Qila felt there was someone who stared at her. She was in a deep sleep but that somebody wished her to wake up.
She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred. She fluttered her eyelids until her sight was clear.
"Spike," she croaked his name weakly.
"Qila..." Spike murmured her name softly. "Thirsty?"
"Yes."
He dubbed soft and wet cotton on her dry and cracked lips. Then he picked up her hands and stroked them gently.
"How are you feeling?"
"Aching."
Spike put the straw between her lips. "Sip slowly."
Qila coughed once. She winced when the gun wound started to throb. Her hand touched it.
"I'm cold..." She moved on her good side. She curled until she was in fetal position.
Spike had spread three layers of sheets but she still shivered. He was compelled to climb on the bed and embraced her until she stopped shaking.
When her breathing became regular, Spike tried to move away. But Qila whimpered like a small kitten, and he halted for a while. He held her closely.
Spike watched the lightening of the skies as morning came. He was not sleepy.
There was a light knock on the door.
Spike sat up and scooted off the bed carefully. He opened the door slowly.
Dr. Peralta and his assistant were standing outside.
"How is the patient, sir?" the doctor asked while he was bringing his medical paraphernalia out of his black bag.
"She woke up at four. She was thirsty. I gave her a bit of water."
"That's good." The doctor instructed his assistant to remove the sheets. "She was cold?"
"Yes."
He prepared the syringe. The male nurse got her body temperature and blood pressure. They cleaned her wounds.
"Almost dry, sir. Her body is recuperating fast." They put on new dressings and bandages.
When they were through, the doctor and the nurse bowed and went out the door.
Spike removed the bandages on the largest wound. He pressed the lesion lightly. No pus oozed out of the stitches. The doctor was telling the truth.
His eyes changed to color red. He slanted his head and placed his mouth on her lips. Their skins barely touched but a black liquid had been changing places: from her lips to his mouth swiftly.
He pulled a drawer beside the bed and picked up a jar inside. He spewed out the black fluid into the jar and covered it quickly. He repeated the process until he had used six jars. The venom of the bullet and the short knife carried a large quantity.
Spike stared at Qila. She seemed breathing freely and her color was not so pale.
"Good morning, sir," Soledad greeted him quietly. "Your breakfast is coming."
"Good morning, Soledad," Spike mouthed. He excused himself to go to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and rinsed with a mouthwash.
When he went back to the bedroom, he directed his red eyes on Soledad's body while she was busy with the food trolley.
'Clear,' he told himself.
"I had my breakfast, sir," Soledad told him when he invited her.
"I am at the library. You call me when she wakes up."
"Okay, sir."
Spike took out the jars and put them inside a small bag. He called a guard.
"Give these to Dr. Diomedes. I'll call him so you don't have to explain anything." Spike glanced at the name plate. "Submit the gun and the bullet to Turner. And wait for the results, Rigor." He gave him the two bags.
"Yes, sir!"
Spike pressed the numbers of Dr. Diomedes. He gave succinct instructions. He called Turner and told a guard had the gun and the bullet. "You know what to do!"
His watch vibrated. Detective Finner reported: 'Qila Arrow.'
Spike went to the library hurriedly. One corner of the room was converted into an office. The fax machine had spewed out the paper.
'One paper only?'
"What the--?" Spike exclaimed when the paper contained only one sentence.
'Qila Arrow is dead!'
He called Detective Finner at once but only a busy line answered him.
The fax machine spewed another paper. 'I have Detective Finner! Call him again and he's dead! Nightmare King.'
Spike thought hard. Abigor Limrick could have hacked Detective Finner's account.
He switched on the computer and pulled up the contact details of the other private investigators that he had used in the past. He asked all of them about Qila Arrow.
One of them had answered. 'What do you want to know about Qila Arrow?'
'I want a complete report. Now. I'll pay triple of your fee.'
'Okay.'
'I'll wait.'
Spike received a call from the guard at the gate. "Sir, an unidentified man delivered a parcel for you! We had checked it for bombs but it was negative. Should we send it to you?"
"Yes. Send the parcel to me." Spike smiled to himself. Due was eager for a DNA test!
When Spike opened the package, the names of the specimens were neatly written. He even wrote Alarick Seawolf very clearly.
The ball was in his corner. He rose from his chair and went to the bedroom.
Qila was still sleeping. Spike hesitated for a moment.
"Sir, I will get your lunch?" Soledad offered to go.
"No. I'll lunch later." He got the nail-cutter at the bathroom drawer. "Could you cut her nails, Soledad?"
"Of course, sir."
Spike banished the guilt that he felt. It was not to Qila's knowledge that he would get a specimen for the test.
'It is for the good.'
"Let me dispose the clippings, Soledad. I'll be at my office." He immediately prepared the specimens for the DNA test.
Spike called two guards to his office. "Get this to Dr. Diomedes. I'll call him so he won't ask any questions. Wait for the result. Stay there even if the test lasted for days."
"Yes, sir!" the two guards saluted Spike before going.
He called again Dr. Diomedes. "The result is very important so I posted two guards to keep safe the specimens."
"Okay, sir!"
The fax machine rang before it began spewing papers. Spike read the first page.
'Good afternoon, Mr. Pendragon! We have several Qila Arrow in our record. Qila Arrow (1941) dead, Qila Arrow (1955) dead, Qila Arrow (1968) dead, Qila Arrow (1976) dead, Qila Arrow (1990) dead, and Qila Arrow (2021) dead. All had died with unknown reason.'
The next pages discussed the life of each Qila Arrow. There were pictures.
And each picture was of different women.
The last picture was the Qila Arrow in Spike's bedroom. The report said she was dead. No reason at all.
He studied the pose of Qila in the photo. She looked like a warrior. Her expression was hard and had a killer stare. She held a gun expertly. She also wielded a wakizashi skillfully. The report said that she was a black belter in martial arts.
"I can't believe these!" Spike was disbelieving. He knew that even Due could not believe the pictures.
Spike had not seen the wakizashi of Due Seawolf but it seemed the original type.
He decided to send the picture to Due. He attached it to an email with short message. 'Is it your wakizashi?'
Spike waited for a few minutes. There was an answering email.
'Yes! Where did you get the picture?'
'I can't answer the question for now. Be patient.' Spike sent a reply.
Due called him but he was already out of the library.
"Sir! Oh, it's good you are here!" Soledad exclaimed. "It's Miss Qila!"
"What happened to her?"
"She's awake!"
Spike walked hurriedly. He found Qila trying to climb off the edge of the bed.
"Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom," Qila replied weakly. "I'm going to puke!"
"I'll carry you."
In the lavatory sink, Qila vomited the excess black fluid. Spike smoothed her back and her stomach. He wiped her sweat with a towel.
"Done?" he asked softly.
"Y-yes," she answered while breathing hard.
Spike offered a glass of water to rinse her mouth. When she was finished, he carried her again to the bedroom.
Soledad and two other female employees were busy changing the bedclothes.
"We're just a few moments, sir!" Soledad reassured them.
Spike decided to take Qila outside the balcony. There was an armchair and a lounging chair there. He chose to sit at the lounging chair so Qila could lay down on his chest. He stroked her back to calm down her shaking body.
"Excuse me, sir." A soft-spoken female employee served a tray of hot tea and biscuits.
"Thank you," he said softly.
The female employee bowed her head and left.
"I was standing here..." Qila started talking tremulously. "I was thinking of leaving..."
"Without saying goodbye to me?" he murmured without expression.
"Yes..."
"What made you change your mind?" he asked after a while of silence.
"I saw the woman... who looked like me. She dropped down the high wall... That wall..." Qila indicated the wall by the right side of the balcony.
"How did you know that her target was me?"
"Because..." Qila swallowed with difficulty. "Because we are trained to kill someone like you!"