Murder in Progress

Aftermath

¿Kathrine Wallace?

Pinkerton Agent, V.P.

I wish I could say that after that everything got better. There was nothing but celebration and parties. It never rained again and unicorns once again frolicked the earth. But I learned to be careful for what you wish for a long time ago.

As we walked out of the hall the battle was nearing an end. Hundreds of dead bodies littered the floor. I saw Samuel and Lindsay, two old friends laying side by side, their fingers entwined as they stared up at the ceiling. A motionless Kyle lay on the floor as his partner, Jeremy, shook him and begged him to wake up.

The survivors were battered and bruised, a few leaning helplessly on another. They all stood looking at the five of us as we walked back and I winced feeling a pain in my stomach and grabbed Alex's shoulder for support.

"What?" He whispered and glances at me before his slight smile fell. I pulled my hand off the stinging sensation to see blood, and lots of it. My hand was sticky and with each step the pain grew.

I only shook my head and walked over to an older agent and kneeled down to help him up. "Danny, how are you?" I smiled as he stood up trying my best to ignore the pain. "Eh, a little ruffled. You need me to stitch you up?" He asked and I shook my head. "No thanks. I'll do it later, we gotta clean up before we are the next headlines in the news."

We began collecting the bodies. The unfamiliar men and women in one room, and ours in another. I merely stated at Nathan's lifeless body as it was carried away. Many people stared too, shocked one of their own was a double agent. But it wasn't Nathan...or was he lying? "Wait." I said and walked over. "I need a DNA test on him. Lara!" I called out and looked around. "Lara!" I shouted again.

But no one came.

I walked around and finally found her laying next to her phone that was now crushed. She lay motionless and I fell to my knees.

I felt a tear escape. Then two. Then three. And then a cough. My crying stopped and I stared hopefully at Lara. She coughed again. Then again. Then opened her eyes and cracked a smile. "How's lover boy?" She said her voice hoarse. "He's good. Only a few cuts and bruises that I can see." I smiled and studied her. "Lara we gotta get you help." I whispered panicking slightly but she shook her head. "What are they gonna do to me Kate?" She asked and tried to sit up.

"Lara. They will fix this, I promise. Everything will be alright." I said squeezing her hand. "Help!" I screamed and Alex rushed towards us and froze. It was a gruesome sight to say the least. She was in tact completely, except for her left leg, which was missing. She had grown pale and was bleeding but Alex had already ran to get help.

"It's gonna be alright." I smiled slightly and hugged her, refusing to leave her side until she was taken away in a stretcher, the first to leave.

~

Fifty-Eight people with minor injuries. Seventy-Six people sent to the E.R. Eighty-Nine people too injured to go to the E.R. without being questioned.

Four-Hundred and Forty-Nine dead bodies identified. Over a thousand bodies who remained a mystery.

Ten close friends died. Eight seriously injured. Two little girls who could be traumatized. And one woman refusing to get help until everything else was done.

The stories in the news would be that a warehouse had had gas issues and blew up the building, instantly killing a few thousand workers.

Only a handful of those escaped with multiple injuries that would need much physical therapy.

I took one last walk and my heart fell at the amount of good guys we had lost in this battle. For once I wished this was a Disney movie, where everything was far too perfect and when hit you wouldn't get hurt. But that's life; oh so bittersweet.

I glared down at Nathan's body as a few people took some DNA samples from him before leaving. Then it was just me.

I wanted to feel bad for the bad guys but I couldn't. That was one flaw I could admit. I was stuck in my old ways no matter what. I just looked at them blankly, thinking how it was their fault this happened.

I walked out and closed my eyes before nodding. A blast of heat hit me and I had to steady myself. Small flames fell at my feet and I stared, my eyes watering slightly as the building slowly fell to the ground in hot red flames lapping up at the sky.

Then it hit me. We found Nicholas Winters. We found Richard Case. But we never found Susan Begley. I found myself running towards the building but Alex caught me. "Kate?" He asked studying me carefully.

"Susan Begley! Did we find her?" I said out of breath struggling in his grip.

"Ya. She was in the building when I checked, in the basement I was held in." He said and I stared at him in surprise.

He was the man in the basement. The one I fought. He said he loved me. Well he loved a woman named Kate. That could be anyone.

I nodded after staring at him in thought. "Okay." I said and all eighty of us walked off in different directions towards different vehicles as if none of this had ever happened.

I climbed in the driver's seat of the SUV and let Alex sit in the passenger seat, Benny, Lily and Grace in the back. Cindy had to stay behind with her husband to get rid of any trace of the Pinkerton's being here.

"What next?" I asked Benny who was staring down at his two little granddaughters now asleep with small smiles of happiness.

"My retirement." Benny said and gave me a look that said it all. He didn't want his family in harms way. "Cindy and Don will be on standby until further notice. That means you're in charge now Kate." He smiled and closed his eyes, leaning back on his chair.

I sat, my mouth agape but turned around and drove home. I thought he would have changed that idea. We were all so young when I was recruited to be the top dog, it seemed so far away I had never thought of it. Then with my supposed death I would have thought someone was else would have been chosen. After what seemed like forever, I parked in the garage and carried the two girls to bed and helped Alex carry Benny to his room before getting Winston, Benny's butler/house guard, to get rubbing alcohol, a needle, a first aid kit, bandages, a few knives, some bottled waters, and a few boxes of pizza.