Raising Echo

18

Chris and Nova wanted to remain discreet discussing proceedings so, according to Syrus, they went out on a date. The pair felt highly uncomfortable even though they were just at a coffee shop. "So," Chris said, breaking the silence. "What happens now?"

"Well," Nova began, "we don't know anything so far. All we know is that Derek must've put lies in her head to make her stay. So I feel like all we need to do is talk to her. We didn't get the chance to after he changed her visitors list."
Chris took a sip of his coffee and pursed his lips. It wasn't his drink of choice, but it'd been helping him get through days of less sleep than normal. His eye bags were obvious and bulging and his beard was scruffy and uncared for. He scratched at the patches of hair on his chin. "So how are we gonna do that? We can't just barge in and take her away."

"No, we can't," Nova sighed. "But Derek works. Remember? Probably a standard. So I would say she's alone right now. It's 3 p.m."
"Then we should probably go right now," Chris said standing up, as he placed his mask over his nose and mouth. Nova stood and grabbed her jacket putting it around her and Chris left a crisp $50 bill on the table before they left the café.

_

"I'm glad that you invited me over again," Dr.Kim smiled taking a drink of water Desiré placed before her. "Thank you."
Desiré cleared her throat and paused. "Actually I invited you over because I still have a lot of concerns. I'm sure that I wasn't told the truth about my husband. According to him, I was cheating on him for years. And I leeched off him, spending his money for personal reasons. I felt terrible about all that stuff but I just couldn't believe it was me. After reading the file you gave me, I realized that the life I'm living right now is based on a lie." Desiré started to tear up as fear and exhaustion finally got through to her. She was terrified of the outcome of Derek walking through the door.
"Your first step is getting out of here. Once he finds out you know about his lies there's no telling what he'd do. Do you have anywhere you can go? A friend or family member?" Dr.Kim asked.

"I have an address." Desiré sifted through her bag and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper on it.

555 W Catalina Drive.

"Let's go." Dr. Kim stood up putting her jacket on. "I can take you there."

_

Once the two women arrived to the house, they saw that there were two cars outside. Desiré was ecstatic. She had missed her relationship with Chris but was too ashamed to allow herself to think about him. After finding out the truth, she couldn't wait to see him. Roughly a month had passed since their last encounter. After ringing the bell, the door opened with Syrus standing in the door way.

"Desiré? What are you doing here." Syrus asked. He glanced over to the drive way and took note of the woman standing outside the car with a concerned expression.

" I'm here to see Chris." She frowned, " I need to tell him something important."

"Oh well," Syrus smirked, " he's out on a date right now. With uhhh, Nova. Your friend, right?"

Desiré was taken aback. "Wait, what?" She wasn't sure that she'd heard right.

"Oh yea you didn't know? They started to spend more time together since you stopped talking to them both. They seem happy," he shrugged.

Desiré wanted to dig her nails into the smug smile on Syrus' face. She hated this guy almost as much as she hated Derek. She didn't utter a word as she turned around going back to the car.
"Wait!" Syrus called jogging out to them.
Dr. Kim furrowed her eyebrows at the smile on the man's face as he stepped directly in front of her.
"You are quite beautiful." He said gazing into her eyes. Little did a blushing Dr.Kim know, he was just staring at the reflection of himself in her irises.
Desiré stared in confusion and then her eyes widened as she watched the eyes of her psychiatrist go cold. Her head, in between Syrus' hands, jolted quickly in Desiré's direction before she dropped to Syrus' feet as he shrugged muttering, "collateral damage."
Desiré shook her head no, covering her mouth slowly walking backwards in disbelief of what she witnessed. She had only hoped that she wouldn't be next.
_

"Give it up Chris. She's not home," Nova folded her arms across her chest. They'd been trying to get in for 15 minutes but there were no responses.
Chris had the right mind to break the door down however, Nova believed that she wasn't there.
"Can I help you?" They heard a deep voice bellow from behind them. They looked at each other before slowly turning to see Derek standing behind them with a questioning glare on his face before it curved upward into a smile.

"I knew it'd be a matter of time before you two came by."

_

"That's bullshit, Nova spat. "Desiree wouldn't just leave like that."
"Here's the note. It's her handwriting and everything."

For Derek & anyone else who reads this,
I've decided to go back home. My family reached out to me and I think it's best I get a fresh start. I love you always! Once I get back on track, I'll be back to visit in no time.
- D. Jones

Derek said handing them a sheet of paper. Chris was too stunned to speak. He wanted to lunge at Derek and knock his head off his shoulders like he started to in the hospital but he held back.
"How the fuck... am I supposed to believe a goddamn word you say? Hm? You lied to us... you lied to Desiré... the police.." Chris looked up glaring at Derek as he squeezed his fists in a desperate attempt to keep them from pummeling the sorry excuse of a man before them. "If I found out you did something to her... I will kill you. I'm not going to try. I will."
Derek appeared to not be phased by Chris' words; for they were just words. He kept silently reminding himself that as him and Nova left out his house. He realized his fear only when he finally exhaled after the door was closed.

He picked up his phone and quickly texted Syrus that the pair were on the move.

"Chris..." Nova patted his shoulder as she noticed a red liquid drip from his nose.
"Ah!" He covered his ears as a screeching sound pierced his eardrums. Nova quickly regained control of the car for him and slammed her foot on the brakes.
"What the fuck?!" She exclaimed.
"You can't fucking hear that... that ringing?"
She shook her head "no" in fear.

Just then there was a call from Chris' mother. Nova answered and before she could spit out a simple "Hello" she was met with the frantic voice of Joyce.

"Get here now! Echo is hysterical and I think this is the worst one yet. He just started up out of no where I think something is wrong! Just get here now!"