An Angel Dies

Detective Work

AN: Hello, people of the world! Here's the next chapter. I'm so inspired by the people who have added this to their reading lists. Thank you! :) By the way, I did some research, and concussions can cause extreme nausea and bouts of dizziness, so I'm not making up her symptons. It also said that people with concussions may act differently for a while after their injury, which I found interesting. Enjoy!

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“Miss? Miss, can you hear me?”

…

“Miss?”

“Help me lift her on the stretcher… ready… 1… 2--? Huh? Wow, she’s so light…”

“She’s bleeding, get me a cool pack and some gauze.”

…

“Miss?”

… Something soft yet firm supported me. It jittered occasionally… was I in a vehicle?

My head felt slow and thick.

Pain pulsed through my skull, somehow blurred and achy, yet strangely sharp at the same time.

I went under again.

…

“Miss. Miss, please open your eyes.”

The voice was different this time, feminine, softer and gentler.

I twitched, becoming aware of something cold pressed to my head. 

“Where am I?” I wanted to ask, but my tongue was thick and unwieldy in my mouth. It came out as, “Wherrumah?” I swallowed thickly. My throat was dry. My head was dizzy.

“That’s it…” the voice cooed. “Just blink for me.”

No, I wanted to scream. Let me out! What are you doing to me? Was I lying on an examination table? Was someone about to perform a vivisection on my drugged body?

I thrashed weakly, and a panicked whine choked in my throat. “Lemmeo’…stah’…” My hands were unchained, brushing against the soft surface beneath me.

“Calm down, calm down… we’re just trying to help you…”

“Nix, calm down,” Joel said, stepping forward, his hands raised in a universal gesture for peace. I backed away rapidly, bumping into the kitchen table and knocking off a manilla folder. It spilled open and papers fluttered everywhere. I almost slipped on one.

“Are you kidding me?” I spat. Hatred slowly tinted my vision red. I’d never been so enraged in my life. “You’re an FBI agent!” A laugh, half-hysterical, half-sob, clawed out of my throat. “And I just… I just showed you my biggest secret…!”

“Hey--! Calm down!”

His hand inched toward his thick belt, where I knew he kept his tazer. “Nix, please, calm down and let me explain.”

I dove under the table, shoulder-rolled past him, and sprinted out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind me. I managed to scoop up my book bag as I darted down the hallway. The sudden addition of weight unbalanced my stride and I bumped my shoulder on the hallway wall, knocking off a nearby picture frame.

“Nix!” Joel yelled, only a few paces behind me. I whirled and lashed out a leg. Not expecting the sudden stop and spin, Joel ran right into my outstretched foot. The breath was punched from his lungs. He bent double over my foot, eyes bugged open. His mouth gaped in surprise.