Tethered Twins

Rex T Jules

Rex hoped more than anything that Emmie was safe and that she had got his messages in time. She hadn’t replied to his phone calls or messages, which meant she either hadn’t got them or that she was in serious trouble.

He didn’t know who else to call. Emmie hadn’t told him enough for him to know who he could trust or who would be a threat to her. All he knew was that she was in danger but he didn’t know where or why.

He cursed Emmie for not telling him more and he vowed that if anything happened to her, he would get revenge.

So he vowed to get answers. If something had happened to Emmie or Will he wanted to help. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t. He looked at the black box on the floor that had previously given away Emmie’s secret identity and he picked it up to carry it back to his workshop. He was no computer expert but he knew someone who was.

Now what should I do with this guy? thought Rex, looking back at the scarred man, whose knives continued to draw fear in his heart. He couldn’t move the man himself and needed help.

By Emmie’s bed he saw a walkie talkie she had received in readiness for her first day of police work. He wondered if it worked yet and hoped that it did.

Rex picked up the transmitter and pushed a button on the side. “Hello, can anyone hear me?” he asked.

The transmitter fizzed into life as a female voice came through. “Good afternoon officer. What seems to be the problem?”

“It’s an emergency. You need to get to Room 12E, 112 Tine Tower, right away. There has been a break in and the suspect has been apprehended,” said Rex doing his best to sound like an officer of the law.

“Is this a prank?” replied the officer.

“No!”

“Really? This radio is registered to a female officer and you don’t sound anything like her.”

“Yes. Her name is Emmie Keyes. I’m her friend and someone has broken into her flat and tried to attack her.”

“And where is Ms Keyes right now? How do I know you didn’t attack her?”

“This is no time for jokes. I’m stood in her room right now,” said Rex.

“Sir it is a criminal offence to waste police time. Please get off this channel,” she stated.

“Fine if it’s a criminal offense then come and arrest me, I don’t care! Just send someone here right now.”

“Ok, I’m hanging up. If this is a real emergency, please call the Smyth West station.”

“You have to listen! There is a killer in this room with a belt of knives,” he turned around to point at the scarred man, only to find that he was no longer there. Before he could see where the man had gone, Rex felt the sharp edge of a knife as it cut into his back.

The knife was twisted in a clockwise motion to increase the size of the cut and to stop it from healing. Rex screamed in horror as the pain registered in his brain. His legs felt weak and he collapsed onto the floor.

The walkie talkie remained silent, the police officer long gone. Help was not coming.

--<><>--

Grace Wilkerson

Grace had started to make her way up the tower and knew she still had a long way to go to reach the top.

She didn’t mind heights but even this was beginning to get to her. If she looked up or down all she could see was an endless stretch of ladder. She’d been able to use a harness to attach herself to the ladder but even with it, she felt powerless to the laws of gravity.

She was startled by a beeping noise that emerged from her pocket. The beeps started infrequently and got faster and faster. These beeps signified movement. More significantly that Emmie was moving and moving fast. Far too fast in fact.

Grace clipped one of the edges of the harness onto the wall behind her so she could rest in place for a moment. She retrieved her phone to see that the blue dot that represented Emmie was certainly moving.

The speed worried Grace but it was the direction that was even more horrific. Grace saw as the blue dot rushed down the tower, passing floor after floor as it darted towards the base of the tower and certain death.

I have failed her, thought Grace. She refused to cry but felt a sense of loss. She didn’t care that the world had lost a saviour but she did care that she had lost a friend today.