The Dance for the Dead

Chapter 7: Blood Sample

Even though my mind was telling me to run and my legs were feeling weak my hands clung to the side of the building and I willed myself to stay. Akane needed me, and if I was going to find out how to save her, I needed a blood sample. As they continued, I could not bear to watch the violence so I looked around for a clue. Right there on the desk, inscribed on a name plate read "Vice President Fukumura". 

They were still dancing over the corpse so I climbed back down the building to hide behind a dumpster and wait for them to come out. I had to figure out the mystery quickly. Why did they kill him? Where had I heard the name "Yoshida Industries" before.

"GROWL!" My stomach said.

When was the last time I had eaten. I thought back. I had skipped lunch to practice, then after that got out of class to practice, then to the gym, then the lab, then Akane's house. So the last time I had eaten was breakfast. I remembered the newspaper article my parents discussed this morning.

"Another mysterious death in Yoshida Industries." Father had read at the breakfast table this morning.

"They sure are having a lot of those recently." Mother had added.

That was it! The dancers were the ones killing people. No wonder Akane acted so strangely, she must have assassinated someone the very same night after her tryouts. That must also be why Akane said Rin was acting strangely, because Rin had begun drinking the tampered water some time before the tryouts. But what I didn't know was why the coach had a problem with this company, and what I would do about it.

"Meow" A calico cat said running away from the scene and bringing my attention to the fact that they were coming out of the building. 

They had blood splattered on them and began doing various ballet moves out of the alley and down the street. I knew I needed to grab the last person out of the alley, and to do that I needed to get closer. I held the syringe in my sweaty palm and started to walk towards the group. When I got closer the girls in the back of the line stopped walking, and looked at me funny. I stopped walking too and my heart beat out of my chest. What if they decided to leave me looking like that vice president, why was I even still here? I felt faint but I needed to focus on saving Akane and all the girls who were under the spell of the nano-bots. I needed to blend in with the other dancers.

I slipped the syringe in my mouth and did my best cartwheel. I was surprised at how well I did, as I bent down for a front-flip the group started to move again. I was the last person in line, and the moment there was only one killer dancer in the alley, I yanked her back behind the corner with all my strength. The girl laid on the hard ground surprised and looked a little worried. She was one of the original dancer with brown eyes, and reddish blonde hair. I remembered her name from practice, Amy. She looked innocent, but I had seen first hand what they could do, the blood on my hands from her clothing confirmed it. I grabbed the needle from my mouth and dug it into her neck drawing a full syringe of blood. She didn't move, she just sat there for a minute, until I removed the syringe.

The second I pulled it out of her neck she attacked. She went for my neck with her teeth, but my jittery reflexes were too fast. I jumped up, my first instinct was to run out of the alley into the street, but if I did that the other girls might see and attack me too. I didn't want to end up like the vice president, so I ran the other way into more alleys. I couldn't drop the syringe, or let even a drop fall to the concrete, for fear that a insect or animal might eat it and go to kill people too. So I ran holding it up. I looked behind me and there she was down the block. She did a back-flip and she was already gaining on me. I had to think. How would I lose her. I could try and do another flip to make her think I'm on her side but if I couldn't do the flip she would surely get close enough to me to kill me. Again, why in the world was I even still here? The second I saw blood I should have been gone, called the police and let them handle it. Then again if they tried to handle it, Akane might sit in a jail cell for the rest of her life or worse for something she only technically did. And they wouldn't be able to follow the girls without being noticed and maybe killed. I needed to stop thinking right now and do this flip. But I could die!

I wanted to get this flip over with but my legs kept moving forward, they didn't want to take the chance of death and really could I blame them. But if I kept running eventually the alleys would run out and someone might call the police. Wait a minute. How was I going to even do a flip of any kind while holding this syringe. Its not like I was putting it back in my mouth while my bloody hands had touched it. There was only one answer. A one handed flip.