Chris donned his gloves and picked up a scalpel and a pair of forceps.
Carotid triangle, he thought, looking at the neck of the cadaver. It was bound by three muscles: the omohyoid, the digastric and the sternocleidomastoid. He'd find the carotid artery and the internal jugular vein.
Raising his scalpel, he plunged it into the cadaver's neck and began removing the fascia to separate the contents of the carotid triangle. He looked down at the book. Amongst the nerves, he had to find the vagus nerve, the hypoglossal nerve and the spinal accessory nerve. He carried on the dissection, trying to ignore the stinging smell of formalin arising from the cadaver. His head was already throbbing mildly and he was worried for Rebecca, over everything else.
“Chris?”
He looked up to see Carla at the other side of the table. Carla John was his classmate and one of his group mates on the dissection table. She was also a good friend of his, and he found her very understanding and easy to confide into. Presently, he grinned at her. “Tell me the boundaries and contents of the muscular triangle.”
She frowned. “Wait. Let me read it up.”
“I'll give you five minutes.”
“But”!”
“Five minutes and nothing more. Now don't waste time!”
“Okay, MUM!”
“Hey!”
Carla glared at Chris and started to study as he continued with the dissection. After a few minutes, he turned to her. “Well?”
She shut her book and said, “The muscular triangle contains the infrahyoid muscles, which are the sternohyoid, sternothyroid, thyrohyoid and...” she paused a bit to recollect. Then when she couldn't remember, she swore.
Chris raised an eyebrow. “Right. This is the correct way to study. Try to memorise an entire textbook and when it doesn't pay off, swear like a sailor.”
Carla giggled and smacked his arm playfully. “This just isn't my cup of tea! There's no need to make fun of that!”
“I'm not making fun you,” shrugged Chris. “I just tried to help you out. If you don't want it, then I won't do it again.”
Carla frowned at him. “Gee, Chris, I was just fooling around. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“I'm not taking anything seriously, Carla,” said Chris. “I'm just not in the mood to fool around, today. I'm sorry.”
Carla looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded slowly. She was aware of Daisy and Rebecca's conditions. Chris had told her that it was most probable that Daisy would be released that very day, but he hadn't been able to bunk classes for her because Rebecca had been admitted into the hospital. Chris had wanted to be able to visit Rebecca regularly and this could only happen if he attended classes.
Carla decided not to pick on Chris again and continued to study. In a few minutes, it was time to leave for home and Chris was off the moment the attendance had been counted. He visited Rebecca's ward again, to find that she had been discharged.
Without stopping, he hurried to Rebecca's place, to check on her. She was fine and Pari had come over to her place, too. They had tea together, chatting merrily. Chris was glad Rebecca was fit and fine. What made him happier was that according to Pari, who had met Daisy earlier that day, Daisy was fine, too. Chris was at Rebecca's for a while, and he gave her a bear hug before leaving for Daisy's place, with Pari, whose company he had requested.
They Apparated together to Daisy's house, and were soon standing at the gate to the driveway. Just as Chris laid a hand on the wrought iron bars, he felt something. And in the next moment, it had all happened. He heard Pari gasp as his own breath started to become shallow and irregular. He could feel his heart begin to pump at a speed faster than he would have liked it to. Trying to ignore it, he tapped the gate with his wand and opened it. He could feel Pari's hand on his shoulder as stars popped before his eyes. He raised his wand, but then, everything suddenly disappeared into the darkness. It took him a second to realise that all the lights in and outside Daisy's house had gone off.
How had this happened, though? This wasn't normal... Or perhaps had the main fuse gone off?
Breathing deeply and forcing himself to be stable, Chris lit his wand and took a step forward only to see a flash of light and a thud. He suddenly realised that Pari was not by his side anymore. Had she been hit by some sort of a spell? Puzzled, he searched the ground with his wand light. Sure enough, Pari was lying on the ground, unconscious.
But who had done it? His heart missed a beat: something was horribly wrong. Daisy was in danger!
Chris squinted in the darkness to see if he could spot Daisy, but he couldn't. His forehead, in the meantime, had been covered in perspiration despite the cold. Wiping it off with his sleeve, he gathered his strength and proceeded to the porch, just as the door of the house opened. Daisy walked out, and started to lock it, not noticing Chris due to the darkness. She turned around, facing her back to him, as she started towards her car. Just then, there was another flash of light. And that was the last thing that Chris knew, before slumping into the bushes beside the porch.
It was still dark when he came to. He could feel the wilted leaves of the bushes on his exposed skin. The eerie silence pulsated against his ears and fear filled every particle of him. His heart palpitating yet again, he managed to stand up unsteadily.
He waded through the bushes to the porch. He was sure that something was wrong and he didn't like the feeling at all. Lighting his wand, he searched the area. In the next second, he had gasped out of shock.
A twitching figure lay in a pool of blood just five feet away, and he didn't have to direct his wand light to her face to recognise her. “Daisy!”
Before he knew it, he was kneeling before her. A huge lump had lodged itself into his throat and he was shaking with fright. She looked up at him and he could see the bewilderment in her eyes as he frantically tried to lift her. But he couldn't muster the strength, and found it increasingly difficult to breathe due to the renewed arrhythmic spells. Finally, he gave up as everything started to reel, and before he could control himself, he was in the ground beside her, floating in the blackness of his mind once again.
***
Daisy sat at her dressing table, peering at her own pale reflection. She could feel her heartbeats race in her chest as she thought of what she was about to do. But somewhere, she was happy. She was relieved that this entire ordeal would be getting over in the next few hours.
Daisy sighed and ran a brush through her hair, making a mental note to cut them the next day. She hadn't cut them in ages and her curls had grown to her shoulders, now, becoming much too untidy to manage. The teenager then walked to her bed and changed into a simple olive green knee-length skirt with an off-white top and pumps. Finally, she picked up her handbag and stuffed her wand and phone into it, pulling on her coat and moving out of the room.
She was alone in the house, as Ryan wasn't home for Christmas. She had asked Chris to write to him saying that she would be away on an official tour during the holidays, and that it would be better if Ryan spent his Christmas in Hogwarts itself. She hadn't wanted Ryan to know that she'd been arrested. The fact that Daily Prophet had kept quite about her imprisonment had helped a lot, too. Yet, at the moment, she wished Ryan were home with her and that she weren't alone.
Just as she was descending the staircases, the lights suddenly went off, plunging her into total darkness. Had the fuse, perhaps, gone off? Shrugging, she lit her wand and proceeded. She would look into this problem whenever she would return from dinner.
She stepped out of her house and started to lock the door, shivering a little. The temperature was looming at around four degrees, and she wondered if it would cross zero that night. A chilling sweep of breeze began to blow, and deciding not to stay in the cold for long, she started to hurry towards her car. That was when she heard something: it was a slight rustle. Someone was probably standing right behind her.
She suddenly felt goosebumps form all over her body. No. This wasn't happening. She couldn't die. The Aurors had to know!
She turned around, but there was no one. “Who is it?” she asked, her voice sounding braver than she felt. Feeling a sudden surge of adrenalin, she walked to the pillar right behind her and cast a glance at its backside. There was no one here, either.
Her heart beating dangerously fast, she turned around. What she saw almost made her pass out.
Standing before her was an alarming figure, robed in black. The person had covered their face with a low hood and Daisy could see the glint of a knife blade in one of the hands. She was going to be killed.
Daisy swallowed and took a step backwards, foolishly hoping to escape. But before she could so much as think, a strong arm caught her and she felt herself being pressed against the pillar. She did not have the nerves to protest and peered at the attacker, as they raised the hood to reveal their face.
Daisy had to muster utmost control to prevent herself from gasping. She couldn't believe her eyes at all. How was this happening? But then, there was another surge of adrenalin and Daisy suddenly found her voice. “Y”You?”
The other person chuckled. “Thought you'd go to the Aurors and be a snitch, eh? Well, let's see if they find you or your precious family before it's too late.” The voice was barely a whisper. It was neither male nor female.
“N”No please... Please don't do anything to my family... I”” began Daisy, but her sentence was cut short by a sharp slap on her face.
“SHUT UP!”
Daisy whimpered in pain. But that was not the end of it all. The person caught her by her hair and pressed her against themselves. She could feel the murderer's breath in her ear. “Goodbye, Daisy Joe. And before you die, take my word for this: your little brother and parents will reach you soon.”
Then there was excruciating pain in her belly, as something ripped through her flesh. And then another shot of pain came as the knife came back and slashed her once more. The next few moments felt as though they had been tricked to pass in slow motion. She looked down to see thick, scarlet streams of blood stain her clothes and flow down to the ground.
Daisy felt nausea take over her senses as she fell to her knees, being unable to stand anymore. She could count each breath, each heartbeat, as death came closer and closer to her. Her assailant was gone, but she hadn't yet recovered from the shock of harsh reality.
She was lying down on the ground before she knew it; her vision was blurry with pain. Yet, she was holding on; the Aurors had to know. She couldn't die without telling them. And her family had to be protected.
“Daisy?”
The voice was the first and the last one that she'd ever wanted to hear. She heard the thud of him falling to his knees before her. She looked up to see Chris's fear filled hazel eyes, looking at her. She heard his gasps as he tried to lift her repeatedly and failed.
Why wasn't he able to lift her? She definitely wasn't any heavier than before... But his gasps struck realisation into her. Arrhythmia. Of course...
She was dying. He would die, too. And soon. The Aurors were probably never going to find out about the real culprit.
Daisy was drained, now. It was time to let go. The pain was too much for her to stay on and bear. Her eyes finally shut and she took one last breath before hearing another thud. And that was the last thing she heard.
***
Ginny checked her watch for the umpteenth time, as she and Harry sat at Scoffers silently. It had been long since the two of them had drained their cups of coffee and paid for them, but Daisy hadn't turned up yet. Ginny was just wondering what could have possibly kept the teenager, when Harry spoke up. “Do you get the feeling that something's not quite right?”
Ginny shrugged. “Do you think she got scared of telling us...?”
“No,” said Harry. “Daisy may not be too brave, but she isn't a coward, either.” He looked away for a moment, but then, suddenly he was on his feet. “Merlin!”
“What's wrong?!” Ginny asked, standing up, too.
“We have to go to Daisy's place.”
“But””
Harry was already outside the restaurant with Ginny at his heels when he replied. “If we delay any further, Ginny, there's gonna be another murder tonight.”
Without another word, the duo reached a secluded spot and Disapparated to Daisy's place.
***
Chris opened his eyes and didn't think twice before sitting up. It was still pitch dark and he felt for his wand, his fingers stiff with dried blood. Finally, he found it and lit it immediately, to see a heart wrenching sight. Daisy was lying just a few feet away, drenched in blood and deathly still.
He crawled to her and placed his fingers to her wrist, feeling her pulse. It was there; but he could make out that it was thready. Thankfully, he hadn't been out cold for long, or she'd have died.
Chris put together all his strength and tried to lift Daisy again, but he wasn't able to do it. He could feel his heartbeats start to go irregular again, and his breath was beginning to fall short. How would he get her in at this rate? If she didn't get help soon, she would die.
And that was when it all struck. Not caring about himself, Chris lifted her all at once and stumbled up the porch. Pulling out his wand, he unlocked the door, kicked it open, and rushed her to the couch. He couldn't waste time; every minute was precious. But there was one problem; as it was his first year of Healer Training, Chris had very minimal practical experience. He only knew diagnosis, not treatment. And even the kind of diagnosis he knew was very superficial. He would never be able to detect much. Daisy needed a proper Healer.
He didn't even wait to catch his breath once he had put her on the couch. Lighting his wand at once, he lifted up her torn, blood-soaked blouse a little above her belly and pulled down the skirt a bit so that he could see the wound. It was a huge, rather deep cut, twisting below the umbilicus. But that wasn't all. As he pulled her top a little more, he noticed another cut, starting right below her left breast and running almost upto the umbilicus.
Chris was sickened. He had no idea of how to deal with it. He felt Daisy's forehead, to find it cold and sweaty. Her breaths were shallow and she looked grey. She was in shock. The blood loss was just too much.
Chris walked to her fireplace and lit it with his wand. He had to call Hermione. Healer Tudor wasn't an option, because Chris didn't want to involve her in the case. And St. Mungo's was out of question; Daisy would die by the time Chris would be able to reach her there.
Chris searched around for the Floo powder, but couldn't find it. He'd have to Apparate to the Aurors' place. But how could he leave Daisy alone...?
This was when Chris remembered Pari. He rushed outside and knelt before the unconscious girl, when the gate to the driveway creaked open and two figures walked in. Chris pointed his wand to them, but realised soon enough that it was Harry and Ginny. And if Chris wasn't in hysterics yet, the sight of them did it.
“D”Daisy!” he said, pointing at the open door.
“Oh Merlin! What happened?” exclaimed Ginny, rushing inside, followed by Harry and Chris. She gasped when she saw Daisy. “How did she get attacked?”
But Chris was beyond that. “We n”need Hermione... Daisy... No Floo powder...” he managed to say as he sank into an armchair, unable to keep himself going anymore. His heart rate had reached dangerous levels, now.
“Then I'll get her. Relax yourself,” said Harry, as he walked out. Ginny walked out too, and returned in a few minutes with Pari. Pari, too, was shocked, but Chris just buried his face in his hands, refusing to answer any of her questions. Ginny tried to ask him about the attack but he couldn't bring himself to speak at all.
In the next few minutes, Hermione had come, and she began to heal Daisy after giving Chris a potion for his arrhythmia, along with a Calming Draught. For another hour, everybody in the house was quiet until Hermione finally said, “Daisy's a little better, now.” She looked at Chris. “I've healed the wounds. She is suffering from a hypovolaemic shock and needs a lot of Blood Replenishing Potion. I injected some of it, but it's barely enough. We'll have to get her to gulp it down once she wakes up.”
Chris nodded silently at her. “Thanks.” Then after a while, he added, “Would you all like some coffee?”
“No, it's all right,” said Hermione. “I think I should get home anyway, Jess will be wailing.”
Hermione started to collect her things and Chris sat next to Daisy, stroking her hair. She groaned slowly and opened her eyes. Chris smiled in spite of himself, as he kissed her cheek. “How are you feeling?”
She took a deep breath and said quietly, “Sick.”
Chris was just about to reply when he realised that something was horribly wrong. Daisy's eyes rolled upwards and shut, as she started to twitch. Her body racked with fasciculations and Chris could do nothing but watch.
The seizure subsided as suddenly as it had come and suddenly, a fresh stream of blood started to stain the blanket that wrapped her frame. When Chris turned around to look at Hermione, she had gone white. She just said one thing. “Rush her to St. Mungo's. Now.”
Killer Instincts by Ginny Weasley Potter
Chapter Notes: Hey people!
Okay, this is quite a scary chapter. But I like this one... :D
Have fun!
Please review! *puppy dog eyes*
This one's for Teh Moon :D.