Smoke and Glory

•11•

"What!" I yell back into the phone but it's too late, the 3 little dot noises occur meaning that hes hung up, leaving me, in shock, with the simple sentence of, you're next. Shit. I'm next. I'm the next victim. I'm next to be dead, shit, shit, shit! I'm terrified. Beyond terrified. I place back down the phone my hand shaking excessively as I grip onto it just so I can place the phone back into the correct place and not have it fall out after. I feel the sweat on my head falling quickly as I do something that I've debated doing for a long time now and I open the Locked drawer on my desk using the key that I purposely keep in my back pocket for moments like this and I reach in, touching it, knowing what it is, I debate once again if this is the best idea as I remove my gun. I place it carefully on the desk, looking at it and having it there instantly brings a small amount of relief to me as in a way it stands for protection and support, and I quickly make sure that the door to my office is mostly closed, so much so I can see out but no one can see in, but with a small crack in it too to allow me to be able to hear things that are coming either up the lift or down the corridor. I listen. I breathe a sigh of relief for no sounds appear expect the small subtle sound of my quick passed breathing as the fear settles inside of me knowing know that I am protected as I give a quick glace down at the gun. I sit back down on the desk, the gun lying inches away as I reach behind me and place back down my laptop and scroll through my emails, trying to pass the time and distract myself but the only things I've got in my inbox are those stupid 'you've won a prize just enter your details' things that are simple a way for people to scam you and steal your money and I press the little bin Button and transfer all of them into the bin, leaving my inbox empty except for all the work related emails of which I've already looked at a million times before, all of them talking about events that have already happened and I for a second debate calling detective griffin upon seeing a email I got from her 2 weeks ago but I don't want to worry her. I don't need her involved especially if there is a chance that she may get injured or even worse. Killed. I wipe the sweat off my forehead once again my hands still shaking but not as much as I reopen the case file and then start typing once again, John Doe #81 and then I begin typing in the rest having to leave big gaps where the facts remain unknown and shall remain unknown until an actually identify is discovered, the only thing I can fill in I already wrote down and that is simply cause of death. And in large letters at the top I type 'victim 4 of the card killer' the card killer is now what we've come to calling him I mean what else can we call him, he leaves a playing card as a calling card on his bodies and so the use of the card only seems fitting and there's nothing else you can really call him, he never kills the same way and the only thing that ties the bodies together is the freaky phone calls I get and the card. Which once again reminds me of the call I recently got declaring that I'm next. That I'll be victim number 5 and it's then that I hear it. The lift. I hear the loose bolts rattling around as it goes up or comes down I can't tell but a shiver goes down my spine as I hear the doors open on the floor I'm on and I reach across the table grabbing my gun and walking around closer to the door where I've left the smallest crack open but I open it more to see what's going on and I watch as slowly as a shadow walks around the corner getting closer and closer to turning and my breathing gets faster and faster as the sweat coming down from my head gets thicker and thicker, I'm terrified, even more then terrified and I watch as the shadow turns the corner I start holding out my gun and then there it is. It turns the corner. But I breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing who it is for it's just doctor grant going down to the supply closet, and as I place my gun back down on my desk I can't believe what I almost did I almost shot, doctor grant I almost shot my collègue and friend; what the hell is wrong with me! I try to calm myself down and I try to breathe normally again as the air tries desperately to fill my lungs. But my lungs hurt. And there's a firery sensation in my chest, it's so painful and it's like 100 knives are just constantly stabbing me. Im shaking excessively my hands uncontrollable and i feel myself getting cold then suddenly really hot as I fan myself excessively before having to stop as a cold sensation comes flooding over me. And as pain increases in my chest i involuntary place my hand there trying to stop the roaring burning sensation within. I try to yell out help! but it hurts too much to yell, it hurts to much to even speak. I'm rapidly, shallowly breathing struggling to get enough air into my lungs. And I can't feel my body as I grip onto the table close to falling onto the floor with one hand on my chest as the fire within it increases and the pain just gets worse. I find myself starting to panic, getting more and more worried as I try to yell help as the painful sensation increases with each passing second. Soon my hand drops from the table and I fall onto the floor unable to do it and unable to support myself as I let myself and my body give up. I barely remember detective griffin entering the room and seeing me, running over while slipping her phone out of her pocket to call an ambulance, "911, yes hello this is detective griffin I need a ambulance at the morgue doctor Lucy Snow has collapsed" she yells rather aggressively into the phone as she picks up my head and rests it gently on her legs and she tries to keep me calm while the stabbing sensations get worse. My breathing gets slower and more irregular and my eyes are staring to give up, I'm so cold I'm shaking and as I gently close my eyes and begin greeting the darkness, I hear detective griffin say "hang on... please Lucy"