Comatose

Cold Truths

Chapter 5

Angelica couldn't help sitting there among the heavy fog and think over what she had told herself. What had been the point she had failed to grasp? It was a ballet class that she eventually quit when her interests had moved on to other things. If she was recalling correctly dance lasted until she had watched an Indiana Jones movie and had wanted to go on her own adventure. She remembered how for months no matter where she went, she would dream up some over the top scenario. Even going to the store with her mom would turn into a great quest.

At first her parents had found it endearing but the longer the stage had stuck around the more frustrated they had become. They had tried to coax her into another interest but nothing they had come up with offered the draw that becoming an archaeologist had. Angelica wanted to travel the world and find the secrets of the past. Uncover hidden treasures and lost civilizations. The movie that had started her adventure quest had only whet her appetite. If she thought about it, the draw in ballet was traveling around the world and performing in front of so many people. It was really her want to see the world that drew her young mind to both careers. Angelica didn't think that it was a love of travel that had been what she gave up however. After all, she and Kevin had planned to travel after he retired so she really hadn't given that dream up. Not yet anyway. Frustrated with herself she flopped back onto her back shifting the fog around her as she moved. She lay there racking her brain trying to figure out the meaning behind the memory. What had she missed exactly that was so important? She felt like she was doing a hidden picture puzzle and was looking for the last piece. It was always the last thing to find that was the hardest. She had never considered herself to be a quitter before, but she just couldn't figure it out.

She screamed out in frustration just as the ground broke apart from underneath her turning her scream into one of shock instead. Once again, she found herself plunged into the water of the lake they vacationed at. Breaking the surface, she swam as close as the barrier would allow her to as she took in who was there this time. Her husband Kevin and her son Tyler were standing there but her daughter was missing from the family scene. Angelica sighed solemnly guessing that Tiffany wouldn't be visiting while her husband was in the room. Tiff usually wasn't quick to temper but when it did rise, she didn't forgive easily either. She wished she would wake up so she could fix her family before things went to far. There were two other grainy figures standing with her family this time. Pushing her worries about her family aside she listened in to the conversation.

"You don't understand, she's our only witness." The first figure growled out in aggravation.

"I understand your frustration detective Jenkins but there's nothing that can be done to wake her up. Her body has a lot of damage to heal and that could be the reason for the coma. There's just no way to really tell the underlying cause for it we just have to wait." The doctor stated before he left the room making the detective growl.

"How could no one know there was a serial killer in the area?" Kevin gritted out in anger.

"The killings were across state lines and the times between each victim were far enough a part that no one had put it together." The detective sighed out sounding genuinely exhausted as he spoke.

"So why now? Why was the connection made this time?" Tyler asked.

"The time between his last victim and Angelica was considerably shorter. The computer kicked out a similar victim to her rather quickly. On a hunch we let the program search further and found at least three more victims in the last five years."