A month later...
Matthew stared blankly at the television. He had nothing else to do and had nothing to think about ever since the detectives' defeat at the trial. All he could do was wait to attend another trial that would come soon—the trial of Emma and Mr. Bergen.
"This is CNN news. Eleven of the thirteen boar-like creatures found in Scranton Middle School last Saturday have been contained. Eight of them were culled, but the remaining three have been taken in to be studied. However, two of the creatures have yet to be found. The public is advised to be wary and call the Scranton PD or CDC if they happen to spot any of the creatures anywhere," the reporter announced. "The head of Commonwealth Health also commented that based on preliminary reports, the creatures are human, but seem to be infected by an unknown strain of encephalitis—," he said before Matthew turned to television off.
He couldn't care less about the escaped creatures. He didn't live in Scranton, after all. All he cared about was Emma and how she was doing. Things had been going south for the three of them ever since the disappearance of George and Penelope Pace.
Seeing that there was nothing better to do, he gave Daniel a call. "Hey, Dan. I'm thinking about visiting Emma again. Her trial is only three weeks from now, and I think it's best we show our care and concern by visiting her frequently," he said.
"I think that's a good idea. I'll come along too," Daniel replied.
"The facility opens for visiting at 10 am, so it's still a little early. You should grab a bite first," Matthew suggested.
"I will," Daniel said, seemingly, dejected. After pausing for a little while, which almost caused Matthew to hang up, he added another note. "Matt, wait. Do you want to have breakfast together?"
Matthew stopped to think for a while. "I mean, why not?" he replied. "I actually have a place in mind. It's all the way here in Columbus Circle, though, so it's a bit far for you."
Daniel chuckled discreetly. "I mean, if it's what you want, then I'm fine with it," he gave in. "We still have an hour before the visiting hours for the jail begin, and we don't have to go the minute it opens anyway."
"I'll meet you at... 9.30 am then," Matthew stated, glancing at his watch.
"All right. See you later."
Matthew sighed, staring at the TV screen. He pondered about the missing creatures that had run wild back in Scranton. He remembered Mr. Palmer's words, how he had warned them about the dangers of getting infected by one, and also the similar warning he had seen on the news.
And most of all, he wondered what Yael was really up to.
He dived into a deep session of reflection and careful thought, thinking about Yael's ulterior motives. They were obviously trying to gain something by crook and had to make it so confidential and unknown that they would kill anyone that got in their way or found out too much about them.
What were they trying to do in secret such that they had to even try to murder the detectives on their first encounter with the creature at the Allentown police precinct?
What was it that they were so desperately trying to cover up, such that they wouldn't allow Matthew and his friends to investigate the missing persons case of George and Penelope Pace?
And how was the missing persons case even related to Yael's vicious plans?
Matthew attempted to draw a connection between the recent events. The missing persons case. The assassination attempts on the detectives. The boar-like creatures.
As a result, he brought out a whiteboard and began writing and illustrating some of the events. He annotated all of them, seeing if he could make any sense out of what he wrote and suggested to himself.
Let's see... George and Penelope disappeared on May 9, 2020, he began. The two visited Edison Palmer Hospital earlier that day and were last seen there but were known to have gone home afterwards. A call for the ambulance was made at 6.15 pm on the same day by a boy who seemed to be George Pace. He reported that his sister, Penelope Pace, had bleeding eyes and cloudy vision, accompanied by random fits of anger. When the paramedic arrived, he claimed to have seen a brown figure charging at him, and thus, he left quickly.
He stepped back from the board for a moment, making sure that everything he had written was logical and added up.
Another creature was later found at an Allentown police precinct, and the captain attempted to murder us, revealing he was sent by Yael. This proves that Yael is trying to cover something up regarding the creature, he added the comments onto the whiteboard.
James Palmer, CEO of Palmer East Corporation, warned us that these creatures are actually human but are carriers of a deadly virus. The creatures are unable to think and only have the motive of attacking and harming humans. When a human is scratched, bitten or shares saliva with an infected subject—even before they transform into their new form—they become infected too.
He then drew lines and wrote additional comments to finish the mind map and help him see everything more clearly. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he began saying what was on his mind out loud.
"What if," he said aloud, "they are trying to begin an outbreak? It is fairly obvious, but come to think of it, it has never crossed my mind."
"But why?" he questioned himself. "Why would they want to cause a virus to spread? What would they gain from it?"
Matthew then jotted down the notes and theories at the corner of the almost filled-up whiteboard. The letters began to reveal to him what exactly Yael was trying to do—one by one.
"What could they do with a deadly virus that they release?" he added. "Maybe... they have prepared a cure. They want to make themselves look like heroes. While other companies struggle to find a solution to present to the government, they already have their cure hidden. And when they reveal their plans, they'll gain a good reputation and get paid by the government to round up and cure the infected subjects," he theorised, getting louder and louder as he reached his point.
"They want money and reputation!" he screamed suddenly as he stood up dramatically. And as he stood, his gaze first fell on the clock in front of him. "Crap, I'm going to be late," he remarked as he looked at the time. It was already 9.15 am. He rushed to slip his wallet and phone into his pouch. He sprinted towards his coat hanger, pulling off his coat forcefully, before dashing out of his apartment.
Matthew darted out of the elevator the instant the doors slid open, and he dashed down the sidewalk towards Joel's café. He prayed that he wasn't late—he just couldn't afford to show up later than Daniel was when he lived much nearer to the eatery. Fortunately, he arrived punctually, a few minutes before Daniel would turn up.
Unfortunately, the café was closed for a shocking reason.
Beyond the glass barriers that shut the café away from the bustling crowd of people rushing through the sidewalk, multiple items sat in the café. Everything seemed to be a tribute to the café owner.
A banner was hoisted onto a temporary wooden wall, and on it stated the words: In Loving Memory of Joel Ashford. In front of the banner was a table that had flowers laid out on the table, accompanied by a dozen cards.
Matthew gasped quietly as he covered his mouth with his hand. He couldn't believe what had happened. It was all so sudden, and it was hard for him to take in the truth.
Meanwhile, Daniel arrived, looking at Matthew. "Uh... Matt? Are you okay? You seem very... sad," Daniel commented. He then stared at the closed café. "Is it because the café is closed? You're overreacting, aren't you," he shook his head jokingly.
"N-no, Daniel. Look—inside," Matthew pointed towards the items inside the café.
Daniel peered through the slightly blurred glass barriers. He then noticed the things that were placed in the eatery. "Oh.... The café owner..." he corrected his tone, regretting how he had portrayed his mood in front of a tragic situation.
"I... I told his son Drake that he wouldn't know what he had until he lost it. And I told Drake that when his father dies one day, as everyone does, then will he realise how he had taken him for granted. Did I... did I jinx poor Joel?" Matthew cried out guiltily.
Daniel shook his head, patting Matthew on his shoulder, who slowly sunk to the ground into a squatting position. "There's no such thing as jinxing, Matthew. It just... it just happened, you know? You didn't cause his death, so don't blame yourself for it," Daniel reassured.
"I know I didn't cause his death. But... I can't believe I said that in front of him. And I never got to see him happy ever again. The last I saw of him was the day we went to the museum, and I could see the pain in his expression. I... I wish this all didn't happen," Matthew cried.
"I think we all wished none of this had happened. His passing. Megan's disappearance. Emma's fate. But all this will be temporary. Once we take down Yael, we'll get back what we lost. We'll find Megan. We'll free Emma. And... we'll meet Joel in the afterlife. So don't fret too much about it," Daniel explained.
Matthew nodded. "All right. I'll... take that into consideration..." he said as he picked up his pouch and continued walking on.
"Where are you going?" Daniel then questioned.
"We... we still need to eat, don't we?" Matthew replied as he gestured to Daniel to follow his lead. "How about Rose Bakery?" he suggested, wiping his tears away.
"Sure," Daniel responded as he sprinted to catch up with Matthew's quick pace.