VWAPAAA!!! LET'S DO THIS THANG!!! (I'm gonna shut up now... Please enjoy the fantasy thingamajiger.)
Chapter 3: Meeting the Murderer
I slip my hand down to my knife and flip it open an inch from Briggs's face. He stumbles to his feet and tries to run away, but I grab his ankle and he falls over again. I pin him to the ground and put the knife to his neck.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you right now, Briggs." I hiss through clenched teeth.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait wait!!" he pleads. "You're James Xyles, aren't you?!"
"I am, as a matter of fact. You wanna finish off my entire family?" I push the knife closer to his throat.
"I didn't kill your family!" he says defensively.
"Oh, yeah?" I can hear the hatred and anger in my voice as the words come out of my mouth.
"I didn't! I swear on my life!!" His voice wavers with fear.
"Your life?! And what is that worth?!" I shout in his face.
"Listen to me. I didn't do it. You have to believe me. They didn't have any evidence when they arrested me. I swear I had nothing to do with it!" Tears of sheer terror escape from his eyes. "Please, you gotta believe me."
I look at him quizzically. His crying doesn't seem to be fake, so maybe he's telling the truth. Then again, I see that my knife is drawing a lot of blood from his neck. I back my knife off slowly and examine his face again. I can't see anything in his eyes that would tell me that he was lying. He doesn't have the eyes of a murderer, and I've seen murderous eyes many times before. I don't know why...but I believe him.
I slowly release him and he stands up. He looks at me and smiles greatfully.
"Thank you." he says sincerely.
"Whatever." I say, then notice that his neck is still bleeding. More now than before.
"Aw, man." he says and winces, wiping some blood from his neck.
"Come with me," I tell him. I have a friend that's a doctor. She's probably the only one he could go to right now without being arrested right after. I doubt she'd turn him in if I said not to.
"A-alright." he says, trying to stop his neck from bleeding by putting his hand up to his cut.
"I'm sorry about that," I apologize. "I just thought that--"
"I totally understand. No big deal." he says.
I lead him towards the hospital in an alley, we don't need anyone noticing him. We talk most of the way and now I truly do believe him. He actually seems really nice.
When we get to the hospital I tell Joseph to wait outside and hide somewhere until I come back. He doesn't object and hides in a nearby bush. It's dark enough outside that nobody will see him.
I walk in the hospital and go to the front desk and ask the receptionist where I can find Cathrine Jay.
"Floor 3, room 12." she says, looking at her computer.
"Thanks." I say, then walk to the elevator and go up to the third floor, then walk down the hallway to the room I was told.
I knock on the door and when it opens, I'm greeted by Cathrine's, unnatural looking, bright red hair and her angry face.
"What is it now, James?" she asks in a upset tone. "Get shot again?"
"Well, yes, many times since you saw me last, but that's not what I'm here for." I reply.
"Make it quick." she demands.
" 'Kay. Follow me." I tell her.
I take her outside-- more like drag her by her wrist-- to the bush where Joseph is hiding and show her where I cut him.
"Looks pretty bad," she says, examining the wound. "Come on."
She leads us back inside and is careful not to let anyone see Joseph. We go up to a vacant room and Cathirine sits Joseph down on a hospital bed.
"Wait here one second, please." she tells him.
"Sure thing." he replies.
"Thanks." she says, then drags me out of the room and shuts the door. "What is wrong with you!? I can't believe how much of an idiot you are! He killed your dad and your brother, James!! Why on earth would you want to help him!?"
"Because, he didn't." I reply. "He's innocent."
"And how do you know this?" she shouts. "He could easily be lying to you!"
"He's not!" I shout back. "Trust me."
She looks at me for a second, trying to let the rage in her eyes show. She goes back in the room and slams the door behind her. I go to a chair in the hallway, sit down, and wait.
I wait there for about twenty minutes before Joseph walks out of the room with his neck stitched and bandaged.
"Hey." he says and takes the seat next to me.
I look at him, then look away. "Hey."
A few minutes pass and then, out of nowhere, Joseph says, "... Must be tough, huh? I've heard quite a bit about you. You're a pretty amazing kid."
"I don't think tough covers it." I groan. "With no family, power hungry psychopaths interrogating and torturing me about some stupid weapon plans, and the fact that I can't find the murderer that killed Peter and my father...!" My voice rises with anger.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring anything up. I was just curious." he says back.
"It's fine... Don't worry about it."
Cathrine walks out of the room not long after. She sees us sitting together and glares at both of us, then walks back into the room.
"So, Joseph," I say, to break the tension. "Got a place to stay tonight?"
"Not exactly." he says.
"Well I guess I could let you come with me," I offer. "I can't just let you sleep in an alley or something."
"No, I couldn't go with you. You've done to much for me today." he says.
"I pinned you down and cut your neck open because of my temper." I say. "It's the least I could do."
"Fine, all right." he finally agrees.
Cathrine opens the door, drags me in the room, then slams the door behind us.
"You asked him to stay at your house!? What is wrong with you, you idiot!!?" she shouts in a whisper, then kicks my shin.
"Ow! I told you he's innocent." I say.
"Well I'm not buying it." she replies. "He's going to kill you! For real this time!"
"Then have him stay here."
"Are you kidding me!? I don't want a murderer here! There are tons of helpless people here!"
"And I'll be supervising him all night. Relax. Nothing's gonna happen."
"No!"
"Come on. Be reasonable. Unless you want just me and him alone at my house."
"... Fine." she says sternly. "But I'll be watching him, too, in case you fall asleep, which I know you will. And you owe me. Big time."
"I owe you quite a lot now."
"And you haven't paid me back at all."
"I'll get around to it."
"No you won't." she says.
I grin at her.
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I know it sucks, but I try... Maybe the next chapter will be better... I don't know...
-Demy Nom
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