The Garage

The Garage
Sarah's POV

Foster drew out a long iron chain and dropped the crossbow.

He growled, "I'll do this the old-fashioned way if arrows don't work."

He struck my head with the chain. The heavy metal links smashed into the concrete wall behind me as I dodged in time.

I shouted, "Mr. Foster, stop!" "The kids are alive! Tommy is safe!"

"Lies!" Foster swung the chain once more. "Like Elena, you'll say anything to keep yourself safe."

My arm was encircled by the chain, which was blazing hot. Foster yanked harder as I screamed and attempted to pull free.

"Elena!" I exclaimed. "Help me!"

Elena began to run in our direction, but as soon as she approached the iron chain, she stopped and let out a painful cry.

She gasped and dropped to her knees, saying, "I can't!" "To me, the iron is like poison!"

With a laugh, Foster tightened the chain around my arm. "You know what, monster? Iron hurts you, doesn't it?"

Elena was scuttling away from us. "I can't get close enough to help you, Sarah!"

Tommy was hiding behind a parked car, crying. "Aunt Sarah!"

I noticed something significant when I looked at Foster's irate face. He wasn't merely grieving. Anger and pain had driven him completely insane.

"Mr. Foster," I said, attempting to maintain my composure despite my arm burning from the chain. "I know Amy's death wasn't fair, and I know you loved her."

Foster swung the chain at my legs and said, "Don't talk about my daughter!"

I leaped back, but not quickly enough. I fell to the concrete floor after the chain struck my shin.

Foster was standing above me, wielding the chain like a whip.

He said, "You let that monster Elena decide who lives and who dies." "You renounced your status as a legitimate police officer."

"That isn't accurate."

"Isn't it? When was the last time you followed the law rather than letting Elena do things her way? When was the last time you arrested someone and allowed them to stand trial?"

I considered it. Susan Cole, Bill Park, and Marcus Rivera. Elena had handled them all out of the law.

"Mr. Foster, regular courts cannot deal with supernatural criminals. They weren't human."

"So you became your own jury and judge!"

Foster lowered the chain to my chest. It struck the concrete where my head had been after I rolled sideways.

I got up quickly and moved away from him.

"Elena," I yelled. "Is it possible for Tommy to leave?"

About twenty feet away, Elena was still on her knees and exclaimed, "I'm trying!" "Even from this distance, the iron is affecting my powers!"

Foster moved the chain closer to me. "Human against human, Detective. It's just you and me now."

"Mr. Foster, I don't want to fight you."

"Too bad."

Once more, he swung the chain at my head. I was prepared this time.

I squatted down and gave Foster a waist tackle. Both of us hit the concrete hard.

I grabbed Foster's wrists and held them away from me as he attempted to put the chain around my neck.

"Please, Mr. Foster, this won't bring Amy back!"

"No, but it will help me feel better!"

On the ground, we fought. I had been a police officer for fifteen years, but Foster was stronger than he appeared.

He dropped a portion of the chain after I twisted his right wrist. I then rolled away after giving him a knee to the stomach.

Breathing heavily, Foster stood up. The majority of the chain was still in his left hand.

"Detective, you can't run forever."

"I'm not running."

I drew my firearm and aimed it at him.

"Mr. Foster, drop the chain."

Foster chuckled. "You're not a killer like your monster friend, so you won't shoot me."

"You're right. I'm not a murderer, but you're using a lethal weapon against me while I'm still a police officer."

"Go ahead and shoot. You'll be taking the law into your own hands, just like Elena."

I held the gun steady. "Drop the chain. Last warning."

Foster glanced at Elena, who was still having trouble approaching us.

"Your monster can't save you this time," he declared.

"She doesn't have to save me."

At my gun hand, Foster swung the chain. I squeezed the trigger.

The bullet struck Foster's feet on the concrete. Startled, he leaped back.

"Next one goes in your leg," I said.

"You intentionally missed."

"Mr. Foster, I'm one of the best shooters on the force, and I never miss."

For the first time since the beginning of the fight, Foster hesitated.

I said, "Consider what Amy would want." "Would she want you to kill people?"

"Justice is what Amy would want!"

"Real justice, not retaliation."

Foster held the chain in a trembling hand. "She wanted to help kids, so she planned to become a teacher."

"Then assist Tommy. Assist me in saving the remaining children who are in danger."

"What other children?"

I continued to aim my gun at him. "The ones we still need to find, the ones The Organization actually has."

Foster appeared perplexed. "I believed... The Organization informed me that the children had already passed away."

"The Organization has been lying to everyone, and they lied to you, Mr. Foster."

At last, Elena was able to get to her feet while avoiding the iron chain.

"Sarah's right," yelled Elena. "Mr. Foster, you've been being used by the Organization, who wanted you to harm Sarah so she wouldn't assist us in rescuing the actual hostages."

Foster glanced from Elena to me.

"Both of you are lying."

I said, "Check your phone." "Call The Organization back and request proof that the children have died."

With the chain still in his other hand, Foster slowly took out his phone.

He waited after dialing a number.

When someone answered, he said, "It's Foster." "I need evidence that the kids are dead."

I saw Foster's expression shift from rage to bewilderment to horror, but I was unable to hear the other side of the discussion.

Foster said into the phone, "What do you mean, 'that's not your problem'?"

From the other end, more talking.

"If I stopped Detective Chen, you promised to tell me the true location of Amy's killer!"

Foster's face turned pale.

"You mean Susan Cole is still alive?"

Elena and I exchanged glances.

"Mr. Foster," I said cautiously. "Put the phone on speaker."

Foster pressed the speaker button with a trembling hand.

The parking garage was filled with a chilly voice.

"Detective Chen and Elena are still alive, so you failed, Mr. Foster, so you are no longer useful to us."

"But I fulfilled all of your requests!"

"Not quite everything. You see, we needed Detective Chen to be enraged and to use her new abilities, and your attack has allowed her to do just that."

I examined my hands. Silver light still glowed dimly on them.

"What powers?" inquired Foster.

Because of Elena's gift, Detective Chen is no longer completely human, and she is precisely what we need to finish our ritual.

Elena let out a gasp. "Sarah, it's a trap! It was a trap all along!"

The phone's voice went on. "Thank you, Mr. Foster. Your sorrow made you the ideal instrument to incite Detective Chen's ire to expose her actual character."

"I don't understand!"

"Your part is done, so you don't need to."

The phone died.

Foster gazed first at the phone and then at me.

"They used me," he muttered.

"Yes, they did."

Foster let the chain fall. On the concrete floor, it clattered.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, he apologized. "All I wanted was for Amy to return."

I brought my gun down. "I understand, Mr. Foster."

With the chain out of Foster's grasp, Elena could get closer.

"Now, Sarah, we must leave this place."

"Why?"

"Because The Organization knows you'll use your powers when people you care about are in danger, and they just got exactly what they wanted."

"So?"

Elena's silver eyes widened in terror.

"So now, all of the people you've ever cared about will be threatened at once."

A text message buzzed on my phone.

My blood turned to ice as I stared at it.

"Detective Chen, we have your parents, your sister, Detective Martinez, and twelve other police officers. Riverside Cemetery, midnight. Come alone and powered up, or they all die. -The Organization"

Over my shoulder, Elena read the message.

"That's precisely what they wanted, Sarah. They need you furious and utilizing your abilities for a ritual of some sort."

Foster was sobbing while seated on the concrete floor.

I inquired, "What ritual?"

Elena's voice was hardly audible. "I believe they are attempting to steal all of your abilities. If they are successful..."

"What?"

"They'll have a human that they can control who can use supernatural abil
ities in the daytime."

Tommy was still hiding behind the car when I glanced at him.

"What would happen to you, Elena, if they took away my abilities?"

Elena's luminous silver eyes met mine.

"I think I'm going to die, Sarah.”