The Lost Holmes Girl (Watty's 2015)

Chapter 10

For NerdGirl64, you've been very supportive, and I'd like to dedicate this heartbreaker to you. 

Jim and I were making out when Sherrinford came in. "Oh god. Again??" He muttered. "How are we supposed to play the bloody game if you guys are busy canoodling each other?!" Sherrinford yelled in frustration. "Urgh, teenagers." Well, Jim is actually 25 now, going on 26. So, not teenagers. And who on Earth uses the word canoodle anyway?!

I pulled away from Jim. The parallels. I was just like Sherrinford when Jim had Sebastian. And now he has me. I had a horrible thought. All the people Jim loved were dead. Am I gonna be next? Unlikely, as I'm always holed up here, but that didn't stop that intruder from breaking in and killing Bass. I tried to push these negative thoughts back but I made it worse.

"Well, today is the day." Sherrinford said. The day Sherlock Holmes will fall. The day we win against the consulting detective. Jim grinned. He was thinking what I was thinking.

"The day we win!" Jim laughed.

"Are we all gonna have battle cries now?" I asked, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

"Remember what we discussed. Sherry and Sherrinford, you both will be in the room opposite St. Bart's. You'll get a full view of us. And you both will be able to listen in the conversation. Any questions?" We both shook our heads. "Good."

"Let the games begin." I said grimly.
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For a while nothing happened. Jim sent the two of us earlier, to check out the place. Comfortable. A couch was pulled to the window so that I could see it clearly. Sherrinford set up his sniper at another window, so that I wasn't disturbed by the gun. I was listening to music, as a confidence booster. Gosh that was a little girly.

I was seated on the couch when Jim said all systems were at go. "It's show time!" Jim said. I smiled. Sherlock won't know what hit him. 

St. Bart's Hospital is just opposite the building Sherrinford and I were in. I saw Jim perched atop the wall. He sat there until Sherlock finally came up to the roof. "Well. Here we are at last. You and me, Sherlock. And our problem. The Final Problem. "Staying Alive". So boring, isn't it? It's just...staying. All my life I've been searching for distractions. And you were the best distraction and now I don't even have you. Because I've beaten you. And you know what? In the end it easy. It was easy. Now I've got to go back to playing with the ordinary people. And it turns out you're ordinary. Just like all of them. Oh well." Oh Jim. He sure can talk a lot. "Did you start to wonder if I was real? Did I get ya?" 

"Richard Brook." Sherlock said, his face grim. 

"Nobody seems to get the joke. But you do." 

"Of course." Sherlock seemed offended a little. 

"Atta boy!" 

"Rich Brook in German is Reichenbach. The case that made my name." 

"Just tryin' to have some fun." Jim said. Sherlock started tapping. It was the so-called binary code to the key. The key to open all doors. That reminded me of Jim's words. The man with the key is King. But the woman with the key to my heart is the Queen. 

"Beats like digits. Every beat is a one, every rest is a zero. Binary code.That's why all those assassins tried to save my life. It was hidden on me, hidden inside my head. A few simple lines of computer code that can break into any system." 

"Told all my clients. Last one to Sherlock is a sissy." I smiled. He really is hilarious. 

Sherrinford looked over to me. "You look like you've got a cute message from your boyfriend." He said. "Twitterpatted, actually." He corrected himself. 

"I am not a bunny!" I protested. Sherrinford let out a small chuckle. He muttered something along the lines of 'bunny' and 'fox'. I went back to the whole Rooftop Confrontation, as it's way better than being teased by my older brother. I tuned out of the confrontation for a minute. I got distracted by something in Jim's pocket. The outline is a little similar to a gun. Why would Jim carry a gun around? He doesn't do his dirty work. I pondered on this. Sherlock moved to stand in front of Jim. I could barely see Jim. It's like Sherlock knows we're here and is trying to block our view. And succeeding. 

A gunshot echoed through. Sherlock moved backwards. Oh my god. Oh my god. "JIM!!!" I yelled, jumping off the couch. Sherrinford yelped and went after me. I raced down the stairs, my heart racing. No no no this can't be! He can't be...dead. "JIM!" I yelled again. Sherrinford tackled me to the ground. I was so close to the door. I need to see him! "Let go of me!" I tried to wriggle out of Sherrinford's vice-like grip on my shoulders, which I knew was futile, as Sherrinford is one hell of a strong guy. He pinned me down, while I trashed about, screaming and crying. 

"Shh...Sherry...." Sherrinford held me. I was screaming, no I was wailing now. Like a bloody banshee. Jim, my Jim, can't be dead! He can't be dead. He shouldn't. He wouldn't! I refuse to accept it! "Sherry, calm down." Sherrinford said. He sighed as I elbowed him in the chin. "You really don't do as you're told, do you?" He said. I felt something like a pinch on my forearm. Oh great. He actually poked me with a syringe filled with a liquid that I was sure is a sedative. I felt a little dizzy as I slipped out of consciousness. 

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I woke up in my bed. It was almost night. I was about to look for Jim when I remembered. Suddenly it felt like someone dropped a grand piano on top of me. Crushed against the weight of reality. I could feel the walls closing in on me. I started to gasp and splutter as I had trouble breathing. Sherrinford entered my room, panicking. He rushed over to me and said something, but I couldn't hear anything except for that gunshot, repeating over and over again. Sherrinford tried to shake me out of my daze, his wide eyes searching my face for some clues on how to help me out of my state of shock. I was shaking uncontrollably. Tears streamed down my face as I imagined Jim's dead body, lying on the concrete floor. 

At last I slipped back into the darkness of unconsciousness.

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After waking up and crying all over again, Sherrinford gave up and said that he'd be watching me until I'm a little better. I woke up with him sleeping in the chair that Jim used to sit on. Blinking back tears, I pulled a blanket over Sherrinford's body. I found the blanket in my closet. 

I looked like a mess. My hair is so messed up and tangled. My eyes red-rimmed. My nose like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I need a long shower. Better yet, I'll get a bubble bath. God knows if I stink or not. 

After looking decent enough, I went out of my room to eat. I made scrambled eggs. Sherrinford came down, his hair rumpled, still sleepy. "You okay?" He asked me in his deep voice. I nodded, not making eye contact for fear of collapsing into a mess, again. "Sherry." He said, leaning towards me. "I'm sorry, for what I did." He said. I forced myself to look into his brilliant blue eyes. "I shouldn't have knocked you out. I mean, your boyfriend just died and-" I let out a small gasp. His eyes widen when he realized what he said. "Well, we weren't sure. We didn't find the body, or anything. All we found was blood." 

So there's hope. He could be alive somewhere, bleeding but alive. I need to keep this in mind. I could find him. He can't be dead. "He's not dead, he's too smart for that." I finally croaked out. "And I'm going to find him. No matter what."