Chapter 22 Everybody You Love Dies

I’ll be back. Be ready when I return.

Those were the last words T-Rex said to him before he left that room. Kevin’s eighteenth birthday is barely a week from today. He knew he was going to be seeing T-Rex a lot more often now the deadline was approaching.

It was only a few days to his birthday—few days before T-Rex would finally show up to end his life in sweet torture. The thought of this made him sweat. He did not want to die, at least not in a horrifying torture.

Kevin realized he was still kneeling before Mirabel’s body amid the crowd that had gathered. Noticed the crowd had gotten bigger, and he was receiving the most attention from the crowd.

The cops were already present, and Alex led the team. He got down from his vehicle and was accompanied by the rest of the officers who were with him. The crowd fell silent for a moment, then came to life in a burst of conversation.

Alex took out his badge and shouted. “Police!”

The crowd parted. He put his badge back in his pocket and walked up to where Kevin knelt beside the corpse. When Alex saw the body, he threw his face away in disgust. And after a long second, he turned to look at the body. Felt a prickle in his stomach as he stared at Mirabel’s ribcage through her punctured chest. Her heart was hanging out. An icy shiver went down his spine at the gruesome sight.

He then noticed a paper lying beside the body. Kevin watched him bend to pick it. He looked over the note to see what had been written on it.

“Everyone you love dies.” the note read in bright red ink.

Kevin knew it was definitely from T-Rex. Alex noted a slight change on Kevin’s face after reading the note—a note which he hadn’t noticed was there before. He held it up for Kevin to see. “This mean anything to you?”

He fell silent.

Alex skimmed the guilty expression on his feature and looked at Kevin with suspicion. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

In the silence that followed, he said, “I know exactly who did this to her.”

Alex became speechless. And after another brief silence, he exhaled deeply. “The masked man?”

“No, it wasn’t the masked man that’d tortured Mirabel. It’s a different guy—a ghoul. He goes by the name T-Rex. This freak showed up at my house earlier today. I believe he killed Mirabel just to get to me, and a week from now, I will also end up dead just like her-–unless you catch him.” Kevin said, before lowering his voice and looking around at the staring crowd who were listening in on their conversation. “Can we talk someplace private, maybe at your office tomorrow? I promise, I will explain everything to you.”

Alex could sense the fear lingering in his voice. Remained still, glancing over at Kevin, trying to dictate a lie out of what he had said. Then he reached for his pocket and took out a card and handed it to him. “Call me when you are coming. My address is at the back.”

Suddenly a shrill filled the afternoon. It sounded feminine, coming from a woman standing behind the crowd. Kevin recognized the voice.

“Oh, no.” His eyes widened. “Lena.”

Lena ran past the people that had gathered there, making her way to the front. Kevin ran to stop her from gazing at the corpse. “Lena, don’t.” he said, restraining her from coming any further. “You don’t want to see this.”

But she kept pushing. “Let me go!” she cried. “My daughter… I need to see my daughter!” she spluttered, struggling through his tight grip.

She slipped through his grip and ran to where Mirabel’s body lay. She gasped at the sight of her daughter, raised a hand to cover her mouth, lips trembling as she sobbed. She started hyperventilating, her chest heaving rapidly.

“Mrs. Lena,” Kevin quickly walked behind her to hold her. He tried to console her. “I’m sorry for what had happened, you really should not have seen this.”

Lena collapsed in his arms. He quickly grabbed hold of her before she hit the floor. “Mrs. Lena… Mrs. Lena.” he kept calling, but she was unconscious.

“Quick! Get her into the car!” Alex panicked.

Some officers came and carried Lena into the car. Then they wrapped Mirabel’s body in a plastic bag and carried her to the trunk.

Kevin cautioned them against it. “Put her in the back with her mother.” he scolded, “We can’t just treat her like trash simply because she’s from the street. She deserves to be treated like human too.”

The officers stood with Mirabel’s body suspended in the air as if waiting for a signal from Alex. And when Alex nodded in approval they brought her body to the back seat and made her seat beside Lena.

Alex turned to Kevin. “I’ll be waiting for your call.” He said before he entered the vehicle, and they drove away.

Soon after Alex was gone, Landry walked up to him. “What’s your deal with Natasha?” he said, “Are you trying to get her killed the same way Loretta was tortured? You’ve seen what T-Rex did to that little girl. He tortured her so he could get to you, and he is going to do the same to Natasha if you don’t let her go.”

“What do you mean, what’s my deal with Natasha?” Kevin said, almost raising his voice. “She’s just a friend. You sound like I have some kind of relationship going on with her.”

“Natasha is a girl whom you just meet.” he countered, “You know nothing about her and now you’ve taken it upon yourself to protect her from T-Rex by letting her stay at my place.”

“Oh c’mon, she is more than just an acquaintance to me, and you know that.” he retorted.

Landry raised his brows, clearly surprised. “Oh my God,” He let out a scary laugh when he finally understood the look on Kevin’s face—he’d seen that look before. “You love her, don’t you?”

“What? No!” he denied. “Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You can deny all you want, but the fact remains.” Landry leaned towards him. “Look man, I’m looking out for you, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to see you go through the same mess you went through the last time T-Rex tortured Loretta.”

“I appreciate you looking out for me, but you have nothing to worry about. I have no feeling for her.”

Of course, he didn’t believe him. “Here’s what’s going to happen if you don’t let go of any affection you think you have for Natasha. The masked man, whoever he is, will kidnap Natasha and then, he will come for you. Then he will hand you both to T-Rex. T-Rex will tear her guts out and make you watch.”

Landry shot a glance at him. “Do you want to see Natasha die slowly and painfully just because you loved her? That little girl did not deserve to die, yet she died simply because you cared for her. Natasha doesn’t deserve to die that way too. Let her go.” And without a backward glance, he walked away, leaving Kevin motionless.

Kevin took a seat on one of the park benches. The surrounding trees shielded him from the stabbing glare of the sun. T-Rex’s words haunted him.

Everyone you love dies.

He sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands.

Landry is right, I love Natasha.

He felt it deep within him. There was no denying it. It was now Landry had mentioned it that he realized how deeply in love he was with her—a terrifying mistake, and he hated himself for this.

Visiting her two consecutive times, risking his life to get revenge on the guys that’d raped her, rushing to the hospital to save her from being captured by T-Rex, making her stay with Landry—he’d been caring for her without even realizing it. He was disappointed in himself for falling in love again, even when he’d convinced himself that he wouldn’t. Kevin knew what he had to do if he was going to save Natasha.

“Kind sir, please help me… I’m hungry.” A little voice sounded in his head, interrupting his thought.

Kevin’s eyes widened. Mirabel?

He jolted in surprise, raising his head to see a girl standing in front of him.

It wasn’t Mirabel, just another kid about the same height as Mirabel, but taller. She stood with a little bowl in her hands, begging for alms. Kevin blinked in surprise, staring blankly at her.

This was exactly how Mirabel’s story started.

At first, it felt like a joke, as though someone was playing a prank on him.

Is someone trying to mess with me? He wondered, looking around the park.

It felt like he was being watched. And when he found no one watching him from a distance, he returned his gaze to the little girl standing in front of him.

“Kind sir, please help me.” she mumbled, staring with weak eyes. “I’m hungry.”

Kevin found himself asking her the same question he’d asked Mirabel. “What is your name?”

“Ashley.” She answered with a little voice. “My name is Ashley, kind sir.”

“Ashley,” he said, “Where are your parents?”

A cloud of gloom settled on her face. “My parents, they died in the fire that broke out here at the park few days ago, leaving me all alone to fend for myself.”

He knew what fire she was talking about. Looking over at her, he felt a pang of pity for the poor girl. Could feel her pains. He couldn’t imagine the troubles this little girl goes through to feed herself. Unlike Mirabel, Ashley had no one to take care of her. She stood before Kevin on rags, wearing a pitiful look on her face, stretching forth her bowl a bit higher at him.

Kevin slides his hand into his pocket, felt a full bag of coins. For a second, he wanted to help her, but then something stopped him. The gruesome image of Mirabel’s body flashed through his mind and he quickly threw his face away in disgust.

T-Rex will come for Ashley if I help her.

He was disappointed as he pushed the bag of silver back inside his pocket and withdrew his hand from his pocket, empty. “Sorry kid, but I don’t have any cash on me.”

“Please sir, I’ll starve to death if you don’t help me.” she sobbed, sensing that he was lying.

“Go!” he terrified her with his scream.

She whimpered as she fled from him. He felt terrible. He could have helped her, he knew he could, but was just too afraid to be the reason another innocent girl would be tortured to death.

Please sir, I’ll starve to death if you don’t help me.

Ashley’s plea kept echoing in his head. He knew she would starve to death since no one in the park will listen to or help any poor kid begging for alms.

At least she would die a peaceful, painless death compared to the torturing death she would go through if ever I decide to help her.

He said this to free himself from guilt which tortured him. Looked over the corner and watched the little girl sit along the roadside, her body hunched and her bowl sitting right beside her. She folded her legs and buried her face between them, crying her eyes out. She was hungry, Kevin felt it. He wished that someone would just walk by and help her.

Just then, a man walked past him and squeezed a little piece of paper into his hands, then hastened away. Kevin became alarmed. He looked down at the paper which had been folded into his hands and quickly turned to look at the man who had put it there.

The man hurriedly took a sharp turn into a corner and vanished from his sight. For a second, Kevin didn’t understand what was going on. A cold breeze blew on his face as he opened the little paper. His eyes fell on the text written inside.

If you want to know everything about the masked man, meet me under the stone bridge tonight by 9 pm.

He felt cold chills go down his spine.