Night Fire (COMPLETED)

11. The Chase

For 10 minutes of my life... I stopped thinking. I stopped worrying, I stopped over analysing, I just stopped everything. How could a man so brave, and imperfect be taken right before my eyes? It was absurd. Monstrous. I was ashamed.

"Allora... I'm so sorry." That's all Dr Betah could say as she came into my dad's ward. I bit my lip and nodded. I had an irrational fear of crying in front of people but I guess that was just me.
"If there is any way-"
"Find Martha." I spat the words out before Betah could finish.
"Martha? Why? What has she-"
"Look at him." I didn't need to say anything else. I was furious.
"How can you stand there, saying you're sorry without even realising the murderer was right beneath your feet? Walking these antiseptic smelling halls? Acting as a friend the whole time? What the hell happened?"

"I'm- I don't know." Her words had been take from her. Robbed, more like.
"We have to find her. I want to find her. Now." I was adamant and compelling.
"Of course." Dr Betah put a determined expression on her face and turned on her heels. As she was leaving she told me to, "Meet me in the car park in 15 minutes." She knew I wanted to spend time with father. And so I did.

"This shouldn't have happened to you." I took the first step,
"It shouldn't have happened to any of us; the fire, the investigation, the injuries... the death. This is not your fault. That stupid idiot was envious and look where her envy has led everyone.. Don't you worry, she'll be caught and she'll pay for her crimes. I won't let her run away too far... I'm merely giving her a head start. Maybe you'd be proud of me... maybe not. But I'm proud at how long you fought. You fought until all your enquiries were fulfilled and no longer. As you always said you were the 'White Wizard' that had to 'fulfill his duty.' I hope your safe now... safe from humans and harm. I always knew you believed in a God and now you can join him and see His Kingdom for yourself. I hope you have a safe journey. I'll pray to you soon."
With tears sweeping across his forehead, I kissed him gently and thereafter departed to the car park. There I saw Dr Betah stand next to her blue Audi in the staff reserved parking space.
"Ready?" She tried to make the situation easier by pretending I hadn't seen my father for the last time.
"Ready." I replied. We got in the car and drove.

***

I spent half an hour of that drive in mourning and to collect my thoughts. It didn't even occur to me that it was impossible to know where Martha was but Dr Betah seemed to know the way. Her face retook it's usual frown and pierced lips while wrinkles lined her cheekbones and forehead. Her hands were firmly gripped onto the steering wheel and she was almost leaning forward with anticipation. Her musky grey hair was up in a tight bun and she wore her usual white lab coat.
"Dr Betah... how do you know where you are going?" I don't recall what stage I removed myself from my thoughts.
"Each Doctor and Nurse must be able to find each other in an emergency. What better way is there than 'Find Friends' on the good old iPhone?
I was astounded to find she actually was using the so called app. Her phone was in a cup holder and she was occasionally monitoring the movements of the orange dot labelled Martha.
"She's close." I blatantly observed.
"Yes she is." We took a sharp right into a village and a slight left past an old farm. After this was countryside for a near 20 minutes. I looked at the phone and found we were closing in on the dot fast.

"Is she slowing down?" I deciphered,
"Yes, I think she is." Dr Betah gave a slight boost on the accelerate. We turned down a rock strewn road toward another old farm. This one, however, was inhabited because there were two cars on the drive and lights on in the windows. It was a grand barn conversion with 3 stories and brick coloured red. The Windows had green shutters on them and the driveway consisted of badly done concrete slabs. The house was 5 land rovers next-to-each-other-wide and there was a double garage in front of the cars.