Lilith

Chapter 10 "The Witness"

Agent Smith's POV

Foot steps played a game of tag as the sounds of their labor ricochet off the walls. Like a horse gallopping on a cobblestone street, the clacking sounds grew louder the deeper we ventured  into this checkered floor corridor. Toward the end of the the hallway, there stood a lone door. Lights flickering above like dancing fireflies in unison with the humming chorus of a morse code.

She's in there.

So, I made haste toward that lone door as my stride widened, creating a larger gap between my partner and I.

"Umm ... slow down there, cowboy," said Agent Mueller.

I could hear her breathing heavily as she tried to close the distance.

"Look—she's distraught over the whole ordeal. Please take it easy when you interview her. For a foreign exchange student from Japan, her English is quite good. We already have our statements, and we could collaborate the information afterward. But, you flew all the way down to talk to her in person," said the Sheriff escorting us to the room.

"I'm going to talk to her first. If she gives me nothing, you'll have a shot," I gasped, pointing at Agent Mueller. 

"Have fun," scoffed Agent Mueller with a disappointed glare toward my direction.

"Relax—this is what I do best. Just take notes," I said, winking back. 

It wasn't a race. But then again, it was. As each second elapsed, the killer's lead grew further distancing our chances of preventing its next attack. Very few serial killers lie dormant after a series of slayings until triggered like Dennis Lynn Rader AKA the B2K Strangler. These alpha predators were the smart ones, which made catching them nearly impossible. However, most serial killers couldn't stop their killing spree, which ultimately was their undoing. I had a feeling this killer was not quite finished with its blood lust given the brutality of the victims' deaths. If these killings were done by a human, this individual was quite strong and absolutely insane. Who knows, maybe it had struck again—that's why it was urgent to talk to the only person who seen it face-to-face. 

A current zipped through my fingertips as I turned the door knob. My heart skipped. I gulped, closing my eyes and followed through, leading in one step at a time. An Asian girl sat at the end of a table—a tiny little thing, she couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen. From what I gathered, she was wearing a ranch plaid dress with sleeves covering both arms. Her head was down while her hands dangled freely along her side—just lifeless. 

She looked a fret like a lost and an abandoned puppy dog. 

"My name is Agent Smith," I purred with an extra soothing and relaxed tone in my voice. 

She didn't respond. 

"Aiko—I really need your help. Please help me," I said, maneuvering closer to her, pulling up a chair and plopping down in an almost casual manner.

She still didn't look up as if she couldn't or didn't want to hear my words. 

I tried lowering my posture to her level, hoping to catch a glimpse of her face, but to no avail. If silence was what she wanted, I would be as still as I could possibly be. This session wasn't going to last forever, especially with her guardians waiting in the lounge, but I was going to stretch it out for as long as I could, though. 

"Namanari ..." said Aiko barely audible. She then crossed her arms.

"Excuse me?" I said, straightening.