The Girl With Metal Claws

Where Are You?

ELLIOTT

Garry was still not caught. He was still lurking in the shadows somewhere, gasping for breath or a little break from all of that. The thought formed a pit in Elliott's stomach as he walked through a narrow alley to the next location he was given.

Suddenly, he heard a loud noise from somewhere far. He knew that sound, he knew it too well. A bullet was shot. Then another and then another.

Elliott's gut tightened as he didn't want to think about the possibilities anymore. He ran. If he could quickly do the job and send the signal to Garry, they'd easily get out and drive away.

As he took another turn to another alleyway, his legs started slowing down. Elliott slowly lost the sense of his legs even being there. He was now as slow as walking, his face desperate to move faster but his body getting covered in numbness.

A familiar vibration took over his body and clouded his mind. But even through all of the things, he could feel a sharp chill cutting through his spine, goosebumps spreading across him.

"SOMEONE'S THERE. GET HIM!" A voice shouted from behind him and footsteps of two pair of legs running towards him could be heard faintly. His pace didn't quicken, he couldn't turn his head. He just closed his eyes, hoping for two bullets to pierce through his chest.

But instead, he heard shuffling and grunting noises from behind him. Suddenly, his body was back in shape and he fell on his knees, he could move.

He turned behind him to see two guards on the ground, unconscious. His breath heaved heavily, his face turned with horror.

He snapped his head around and looked at every corner, no one. How did they fall unconscious? How was he moving?

Only a voice came buzzing through his brain, nauseating him. A laugh, a demonic voice, and screeches. Then came her face, then came her eyes.

"You can't hurt me if I hurt you first." The words took over his head.

He started running. He could finally feel her around him.

Somewhere.. somewhere.. no.. everywhere.

He could feel her presence everywhere. Walking alongside him, following him, slowly strangling the life out of him.

How long?

He dared look behind him. An eye, white hair and blue fabric, that of a patient's, looked back at him from behind a wall.

His pace quickened. He ran and ran, still turning behind to find her behind the wall. She looked the same, terrified. As if Elliott was something she was scared of. But her fear was short-lived.

She slowly walked out from behind the wall. Her shoulders hunched, a soft curve playing at her lips, and it felt like a single movement of her fingers would blow off the whole city.

Elliott ran. What else he could do, he thought? It felt like the world was melting away between her and him. He wasn't running anymore, it felt as if he was drifting away.

He was walking into a nightmare but being chased by something worse.

Her hands slowly rose and stretched in front of her. Her palm was pointed at Elliott, her expression calm. Elliott knew trouble approaching towards him, he was nothing in front of her except.. another life.

Another victim.

Elliott turned to face forward and run to his people as fast as he could.

But before he realised it, he ran out of the alley and straight into the main road. Suddenly, something huge hit him.

The thrust and force of it made Elliott feel all his bones shatter one by one. He could feel incredible pain and blood splattering out of his mouth. His body pressed against the wagon just before his eyes closed.

The pain was fading out, eyes refusing to open, he felt his body smash on the ground.

"Kill me", he managed to speak out, because he sensed her presence hovering over him.

As he felt the blood scaling down his forehead, his body losing all sense of existence, he slipped into a deep sleep.

Resting.

~

A low and monotonous beep echoed through the room. Slowly, other noises settled in one by one.

Elliott was alive, he felt the urge to open his eyes.

He saw a whitewashed ceiling. He moved his head to see a window, a couch and various types of machines. A hospital, evenly clean and tidy which looked costly enough for any one of them to afford.

But this wasn't something new. He had ended up in a hospital more than he had knowledge of. But only this time, his memories were clearer than ever. The feeling, the place and even the pain was vivid in his head.

He reached out and pressed the button beside his hospital bed to call someone in.

Soon, a doctor and three nervous faces showed up inside the room.

"Thank god you woke up." George sighed, falling back on the couch in relief.

"If you went in a coma, that would've been a real headache." Fred nodded, his face lacking any hint of a smile.

The doctor had already walked to Elliott and started examining his eyes and mouth and temperature and condition. His face looked strangely surprised.

"I've never seen anything like this before." The doctor said, eyes wide.

"I've lost count of how many times you said that line, doctor." Jack rolled his eyes.

"It's as good as a miracle. He got hit by a huge wagon and he's still alive." The doctor laughed in genuine amazement.

"...so? Should he have died then?" Jack said, blinking in confusion.

"No bones broken, no internal bleeding, no wounds. Just a little blood loss which he has already recovered from. This is unbelievable." The doctor kept on musing.

That's when Elliott realised how he was feeling no pain. Instead, he felt extremely tired and weak but nothing made him want to scream out his lungs in pain like the last times.

He clearly remembered every little detail about the accident but how did he end up surviving? He wanted to have another answer to it. He didn't want to believe the eyes that were shadowing his brain as an answer to his questions.

"He's right," Fred said, looking away.

As he was informed later, the wagon driver took him to the hospital and informed George, Fred and Jack through Elliott's phone. He also paid for the hospital but didn't stay long.

"When can we take him home?" George asked, his face grim.

"We'll watch him for a few hours and then he's good to go." The doctor said.

The doctor also confessed that he had run a few minor tests on Elliott to bring a conclusion to the "miracle" he thought it was. The doctor was almost in the right way, but it was no miracle. It was the beginning of a curse.

~

"Where's.. did you see my phone?" Elliott croaked out, as they were on the road back.

"I have it," Fred said.

"Is it damaged?" Elliott said, hoping otherwise.

"Not much. A few scratches. It's working." Fred replied, his face focused forward.

"I need to meet Gabrielle." He said. He felt guilty because of all the 4 symbols Garry had told him about, Elliott was just able to click a picture of only one of them.

"She's waiting for us in the basement," George said, in a very intense voice. Elliott could hear his deep breaths falling heavily. He could hear the pitter-patter of the rain in the roof of the car, he could hear the noises of cars passing by, but he couldn't hear the unsaid words hanging around them.

"Did you... find something?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. Gabrielle is the only one who can tell." Elliott looked at Jack, who was nipping at his shirt.

The sign that he had seen in the backyard was the only thing he was able to get out of such a huge mission. But Elliott was still breathing and he was too guilty to ask about Garry. Deep down he hoped to see him back in the basement, with a proud smile on his face, saying "My ancestors were hunters. This was a piece of meat for me."

The four men stood in front of the basement door. Jack got down and knocked three times before unlocking it.

Steadily, they walked down through the dark staircase and into the gloomy basement.

Elliott couldn't see Garry anywhere. He just saw Gabrielle sitting on George's rocking chair, staring into nothingness. Her face was all sorts of scared. She looked like she was traumatised.

"G-Gabrielle? Are you okay?" George asked, stepping forward.

"We won't survive this," Gabrielle said, her eyes dead set on the black TV screen. "She's going to kill everyone."

Elliott flinched at how clearly he understood who she was talking about. Jack seemed to understand what was going on as he bolted across the room and switched the small TV on.

George was awkwardly trying to offer something to Gabrielle that would help her calm down.

The TV flickered on and everyone went still once again. The news reporter narrated...

"As we've been informed just an hour ago, yet another locality has been almost wiped out by the Phoenix with a terrifying 94 cold-blooded murders. The Sunnydale locality has been barricaded by the police with strict guarding. But people seem to not be entrusting their safety in the hands of the police because of the incident that happened earlier today. As the prime suspect, Garry Fernandez broke into the streets of Amberville without being spotted, chaos came along with it. The police chase of Garry Fernandez throughout the streets of Amberville has taken the whole city off guard. But no confirm news of him has come to us yet. Many have claimed that he was shot dead while running. A lot of others claimed to have watched him get arrested. We are yet to get confirmation about the situation of Garry Fernandez. So stay tuned and keep your eyes on WS World news."

Was he hiding?

Was he shot dead?

Or was he behind the bars?

But for most of it, was Garry even innocent?

Elliott tried running his mind through it, over and over again. The voices of concern around him blurred down.

"Damn it," Fred said, frustrated, banging his fist on the table. "I knew... knew Garry would get in trouble. It was my fault for letting him go."

Jack patted his back while Fred focused his eyes on the table.

"94 people in the same locality. That's her target now?" Gabrielle said, her eyes fierce.

"I'll find her and I'll stop her. No matter wherever she is." Elliott said, his fists balling up in rage.