Chapter 009: Dead or Alive?
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The streets darkened with every passing minute. The distant chimes of Big Ben, over three miles away, echoed faintly along the silent cobblestone road.

A young lass's footsteps echoed faintly, her presence barely noticeable to the few scattered people in the district. She carried in her bag something she had bought to enjoy after her shift at the bakery. The mist from the salvia divinorum promised an out-of-body experience, offering a temporary escape from her troubled mind burdened with life's problems.

Before she could reach her modest flat, a few meters away, a sudden sting in her left arm pulled her to the ground. Her vision blurred and darkened as she sank onto the cold, cobbled street. Unseen hands dragged her into a nearby alley.

As the eleventh chime echoed, her final breath escaped, swallowed by the night. A small dissection scissor glinted under the full moon as it was drawn from a pocket. The song "Stayin' Alive" pumped through a pair of earpieces worn by a man wearing a black hoodie.

As the scissor's blades neared the woman's chest, the upbeat rhythm of his song was abruptly interrupted by the somber strains of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, signalling a call.

Before he could answer, the call ended. Moments later, a text message arrived, revealing the location of a place he knew well-the spot where he first met Nikki, Christine's false identity.

He slipped the scissors into his pocket and retrieved a small bomb from his secret basement, a creation of his twin brother. Craving another triumph, he found the blood of the one who betrayed him far more satisfying.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the area, skilfully avoiding the security cameras. A few kilometers from the sedated body, he poised to click the detonator, but a new idea for his visitor's fate came to mind.

Arriving at the specified location, he saw the woman who had contacted him standing before the old building where he once sought refuge from his misery. A new text instructed him to ascend. As he prepared to head upstairs, he sensed another presence had arrived before him.

Before he could reach the top of the seven-storey building, a gunshot echoed through the stairwell. His emotions flattened into indecision. Pressing on, he encountered the three individuals he had seen earlier.

His soul seemed to sink as he discovered Christine's body sprawled on the ground. Without hesitation, he grabbed a piece of rubble and struck the policeman on his list, sending him sprawling.

He rushed to Christine and felt for her pulse. "Nikki! Christine! Or whoever you really are, don't go into the light," he muttered, his voice devoid of emotion.

Damien, who had feigned restraint, sprang from his chair and drew Benedict's gun. Overwhelmed by grief and fury, he squeezed the trigger, the bullet striking the man's back.

"Enough already!" Damien roared.

Blood gushed from the wound near the man's chest as he rose, his emerald-green eyes void of emotion.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Lane," he said. "Welcome to the dark side."

"I'll kill you if you don't surrender!" Damien warned, his hands trembling.

"Ah, so you're the next me," the man said, a smile curling on his lips. "We've both been changed because of one foolish woman."

"Don't you dare compare me to you. I'll never be like you," Damien said.

"I have a little something here. Shoot me again, and someone will truly leave this earth," he said.

Damien turned pale, his heart pounding rapidly. His knuckles, now ghostly white, trembled uncontrollably. As his world seemed to freeze, he saw the image of his mother standing before him.

"Calm down," his mother said softly, gently tapping his trembling hands holding the gun, which was aimed at the serial killer before him. "Calm down, my love."

"Mum? I-I don't know... I don't know what to do," he stammered.

"Help will come soon. Do not let the devil tempt you," she said. With a snap of her fingers, Damien blinked, and the image of his mother dissolved, leaving him once more in the wide, dim area.

"Staying alive is so lame. And you noticed? 'Lame' and 'Lane' sound quite similar," the man said, his hands casually tucked in his black jacket's pockets.

Damien inhaled deeply, steadying his hand that gripped the gun. "Blake Chapman, isn't it?"

"You must have read that from your friend's records," Blake sneered, his smile twisted. "You know, Mr. Lane, I quite like your attitude. I even spared you twice for it. Don't misunderstand me, though; I didn't intend for you to be near Diana Woodford when I set off that first bomb."

He recalled that Ms. Woodford was the first victim now identified by the police. The bomb had been intended for her at the bar during the celebration of his 100th case. The lady, it turned out, had been a former drug user. She had gone to the bar for a failed transaction, which became the focus of the bomb incident.

Benedict, only slightly injured, silently rose from where he had fallen. Through the blur, he saw the killer's face and heard his voice clearly.

"I had already changed before I met that deceitful woman!" Blake snapped, gesturing at Christine but keeping his gaze locked on Damien. "She's a liar. I trusted her, only for her to run away from me!"

"That deceitful woman you are saying just ended her life so you can end your madness," he spoke, swallowing hard.

Blake's knees buckled, collapsing beside Christine's lifeless body, blood seeping from his wound. The physical pain mingled with a torrent of emotions he couldn't quite fathom.

His trembling hands fumbled for the dissecting scissors in his pocket, the cold metal contrasting with the warmth of the tears that began to well up in his usually empty eyes.

Damien stood frozen, his body betraying the urgency in his mind. "What are you doing?" he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath.

"Six hearts," Blake muttered, his voice flat, yet tears streamed unnoticed down his face. "All will be placed in jars we once crafted, meant to hold what we cherished most in this world."

"Stay away from her," Damien warned, finger trembling on the trigger as the gravity of the situation dawned on him.

Blake's voice softened as he continued, "Your heart will complete the seventh jar, marking our seven months together. Then, we'll be bound forever, with you never leaving my side again." His eyes glazed over, a twisted reverence in his tone. "The others-they were unworthy, tainted. But you, my love, you'll cleanse them in the flames as we join them."

Blake's hand trembled as he raised the scissor, the cold metal glinting under the dim light.

Just as he prepared to pierce Christine's chest, a sharp crack echoed through the air. His eyes widened in shock as a bullet struck him square in the heart. Staggering, he fell beside her, the scissor slipping from his grasp.

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Author's Note:

The song "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees plays a significant role in this chapter, much like the other recent tracks. It fits seamlessly with the unfolding events. This particular scene was inspired by a series I admire, which also ties back to the song's theme.

According to one of the Bee Gees members, "Staying Alive" is about survival in the tough streets of New York. However, in this narrative, the gritty backdrop has been transposed to the streets of London, maintaining the essence of struggle and endurance.

"Everybody struggles against the world, fighting all the bullshit and things that can drag you down. And it really is a victory just to survive. But when you climb back on top and win bigger than ever before, well, that's something everybody reacts to," said Barry Gibb.

In this chapter, the characters ascend to the top of the old building (symbolizing a walk back to their memories), each facing their own fate. Some may fall, but others will rise, seizing a victory that resonates with the essence of Gibb's words.

'Stayin' Alive' was famously used in a study to train medical professionals in delivering the correct number of chest compressions per minute during CPR. Though CPR wasn't performed in this scene, the characters' hearts were certainly racing, mirroring the urgency and rhythm of the song. This trivia was once told to me by medical trainers before who visited our school.

The lyrics "everybody shakin'" resonate deeply in this chapter, reflected in the trembling hands and Damien's unsteady legs.

Also, the word "staying alive" was mentioned several times in this story part.

I enjoyed writing this chapter. It's become my favourite scene of all.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖙 𝕿𝖗𝖎𝖔
~ LORAINEJD ~