ZEN
Pain seared through my head as I slowly regained consciousness. The first thing I noticed was the cold, hard floor beneath me and the sound of rain pounding against the windows. My vision blurred, and I blinked several times to clear it. As the fog in my mind lifted, the memory of Noah's attack crashed over me like a tidal wave.
I reached up to touch my head, wincing as my fingers brushed against a sticky, wet patch. Blood. My head was bleeding. I forced myself to sit up, my body protesting with every movement. The room was dark, the only light coming from the occasional flash of lightning outside.
Noah was gone.
I struggled to my feet, using the wall for support. The house felt eerily silent, the only sounds the rain and my own ragged breathing. My mind raced, piecing together the fragments of information I had gathered. Noah was the murderer. The realization hit me with a sickening thud. He had been living with me for days, hiding his true nature, and now he was out there, somewhere in the night.
I had to get to the Chief. I had to tell him everything.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in my head, I stumbled towards the door. Each step felt like an eternity, my body weighed down by exhaustion and fear. I grabbed my phone from the table, the screen cracked but still functional. No signal. The storm must have knocked out the cell towers.
I couldn't wait. I had to get to the precinct.
I grabbed my jacket and keys, my hands shaking as I locked the door behind me. The rain was relentless, soaking me to the bone within seconds. I slipped and slid on the wet pavement, my vision blurring again as the blood continued to drip from my head. But I couldn't stop. I had to keep moving.
The drive to the precinct was a blur of rain-slicked streets and flashing lights. My mind was a whirlwind of fear and determination. I had to stop Noah. I had to end this nightmare.
When I finally arrived, I burst through the doors, drenched and bleeding. The officers on duty stared at me in shock, but I didn't have time to explain. I made a beeline for the Chief's office, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Chief!" I shouted, bursting into his office. He looked up from his desk, his eyes widening in alarm.
"Zen, what happened?" he asked, rushing to my side.
"Noah," I gasped, struggling to catch my breath. "He's alive. He's been living with me for days. He's the murderer."
The Chief's face paled, and he immediately called for backup. "Get a team together," he ordered one of the officers. "We're going after Noah Dela Cruz."
As the officers scrambled to prepare, the Chief turned back to me. "Are you sure about this, Zen?"
I nodded, my vision swimming. "He attacked me. We have to stop him."
The Chief placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "We'll get him, Zen. But you need medical attention. You're bleeding."
"I'll be fine," I insisted, though the room was starting to spin. "We need to find him before he hurts anyone else."
The Chief hesitated but nodded. "Alright. But you're staying here. You're in no condition to go back out there."
I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right. My body was on the verge of collapse. I watched as the officers geared up, their expressions grim and determined. The hunt for Noah had begun.
As they left, the Chief turned to me. "We'll find him, Zen. I promise."
I nodded, sinking into a chair as the adrenaline began to wear off. The pain in my head was becoming unbearable, and I knew I needed medical attention. But all I could think about was Noah, out there in the storm, a predator on the loose.
---
Hours passed in a haze of pain and anxiety. The sound of rain was a constant backdrop, the rhythmic drumming against the windows a relentless reminder of the turmoil outside. Every creak of the station made me jump, expecting Noah to appear at any moment, his face a mask of violence and betrayal.
An officer brought me an ice pack for my head and some painkillers. "Here, take these," she said gently, her eyes full of concern. "The paramedics are on their way."
I took the pills, washing them down with a glass of water she handed me. The cold compress against my head was a small relief, but it did little to calm my racing thoughts.
The door to the Chief's office burst open, and Detective Harris hurried in, his face ashen. "Chief, we just got a call. There's been another murder."
My heart sank. "Where?" I demanded, rising to my feet despite the Chief's protests.
"An abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town," Harris replied. "Same MO. It's him."
The Chief cursed under his breath. "Damn it. We were so close."
I staggered towards the door, determination overriding my body's protests. "I'm coming with you."
"Zen, no," the Chief said firmly. "You're in no condition—"
"I have to," I insisted, my voice breaking. "This is my fault. I have to make it right."
The Chief looked at me for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. But you stay in the car until we secure the scene. Understood?"
I nodded, relief and dread mingling in my chest. The drive to the warehouse was a blur, the rain-slicked streets and flashing lights a chaotic backdrop to my racing thoughts. My mind was a whirlwind of fear and determination. I had to stop Noah. I had to end this nightmare.
---
The warehouse loomed ahead, a dark silhouette against the stormy sky. The air was thick with tension as the officers moved in, their guns drawn and flashlights cutting through the darkness. I stayed in the car as ordered, my eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of Noah.
The Chief's voice crackled over the radio. "We're inside. No sign of him yet."
My heart pounded in my chest, every second feeling like an eternity. The warehouse was silent, the only sounds the patter of rain and the distant rumble of thunder.
Suddenly, the radio erupted with frantic voices. "We've found a body. It's bad. Real bad."
I felt a cold chill run down my spine. "Who is it?" I asked, my voice trembling.
The Chief's voice came back, grim and shaken. "It's... it's Detective Marshall. He's dead."
Tears blurred my vision as I clenched my fists, the weight of guilt and sorrow crushing me. Marshall had been a good man, a dedicated officer. And now he was gone, another victim of the nightmare that was Noah.
"Zen," the Chief's voice broke through my despair. "Stay in the car. We're still searching the area."
I nodded, though he couldn't see me, my body trembling with a mixture of fear and anger. I stared out at the rain, my thoughts a chaotic mess of regret and determination. I had to end this. I had to stop Noah before anyone else got hurt.
Minutes felt like hours as I waited, the tension growing with every passing second. Then, a shout echoed from the warehouse. "We've got movement! He's here!"
My heart leaped into my throat as I strained to see through the rain and darkness. Flashlights bobbed and weaved, the officers' shouts blending with the storm.
"He's on the roof!" someone yelled, the beam of a flashlight cutting through the rain to reveal a shadowy figure scrambling up the side of the building.
"Noah!" I screamed, my voice lost in the chaos. I threw open the car door, ignoring the Chief's orders, and ran towards the warehouse.
The rain lashed against my face, the cold seeping into my bones as I sprinted across the parking lot. The officers were already on the move, scaling the building in pursuit of Noah. I followed, my mind a whirlwind of fear and determination.
I reached the side of the warehouse, my hands gripping the cold, wet metal of the ladder. My body protested with every movement, but I forced myself to climb, my eyes locked on the figure above.
The officers were already in position, their guns trained on the shadowy figure at the edge of the roof. Noah moved with a frightening, almost animalistic grace, his silhouette stark against the stormy sky.
"Don't move!" the Chief shouted, his voice cutting through the storm. "Noah, it's over!"
Noah stood still, his back to us, the wind whipping his hair and clothes. I took a step forward, my heart pounding in my chest. The silence was suffocating, the tension unbearable.
For a moment, Noah turned his head slightly, just enough for me to see his eyes in the dim light. They were cold, devoid of any humanity. There was no recognition, no hint of the boy I once knew. Only a chilling emptiness.
Without warning, he bolted, sprinting across the roof with a speed and agility that seemed almost inhuman. The officers shouted and scrambled after him, but he was too quick, too elusive. He disappeared over the edge, vanishing into the night.
I reached the top of the ladder, gasping for breath, and looked out over the rain-soaked city. There was no sign of him, just the endless expanse of darkness and the relentless pounding of the storm.
"He's gone!" one of the officers shouted, frustration and fear mingling in his voice.
The Chief swore, lowering his gun. "Damn it. Spread out! He can't have gone far."
I stood there, drenched and shivering, my heart heavy with dread.
Noah was out there, somewhere in the night, a predator on the loose. And he wouldn't stop.
*********