The Hooded Man

CODE SILVER

"What do you mean," I asked the head detective. "What's the fact that he had a hood on have to do with anything?" I could feel my heart beating faster and faster, I was so scared. The machine that I was hooked up to started beeping rapidly, causing a nurse to rush through the door.
"I'm sorry, Mrs...", the nurse trailed off, not knowing the detectives name.
"Riley", she answered. "And I'm not married."
"Well, Miss Riley, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're stressing out my patient."
She showed the nurse her badge. "I only need a few more minutes."
The nurse looked over at me, as if asking my permission. I nodded.
"Well... okay. But if that machine goes off again-"
"I'll be quick," Riley said, cutting her off.
After the nurse left, it was silent. She stared at me, I stared at the blank, white bed sheets that were laying on top of me. Then finally, I spoke up, breaking the almost awkward silence. "What's going on," I said shakingly. "What aren't you telling me."
"Miss Reed," Riley said calmly."Is there any kindred that you would like me to call? I noticed on my way in, that the waiting room was empty."
"I don't have any." At this point, I wasn't just scared, I was fed up. What in the world is going on here. "I'm not some naïve child. I deserve to know what you've been talking about with your partner out in the hall."
She looked at me for a while, then sighed.
What I liked about Riley, was that she went straight to the point. The Hooded Man, as she called him, is a serial killer. He's not just any serial killer either, no. He's the kind that never gets caught. The kind that always finds the smallest niches inside the houses of his latest victims, and escapes without a single hint of evidence on who he is, besides his signature. The notes. Those awful notes, she said, are the only reason that we know that the killings are done by the same man.
The whole time she was explaining all of this, she looked straight at me. She never looked away from me, which at first felt comforting, until I looked in her eyes. There, I saw the truth. She was scared. Scared for me and scared for what was in store for her. In her eyes, I could tell how she saw me, as if I was so emotionally dysfunctional, so ramshackled, that I would obliterate into a million tiny pieces the moment she looked away. The funny thing is, that's exactly how felt. I was about to open my mouth to say something, when her partner rushed in the room, ushering her out into the hallway. The door was still open, so I caught bits and pieces of their conversation.
"...we went to her apartment...looks as if it was ransacked...left another note." He handed her a piece of paper with a typed message on it. Riley quickly scanned it, her eyes widening. She grabbed a nurse walking past her by the arm, and showed her the note.
I couldn't quite hear what was said next. The nurse ran down the hall and turned a corner. I wouldn't have known what was going on if my nurse hadn't have left her pager beside my bed. 'Code Silver', it read. I jumped up, ignoring the stabbing, sharp pain that I felt in my chest, and head. I started to feel dizzy. I think my head injury is worse than the doctor had said. I stumbled into Riley's partner, and he caught me just as I was going down.
"What's code silver?" I asked him, my voice coming out a bit groggy. I looked up, and saw that a doctor ha spotted me, and was rushing over. I looked up at him, and he spoke.
I was half conscious when I heard it. It was the scariest four words that I'll ever hear:
"Hospitals going into lock-down."

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Hey guys! I'm really excited for this story. I would have just kept the first part if my friend hadn't have complained about how he hated cliffhangers. So say thanks to him for making me continue.

I'll try to update every week, if I can.
Comment, vote, do whatever. (I won't stop you from voting though....or commenting....Yep.:) )
Thanks for reading!!