23 Centuries

Shadows paved up the sky like a force of unknown engulfing the world, bit by bit. The siren was the music people heard most often these days, and accompanying the main melody of this city, disease. Disease has become dominant in the world. It takes the streets, then the houses, lastly, the skyscrapers. The virus in their bodies triggered the most brutal site of humans, and the people who got infected were called--------the “mutants”. 

For not long, the army took charge, bombs bombarded the streets at midnight, the mutants were merely destroyed, however, humans paid a huge price, when the dawn spread its light on earth, the world was covered with ruins. The world gradually becomes inhospitable for humans, working system collapses, climate change leads to severe effects of extreme weather, fortunately, some of the humans still manage to survive. 

Inside the palatial hospital, yes, not advance or brevity, but palatial hospital. This architecture had been reconstructed five years ago since the disease had spread, its purpose was to provide shelter for this world, that was filled with disease and unknown. Though it had been rebuilt, people still called it the “hospital”, and the person who built it, was called the “dean”. Inside the hospital, everything was maintained by orders and hierarchy. The rich, who lived from the 10th to the 20th floor ,possessed supreme privilege, with luxury living style and sumptuous suits. As the elevator ascended, the level of indulgence elevated into a higher level. However, deep down the first floor, where the poors lived, was dark, damp and full of suffering . 

While the time marched, the balance became fragile, like a mirror was having cracks on its surface.

6:00 pm in 1003 room

“Where’s my necklace darling, have you seen one?” a slender lady with a rose red dress revealed herself over the floating curtains 

“Which one is it ?” The man casted a thirsty gaze at the woman.

“The sapphire one ofcourse, the one I like the most.” the women spoke seductively, while approaching the man.

“I could…...just…..just buy you...another one.” The beefy man said slowly, mesmerized by the beautiful creature in front of him.

“You liar, mr.Dean, no matter how powerful you are, you can’t possibly buy me a diamond in this horrible era.” The women flirted, staring at him affectionately, the man gradually tried to land his chubby hands on the woman’s skin, just about he could touch that lithe face---------a cold clutch awakened him, an evil grin appeared starkly on the woman’s face. The dean couldn’t speak, or yelled, the woman had constrained his breathing, she stared back at his frightened pupil, giving even more pressure on the quilt that used to stifle his face, without hesitation.

Midnight------in the hospital

Till midnight, no one came to the dean’s room. On the 20th floor corridor, a black shade shuttled through places where candles couldn't reach. It was a man with a black coak, he strode toward an exquisite door way, where sunflowers embroidered on the room number, “1003”. He took out his equipment, sprayed some toner on the fingerprint’s sensor “It's the old way, but it is the most useful way” the thief thought in his mind, next second, with a crispy beep sound, the thief entered the room. First thing he felt was the breeze coming from the massive window, the thief slowed down his pace immediately, then he saw the owner was sleeping deeply on his luxury king size bed. The draperies in front the massive windows were flowing in the air, like a supple wave dancing down the moonlight. With the pouring moonlight, the theif showned a pair of eyes, hidden with crystal sky, and a light scar on his forhead. 

“What a rich guy” the thief stared around the room.

Through the vague moonlight, the thief saw more details of this room, the marble floor with beautiful texture, distinguished paintings embedded on the walls, and in the back part, there was even a swimming pool, reflecting beautiful luster from the moonlight. And this all belongs to the guy lying next to him, the owner had a beefy shape, that hoarded an enormous fat in his stomach. The thief took a peek at him, then he started his adventure of stealing, no, collecting. The man took a medium size of hamp bag, shuttling in and out each section in the room of 1003, at last he had several trophies: an exquisite Swiss folding knife, a bunch of fruits, including his favorite apple, a delicate pocket watch. However, when he was about to leave, there was something peculiar about the man that drew his attention, the thief took out his flashlight and turned on, the man still slept inactively as a wood, his skin was pale white, like a grayish porridge. The thief uncovered the cloth in the victim's body---------it was scattered with reddish-purple stains! 

“Crap…...” the thief gasped. He advanced closer to the owner’s body, “the victim’s face has severe bruises under his eye socket and nose. The blood stain was massive, he should be dead today! ” the next moment, he had a call.

“Elliot, come to the room of 1003, we got a dead body here.” “Who…..is it, Cedric is that you? You're insane! It's 1 am in the morning!” Elliot roared on the other side of the phone, yet, the thief had an extraordinary stamina.

“I promise this was not a joke, by the way, you really should see this place, it was full of crystals and golds, even got a swimming pool in the back…”

“Wait, did you say, a swimming pool? you're actually in the room of 1003?”

“Am I ran in to the wrong suit?”

“Hold on, a dead…..dead body in 1003 room!”

“Yeah, why did you keep repeating 1003 room ?”

“Because it's the dean’s room for god sake, I’m gathering forces now, stay where you are, don’t touch anything!” Elliot hung up the phone.

“Finally!” Cedirc cry with excitement

“Has something interesting in this goddamn hospital.” Cedric danced fervently in the empty room.

The thief didn’t exactly do what Elliot told him, he wandered around and examined the body until Elliot and his police came, including those chatty forensics. 

“Elliot ! you’re late!”

“You’d better explain to me why on earth you are in this room, Cedric.”

“Well, yesterday was my birthday. I was just wandering around, finding my birthday presents, and  food supply is dramatically decreasing these days…..” 

“Old hanbits again? You help me out of this case then I won’t tell no one.” Elliot interrupted Cedric from continuing.

“Fine! At least we finally have some “cases”.” Cedric emphasized on the word cases.

“The dean is dead, this case must be handled deliberately, we can’t let anyone know! We got to do our best to delay it from spreading to the media.” 

“Oh, you finally remember your consultant after ignoring me these years in this boring hospital!” 

“For god’s sake, we never had an murder case in this hospital!”

“Are you sure?” Cedric sneered.

“We had to stop this , how many times do you want me to tell you, that the first floor isn’t our business!” 

“You’ve changed Elliot, where’s your spirit?” Eliiot changed his face into a stern look, casting his eyes on the floor.

“Fair enough, nevermind! What do we got here!”

“The victim's name was Nicolas Gravalley. The builder of this hopital, 54 years old, had a wife, the god of the world.”

“And he is no dead.”

“Oh for god’s sake! wipe off your tears Oliver! you’re contaminating the evidence.”

“The dean is dead…...we are all going to die!”

“Ofcourse not, don’t he had a heir or somehthing?”

“This one didn’t, our dean haven’t gave birth any descendents before he passed away. Aman…” Elliot said with weeping

“His wife didn’t notice that he’s missing?” Cedric said it with incredulity.

“Who do you think the dean was! He’s the god’s descendent, the man who runs the enternal trees, it is perfectly normal, his family didn’t know he’s location.”

“Forensics”, Cedric ignored Elliot, and kept pacing back and forth in the room.

“Cocassion, 54 years old, judging by the livor mortis, his time of dead approximately would be between yesterday’s dinner, however, I’ll still need more tests.” The blond hair forensist cooperated nicely with Cedric.

 “How about his face? It appeared he’d been through suffocation.” Cedric stared at the victim’s bruise, imagining how the killer implemented the killing process.

“Yes, you're quite right, but it seemed like…...the mark was more shallow than the cases I met before.”

“Could the killer be a woman?” Elliot assumed.

“Probably, the killer might have escaped by jumping out of the window, when I got here the window was opened, I think the killer can’t manage to close the windows while performing that kind of high skill movement. Who’s living in that room ?” Cedric pointed at the room under the next floor.

“No one, it's a storage, mainly storing for rich people’s stuff, it was like a colossal version of safety box.”

“Let’s go check it out!”

A couple of policies stayed in the crime scene to maintain it, and in case the killer headed back. The sheriff, Elliot, and the police consultant, Cedric, head to the storage room, which was positioned on the 19th floor. The cargos inside were all paved with dust, which made the footprint nearby the window appeared starkly enough that, obviously, someone escaped here not long ago.

“Too shame we can’t identify any fingerprint here, I wonder the life of the old police, that have full system of people’s fingerprint.” Elliot sighed.

“At least now we can identify our killer is a woman, the hand size was too small. I’m gonna go find more evidence, oh by the way, can I borrow something?” 

“What?”

“A suit, complementary shoes, and your 20th floor night club ticket.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I only got one!”

“Ticket or killer?” Cedric gave a charmy wink at Elliot.

“Remember that you owe me dinner!” Elliot shoved the ticket away indignantly.

“I won’t forget, see you later” Cedric marched away, with his hand waving back at Elliot.

20th floor, inside the ballroom, Cedric blends perfectly inside the dark, he paced his footsteps away from the glamourous disco light, then he saw a few low classes came from the down stairs, and a clear line with a group of rich people aggregated on the other sides of the stage. With the disco ball shining, Cedric saw a graceful woman with a luscious sense of elegance, standing conspicuously in this glamorous atmosphere. She was followed by a massive crowd of servants, her face was grim and rigid, she waved her hands powerfully, then all those people dismissed as a whisk of wind blew past. At the moment, she seemed relieved, the grim on her face turned softer, intertwined with a bit melancholy. She sat on the bar, 

“What did you like to drink madam?” the bar tender asked

“A cup of Tequila please.”

“You must been celebrity back in your epoche, such beauty like you, should be no worry? I bet my Tequila will make you fell happy.”

“I was many years from beauty.” The woman chuckled.

“What bothers you? I thought money can solved all the problems. And I see’d that your very rich, in these days not many people have body guards and servants.”

“What are you trying to say?” The woman glared at him with cooled.

“I’m trying to say------be careful.” The bartender smiled at her with his sky color eyes embedded in the shape of two meniscus, under the light, a shallo pink scar appeared on his forhead. 

Then a crack sound broke the brisk atmosphere in the room, “Hey don’t you touch me!” A guy with decent suit clamor around, while he shoved a little girl to the table.

“What did you think your’e doing, she doesn’t touch ya!” An old man came out with patches and dirts paved up he jacket. “Youre first flooreres should all be gone immedietley, or you’re all have to pay!” The bartender seemed to worship her.

Maria! come out!” the bartender opened his mouth slightly, then shouted the name out unconsciously. A girl strides out from the back, in a blink second, Ms.Dean’s face turned transparent, pale as the color of her silver hair. 

“You're just as beautiful as the rumor tells, perhaps you can come to the upper floor and be trained as a model.” Ms. Dean tried to control her unnatural, still, inevitable with a bit of tremble in her voice.

“Thank you for your compliment mam, but I enjoy my life on the lower floor.” Maria said with a beaming smile

“Don’t be, I owe you a lot, my dear.” The woman sighed, she stood up, followed by a massive crowd of followers, and left Maria with a graceful figure.

Maria headed back to the employee’s room, thinking about what just happened to her, a hand suddenly gripped tightly in the dark, Maria’s mouth had been covered, her heart sank deeper and deeper…….

“I have questions to ask you. You only need to answer me quietly.” Cedric whispered in the dark

“What is wrong with you? I’m calling for everyone!”

“The kitchen was cleared out, you can scream as much you want.”

“Who are you exactly?”

“I supposed I am the one to ask you this question, who are you? I bet the necklace you’re wearing can be unlocked with Mr.Dean’s key.” Maria looked stunned for a moment, her pupil enlarged distinctly, Cedric could still see it clearly, even her face was half in shadow. He took out his phone and called Elliot.

“I need you to come here, ms.Maria will be our first suspect.” Cedric said it with confidence.

“Cedric! ms.Dean is dead.”

“What?” Cedric was frozened at the moment

3:00 in the morning, the sky was pitch dark outside.

“Who are you, Maria?”

“I’m Maria, why are you keep asking me this question! I’m 18 years old, I have only one brother and I live in the low class of this hospital, is that enough for you? great detective.” Maria was furious, however, she understood that anger was one of the best emotions to veil your true emotion.

“Maria, if you are truly not hiding anything, then why are you so angry, it's a simple question, but you never give me an answer with calm emotion.” Cedric said it peacefully.

“I am angry because you brought me to this interrogation room for no reason!”

“Okay, I’ll let you go, until you tell me who you were, before you entered this hospital. I knew that the bartender isn’t your real brother, I bet you had a brother before, because you're strong enough, no need to rely on a random man. The necklace on your neck is a pair with Mr.Dean, however, it was not meant to be locked, or unlocked, it was a gift, a well-made toy probably.”

“How did you know….”

“Your face reminds me of the case that was closed seven years ago, though your face has changed but you never lost your necklace didn’t you. It's time to reveal it all, don’t you think? Aalliyah.” Aalliyah set palely. Like a puppet apathetic to the world, but tears dropped silently from her transparent eyes.

“Wait, Cedric you mean……. that little girl in the newspaper?!”

“Yes, that case was cut off from your father, now is a good time to end this all. Tell us what happened that night.”

“ Easy Cedric, give her sometime.”

“ We don’t have time!” Cedric said it grumpily

“I bet you’re not often spending time with people, don’t you, detective Cedric?” Cedric stared subtle at her.

“Alright, I can tell you who I am, but as a trade, I refused to go into jail.”

“It depends on what you said.”

“I didn’t kill anybody, just…..things get complicated.” 

Cedric and Elliot exchange their looks, then Elliot makes a yield.

“Deal” Said Elliot painfully.

“My father was Nicholoas, also the dean of this hospital. And you were right, I had a little brother once, since my brother got kidnapped, and then killed, I hardly speak to my father again.  You have been working on my brother’s cases for so long, haven’t you ever wondered why I never showed up on the newspaper, even when my father was building this hospital?” The girl calmly told her story, her voice was hollow, no emotions and warmth, even Cedric couldn’t hear any information from it.

“Why?” Cedric asked 

“I was running away from my family, to places no one can find me. Why? Because my parents were too preoccupied with my little brother, even though he’s long gone, while I was all alone, and alive.” While Aliyah was about to continue, Cedric gave a huge sigh.

“Thank you for your story, however, the terrigation is now pausing.” Cedric was even more grumpy after hearing her story.

Cedric and Elliot went out of the room for some fresh air.

“What was the matter, I think we aren’t even close to hearing the point?”

“There was something missing Elliot, had you found any suspect when Ms. Dean was murdered? Because Aalliyah was with me when ms.Dean died, she couldn’t be the one to kill her……...either she had help or she was covering someone.” 

“Why were you so sure that this thing had to do with Aalliyah, she was probably just an innocent girl, who had a tragic childhood.”

“No, she’s too smart, a girl who can live so long by herself alone in the lower floor, will be no innocent. Well, the more physical proof was her necklace, she either loved her father so much, or she had some reason that she risked exposing herself, and still wearing that necklace.”

“Wait, I got a call. Hello? What? bring her to the interrogation room, right now!”

“What happened?”

“A suspect had been caught holding the knife that used to kill Ms.Dean.”

“It seemed like these two girls had a connection.”

“How is that?”

“Do you really think a man could be stupid enough to hold a murder weapon infront of cups?”

4:30, in 1001 interrogation room

“What is your name?” Asked Elliot

“I’m Lenna” the women said aggressively

“Did you kill ms.Dean and mr.Dean?”

“Yes, I killed them.”

“How did you kill them?”

“I used pillows to  kill….”

“Wrong, Aalliyah didn’t use a pillow to kill her father.”

“No, it was me!”

“So you knew about Aalliyah don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I remembered there was a young nanny that used to accompany Aalliyah, that was you, wasn’t it? You couldn’t bear to see her parents ignore her, so you take Aalliyah away, then you help her covering every crime she committed, and then Ms.Dean found out it was you, who took their daughter away. You two had a fight, then you accidently killed her.” Cedric spilled his words out like an enchanted person, with no pausing.

“Her parents did not even care about her, she was just a poor child.”

“So you admit that she killed her parents and her brother?”

“Ofcourse not!”

“Then who killed them!”

“I’ll answered no question”

“Read this.”

“Is this some kind of trick?” Lenna stared at Cedrics’ eyes with blaze.

“This is the letter written by Nicholas Gravella, the dean, though he was not a good man but he really did care about his daughter.” 

Lenna read for a while, repeating every line twice a time, then she finally spoke…...

“This is impossible…..what have I done.” Lenna shuddered with every strength she had, like a wounded beast curling on her chair.

5:00 am in the morning, 1002 interrogation room

“So what happened to your brother” Cedric resumed his original calm voice.

“No responding, your time has passed, detective.”

“So shame, Lenna was going to be convicted as a tribled murderer, and will be sentenced to the outside world. ”

“You don’t have the authority to do that!”

“Actually I can, she had confessed her crime five minutes ago.”

“No, I don’t believe it!”

“Alright, you can choose to talk or not. Elliot, start the execution now!” Cedric suddenly made a call.

“You may watch!” Cedric said suddenly, pushed her chair to the opened window, forcing her to see Lenna’s execution. Lenna was standing on the plank that extended from the building, the design was meant to execute criminals.

“Keep moving!” Elliot shouted at Lenna. Her trembling body almost caused her to fall, she approached more a bit to the margin of the plank. 

“Not enough” Elliot shouted again, this time, Lenna took a deep breath, moving a bigger step toward the margin. 

“If you talk, Lenna won’t die for you. Did you really want to see her die.” Cedric said softly.

“Move further! let's end this quickly Lenna!” Elliot yelled. The wind was powerful that day, whipping Lenna’s face with cruelty, she was skinny as a fragile flower, nearly unraveled when the wind crashed on her body, still, she dragged her body a bit more-------- Alliyah closed her eyes, shutting down all the things. This time, Lenna didn’t hold it! She fell down from the panel, her sweaty hands grasped on the last edge of the wood! Elliot was relieved.

“Cedric! Is she talking yet? I don’t want to execute an innocent woman!” Elliot lowered his voice down.

“Just retract the panel, she will talk, I promised!” Cedric left the room with anger.

“Jesus crisis!” Elliot calmed himself for a few seconds, then he made his decision. He retracted the panel back to the building--------“Wait! No!No please! I’ll talk…...I agree talking with you.” Aliyah finally spoke.

“Elliot, she talked, take Lenny back.” Cedric’s back was soaked in his sweat.

Alliyah spoke while she was trembling.

“She was my nanny, the closest person I had, except for my family, of course when my family was gone, she was my only family. My brother doesn’t play with me often before, he sometimes makes me scared, he likes to kill small animals, tortured them. One night, I was asleep as everyday else. In the darkness, I dreamed of my head being smashed hard, I felt dizzy, I opened my eyes a bit, then I saw a shadow of my little brother, smashing my head with his toy car, cruelty, like a machine, my head had been bleeding for a while. Our mother stood beside him, freezing, like she didn’t know what he was doing. Back then I just didn't understand why, then I found out, my real mother was one of the mistresses my father had, she was not some aristocratic woman, she dealt with horrible people, a group of men was trying to blackmail her, by kidnapping her child. They thought that she gave birth a boy, they were supposed to kidnap me! Instead, they kidnapped the wrong person. The night when my brother was rescued and set free by the kidnappers, he got even more brutal, I can see from his eyes…...and my step mother wasn’t going to protect me, I couldn’t tell my father either, he was so happy that his boy was back. Finally, the night came, my brother didn’t beat me this time, he stole a knife out. Before he could kill me, Lenna pushed me aside, and stood in front of me……...she tried to control him, however, he struck her badly, blood pouring out from her body, I can’t move, I just…..freeze. Both of them fought fiercely……. in the end, the both of them fell down, Lenna stepped on my brother’s chest, with the kitchen knife, by accident.”

“You didn’t kill your brother…”

“Yes. I convinced her to run, and left the body outside the house, and pretended that it was the kidnappers who returned and killed him. Then as you know, the world became a mess, I found this hospital my father built. I wished to confront him, not surprisingly, he didn’t recognize me. I applied for the bartender job, then I had their conversation heard.”

“No, privacy was the most basic law in the ballroom, that's why I went to confront him,’I just need some answer.”

“You're wrong, your father didn’t want to hand you to the police, he just said it because he wanted you to apologize. He wrote me a letter, told me he wanted to solve your brother’s case, then suddenly he cut off the entire mission, I guess he probably figured it out on his own. The second time he sent me a letter, is to invite me to his hospital, also, inform me that after he died, he wants you to take over his place.”

“No this is all fake, it's all fake….Yes! it's all fake”

“That woman and that man were supposed to die, Lenny killed that woman, now we can be free!” Lenna mumbled with herself, shaking her head desperately.

“Lenna didn’t kill your stepmother, she killed herself!”

“Your stepmother was actually your birth mother, she had to protect you, she was guilty that she couldn’t save you the night you were hit, she was too shocked, she never met any situation like that. She blamed herself ever since that day, she knew that it was probably you who killed your father, so she ended herself. She doesn't want you to bear any more scenes.”

“You don’t understand Anything!”

“You can choose, if you want to stay in the hospital, you would be in a special jail, where you will have everything you needed, but banned in the room for the rest of your life. Or, you can go to the outside world, where you can be free, but hardly survive.”

The gate is opened, a beam of line slip through the gap, Aalliyah said nothing, she stood up and left from the gate. 

6 o'clock in the morning, the light sprayed on the hospital’s roof, 12 hours in the future.