The Man in White- Pt. 6
Thankfully I grew unconscious quite quickly. I don't know what happened next. My memory only remembers waking up on a bed dripping in sweat.
"He's awake." I could hear John's voice from the room next door. Both Laura and John walked in with concerned looks on their faces.
"How're you feeling?" he asks. "Are you still hallucinating or have they stopped?"
"It's stopped. How'd I get here? Where am I?"
Between the two of them, they tell me what happened. When I started to hallucinate, John had quickly called to Laura to help him. Apparently I refused to get up from the street, so seeing no other alternative John knocked me unconscious and carried me up to Laura's office.
"You went white, Tom. Never seen you quite so scared."
I'd been out for several hours. I had a suspicion the two of them had a very long talk, but decided not to delve into it.
"So is this a sign that your hallucinations are getting worse?" Laura asked.
"It would seem that way."
"Actually..." John had that look upon his face. It's the one where he is logical brain kicks in and takes over. "I don't think it is a sign you're getting worse. The collapse should be gradual right? But from the way you looked that seemed like quite a strong hallucination."
What are you implying John?"
"Someone's dosing you. Can I see those pills you took?"
I hand him the bottle and he takes one. He nods his head.
"Very mild hallucinogenic. Wouldn't have much of an effect normally, but because of your condition..."
This is just what I needed another piece of the puzzle that didn't fit with any other pieces.
This brings us back to how are story began. Laura had not received word from her contact and I was in no state to continue my investigation. I went back to get some sleep. As you can know it wasn't peaceful.
A Mr Taylor had been murdered quite violently so John went to investigate. It was when John returned to show me the fabric that Laura called.
"Turn on the news" she said.
So we did. There greeting us were 6 more bodies, murdered in a violent fashion.
I can't work this one out and neither can she. One of the bodies, Laura tells me is her contact. One of them is Taylor. But the other four are completely unrelated from what we can tell (I suspect Taylor was unrelated as well). It throws any pattern out of order.
"Any chance these are coincidental murders?"
"No. Just asked a friend of mine in the police. He said they found small traces of blood and so on- DNA essentially- that link these murders to the attack on the two police men in the building. But they don't know who's DNA it is. Seems to be missing from their database."
We discussed it for a few more minutes. Before he died, her contact told her to go to King's Bridge Railway station. He said that he'd left something in one of the lockers.
In retrospect, that should have set off alarm bells. It was only after she'd left to find it that it occurred to me that it might be a trap.
The car wheels screamed round the corner into King's Bridge Railway Station. Jumping out of the car John takes the lead sprinting into the station. He is gone before I can stop him. It is deserted. Perfect place to hurt someone then disappear.
Stupid! Stupid! So obvious. Even if the same man was killing people randomly there was no telling what the contact had told his killer. Or if the killer had worked out where the drop point was.
I hear a scream and then sounds of a struggle. Coming from the platforms above. The words stupid! keeps repeating in my head as I race up the stairs. Working on nothing but adrenaline and guided by nothing but what I hear, I approach the lockers. Standing there, a blade in his hand is the man in white.
He's got a black eye. Good old Laura.
But Laura isn't incredibly strong. He shoves her down on the floor and readies the blade.
Now would be the time to intervene, I tell myself. Searching for a weapon I find a broken off locker door. Grabbing it, I rush towards him and swing it towards his head. He spirals backwards but somehow shrugs it off. I look into his eyes and see a mad man.
This is real madness. This is the psychotic nightmares that make Hollywood. Someone who will brutally kill and continue to kill for his own twisted reasons.
I don't intend to give him a chance. I swing the locker door again, but this time he blocks. He throws in my direction and I dodge. Instinct takes over.
The main aim of any fight is to hit the other guy until he stops hitting you. No rules. No restrictions. Hit first.
He punches again. I dodge and his face meets my elbow. He blinks back the pain, dropping his knife and shoves me to the floor. He turns to Laura, drops on one knee and tries to strangle her. I say try. It would be easier for him if she hadn't stuck both her thumbs in his eyes.
He doesn't let go however so I get up and kick up him across the chest, all the while wondering where the hell John's gone.
I've winded him somewhat and got him to let go, but it's clear he won't go down easy. Grabbing the locker door I smash it across his face. He's still standing. He smashes the door out of my hand and then reaches down and scoops up his knife. He lunges for me and I'm not fast enough. He cuts deep into my arm.
He tries to lunge again but this time I grab his arm. We dance round the locker room and he pushes me up against the wall. Suddenly Laura shows up and kicks him in the crotch. He doubles over and loosens his grip. Regaining his resolve he punches her hard. She collapses against one of the lockers.
I struggle but it's no use. He's too strong.
This would be the ending if John hadn't shown up. Out of the corner of my eye I see him running towards us. He plucks the man in white out of the air like a rag doll, like he's rugby tackling him. It's almost something a bull would do. Running towards the edge of the platform John flings the murderer forward. I see a white flash tumble into the black below.
There is a thud and it is all over.
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For the Wordmongers' Masque