CHAPTER 24 : Lost Leads
"Where am I this time...." Zakkiye stood , in yet another dream , one of which many had already haunted him since his childhood.
Zakkiye looked around and found himself on plain grass surrounded by trees that glowed neon green.
"I failed him.. " said a voice that echoed across the wind.
Zakkiye felt as if something sharp had penetrated his chest . He fell down , holding his chest , drops of sweat flowing down his cheek.
"Why ...why must you...keep ...punishing me for so..something I never did ...." Zakkiye cried out as the pain grew more and more intense.. "Agh....". His breath became heavier and heavier .As he grew closer to losing conciousness with each breath , he went numb . He drew his hand away from his chest only to find it stained with blood glowing red like a melted ruby.
""It wasnt your ...fault..." he muttered the few last words and opened his eyes back into the real world. The moon shining through the bedroom window.
The pain was gone completely.
"I must solve this quickly...so I can finally be at peace.." he murmured to himself and got off his bed to prepare for the mission at hand.
Jun , Samuel and Aleena were already standing next to the fountain ,all under hoods, on the crossroad that divided towards the male and female dorms.
"*Yaawwn* .... to be honest if investigating means waking up in the middle of night and compromising on sleep I might just give up sooner than you guys think .." said Samuel as he stretched his arms.
" We hardly have any time left...and every time we move out we return with more questions." Aleena replied.
"Hopefully that ends today ... I have a feeling we will find something significant tonight " Zakkiyye said with a determined look that hardly suited him.
"However for that we have to be able to get into the academy and then make it into the principal's office.' Jun reminded as they walked into the academy's garden.
"Leave that to me." Samuel spoke with full confidence.
"You have been saying that but you have never really told us how." Zakkiye snapped back.
"Relax ...my plan is flawless and on that note ...Jun and Aleena are now chasing us." Samuel took out his sword and swung it. Aleena and Jun barely dodged it.
"What are you....woah!" Zakiyye was interrupted by Samuel who grabbed his arm and put his sword around Zakiyye's neck.
"And now you are my hostage.....follow my lead" Samuel whispered the last few words into Zakiyye's ear and swiftly carried him out of sight.
Aleena and Jun , still under the process of understanding what just happened when they heard two students on patrol call out to them from behind.
"Are you guys alright!?" They shouted.
Aleena and Jun stood up to face them .
"What happened?" the senior one asked in a rigid tone.
"Yes , we were out on a walk ...and um we saw a suspicious individual roaming around the academy...we chased after him but he was able to escape our grip .. we apologize."
Aleena said with an innocent face but it barely worked.
"Where did he escape to?' the student asked.
"I saw a shadow run out the academy gates towards the forest as I turned around to your voices." Aleena said.
"Alright. Unauthorized patrol is out of the question but since you say you were taking a walk I ll let it slide in as a minor act of negligence. Return to your dorms immediately . " the senior looking figure said and left.
Aleena and Jun stood there with odd smiles for five minutes until..
"He used us...."
"As decoys..."
As Jun finished Aleena's sentence, they both had a fire lit in their eyes, glowing red with rage.
...
"Ghhhh...." Samuel shivered as he and Zakkiye stood infront of the principal's office door ."Whats wrong with you?" Zakiyye asked, still visibly upset he was taken as a hostage without his consent....the irony.
"Either its the cold weather or the cold stares of Aleena and Jun travelling across the academy ground to me . I ll take the former but I am sure its the latter"
"You don't say..."
....
Same time,
LOCATION : HOSPITAL.
"We are going in . Same way we always do. Josh , you have to stay hidden and follow us. " Batuhan told Josh as the three of them stood outside the main entrance.
"We will go to the room of the same student we went to the first time we came here. " Bow said as they entered with Josh nowhere to be seen.
"I see you have returned.You really like doing night shifts or what..." The junior doctor said as they walked to her counter.
"Hahaha and you are always here aswell. Do yiu never have dayshifts?." Batuhan questioned her back with a soft smile.
" I prefer nightshifts...much quieter you know." she said with a chuckle.
"We are here to see the students." Bow entered into the conversation.
"Hmm I am sorry I cannot let you into their rooms tonight ..." the doctor said with an apologetic look.
"Huh...why..?" Batuhan asked with surprise.
"You see , you guys were bothering the patients every night and that was halting their recovery. The consultant was really angry with me when he found out they were being kept awake at night so he strictly ordered me to keep you guys away from them. " she finished after handing over a written notice signed by the consultant.
"Ahan...." Batuhan muttered as he looked at the notice.
"If I may ask ...what exactly was the problem in their recovery .. " Bow said with a suspicious face.
"Oh you know...they were saying odd things." said the doctor.
"Like?"
"Like...." she paused for a brief second.."like...how they saw a man with black wings attack them ...and that he comes for them every night...green eyes...really weird stuff to be honest...its almost as if they were talking about-"
"Blackwings...." Bow uttered.
"Yes...which is a problem.." the doctor said with a worried look.
"Why is that?" Batuhan asked.
"Well-" a room bell rang off before she could finish her sentence. " I suppose we will have to cut short here, there seems to be a patient needing attention." with that she left into the corridor.
Batuhan and Bow looked at each other with lost expressions.
They turned around to leave while being watched by the doctor from the darkness of the corridors.
****