I must have been in my bed for so long that my hips started to hurt because of lying on my back. I opened my eyes, and looked around. Mom was standing right next to me with a doctor.
"What happened?" I managed to utter.
"You fell unconscious but everything's fine now." Doctor assured me.
Mom looked at me without saying anything. She turned towards him and said," Thank you so much Doctor. David would escort you to the door."
He nodded slightly and followed David downstairs.
Mom looked at me again and said," What's wrong with you, Lily?"
"What do you mean?" I tried to pretend.
"When you heard about the fire, you had tears in your eyes. Then you suddenly fell unconscious. Why is that so?" She asked.
"I don't know what you are trying to say. I had not eaten anything from the morning, maybe that's why..."
"There's something going on between you and Adrian. I'm sure of that. You need to tell me everything. You might be in danger, don't you realize it?" She moved her fingers in my hair. "I'm your mother. You can tell me anything."
I shook my head," There's nothing wrong. I'm absolutely fine."
She stood up from my bed, and sighed. "I don't believe you at all but I want you to know that I'll support you always. No matter what happens."
I nodded silently and closed my eyes.
I kept rolling on the bed for more than two hours, before I decided to get up from the bed. I got dressed and went downstairs.
"Mom, I'm going out."
"Where do you think you're going, young woman?"
"I'm going for a coffee." I said aloud and left the house.
"Lily.."
I saw Mom standing at the door, but she didn't follow me.
I started walking down the streets. I took small steps and wandered aimlessly down the pavement. I wasn't going for coffee, but to the grave yard. My heart felt so heavy that I wanted to cry my heart out on Marie's Grave. The walls of the graveyard and its huge Gate were visible from a distance. When I opened the rustling gate of this barren and cold place, I felt the same feeling which I felt while kissing Adrian for the first time.
There was coldness of death in the air though sun was shining brightly. I walked through the Tombstones, reading the names of all those people who weren't in this world now. I wondered about all the families that have lost their loved ones. I stopped at few deserted Tombstones and removed the growing weeds with my hands. I plucked the wild flowers from near-by and placed them on their Graves. I wondered how come their families forgot about them. Maybe, that was the curse of Time. It healed every single wound.
I kneeled in front of another Grave, and cleared the weeds off the Tombstone. It was a small Tombstone, almost like a large rock. Suddenly, I felt like someone was behind me. I turned around and there was no one there. I tried to read the carved letters on this dirty rock.
"Here lies the one, whose body was never found
JAMES WILSON (1953-1990)"
I kept staring at the words blankly. Somebody had placed this tombstone for James Wilson which meant that there was somebody around here, who cared about him. I had to find that person. I wanted to find out everything I could about him.
Somebody placed a hand on my shoulder and I jumped with fright.
"Hey, it's me."
I looked around. Chase was standing behind me.
"Prove yourself." I said.
"WHAT?" He gaped, "It's me...Chase."
"You could be Gabriella too. So, prove your identity." I took few steps back from him.
He smiled," You used to look like a raccoon in your childhood."
"Don't you dare say that." I gave him an angry look.
He laughed loud, and placed his arm around my shoulder.
"At least, you believe me now."
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"I missed Marie. Just came to see her Grave."
I placed my head on his shoulder, as he slipped his hand around my waist.
"Have you heard the news?"
"What news?"
"Police arrested Adrian for the murder of a woman. The same woman who fell from the roof the day we followed him."
"I thought we followed the wrong person..."
"No, it was him. Police also said that he is James Wilson, the wanted Psychopath."
"Do you think he is?" He asked.
"I don't think so. But I am so confused and scared. Adrian set the whole police station on fire to escape. He killed so many people... He's a killer, Chase."
"He had escaped from the police station?
Chase seemed worried now. There was a strange tension in his tone.
I nodded," He must have. I don't know what would happen. I'm so sorry; I dragged you into this mess."
"Hey, don't say that. It's not your fault."
He kissed the top of my head. We stopped at Marie's Grave for a while and then left the graveyard.
Chase smiled, "Hungry?"
I could feel my empty stomach churning.
"Lets' go to McDonald's." I offered him.
He opened the passenger door for me and I sat in. I was feeling so good sitting next to him. I closed my eyes, and traveled back few months to the time when there was no Adrian or Gabriella between us.
Chase spoke, "Let's just pick up the parcel and go to our favorite place."
We always used to go to a small place at the outskirts. It was a peaceful green piece of land, from where we used to see the mountains. I spent my whole childhood and teenage with Chase. He knew me more than my own mother.
"Best idea ever."
We reached the Drive-through of McDonald's in less than 15 minutes. There was a long queue there. The cars crawled forward so slowly.
Chase placed his hand on mine, "Lily, just don't worry about anything. I know, everything will be alright soon. We'll find a way to get out of this mess too."
"I hope so, Chase."
I stared out of the windows towards the main road. Chase switched on the radio, and a rock song was playing. He repeated the lyrics behind them, and crawled his car forward few spots.
Suddenly, I saw a black hooded person standing across the main road staring at us.
"Chase!"
I shook his arm without taking my eyes off the man.
"What happened?"
"Can you see that black hooded man across the road?"
He bent forward a little to see.
"There's no one there, Lily."
The man turned around and started walking down the main road. Suddenly, the rock music changed to the death tune.
"Oh my God! Chase,Somebody's going to die."
I looked around like crazy. I tried to open my door but it was stuck. Chase moved his car to the next spot. There was nothing suspicious visible, that could kill anyone. I looked around, as the music grew louder and louder. My eyes stopped at a lamp pole on my left side, but it was bending exactly above our car. It started shaking violently.
"GET OUT OF THE CAR" ."
Chase tried to open the door of his side but couldn't. He took out a Wrench from the instrument bag under his seat and broke the windscreen. As soon as we crawled out of the car, the pole smashed the car behind us, and the lamp fell on our car. The driver seat was completely smashed.
I screamed like crazy. Chase pulled me in his injured arms. There were little wounds all over our arms and legs because of crawling down through the broken glass. I saw the heads of the couple pressed against the dashboard in the car behind us. There was blood everywhere.
Chase made me sit on the side of the pavement and sat next to me with his arms around my shoulder. We waited for the ambulance silently.