Adventure in the World of Crimes

1.32 Eloise Nore's State

"Does either of you know where is Mr. Edison's hospital?" Laura asked the two scholars in the backseat as she U-turn the car, ready to go to where Eloise was, but not of course without feeding the cheap police with smokes. Laura grinned when they started coughing and covering their noses, and before they could even protest, Laura started driving out of the place.

"I knew. Search for Erudites Health Hospital." Coleen said to which Laura followed as she put the name at the GPS. "Why? Is Eloise there? I thought she was sent abroad?"

"She was not. It turns out that they never really trusted you in the first place, the ugly chief sentinel told me that she was sold to the people in the Black Market as a toy." She told them, couldn't help but grit her teeth upon remembering how proud the chief sentinel looked like for being vicious and how they could stomach selling someone's life like she's just like a thing.

She heard Coleen gasped, her hands were on her mouth as she stared at Laura with wide eyes incredulously, while Blake uttered a profanity, closing his hands into a fist. Sean was just sitting there silently, already immune to crimes and news like that. Well, Laura was too, but her heart was still aching imagining how the victims must have felt during those times.

"They're evil," Coleen said after a while of silence, she punched Blake's arm which caused him to jerk a little in surprise, "They're horrible! I always think they're bad but I didn't expect them to be the worst! I shouldn't have been tricked by their words. I should have done something earlier to prevent this from happening to her.." She kept on hitting Blake, and the latter was just letting her, perhaps feeling her frustration and regret once siding with them and turning a blind eye to save one which was the late principal, instead of many scholars.

"It already happened, Coleen," Blake let out, tone serious but delicate. It was also his first time calling her in her first name and not Miss President like how he used to. "You didn't know fully what's happening behind your back despite knowing the surface of it, and even if you knew, Miss President, you cannot do anything because they held your neck. Don't blame yourself, it's bound to happen considering how Earl knew that he's going to be the next target."

Blake was not stopping her from hitting him, and the two people in front knew that it was his way of comforting her instead of hugging her, well, he would surely not do that because first of all, they're not close, second, he's afraid that his face will be hit by her palm if he tried, third, it's cringy and again his wounded face would be hit, every scholar knew how she tended to be brutal sometimes.

Laura's forehead creased when a black car honked on them, she looked back at it through the side mirror but she couldn't see who was in there.

"That's probably Warren," Sean said, noticing her confused face. "I once saw him being his senior's driver, and probably he was with him now."

---

"Is that the agent's car? Why did you honk them? Do you know them?" A man in his forties had his already crinkled forehead crinkled more in confusion while looking at his junior driving.

"I don't, sir. You know I'm just naturally friendly, and they're our partner, right?" Warren smiled awkwardly, palms were sweating in nervousness and thinking of an excuse. He totally forgot that he was not agent Black.

The man just slowly nodded, letting it go as he saw the six police who were reported by the agency to be traitors. "You shouldn't be like these men, Warren. Abusive of their power, easily blinded by money, and not holding to their oath as a protector of the community. I know you'll be a good police officer"

"Yes, dad." He joked which earned a hit on his had using the folded magazine.

---

"Are we in the right place?" Laura asked after she parked the car in the parking. She looked at the scholars behind her through the mirror which they nodded in affirmation. Coleen had calmed down finally, and Blake was frowning because his arm got red and scratches due to her multiple hit that lasted for about fifteen minutes, if not only because of Laura who told her to stop in pity for the club president.

"Let's go." She announced. The four got out of the car one by one, Sean even get a jacket on the compartment of the car before they entered the hospital. The place was huge, and Laura couldn't help but curse the couple because she knew where they got their money to build this. Also, she knew this was theirs because of the smell, it was exactly the same as the scent in the tunnel.

"There are police, Miss Laura. Are they also like those earlier?" Blake whispered to her, his eyes were looking at the police who were talking to the front desk and some were lurking around calmly.

Laura pressed her earpiece, contacting Dale. "Are these police on our side?"

"Yes. They were investigating the place and monitoring the staff if ever the suspects contact them. It also came to them that some of the organs were delivered there, his hospital was also known for organ transplants, foreigners even fly solely there for that." She explained, and Laura relayed it to the three.

They walked towards the front desk as well. The two agents didn't talk to the police, they were not wearing anything to conceal even half of their face, so they couldn't reveal that they're agents, if they did that, their identity and privacy will be disclosed Sean might know about it beforehand that was why he took a jacket because if he didn't, they would know that he was wearing the same outfit as the agents earlier.

"Yes? What can we do for you?" The person at the front desk asked, she's still young, like just the same age as Laura.

"Uh, we're here to visit our friend Eloise Nore," Coleen answered. Same with the agents, they couldn't tell that they're scholars because they knew every scholar was still inside the UOE.

The nurse halt from writing as she looked up to see them, "Eloise Nore?" She reiterated to which Coleen nodded in confusion with the nurse's expression. She looked around her first and leaned forward, Coleen hinting that she wanted to whisper something leaned against, "Are you scholars?"

She nodded, "Yes."

She came back to her seat, scribbled on her notebook, and tore it, she slipped it into her hand as she gave her a knowing look, motioning the CCTV at her back. "I was a scholar too. What's happening at the university?"

"A lot. I suggest you open your TV." Coleen said, pointing to the small TV hanging on the wall. "We'll get going. Thank you."

The four went to the elevator, bringing the piece of paper from the nurse. The police event eyed with suspicions and confronted them about it before they take the lift, but with the three's state, Coleen used the excuse that she'll bring the three of them to their personal doctor, to which they bit and let them.

"Fifth floor, the very last room." The council president read as soon as they arrived on the fifth floor. Like instantly, the four of them looked straight ahead, a dim and eerie hallway welcomed them, with a few faint thuds that surprised and scared the two scholars that they hide behind the two agents.

"So this is where they place the mentally-ill people," Sean observed, stepping further towards the first room and peeked on the small window in the door but only to be shocked as there was a woman who banged the door, her eyes were wide, wearing a white gown, hair was unkempt, and smiling like a witch, that earned simultaneous screams from the three.

"Shhh!" Sean shushed them, finger across his lips. He looked around and found that the people inside were mostly mentally ill, and all looking at them and groaning, wailing, whimpering that had them covered their ears. "Let's move."

They walked towards the last door, where it was quieter and only a few patients were inside. They reached the last door, peeking in again to the small window, and once again, for the second time around, was surprised by the woman salivating and scaring whoever peeked in the door.

"Get lost! Shoo!" Blake said, motioning his hand from left to right to the woman to stop blocking the whole room, she was pretty huge and they couldn't even see the slightest because of her, they were also disgusted by her saliva. The room was locked and even if it was open, they wouldn't dare going inside as the patients might escape.

After a while, the woman finally walked aside, allowing them to see at least six women inside, particularly the person they were looking for who was at the very corner, looking so small while hugging her knees, she was also wearing a white dress like the other, and her hair was messy.

"Eloise..." Coleen called sadly, she banged the door that shocked everyone including the three, "Nore!"

"Hey, calm down!" Laura pulled her away from the door harshly, "You cannot do that. These people are sensitive, they might go craz- I mean, they might go wild and we cannot stop them if ever."

"So how would we able to call her?"

"Uhh. I don't think we need it." Blake suddenly said, looking inside to which the two ladies followed. They saw Eloise, with bloodshot eyes, looking at them, she started crying as soon as her eyes landed on Laura. She stood up and ran to the door, shifting the knob but it won't open.

"It's locked." Sean noticed, he studied the knob while Laura signaled Eloise to wait and calm down. She didn't look mentally ill like what Dale had said, she might look like it physically but they knew she wasn't crazy.

Sean took out the small knife hidden on the side of his boots, he started lockpicking the knob patiently until it opened. "That's a new record, Sean." Laura praised him, talking about how fast he was able to lockpick.

"Practice makes it possible." He replied as he opened the door. Eloise immediately went out of the room and hugged Laura.

The three looked at each other, then watched the other scholar cry messily in Laura's arms. They noticed the healing bruise on her body, and they might ask her about what happened later.

"We should go out here first."