New Alliance

New Alliance
Emma's POV

I grabbed Detective Chen's arm before she could walk away.

"Wait," I said, my voice shaking. "You're lying."

Sarah turned to look at me, her face confused. "Emma, I know this is hard to accept, but—"

"Show me proof," I interrupted. "Show me proof that Marcus is really dead, or I'm not going anywhere with you."

The words came out harder than I meant them to, but I didn't care. Something felt wrong. Marcus couldn't be dead. I'd just talked to him on the phone a few hours ago. His voice had been scared, but he'd been alive.

Sarah's face changed. For just a second, she looked angry. Then her expression went back to sad and tired.

"Emma, you're in shock. You're not thinking clearly."

"I'm thinking perfectly clearly," I said, stepping back from her. "Marcus told me once that if anything happened to him, he'd leave me a sign. Something only I would understand. If he's really dead, where's the sign?"

Sarah was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed and pulled out her phone.

"I didn't want to show you this," she said softly. "But if it's the only way to make you believe me..."

She turned the phone toward me, and my heart stopped.

The photo showed Marcus lying on a cold metal table. His eyes were closed. His face was pale and peaceful. There was blood on his shirt, right over his heart.

"No," I whispered, my legs going weak again.

But then I looked closer at the photo. Something was wrong with it. The blood on Marcus's shirt was too bright, too red. Real blood turned dark after a while. This blood looked fresh, like it had just happened.

And Marcus's hand—his left hand was resting on his chest. But Marcus was left-handed. When he slept, he always tucked his left hand under his head. He'd told me it was a habit from when he was a kid.

"This photo is fake," I said, looking up at Sarah.

Her face went completely blank. "What?"

"The blood is wrong. And Marcus's hand position is wrong. Someone made this photo to trick me."

For a long moment, Sarah just stared at me. Then, slowly, she started to smile. But it wasn't a nice smile. It was cold and scary.

"You're smarter than Vincent said you were," she said in a voice that didn't sound like Detective Chen at all.

My blood turned to ice. "You're not Sarah Chen."

"No," the fake Sarah said. "I'm not."

She pulled out a gun from her jacket and pointed it at me. "Vincent was right. You're special, Emma. Most people would have believed that photo."

"Where's the real Detective Chen?" I asked, trying not to panic.

"Somewhere safe. For now. Vincent doesn't want to hurt anyone unless he has to." The fake Sarah moved closer. "Now, you're going to come with me quietly, or I'll make sure your friend Jess dies. Do you understand?"

I nodded slowly, my mind racing. If this wasn't the real Sarah, then nothing she'd told me was true. Marcus might still be alive. Vincent might not be in custody. Everything could be a lie.

"Good girl," fake Sarah said. "Now walk to the black car at the end of the bridge. Don't run. Don't scream. If you do, Jess dies."

We started walking, and I tried to think of a plan. I needed to get away from this fake detective. I needed to find the real Sarah Chen. I needed to find Marcus.

That's when I heard a voice behind us.

"Emma, get down!"

I turned and saw a man running toward us. At first, I didn't recognize him in the dark. Then I saw his face and almost screamed.

It was Marcus. The real Marcus. Alive.

"Marcus!" I shouted.

Everything happened so fast. Marcus tackled the fake Sarah, and the gun went flying across the bridge. I ran to pick it up, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped it.

The fake Sarah fought hard, but Marcus was stronger. He pinned her down and looked at me.

"Emma, are you okay?" he asked, breathing hard.

"You're alive," I said, tears running down my face. "I thought you were dead."

"It's a long story," Marcus said. "But we need to get out of here now. Vincent has people everywhere, and—"

The fake Sarah started laughing. It was a horrible sound, cold and mean.

"You think you've won?" she said, looking up at Marcus. "Vincent knew you'd come. He wanted you to come. This was all part of his plan."

"What plan?" I asked.

"The plan to break both of you," fake Sarah said. "Don't you understand? Vincent doesn't want to kill you. He wants to destroy you from the inside. He wants to make you so scared and confused that you don't know what's real anymore."

Marcus and I looked at each other. My stomach felt sick.

"What does that mean?" Marcus asked.

Fake Sarah smiled her terrible smile. "It means you need to ask yourself something important, Emma. If I'm not the real Detective Chen, how do you know HE'S the real Marcus?"

I turned to look at Marcus, and my whole world started spinning.

His eyes. Something about his eyes was different. Wrong.

"Emma," Marcus said, reaching for my hand. "Don't listen to her. It's me. I promise."

But his voice sounded just a tiny bit off. Like someone doing an impression of Marcus instead of actually being Marcus.

I raised the gun, pointing it at both of them, my hands shaking.

"Both of you stay back," I said. "I don't know who to trust anymore."

That's when I heard sirens in the distance. Real police sirens, getting closer.

"Emma, we have to go NOW," Marcus said, standing up. "Before the police get here. Vincent has people in the police department. If they take you, you'll disappear."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked.

Marcus looked at me with pain in his eyes. Real pain. Or at least, it looked real.

"Because I love you," he said. "And I know you love me too. You have to trust your heart, Emma. Trust what you feel."

The sirens were getting closer. I had maybe thirty seconds to decide.

Trust fake Sarah and wait for the police who might be working for Vincent.

Trust Marcus and run, even though he might not be real.

Or trust no one and try to survive on my own.

"Emma, please," Marcus said, holding out his hand. "Trust me."

I looked at his hand. Then at his eyes. Then at the sirens getting closer.

And I made my choice.

I ran.

But not toward Marcus. Not toward the police. Not toward anyone.

I ran to the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge and climbed over the railing.

"Emma, no!" Marcus screamed.

I looked back at him one last time. "If you're real, you'll find me. If you're not, then I'd rather die than let Vincent win."

And I jumped into the dark water below.