"Let's go inside and see" suggested James
Sofia holds Aidan's hand in fear that's when their eyes meet. Aidan promised her nothing bad would happen to her. He assured her and she understood.
With a nod of determination, Aidan reached out and pushed open the door, revealing a dimly lit room beyond. As they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sight of a lone figure huddled in the corner, his face obscured by shadows.
"Who are you?" Aidan demanded, his voice filled with authority.
The figure looked up, revealing a face twisted with pain and desperation. It was a face Aidan recognized all too well, a face he had seen countless times before in the halls of the school.
It was the face of their classmate, Marcus.
"What are you doing here?" James demanded, his voice laced with suspicion.
Marcus hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting nervously between Aidan and his friends. "I... I had to come," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I had to tell you the truth."
"What truth?" Sofia asked, her voice tinged with urgency.
Marcus took a deep breath, steeling himself before speaking. "The truth about what really happened in the school washroom that day," he replied, his voice filled with resolve. "And why it happened."
Aidan and his friends leaned in closer, their eyes fixed on Marcus's face. They knew that whatever he had to say could change everything, and could finally bring them the answers they had been searching for.
"It wasn't just a random act of violence," Marcus explained, his voice quivering with emotion. "It was a carefully orchestrated plan, a scheme to cover up a dark secret that had been hidden for far too long."
"But who would do such a thing?" Sofia asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
Marcus hesitated for a moment before responding, his gaze dark and haunted. "It's someone close to us," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Someone we never suspected, someone we trusted."
Aidan felt a chill run down his spine at Marcus's words. Could it be possible that the killer was someone they knew, someone they considered a friend?
"We need to find out who's behind this," James declared, his voice filled with determination. "We can't let them get away with it."
"Tell us who it was." Asked Aidan.
They saw him hesitating and he was scared to death.
"Don't worry. We are with you. Tell us who it was" said James
But before Marcus could tell anything, he fainted.
"Marcus get up, what happened?" Aidan got tensed.
"Marcus, Marcus.....get up man" James did not know what to do.
They all felt helpless.
"Let us take him to the hospital" suggested Sofia.
"Yeah let us do that," said Aidan
"Let's hold him. Help me, Drake." Called James
"But it is almost midnight guys. Do you think we should take him? Isn't it risky?", Drake was confused about what to do.
"Then what should we do? Leave him here like this. In this state. We don't have any other option Drake", said James.
"He is correct. We can't leave him like this and he is not even responding. We need to take him to the hospital" said Sofia
"Ok. Let's go then" Drake agreed with them.
Together, they hoisted Marcus onto their shoulders and hurried out of the abandoned warehouse, their footsteps echoing in the stillness of the night.
Outside, they flagged down a passing taxi and piled into the back, their hearts pounding with worry as they raced towards the nearest hospital. The journey felt like an eternity, each passing minute filled with a sense of urgency and apprehension.
Finally, they arrived at the hospital, where Marcus was rushed into the emergency room. Aidan and his friends paced anxiously in the waiting area, their minds swirling with questions and concerns.
"What if something happens to him?" Sofia whispered, her voice filled with worry.
"We can't think like that," James replied, his tone firm but tinged with uncertainty. "We just have to trust that he'll be okay."
Hours passed, each one dragging by agonizingly slow as they waited for news of Marcus's condition. The hospital bustled with activity around them, doctors and nurses rushing to and fro, but Aidan and his friends remained rooted to their spots, their thoughts consumed by concern for their fallen comrade.
And then, finally, a doctor emerged from the emergency room, her expression grave but determined.
"Is he going to be okay?" Aidan asked, his voice trembling with emotion.
The doctor nodded, her gaze softening with sympathy. "He's stable for now," she replied, her voice calm but tinged with urgency. "But he's not out of the woods yet. We need to run some more tests to determine what caused him to collapse."
Aidan's heart sank at the news, but he knew there was nothing more they could do but wait. They settled into the uncomfortable plastic chairs of the waiting room once more, their minds swirling with worry and uncertainty.
They all were restless and it was afternoon already and no one dared to move from their places even a little. There was only one thing in their mind and that was what was Marcus. He should be fine. They were very concerned. And Marcus being an orphan was more heartbreaking. There was this one question in Aidan's brain which was haunting him from the night before. How did Marcus end up like this? How did he even get to know who the murderer is and how is he unconscious now that even doctors are having problems finding out what is the actual reason behind him being in this state?
Am I bringing the other's lives in danger who are being with me? I think I should do this on my own rather than involving my friends too. Yeah. That would be better.
"What are you thinking so deeply Aidan?" asked James.
"Nothing just....you know Marcus. I can't see him like this James"
"Yeah, I know how you are feeling right now. Even we all are going through the same thing. But this should not stop because of this. If the enemy has gone this far then we should not sit like this doing nothing. He will come to find us and we just need to wait for that perfect moment and then...…attack"
Both Aidan and James were looking into each other's eyes giving assurance and showing truthfulness in their words and actions. That is when the silence broke in that room.
"Hey, guys. Have some food" came a female voice.
"Clara????"James was surprised.
"I asked her to bring food. As no one ate anything, I thought to let her bring" said Sofia.
"Have some food, everyone. I am sorry about Marcus. How Is he now?" said Clara.
"He is still unconscious." Said Aidan.
"Hope he recovers very soon. But you all have to eat and stay strong and I am with you all," said Clara.
They all had food and were thinking about what they could do.
As they waited, Aidan's thoughts turned to the events of the night, the tantalizing glimpse of the truth that Marcus had promised to reveal before he collapsed. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were on the brink of a breakthrough, that they were finally closing in on the answers they had been searching for.
Aidan told Sofia and Drake to go home and rest. James and he will take care of everything. Both James and Aidan were left back in the hospital to take care of Marcus. Both informed their parents what had happened. About their friend not being well they will take care of him. Being generous and kind, they also agreed to their kids and James's dad even sent some officers to guard at night times.
But with Marcus lying unconscious in the hospital bed, their hopes hung in the balance, their quest for justice teetering on the edge of uncertainty.
As the night wore on, the hospital corridors grew eerily quiet, the only sound the soft hum of machinery and the occasional shuffle of passing nurses. Aidan and his friends sat huddled together in the dimly lit waiting room, their nerves frayed and their minds consumed by worry. And slowly they fell asleep due to tiredness.
It was almost 10 in the morning. Both Aidan and James were in deep sleep.
Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the shrill ring of Aidan's phone. He fumbled for it in his pocket, his heart racing with apprehension as he answered the call.
"Hello?" he said, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
"Aidan, it's Sofia," came the voice on the other end of the line, urgent and breathless. "You need to come back to the school right away. Something's happened."
Aidan's heart skipped a beat at Sofia's words, his mind racing with questions and fears. "What happened?" he demanded, his voice tinged with panic.
"It's Drake," Sofia replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's gone missing."