The Detectives' Story

XIX

November 9, 2016

2031 Hours

"Alexius, why don't you help Burt out with putting up the groceries, I have to go check something."

James looked down at Dan, and he barely saw his expression in the dark. It was a look of fear. Dan slowly walked down the stairs, James following him close.

"What are we going to do, Dan?" James whispered, trying to make his voice as low as possible. Dan shushed him as they neared the bottom of the stairs. Sanine didn't open the door immediately, which means that she had to check something else.

Or get something to investigate the door. Dan thought. He knew the door was locked before they got there, and then it was unlocked when she came in. An observant person like that would notice something that small. Dan reached the last step, and when he put another foot forward, he felt something soft underneath him.

What the hell. Dan held up a hand to stop James from coming down the stairs. Dan's foot moved on the soft thing below him, and it felt like something was moving, but had a restricted area to move. Putting more pressure, he realized the soft thing was also a little plush, but the harder he pressed, the more resistance there was. Dan got tired of this, and put his whole weight down. As soon as he did, he heard multiple cracks resonate throughout the basement. Dan froze.

"What was that?" James whispered. Dan lifted his foot, and bent down, and felt with his hand. It was clothes fitted around a lukewarm body.

"It's a body." Dan said, white in the face. He stood up, then the door above them opened. Both of the brother's looked up, and saw Kathy standing there, staring at them. She smiled as she saw them.

"Burt, honey. I'm going to be right back!" She exclaimed.

"Okay," Burt retorted from somewhere above. She pulled out the gun she got from before, walked onto the top step of the stairs, and closed the door, sealing them in darkness again.

"Don't suppose we could... talk this out?" James asked. A footstep was heard, signaling Kathy took a step down the stairs. Dan grabbed James hand, and pulled him over the body to the actual floor of the basement. Once they reached the bottom, they saw a single computer on, with it's lights dim. The dim light revealed to the brothers where the light switch was. Another footstep went down the stairs, causing James and Dan to panic.

James pushed Dan towards the light, while he hid right next to the stairs bottom, waiting for Kathy to come down. Dan quickly made his way to the light switch, pulled it, and the basement was flooded with light. The first place Dan looked at was the stairs, and he gasped at what he saw.

There wasn't only one body, as Dan previously thought. There were two. And judging by the context they were in, Dan assumed one of them was at least Rogers.

She would kill her own. Dan thought, scared of this woman. Then he thought of something.

She's a woman. I can take her on. Who am I kidding? James and I can take her on, easily. All James needs to do is tackle her when she comes down the stairs.

Dan looked at James who was crouched in a position where Kathy wouldn't see him until she turned right from the stairs. Perfect spot. Dan looked at the stairs again, ready. Then he realized something. The footsteps stopped. He then noticed something above James' head: it was a long, black nozzle...

"JAMES!" Dan yelled, running to James. James look confused at Dan's sudden turn of demeanor.

"Wha-" A muffled shot ran through the basement quietly, and James eyes went wide. The shot grazed his ear, and ended up landing in his foot. He screamed from the pain, moving away from the spot where he was.