
"Gra— out-" then it cut off but I could still tell it was Jack. I then heard a hiss and a rustle in James' apartment room. My eyes widened and realised Jack was trying to warn me on the radio.
"Move out the way!" I shouted to the FBI team as I dived out the way. A massive explosion occurred and its force threw me some distance and I hit my head on the ground. I groaned and I heard a continuous ringing in my ear. I turned my whole body over and my eye sight was very blurry but I could still see the crimson red fire slowly spread. I saw the FBI team all dead on the ground, continuing to burn to a crisp and I saw an FBI agent running around, trying to exterminate the flames on him. He screamed and swung his arms around then dropped to the floor and then there was silence, except for the crackles of the fire. I put my hand on my radio and saw it had shattered. I gasped and I used the wall to pull myself up. I looked down the hallway to see the stairs where we came from and I started to head toward the stairs but I suddenly heard footsteps behind me, making me turn to look. It was a masked man and he jumped over the flames and began to run further up the stairs that were located on the other side of the hallway - I knew it was James. I hurried after him, jumping over the fire and landing on my knees before quickly getting back up onto my feet again. I hurried up the stairs and then the building slanted to the side, making me clash into the wall beside me. I shook it off and hurried back up the stairs. Then I heard things in apartment room all shuffle around and I heard a man shout and a clash. I got onto the sixth floor and saw the masked man Under a collapsed wall. I ran over to him and I pulled his balaclava off him to reveal James. I looked up and saw the flames starting to emerge from apartment doors, meaning the fire has consumed the entire apartment building. I got back onto my feet but he cried out to me.
"Will didn't do them murders!" He shouted to me. I turned around and stared down at his terrified, monstrous face.
"What do you know?!" I shouted to him, remembering I'm on a timer.
"I know the Chesapeake rippers identity. He's seen me! I've seen him, he helped me! Please get me out of here and I will tell you everything" he shouted to me as he tried to push the collapsed bricks off him.
"How can I trust you?" I asked him, still shouting over the violent flames.
"I killed those people in the car nearly two months back, the ripper found me cutting them up. Please trust me!" He cried to me. Even though I wasn't sure what to believe, I got back onto my knees and began to push the bricks off him. He looked up at the ceiling and screamed, making me look up and seeing the ceiling starting to give weigh.
"Please hurry!" He shrieked to me. I grunted as I pushed more and more bricks off him. Once the majority of bricks were off him, - apart from the odd few - I grabbed his hand and began to pull him out and away from the collapsing ceiling but then he was crushed from the ceiling, right in front of me. I fell backwards and coughed from all the dust that was floating around me, from the rubble. I wafted the dust away and saw his arm held out to me and his entire body under rubble. I started to cough more violently from all the smoke consuming the apartment building and it was scorching hot with everything around started to look red. I hurried to my feet and ran for the stairs - to run to the ground floor - but the stairs just under my feet collapsed, making me jump backwards. I had no choice but to run to the roof and search for a safe landing. My eyes were in pain and my lungs felt like they were on fire. I started to use all my stamina I had left and I covered my mouth as I coughed up. I barged open the fire exit and I collapsed to my knees. I made it to the rooftop and now I needed to get back down somehow. I took a gasp of fresh air as I coughed up the remaining smoke in my lungs. I slowly got back onto my feet and I was so tired but I had to keep going. I slowly limped to the edge and looked down to see ambulances, civilians, news reporters, police cars and Jack all standing down there, looking up at me. They were all shouting between them all I couldn't hear a thing. The building suddenly gave weigh a little and I fell to my side. Suddenly, the building kept on falling to its side. I jumped up to my feet and I ran to the right side of the building to see a river. The rivers water ran fast and I saw some large rocks peering up to the surface of the fast waters. I looked down at the ground and realised I'm going to need one helluva jump. I took a few steps back and the building started to fall faster. My knee caps wobbled a little but then I used all my remaining energy and hopes to make the greatest leap of faith. I gasped as I saw how high I was from the ground and I heard the crowd gasp and scream. I just made it into the fast waters and now I was in a new dilemma. The river was deeper than expected and I swam to the surface to suddenly see rubble of the collapsed building all hitting the waters and a brick nearly hitting me. I shrieked and paced to the surface. I took a gasp of air and tried to stay afloat, I looked around and saw I was heading right for a rock. I tried to fight against the current and I got a stabbing pain in my leg. I yelped in pain and I held onto the edge of the river. Things kept hitting my body and I saw blood starting to fill up the river. I started to lose grip On the edge and my slippery hands didn't help. I tried to hold onto something then I suddenly let go, I reached my hand out to grab something then someone grabbed my hand and dragged out the waters. I fell into someone's arms and I coughed up all the water I breathed in and saw my jeans cut.
"Oh my god... we got her!" Jack shouted sounding a little out of breath, but he wasn't the one holding me. The person holding me wiped the hair away from my face as I coughed and I realised it was Hannibal. Jack then came into my view and I heard him gasp.
"Hannibal, she's bleeding bad" he gasped. I was shivering from how cold the waters were and my leg was thumping in pain.
"She's freezing, Jack" Hannibal exclaimed. I heard a slight rustle behind me then a trench coat be wrapped around me.
"We need to get her out of here" Jack then whistled and ran somewhere, probably for some paramedics.
I tried to say something to Hannibal but my teeth just clashed together.
"It's okay, I got you" he promised me. He put my arm around his neck and pulled me to my feet. I shrieked when I put too much weight on my leg. I looked down to see the biggest gash wound I have ever seen. Hannibal then picked me up in bridal style and I dug my arms under the coat to try and warm up. Hannibal adjusted the coat on me and he held me tighter on me as he hurried somewhere. My teeth just clashed together and I felt a stream of blood leak down my leg. I knew we got to the crowd of people as I heard cameras click and people whispering and shrieking.