Chapter 26: Chapter 26

MYSTIC HOLLOW

Homicide

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BY NAOMI INNOCENT

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CHAPTER 26

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"No no no no! There's no way you are joining any crew and there is no crew at all" Alex whined as he shook his head sideways vigorously.

"Come on Alex! Stop being such a party pooper will you? You're the one that's always opposing every idea that's suggested. Seriously stop being a Judas" Bonnie said as she shrugged and went back to Peter.

"So now I'm a betrayal?" He asked out of annoyance.

"Nobody said that" she smiled.

"So.. Can I keep this?" She said referring to the potrate on the drawing book.

"Yh, sure" Elena and Laura said simultaneously with a shrug.

Bonnie smiled and stared at it.

It was at 12:45AM that the kids fell asleep. Alex slept on an armchair, resting his head on the wall, Laura and Elena slept on a bench too as they folded themselves to contain on the bench while Bonnie slept beside Peter on his bed. She curled her little arms round his body as she placed her head on his chest with a smile plastered on her face as she slept.

INSIDE PETER'S HEAD WHILE IN COMA

"Mom! Dad!" 10 years old Peter said as he walked to his mom and dad at the parlor. Mr. And Mrs. Crane Bennett were present there too.

"Oh hey honey, how you doing?" His mom asked carrying him as he scratched his eyes.

"Say Hi to Mr. and Mrs. Crane" his dad told him as he turned to Crane and his wife and said,

"Hi"

"Awnn, he's grown so big, just like our Little Alex" Mrs. Crane, who was pregnant of Bonnie said as she struck Peter's hair.

The family of the Cranes and the Bennetts were best of friends as of then.

"Why didn't you bring Alex along?" Mrs. Parker asked Mrs. Crane who smiled.

"Oh! He's at home with his babysitter. You know how he'll turn this place up side down with Peter paraventure we tagged him along? And he's got homework to do" Mrs. Crane said as they all laughed.

"Mommy, I wanna sleep" Peter told his mom who took excuse and carried him inside his room and laid him down.

She returned to the parlor as they stayed for a while before suggesting to have a sit out since it had been long they had one.

They left Peter at home, totally forgeting about him, because he was asleep.

They went out for the seat out and returned in the evening only to find the building was half burnt and Peter was inside, they panicked.

"Call 911!" Mr. Parker screamed as he rushed inside the building to rescue Peter.

"My son is in there!" Mrs. Parker screamed as Crane and his pregnant wife held her down, preventing her from running into the burning house.

"I'm a careless mother" she added and cried.

By this time, people had gathered already as they called on 911.

Mr. Parker got to the building, most of it's structure had gone down already

He saw Peter crying inside his room that was surrounded with fire.

"Hey! Come! It's ok. I've got you" Mr. Parker said as he held Peter tightly. He took the blanket that he was lying the bed that was half burnt, poured water on it and covered his body and pushed him out of the burning room to the kitchen that was half burnt too.

A burning stick fell on his body as Peter watched him from the kitchen and screamed his name!

"Dad!'

Mrs. Parker who has been struggling with Crane who held her down heard her son's voice as she pushed him aside and ran inside the burning house.

"Peter! Peter!" His mom screamed his name as she searched for him all over the building as she coughed because of the smoke.

"Mom!" Peter cried from the kitchen as his mom raced to him. By this time, part of the kitchen and the parlor was almost burnt down.

"I've got you. Ok? I've got you" she said as she took the overheated blanket off his body and placed on the ground. The roof was on fire already.

She poured water on the blanket as Peter started coughing because of the smoke, she coughed too but she had to stay strong for Peter.

She used the wet and cold blanket to cover Peter as she carried him and started running. The way outside the kitchen had been crossed by a burning wood that fell down. She jumped past it as she and Peter fell on the ground and started coughing.

She injured her leg and couldn't get up as the smoke got to their lungs and diaphragm suffocating them as they passed out.

By this time, the firemen, POLICE and Sheriff Gilbert were there already.

"Is there anyone in the building?" One of the firemen asked Crane who nodded.

"Yeah, a family of three" he gave account as the fire men started doing their work by trying to quench the fire while some of them entered inside to see what they could rescue.

Peter and his mom were still inside there. She opened her eyes as the place remained blurred. She couldn't see at all. All she could hear was the blaring of the siren outside. She no longer had any strength to carry herself up. She just lay down there as a burning wood from the ceiling was about falling on their body.

She used her last strength to lie on top Peter as the wood landed on her alone.

The firemen entered the room as they carried both mom and son, while they tried quenching the fire.

Peter and his mom were placed on different stretcher, they rolled them away while fixiating an oxygen mask to their noses to aid their breathing capacity.

They were rolled to the van as Crane drove his car, following them to the hospital while his wife entered the van with them.

She was crying as she stared at Peter lying motionless. His mom's body was badly burnt by the fire as tears rolled down her eyes. She blinked them open as she tried to talk while Mrs. Crane attended to her, ensuring her that she would be ok because they were taking them to the hospital.

"Is.. my.. baby ok?" She asked feebly as Mrs. Crane nodded.

"Yes! Yes! He's fine. You saved him. You did a great job" Mrs. Crane told her as she whimpered in pain.

"Promise.. Promise me.. You'll look after.. After him" Mrs. Parker said to Mrs. Crane who nodded while she cried.

Mrs. Parker touched her pregnant stomach and smiled before giving up the ghost.

*. *. *.

Peter who was lying at the hospital blinked his eyes open and found out he had been crying.

"Mom" he muttered to himself as he finally opened his eyes vividly.

He tried to stand up as he felt a sharp pain at his arm which made him rested his back on the bed again.

He remembered what happened at the power house immediately and frowned.

He looked at his bandaged arm then at the drip and finally gave the unfamiliar hospital a horrid look.

He saw his friends sleeping round the hospital and then smiled. He glanced at a tiny hand wrapping his body, seeing it was Bonnie's, he smiled knowing she was OK.

At least he had done something good for once.

The time then was 3:54Am and the night outside was dead silent.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a while before sleep slowly took over without him knowing.

*. *. *

The next morning, the friends were happy Peter was awake and OK.

Doctor Erica was there injecting him as his friends discussed about Bryan and Elena.

"Good morning. Sheriff Ruth here" Ruth said showing the doctor her badge as Erica allowed her enter the room to see the patient.

She came along with Crane and Vera as Crane walked to Bonnie and carried her.

"I'm here to interrogate the patient" Ruth said as she walked towards Peter and observed his arm. She glanced at Elena who smiled and silently said a hi to her. She just nodded her head and proceeded to Peter.

"Peter Parker?" Ruth asked as Peter nodded while Vera jot down something.

"Emm, Sheriff, I don't think this is a healthy thing to do now. He's just recovering" Erica protested.

"Well ma'am, I'm just doing my Job and I need some info from him" Ruth said as Erica stuttered.

"The name is Erica and I appreciate you for trying to look out for the good of Mystic Hollow, but he's my patient and he is my priority and I... "

"It's ok doc, I would be glad to answer her interrogations" Peter interrupted the both of them.

"You sure you're ok?" Erica asked Peter who nodded with a smile.

"Yh, I'll be fine" he said as Ruth walked up to him.

"Heard you got into a fight with someone that tried to kill Bonnie Bennett?" She asked him as he nodded.

"Have any suspect in mind?" She asked.

"Just the serial killer. He had a blue mask and wore a black glove" Peter said.

"Were you able to see the color of his eyes?" She asked.

"I didn't pay attention to that" he confessed.

"We went to the crime scene but couldn't get any of his DNA samples, we were wondering if you were able to... '

"Ok, that's enough. It's enough" Erica said as Peter shut his eyes trying to remember what happnned.

"I'm just trying to do my job" The Sheriff protested.

"Well, your job here is over ma'am, now let me so mine. Please" Erica told her.

"It's Ruth" she said within gritted teeth as she gave up and stopped pressing forward.

"Elena, outside with me" Ruth said and walked out of the ward as Vera followed suit. Elena hesitated before leaving the room.

Crane walked up to Peter as he smiled at him.

"I don't know how to thank you son, you did a really great job" he said.

"Don't thank me sir. That's what friends always do. They look out for each other. Bonnie is just like a kid sister to me, I am glad I was able to help" he said with a smile as Bonnie frowned when he mentioned about the sister part.

Mr. Crane's facial expression fell when he remembered how Peter's parents died. If only he had gone inside the building with Mr. Parker, maybe he wouldn't had died.

*. *. *. *

Elena followed her mom outside the hospital to where she packed her car.

"Elena, how many times would I tell you to stay away from stuff like this?" Ruth scolded her.

"Mom, they're my friends and would had done same for me. If we didn't stand in the gap, maybe we would had lost Bonnie or Peter!" Elena blurted out.

"Shut up Elena! What do you think you are huh? A kind of hero or something? That killer moves with a gun. Elena a gun! What if you got shot huh?' Ruth scolded more.

"Then I guess next time I'm going to have to borrow yours" Elena said and received a slap from her mom as she held her cheek in agony.

Elena felt a bile rise in her throat as she clenched her fist and have her mom a deadly look.

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TBC