Chapter 19

Fortunately, the doctor confirmed that Kirk was going to pull through with only minor damage to his lungs.

"How did you even know that we were in trouble?" Felicia was sitting with Eddie in the hospital cafeteria, Hank was staying with Kirk, who was still out for the count.

"The video feed cut out," Eddie replied. "The last thing I heard was something about a fire, so I called Detective Reynolds and told him where you guys were at. He wasn't very happy about it."

Felicia nodded her head, staring down at her cup of coffee. "I'm so sorry, Eddie."

"Felicia, it's not your fault."

"I didn't even think about the danger that this might pose to Kirk, or to any of you."

"Felicia, we all made our choices. It was our choice to help you, we knew what the risks might be."

"Sabine didn't, and look what happened to her, she was shot and almost killed because of me. From now on, I'm not involving anyone else but myself."

"Felicia-"

"Don't get me wrong, Eddie, I appreciate everything that you and Kirk have done, but things are getting too dangerous. I know that I'm not going to be able to stop investigating, but I can keep you guys from getting involved. I'm going to stay at a different hotel, and I'll send you guys messages every now and then to let you know that I'm okay, but other than that, I think it would be best if we didn't keep any contact."

"Felicia, come on."

"Eddie, please." She took his hands, squeezing them gently. "I get that you're concerned, and I appreciate it so much, but I need you to respect my choices, especially about this, okay?"

Eddie looked at her. "If you die, then I'm going to perform a damn seance to bring your ass back."

Felicia laughed softly, shaking her head. "It's nice to know that I'll have a friend on the other side if I go." She stood up, finishing the rest of her coffee. "Give Kirk and Sabine my love for me, would you?"

Eddie stood as well, hugging Felicia tightly. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will."Felicia was fighting back tears as she pulled away from Eddie, throwing out her coffee cup before exiting the cafeteria. She went out to the car that Reynolds had loaned her, getting in and taking a moment to compose herself.

Felicia rubbed her hands over her face, before looking down at the console, where her phone was. Picking it up, she dialed her mother's number. It went to voicemail, and Felicia took a shaky breath.

"Hey Mom, it's me. I know it's late, and that you're probably in bed, but there's some things that I need to tell you. I'm not going to be able to talk to you for a while, I've gotten myself mixed up in some really nasty things. I can't explain it all to you right now, but hopefully, I'll be able to one of these days."

Felicia wiped away a stray tear that had fallen down her cheek. "I love you, Mom." She hung up, tossing the phone into the passenger seat before driving off.

~

Felicia gathered her things from the motel, before driving to another one on the other side of the city, wanting to distance herself from her friends as much as possible, in case she were to be found again.

This motel was run by a little old lady, who had a Basset Hound and a Sphynx cat asleep in the corner of the room.

"Just yourself, dear?" The woman asked her, and Felicia nodded her head. "Yeah, just me."

"Here's the key to your room. Old-fashioned, I know, using an actual key, but I've never been able to understand computers, especially not the ones that we have nowadays."

"I certainly understand that, a lot of them are complicated." Felicia nodded her head at the sleeping animals. "That's a cute pair you've got there."

"Oh, thank you. My little Basset is Penny, and the cat is Bastet."

"Are you a fan of Egyptian mythology then?"

"I am, I studied it when I was in college, but that was ages upon ages ago."

"Oh, please. You don't look nearly that old." Felicia replied with a laugh.

"You know how to flatter someone, don't you?"

"I'm just telling the truth."

"Just for that, you're getting a discount."

"You're too kind." Felicia took her key, making her way up a flight of stairs.

These rooms were a bit nicer than the ones in the previous motel. The rooms were bigger, at any rate.

Felicia placed her bags on the dresser. "God, I need a shower." She muttered. Grabbing a pair of pajamas, she went into the bathroom, shutting the door before she turned on the hot water.

Steam filled the room as she stripped down, and she stepped into the shower, sighing as the hot water hit her skin. The water didn't hurt her arm like it had done before, but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Her skin was still peeling away, and the flesh underneath looked like it was rotting. Felicia realized that at that point, she needed to focus on a cure rather than trying to figure out what had caused it. It would be hard to do that without a lab, though.

Felicia didn't spend much time in the shower, toweling herself off before she got on her pajamas, a short-sleeved shirt, and matching shorts. She ran her brush through her tangled hair, grimacing as the knots in her hair were worked out.

Her phone rang, showing that it was Hank who was calling, and Felicia sighed sadly before she declined the call, blocking his number after that.

"Sorry Hank, but it's better this way."

A crashing sound from the other room made her jump. "Shit…" She cracked the bathroom door open just enough to see through. Her door had been kicked off its hinges, but there wasn't an indication of anyone being in the room. However, she knew better than that by now.

Felicia walked closer to the door, and that was when she sensed someone behind her. Turning around, she got a quick glimpse of a man clad all in black before he kicked her in the stomach, sending her sprawling to the ground.

The man went to kick her again, but she rolled out of the way before scrambling to her feet. "Leave me alone!"

"I gave you so many warnings, and you did not heed any of them." The man's voice was deep. He stood at just a little over six feet. His head was bald, and he had an Eastern European accent, although Felicia couldn't detect the exact country of origin.

Felicia went into a defensive stance, causing the man to laugh. "It is funny that you think you have even a remote chance against me." He pulled out a gun, pointing it at her. "It is such a shame that such a pretty face has to be ruined."

"Wait." Felicia's hands were raised in the air. "Can you at least tell me who you are, or who it is that wants me out of the picture?"

"Do you really think that I am about to tell you everything because you are about to die? This isn't Nancy Drew. I hope that you are right with God."

He cocked the gun, and Felicia closed her eyes, a gunshot echoing in the room.