The Death Game

Chapter 34

-Addlestone, the abandoned factory-

Juliet and Sherlock were on their way to Addlestone, the abandoned factory where the kidnapped children had been taken to . They had accidentally caught and brought Abygaëlle along with them as she was making her way to Scotland Yard to pick up some papers. Several police cars raced to a disused factory, stopping, all police officers with Sherlock and Lestrade ran inside the building. Inside all the officers had switched on their flashlights and officer Sally was coordinating the police as they started to search for the children in all directions.

Outside the building, Juliet had to wait and look after Abygaëlle who had been caught on in this mess. Quickly getting bored because she wasn't getting any action, Juliet quickly grabbed her friend by the arm and dragged her inside. Officers were now running after the two ladies, to try and stop them from getting inside, yet with a mind of her own, Juliet kept walking towards the dark building, turning on her flashlight and taking her gun out of her purse.

''You, look over there. Look everywhere.'' officer Sally was heard inside, shouting at her team as she told the men where to go, ''Okay, spread out, please. Spread out!''

Lestrade led another team with Sherlock and others into another part of the factory. Juliet quietly approached the group, followed by her friend Abygaëlle who was gripping her arm tightly. As Sherlock noticed them, he looked back at them with a confused and disappointed look, the girl returned it with a small shrug and a small smile. As they made their way deeper into the factory, they all stopped as they found empty chocolate wrappers scattered on the floor around a candle on a plate. Sherlock squatted down and touched the wick of the candle.

''The candle was still burning a few moments ago.'' he muttered before calling out loudly, ''They're still here!'' he examined the wrappers, ''Chocolate wrappers. What's he been feeding you?... Hansel and Gretel.''

Sherlock then quickly picked up a candy wrapper and looked at it more closely. He then held the wrapper closer to the beam of his flashlight and sniffed it loudly, before slowly touching the top of his tongue to it. His face turned into an ugly grimacing, as he tasted the inside of the wrapper. He looked at the wrapper, his eyes widening in startled realization at what he had just tasted.

''Mercury.'' he said with a frown as the others looked at him in confusion, ''The papers: they're painted with mercury, it's lethal. The more of the chocolate they ate...''

''It was killing them.'' Juliet groaned.

''But this is not enough to kill them on its own. Taken in large enough quantities, eventually it would kill them.'' Sherlock explained, ''Moriarty didn't need to be there for the execution. Murder by remote control. He could be a thousand miles away.'' he smirked, ''The hungrier they got, the more they ate... the faster they died.''

A few steps away from Lestrade's team, officer Sally saw something in the light of her flashlight. She moved closer, quickly realizing that it was a little girl sitting on the ground with her brother's head on her lap. The boy's eyes were closed as the little girl looked round at Sally. The children's faces were covered with chocolate, they looked sick and tired. Without lifting the light off the children, Sally called out for the others to come over.

The officers were now trying to get the children to come out of their hiding place but they were afraid of them with their big flashlight. The children resisted and shook their heads. Sally then bent over and squatted on the floor next to them. She smiled at the boy and the girl warmly as she reassured them with kind words. They kids looked back at her as a flicker of joy lit up in their youthful eyes, slowly they stood up and crept out of their hiding place.