Page 35 of No Escape

“Emily fell and was taken to Redtree General Hospital,” she uttered, her fingers gripping the note.

Suzie crept close, bewilderment in her expression. “What does that mean?”

Rushing over to a phone sitting on a small wooden table by the nearest door, Valerie dialed 911.

“Emergency Services,” a woman’s voice said. “What is the nature of your emergency?”

“A killer named John Murphy is heading to Redtree General Hospital. He’s going to kill someone there named Emily Murphy. Please alert hospital security immediately. My name is Agent Valerie Law of the FBI. And please make sure that authorities know how important it is to guard each family member, if they aren’t doing this already.”

She hung up.

Valerie paused as her mind raced with possibilities. “If Emily was admitted to the hospital, then John Murphy might have already been here. He could have seen this letter and tracked down her location.”

Suzie gasped in terror. “We need to get there now!”

The two of them rocketed out of the house, Valerie jumping behind the wheel, and they peeled away toward Redtree General Hospital. Her pulse raced in fear and anticipation as she envisaged what atrocities John Murphy might commit on an unconscious Emily.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

John Murphy strode down the sterile hospital corridors, the bitter taste of victory in his mouth. He had done what he came here for—Emily Murphy, his own sister, lay lifeless in her hospital bed. But he couldn’t rest, not yet. There were more family members out there, and he had a bloody mission to complete.

As he approached the exit, the screeching of tires pierced the air outside. John tensed, his instincts warning him of impending danger. Through the glass doors, he saw three police officers leap out of their vehicles, guns drawn, their faces masks of grim determination.

John’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape route. He knew he couldn’t risk capture, not when he had come so far. But before he could make his move, the doors flew open, and the officers burst inside.

“John Murphy! Stop right there!” one of them barked, his weapon aimed squarely at John’s chest.

The killer’s eyes flashed with rage and defiance. He wouldn’t be stopped, not now. His Special Forces training kicked in, and he immediately assessed how to take down his pursuers and in which strategic order.

With a snarl, he charged at the closest officer, his powerful fists connecting with the man’s jaw. The officer crumpled to the ground, his weapon skittering across the polished floor.

Two more officers closed in on him, their weapons raised. A doctor, attempting to intervene, lunged at John from the side. But the killer was prepared. He sidestepped the doctor’s grasp, sending the man tumbling headfirst into a nearby wall.

The remaining officers fired at John, their bullets narrowly missing his agile form as he weaved between them. He seized the opportunity, rushing the first officer and delivering a crushing blow to the man’s throat. As the officer fell, choking and gasping for air, John turned his attention to the last one standing.

The final officer, realizing he was outmatched, desperately tried to subdue the hulking figure before him. They grappled, their struggle taking them across the hospital lobby. John’s strength, fueled by his obsessive mission, ultimately overpowered the officer. With a guttural roar, he slammed the man against the hard tile floor, leaving him unconscious and broken.

Breathing heavily, John surveyed the chaos around him. He had defeated the officers, but he couldn’t linger. He knew more would be on their way, and he had to keep moving. With a final glance at the carnage he had wrought, he pushed through the hospital doors, melting into the shadows.

His next target awaited, and John Murphy, the relentless serial killer, was hell-bent on fulfilling his twisted destiny.

***

Valerie and Suzie screeched to a halt a street away from Redtree General Hospital, the tires of their old truck squealing against the pavement as they stared at the chaotic scene before them.

Suzie’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white with tension. “Should we go in?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Valerie looked at the multitude of patrol cars, their lights flashing in the fading daylight, casting an eerie red and blue glow over the scene. Even as she watched, more police vehicles arrived, officers piling out and rushing toward the hospital entrance.

“No,” Valerie said, her voice heavy with resignation. She pointed to the police tape that stretched across the entrance, barring their way. “John Murphy’s already been here and left. That’s an active crime scene now. If we try to go in, we’ll just end up getting arrested.”

Her words hung in the air like a death knell, and Suzie’s shoulders slumped in defeat. The weight of their failure pressed down upon them, a tangible darkness that threatened to suffocate them.

“I let her down,” Valerie murmured, her eyes fixed on the hospital entrance, as if she could somehow will away the disaster that had occurred within. “I would bet anything that Emily Murphy is already dead.”

Suzie reached out and placed a hand on her sister’s arm, her touch gentle but firm. “You can’t blame yourself, Val,” she said softly. “We didn’t know. We couldn’t have known.”

“But I should have,” Valerie insisted, her voice cracking. “I’m supposed to be the expert. I’m supposed to be the one who can stop people like him. And I failed.”

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