Part XXII: Murder
Date: Amanela 19th, 114 A.U.
Astrid flashed her ID card and the sliding doors opened. She stepped forward, feeling the weight of the item in her pocket and bit the inside of her lip. As she walked through to the ward, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man dressed as a doctor pass by and look at her. And her blood chilled. It was him.
Astrid turned to keep her gaze forward and breathed heavily. If she didn’t kill him, she would die herself and they’d find another way to kill him. It wouldn’t be wrong of her to kill the man! He would die eventually—less people would die this way. She couldn’t truly save his life! Any rational person would have made the same choice as her in this situation. There was nothing wrong about it.
Opening the door, Astrid entered the ward to where the man lay, sleeping, on the bed. She was supposed to check his blood pressure and other readings. Slowly, Astrid checked the man’s blood pressure and then looked at other readings while she slowly drew the shot out of her pocket. She stared down at it and almost felt like throwing it away from her, but she only clenched her fist around it.
Astrid slowly walked over to the man and drew the covers back to reveal his arm. Astrid slowly lay the point of the needle over the man’s vein and her breathing quickened. Murder. She was going to kill a man. Her pursuers could probably blackmail her about this later to make sure that she kept with them. Once she killed him, there was no going back.
Astrid swallowed hard and gripped the side of the bed to steady herself. Focus, Astrid. Focus on the assignment. Slowly, Astrid slightly raised the needle up a bit, and then she jabbed it into the man. Ok, now focus. Just push it down and inject the fluid.
Astrid bit her lip and tried to will herself to inject the fluid into him, but she still didn’t press it in. Her heart beat faster. She knew that she had to do it now. If someone else came in and saw her, she would be in huge trouble. The note on the needle said it would be untraceable. No one would know that she did it. And if she didn’t do it, she’d just find herself dead the day later.
Astrid’s breathing quickened, and she closed her eyes, feeling the blood pulse through her veins. And then, gripping the side of the bed, Astrid tightened her grip on the shot and pushed down on it, injecting the fluid into the man. Astrid felt her legs nearly give way, but she held herself up until it was all injected.
Opening her eyes, Astrid breathed hard as she lifted the needle up. Her hand shook and the needle dropped, clattering and rolling on the floor. Biting back a curse word, Astrid knelt down and snatched up the needle, shoving it back into her pocket. She had just killed a man. She, a nurse, had just killed her patient.
Astrid’s whole body quivered and she suddenly collapsed to the ground, tears running down her face. How could she do this? How could she have just murdered a man? She had become like the people she had been trying to stop! She had just murdered a man. She was a murderer.
Bile rose in Astrid’s throat, and she vomited on the ground, coughing it out and mingling it with her tears. After a couple minutes she slowly stood up and swallowed hard, lifting up her tear-stricken face. It was over. It was all over. She couldn’t be a nurse anymore—no, not after what she’d done. She’d leave, run away somewhere away from all this conspiracy, and she’d never return. She no longer had any place, no longer had any life here again. She couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t live with herself. A guttural cry of lament left Astrid’s throat, and she moved forward, making for the door.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Astrid leapt back, almost screaming before she saw who it was. And then her jaw locked. Him.
The “doctor” looked at her and cocked his head. “You finish checking him, yet?” he asked, sending a glare at her.
Astrid slowly lifted the needle out of her pocket. “It is finished,” she whispered.
The man smiled. “Ah, well done, well done…” he said, and nodded. “I’ll be seeing you around.”
The man put his hand on Astrid’s shoulder, but Astrid shoved him off and pushed forward ,leaving the room and nearly running through the corridor, not thinking of anything but to be able to escape the hospital before anyone could discover her deed.
As she ran through the waiting room, she heard someone call her name, but Astrid ignored them, running down to the parking garage and getting in her car. Inserting and turning the key, she backed the car up and then drove out of the parking garage, turning down the road and riding as her thoughts twisted and turned. It would have been better to die than to do that.
Slowly, Astrid pulled out her cell phone and swallowed. She didn’t want to. She wanted to leave without talking to anyone again. But she knew that she should. Slowly flipping open the cell phone, she dialed Monty’s number.
Monty was getting ready to drive off to go to guard Governor Astrid, as was his duty as a member of the Araelian Guard, when his cell phone rang. Opening the front door to leave, he flipped open the cell phone and put it against his ear.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Monty?” a voice said. Monty recognized it as Astrid’s voice, but there was something different about it; Monty could tell! He wasn’t sure what it was, but Monty knew something was wrong.
“Yeah, this is Monty,” Monty said. “Astrid?”
“Monty!” Astrid said. “I need to talk to you! Now! Please!” Astrid’s voice cracked. “Can you take some time off of work or something? I need to talk with you now in person.” Monty bit his lip and stared at his watch but then he sharply jerked his chin up. His sister needed him, and from her voice, Monty knew that something was deeply, terribly wrong.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, and then more confidently. “Yeah, Astrid,” he said. “Just come over; I haven’t left yet. I’ll just call in and tell them that I will be preoccupied for a bit today.”
“You sure?” Astrid asked.
Monty nodded before remembering that Astrid couldn’t see him. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he said. “You sound like something’s wrong, don’t you? Some things are more important than my job.”
“Thank you!” Astrid said and Monty heard her sob. And then the phone clicked.
Question of the Week:How do you think Book I is going to end?
Date: Amanela 19th, 114 A.U.
Astrid flashed her ID card and the sliding doors opened. She stepped forward, feeling the weight of the item in her pocket and bit the inside of her lip. As she walked through to the ward, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man dressed as a doctor pass by and look at her. And her blood chilled. It was him.
Astrid turned to keep her gaze forward and breathed heavily. If she didn’t kill him, she would die herself and they’d find another way to kill him. It wouldn’t be wrong of her to kill the man! He would die eventually—less people would die this way. She couldn’t truly save his life! Any rational person would have made the same choice as her in this situation. There was nothing wrong about it.
Opening the door, Astrid entered the ward to where the man lay, sleeping, on the bed. She was supposed to check his blood pressure and other readings. Slowly, Astrid checked the man’s blood pressure and then looked at other readings while she slowly drew the shot out of her pocket. She stared down at it and almost felt like throwing it away from her, but she only clenched her fist around it.
Astrid slowly walked over to the man and drew the covers back to reveal his arm. Astrid slowly lay the point of the needle over the man’s vein and her breathing quickened. Murder. She was going to kill a man. Her pursuers could probably blackmail her about this later to make sure that she kept with them. Once she killed him, there was no going back.
Astrid swallowed hard and gripped the side of the bed to steady herself. Focus, Astrid. Focus on the assignment. Slowly, Astrid slightly raised the needle up a bit, and then she jabbed it into the man. Ok, now focus. Just push it down and inject the fluid.
Astrid bit her lip and tried to will herself to inject the fluid into him, but she still didn’t press it in. Her heart beat faster. She knew that she had to do it now. If someone else came in and saw her, she would be in huge trouble. The note on the needle said it would be untraceable. No one would know that she did it. And if she didn’t do it, she’d just find herself dead the day later.
Astrid’s breathing quickened, and she closed her eyes, feeling the blood pulse through her veins. And then, gripping the side of the bed, Astrid tightened her grip on the shot and pushed down on it, injecting the fluid into the man. Astrid felt her legs nearly give way, but she held herself up until it was all injected.
Opening her eyes, Astrid breathed hard as she lifted the needle up. Her hand shook and the needle dropped, clattering and rolling on the floor. Biting back a curse word, Astrid knelt down and snatched up the needle, shoving it back into her pocket. She had just killed a man. She, a nurse, had just killed her patient.
Astrid’s whole body quivered and she suddenly collapsed to the ground, tears running down her face. How could she do this? How could she have just murdered a man? She had become like the people she had been trying to stop! She had just murdered a man. She was a murderer.
Bile rose in Astrid’s throat, and she vomited on the ground, coughing it out and mingling it with her tears. After a couple minutes she slowly stood up and swallowed hard, lifting up her tear-stricken face. It was over. It was all over. She couldn’t be a nurse anymore—no, not after what she’d done. She’d leave, run away somewhere away from all this conspiracy, and she’d never return. She no longer had any place, no longer had any life here again. She couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t live with herself. A guttural cry of lament left Astrid’s throat, and she moved forward, making for the door.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Astrid leapt back, almost screaming before she saw who it was. And then her jaw locked. Him.
The “doctor” looked at her and cocked his head. “You finish checking him, yet?” he asked, sending a glare at her.
Astrid slowly lifted the needle out of her pocket. “It is finished,” she whispered.
The man smiled. “Ah, well done, well done…” he said, and nodded. “I’ll be seeing you around.”
The man put his hand on Astrid’s shoulder, but Astrid shoved him off and pushed forward ,leaving the room and nearly running through the corridor, not thinking of anything but to be able to escape the hospital before anyone could discover her deed.
As she ran through the waiting room, she heard someone call her name, but Astrid ignored them, running down to the parking garage and getting in her car. Inserting and turning the key, she backed the car up and then drove out of the parking garage, turning down the road and riding as her thoughts twisted and turned. It would have been better to die than to do that.
Slowly, Astrid pulled out her cell phone and swallowed. She didn’t want to. She wanted to leave without talking to anyone again. But she knew that she should. Slowly flipping open the cell phone, she dialed Monty’s number.
Monty was getting ready to drive off to go to guard Governor Astrid, as was his duty as a member of the Araelian Guard, when his cell phone rang. Opening the front door to leave, he flipped open the cell phone and put it against his ear.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Monty?” a voice said. Monty recognized it as Astrid’s voice, but there was something different about it; Monty could tell! He wasn’t sure what it was, but Monty knew something was wrong.
“Yeah, this is Monty,” Monty said. “Astrid?”
“Monty!” Astrid said. “I need to talk to you! Now! Please!” Astrid’s voice cracked. “Can you take some time off of work or something? I need to talk with you now in person.” Monty bit his lip and stared at his watch but then he sharply jerked his chin up. His sister needed him, and from her voice, Monty knew that something was deeply, terribly wrong.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, and then more confidently. “Yeah, Astrid,” he said. “Just come over; I haven’t left yet. I’ll just call in and tell them that I will be preoccupied for a bit today.”
“You sure?” Astrid asked.
Monty nodded before remembering that Astrid couldn’t see him. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he said. “You sound like something’s wrong, don’t you? Some things are more important than my job.”
“Thank you!” Astrid said and Monty heard her sob. And then the phone clicked.
Question of the Week:How do you think Book I is going to end?
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