Sunshine

XXIV

“HE is still like that? Did he ate?”

“Barely. I almost had to force it to his throat.”

Carlos nodded and tilted his head to the direction of the door to which Marie nodded to. They took one last look at Adrian sitting on the monoblock stool, his hands clutching the sleeping Mathilda’s, rock-frozen on that position since they can remember.

They went out as quietly as they could as if it mattered---Adrian still won’t probably hear. They just stayed at the hallway since it's quiet at the moment.

“What do you think?” Carlos started. He talked in a low voice, wary of his surroundings. “Do you think Mathilda’s supposed to be the next victim or this is because she tipped the police?”

That made Marie wander on her own thoughts. In the process it took her a while to respond.

“What about you?”

“I don’t know. Both seems plausible.” Carlos took a side glance at Mathilda’s hospital room. “But if it’s the latter, then that means our enemy could be closer to us than we think. Because we never knew about Mathilda’s being the informer and even as Adrian’s girlfriend until we were told. How else did they found out after 24 hours?”

“You could be right…”

That made Carlos look back at Marie---not because of what she said but because of how she said it. He took a good look at her face and sighed.

“I’m sorry I must have known this is not the good time to talk about work. You should take a rest.”

Marie shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Tell me more.”

“No, you should go home and rest this can wait.” Carlos took a good look inside the room one last time and lightly pushed Marie to walk. “Let’s go. I’ll call you a taxi.”

"DID you had a good rest?"

The Special Task Force team met up after roughly 5 hours since the visit to the hospital, except for Adrian who stayed there. That was how Carlos greeted the newly arrived Marie still with her bed hair.

"Well I could tell by your hair."

Carlos added. Marie just nodded and sat on her chair. After she fished a comb from her backpack and quietly brushed her hair. She listened to Carlos and Juan's resumed discussion.

"Now all we need to do is to confirm if Mathilda was here 5 years ago because that will connect her to the rest of the victims."

"But she was born and raised here, right?"

Carlos nodded at Juan. "But my intuition says otherwise. I really think its because she helped us. It's suspicious."

"There you go again." All eyes went to Marie. She stopped brushing her hair and carefully slid the comb back to her bag. "I mean won't it be better for Adrian if she was actually the set victim and not because she helped? Can't you see how he's acting? Let's stop thinking for the worst once and for all."

Carlos can't help but wiggle his eyebrows on the statement. He was about to say something when the door swung open.

"What do you mean better for me? Do you think I care why this happened?"

"Adrian..."

"So you were busy finding out the why? For what? No one cares about that!"

Adrian pant heavily---it looks like he just came from running. He looked at his teammates one by one and banged the door behind him close.

"I only care about what they did. Just what they did."

"I said tell me everything you know!"

"Adrian enough. You should stop now. He..." Marie gasped. She almost couldn't speak the next words. "He might die, Adrian! Just please..."

"Mathilda's dying! Do you think I care about this motherfucker? He is one of them!"

Alejandro Salazar's weak panting was only heard the moment Adrian stopped shouting. Marie gasped again, and went to Salazar and attempted to stop the bleeding from its head.

"Stop this, Adrian. You know this isn't the way to do this!" Marie panicked when Salazar's head dropped. "Oh god Salazar stay with me!"

Adrian marched to their direction and pulled Salazar's hair up. His almost lifeless eyes met Adrian's wrathful one. Marie for the nth time tried to stop him but was only pushed to the floor.

"You can't die like this, bastard. You already made me a murderer, I can't go to prison like this." Adrian pulled on Salazar's hair tighter and brought his face closer. "And I don't care about the kind of devil you worship. Now talk. Or else nothing can really save you here."

Marie tried to stand on her feet but couldn't. She's just so scared on everything's unfolding in front of her.

"Adrian please... "

"Adrian!" The familiar voice from afar made Marie cry a sigh of relief. She shouted in a cracking voice.

"What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry." Carlos ran to Adrian and successfully pulled him from Salazar. Juan immediately went to Salazar and brought him out to bring him to the hospital. Together they disappeared like that.

"What do you think you're---"

Carlos paused when Marie's hands landed on Adrian's face. He ended up standing there dumbfounded.

"Is this what you decided to do? You decided to go crazy instead? Did you decide to become a monster instead? You said you were confused. You were just confused! Just what the f**k are you thinking!"

Marie shouted with tears streaming on her face. Adrian ignored this together with his stinging face and laughed.

"As expected from you, Marie."

Adrian turned his back on them. "I just realized. They are monsters. And only a monster could bring them down."

He started walking away, and spoke the last words almost to himself.

"And I could be the monster they are asking for. No, I will be the one."