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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
2/10
"What is the use of running, when you're on the wrong road?" – Anonymous
By RRP
Lyle struggled to lift his head, and gasped with pain when he jolted his neck and shoulder. He pulled out his cell phone, praying that it wasn't damaged too badly. It was dented a bit, but intact. He forced the shaking fingers of his good arm to dial, and barely managed to hold the phone up to his ear.
"What?" Came the sharp greeting, after several rings.
"Sis?" He forced out through dry, cracked lips. He knew he sounded horrible. But he didn't care. He felt worse.
"Lyle?" She asked, uncertainly.
"Sis, please, help...my apartment..." Was all the further he got, before he passed out again.
Miss Parker looked at the phone in her hands, and finally blinked before hanging up. Lyle had sounded like he had sandpaper in his throat. Something was wrong. She slid out of bed, and pulled on some clothes, grabbing her gun as she left the house. She vowed to kill him if it was nothing at all, but something inside of her was screaming that it was the exact opposite. She arrived at his apartment in record time, still dreaming up ways to kill him if it was a trick, or a trap.
She hurried up the stairs, and knocked on his apartment door. No answer. She pulled her gun out, and tried the door handle. It easily clicked open, and she slipped inside, gun ready.
"Lyle?" She questioned out loud, looking around. No answer. She searched the apartment for signs of her brother, the results of her search yielding in evidence of a violent struggle in the bedroom. She took a deep breath, and entered the closet, pushing clothes aside, and heading towards the Shed Room, fearing the worst. She received worse than that. Her gun still at her side, she glared around the room at the various signs of torture, including blood on the walls and floor, never thinking it was Lyle's. She was about to call for Centre reinforcements, when a low groan came from the Shed. Her eyes widened in horror, and she tiptoed over to the door, fully believing that one of Lyle's victims lay abandoned inside.
The door swung open, and she saw Lyle, lying on the cot in the corner, arm at an awkward angle, his whole body covered in blood. She rushed forward, all other thoughts discarded, and knelt next to him.
"Lyle, can you hear me? Lyle?" He whimpered, but didn't open his eyes. "Lyle, can you hear me?" She repeated, as calmly as she could. Lyle blinked, and looked at her with glassy eyes. She felt his forehead, and jerked her hand back with a gasp. He was burning up, his fever was dangerously high.
"Sis..." He whispered painfully. "You came." She nodded, blinking back tears. "You can-" He broke off, coughing harshly, and moaning at the same time, as his whole body shook. "Can go home." He finished, blinking at her. "I'll be okay. I always make it okay. It just takes a few days." He assured her, though it was obvious he was in extreme pain, and was forcing himself to just breathe.
"No, Lyle. I'm staying. You need medical attention, I'll call the Centre-" He broke her off, his eyes widening in fear.
"No! No, don't! Raines will...will-" He broke off, coughing again. Miss Parker looked at him in shock.
"Raines did this?"
"Willie helped him. With the chains..." Miss Parker noticed the bloody chains lying in the corner of the shed.
"Lyle, we have to get some kind of help." Miss Parker said firmly. Lyle sucked in another painful breath. "I need to know what's broken. Where does it hurt the most?"
"Everywhere." He moaned back. "I can't move anything. It all hurts." He sounded like a hurt little boy, lost and cold. At that moment, Miss Parker's phone rang.
"What?"
"Miss Parker. Finally have a nightlife?" Jarod taunted.
"Jarod! I need your help!" Miss Parker even forgot to wince as she said the words, she was so worried.
"Really, Miss Parker? With what?" Jarod sounded a little bit surprised.
"I need you to come to Lyle's apartment, and have medical equipment with you. It's not a trap, Jarod, I swear. Just get here fast." Miss Parker pleaded, as Lyle slipped back into unconsciousness.
"Miss Parker?" Jarod now sounded worried. "Are you hurt?"
"It's not me, Jarod."
"It's not Aimee, is it?" Jarod sounded panicked now.
"No. How do you know about Aimee?"
"She's Emily. My sister." Jarod said, his relief evident.
"Jarod, please! Just come!" Miss Parker begged, ignoring the new information. She wasn't sure what he would do, but she had to take that chance.
"I'm coming, Miss Parker. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
"Miss Parker?" She heard Jarod faintly, through the woodwork. She rushed to open the closet trick door.
"Jarod! In here!" She called, and he came running.
"What is it?" He asked, as she led him back to the Shed, ignoring the blood. Jarod's gasp was almost inaudible, but it was there, when he saw Lyle. Ignoring any other facts except that the man was injured, he started taking vitals. Miss Parker watched worriedly, trying to convince herself that Jarod wouldn't do anything to harm Lyle, despite the fact that he had murdered Kyle. Jarod pulled out a cell-phone, and dialed quickly.
"What are you doing?" Miss Parker demanded, jumping forward.
"Calling 911. He needs more help than I can give him, here." Jarod responded, keeping his eyes locked on Lyle, making sure his chest continued to move up and down. "Yes, I need an ambulance at Apartment 504b, Blue Cove Sunset Apartments. Dislocated shoulder, severe gashes and bleeding. Possible broken neck, possible broken ribs, possible punctured lung, possible internal injuries." Jarod paused for a moment, lifting Lyle's eyelid. "Pupil dilated, unresponsive. No. This is Dr. Linder. Yes. I said, Stat! Oxygen and-" Jarod paused again, and looked up at Miss Parker. "What blood type are you?"
"A positive." She replied, after a moment's hesitation.
"And A positive blood drips, four pints. Yes, I'm sure. We'll be waiting." Jarod clicked the phone off, and looked at the cot. "Miss Parker, we need to get him into the bedroom, without moving his neck." He stated after a few seconds.
"Why do we have to move him?" Miss Parker asked dumbly. She didn't feel like thinking, and Jarod of all people wasn't going to force her to tonight.
"Miss Parker, there will be far too many questions if we bring the paramedics back to this room, and you know it. We need to get him into the bedroom. I think we can carry the whole cot." Miss Parker nodded, accepting what he said, thankful he stated it clearly, and she didn't have to figure out another one of his puzzles or word crypts. She moved to the foot of the cot.
"I can carry it." She thought she caught a flicker of a smile in Jarod's eyes, but dismissed it as imagination, as his eyes darkened. He grabbed the head of the cot.
"One, two, three. Steady and slow." They lifted the cot, and Jarod backed out of the room, moving as slowly as possible. Miss Parker tried to keep her hands from shaking.
Several agonizing minutes passed, as they moved down the pathway, and through the trap door. Miss Parker could have sworn that the breath she took after the cot was on the bed, was the first she had taken since they started moving. Jarod knelt down to check Lyle's vitals again, as he gave orders.
"Shut the trap door. Get some cool, damp washcloths." She obeyed silently, and soon was handing him the first washcloth. Jarod was carefully wiping the blood off Lyle's face when the doorbell rang. Miss Parker rushed to the front door, and yanked it open. The paramedics stood there, with arms full of equipment and a stretcher.
"This way." She snapped, leading them back to the bedroom. Jarod stood up, and began giving directions.
"Put his neck in the brace. Don't jolt his neck. Move him to the stretcher on the count of three, one, two, three. Go. Good. Put the oxygen mask on him, start a blood drip, and a water drip. Let's move, people." Miss Parker was pushed out of the way, as they carried the stretched out the door and down the hall. Jarod called back over his shoulder.
"No room in the ambulance. Call Emily, and meet me there!"
Emily? Emily? Oh, yes. Aimee. Miss Parker fumbled with the buttons on her cell phone, before slamming the thing down on the counter and yelling.
"Why my stupid family, for crying out loud? Why couldn't we just be NORMAL???" She inhaled deeply, and sat down on a kitchen stool. After several deep breaths, she felt ready to deal with life again, and picked up Lyle's kitchen phone, and dialled calmly.
"Aimee here." The girl answered the phone.
"Emily? This is Miss Parker. I just talked to Jarod, and I'll explain everything later. Lyle's in the hospital, and Jarod wants us to meet him there. Can you drive to Lyle's apartment?"
"I...I guess so." Emily replied, startled. "Which apartment number is it?"
"You don't know?" Miss Parker asked, almost as startled. Emily suddenly became defensive.
"Miss Parker, half of the people in the twisted Centre family, if you can even call it that, are the result of affairs. I refuse to let that happen to me. I told Lyle that, and we agreed. I've never been inside his apartment building, and he has never been inside of mine."
"Oh, well...I'll just meet you in the parking lot." Miss Parker hung up, slightly shocked. The girl had sense, and a whole lot of courage. She had never even imagined that it was possible for Lyle to be in such a relationship. Well, things were never what they seemed. She remembered the night before, when Lyle had invited her out to dinner with him and 'Aimee', and she had grudgingly agreed. He had seemed so happy...
An overwhelming panic for her brother's safety and health rose up in her, and she rushed down to the parking lot to wait impatiently for Emily.
"What do you mean, the apartment was empty?" Raines wheezed at Willie.
"I went back to see if he was alive, sir, and the apartment was empty. He was gone." Willie replied.
"If he was still alive? How badly did you beat him?" Raines demanded.
"I..think I may have broken his neck, sir." Willie answered, cringing. A loud slap echoed throughout the room, as Raines, even with his decaying health, managed to slap Willie hard across the face.
"I told you to beat him, not kill him!" Raines wheezed furiously. Willie put a tentative hand up to his cheek, and now bleeding lip.
"I'm sorry, sir." Willie stuttered.
"Find him. Now." Raines ordered. "Or else."
Jarod's steps were heavy as he walked towards the waiting room. He still wore his scrubs, and his mask was pulled down around his neck. Both women jumped up when he entered. Miss Parker was one. Good old, familiar Miss Parker. The other was Emily. High-risking, dangerous Emily. His little sister who dared to try what no one else had. Reach the hidden heart of the one they called Mr. Lyle.
"How is he?" Emily demanded.
"He's in recovery." Jarod replied. Emily looked at her big brother, and noticed how tired he seemed.
"How bad is he?" Miss Parker asked.
"His lungs weren't punctured, but we had to tape almost all his ribs. He lost a lot of blood, but his neck wasn't broken. We reset his shoulder, and he's in traction for that. I won't lie to either of you; he doesn't look good. It's going to be a while before he recovers completely." Emily sat down hard on the plastic chair.
"It's all my fault.." She murmured painfully, her head sinking into her hands.
"What do you mean?" Jarod demanded worriedly, bending down to her eye level.
"I...I gave Raines the notebook..." She replied shakily, looking up at him.
"What notebook?" Miss Parker jumped in.
"The black notebook...the one..." Emily broke off, looking back down at the floor with tear-blurred eyes.
"He let you see that?" Miss Parker asked, mentally cursing her brother.
"You knew about it?" Emily questioned and accused at the same time, looking angrily at Miss Parker.
"We..we found it when we searched his house after May Linn..." Miss Parker trailed off, Emily's eyes still demanding a reason.
"May Linn is only the twelfth in the book. There are fourteen more." Emily grated out through clenched teeth. Jarod instantly made the connection.
"Twenty-six?" He asked, paling. "The monster! He deserved it!" He replied, his vehemence for Lyle coming back in full-force.
"No! No!" Emily exclaimed, the tears falling again. "Jarod, don't you see?" She made Jarod look at her, as she clutched one of his arms. "I played God, Jarod! That's not my job, to deal out punishment!" Emily continued harshly, mostly at herself. "And you don't know the rest of his story! You don't know his past! The poor man's suffered worse than the girl's he killed!" Miss Parker's head jerked around, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she confirmed that no one else was in earshot, much less in the waiting room.
"What do you-" Emily cut Jarod off.
"What did you tell me, that day I swore to you I was going to kill him for Kyle? What did you say?"
"That...that life itself was worse than death. If you lived, you had to go on feeling." Jarod reluctantly echoed his words from the months before.
"Exactly! And that's why I came to do something else to him! Make him suffer! And instead...instead..." Emily couldn't finish. Jarod's eyes widened in realization once again.
"You fell in love with him." He finished in a whisper. Miss Parker's eyes widened as well, as Emily nodded in confirmation.
"And then, I hurt him. I didn't mean to, I just wasn't expecting anything so...awful."
"Emily, he deserved it." Jarod repeated. Miss Parker, on the other hand, tried to convince herself that he didn't deserve it after all, but, she found herself believing he did.
"That's why it's wrong, Jarod!" Emily broke out, startling both of them. "If Lyle had given Raines the notebook on his own, to anger him, then he possibly could have deserved it. If a girl escaped, and told the police, and the court gave Lyle a sentence, then he would have deserved it. But it wasn't my place, to give it to Raines of all people! If I wanted justice, I should've given it to the police. But instead, I just wanted him to hurt like they had. And Jarod, he already has! That's why he was doing it in the first place!" Jarod blinked at his younger sister. "I know I haven't known him as long as you have, but Jarod, he told me more than he's told anyone before."
"How do you know he wasn't lying?" Miss Parker asked. Emily looked up at her.
"Because. You can Pretend all you want, but you can't fake an emotional scar. You can't make the pain go away. Can you?" Emily shot back. "Your little brother was hurting all that time, and you were too blind and selfish to see it. All you could think about is how he had acted in the past, but you never cared to find out why."
"He would have never told me." Miss Parker replied haughtily, but she could feel the weakness of the excuse. "He hated me."
"That's a lie. He told me you were one of the few people he wished he could talk to. But he couldn't, because you hated him. From the very beginning, you treated him like it was his fault you were twins. He became the scapegoat for everything that went wrong with your life, and later he just became who you accused him of being. He never knew any better." The harshness of the words themselves hurt Miss Parker. The fact that she knew deep inside that it was true hurt worse.
"Emily, everyone knows better." Jarod protested.
"No! No, Jarod, they don't! Kyle didn't!" Jarod's eyes flared up.
"How dare you accuse Kyle!"
"Look at it from a different angle, Jarod. How dare you defend him? Did you care to ask how many people he killed? Did you ask about his hatred for Catherine Parker? Did you?"
"He...he was trained that way..He didn't..."
"He didn't know any better." Emily finished, pulling out another notebook. She began reading out loud, too angry with the situation to stop herself. "July 12th, 1967. Daddy hit me today. It hurts something awful. I cried for Mama, but she wouldn't help. The kid's at school are right. There's something wrong with her brain. She pretended not to hear me. She said she loved me!" Emily paused. "That is the first entry, of the first notebook." She turned several pages and went on, not even looking at the faces of her listeners. "October 21st, 1967. He beat me again yesterday. I can barely hold my pencil. The teachers at school asked me what happened. I told them I fell down the stairs. It hurts something awful. Mama still doesn't listen to me." Emily pulled out another book, and set the first one down.
"January ?, 1974. I'm in the shed. He beat me, I don't know how long ago. He has to let me out soon. School break will be over. I don't know how much more I can take. It's so cold in here. And dark. I snuck some matches in, and found an old lantern. I can barely see what I'm writing. It's so cold." Emily paused, turned to the next page, and fought back tears. "February 17th, 1974. He used chains..." Emily didn't get any further, before dropping the book to the floor and sobbing helplessly. Miss Parker could see the entire sentence, from where she was.
In scrawled, dirty handwriting, the page splotched with blood, it read,
He used chains and Mama watched, as I screamed for her to help me...
Lyle slowly became aware of things around him, and he struggled to open his eyes, the eyelids of which seemed nailed shut.
A faint beeping greeted him first, then the low hum of several machines. He felt a dull pain in his chest and arm that continued to grow into a sharp throb.
His eyes finally opened, and he attempted to focus. Everything was blurry, and white. The world faded into view, and he could make out a stark-white ceiling, made of tiles. He tried to turn his head to look around him, but something was restricting any movement of his neck. He moaned softly, as a pain shot through his arm.
"Lyle?" A familiar voice asked. "You're awake!" The voice exclaimed only a minute later. The person moved into view.
"Aimee..." He croaked, as his throat was engulfed in flame.
"Shh..." Aimee quieted him, and smiled gently, though Lyle could see the tears in her eyes. They sat in silence, Lyle trying to fight back the waves of pain, and Aimee trying to convince herself to tell him.
"Lyle.." She finally began. "I need to tell you something. I know this isn't the best time, but it has to be said." Lyle looked up at her, not moving a muscle for fear of yet more pain. "Lyle, I'm Emily. Jarod's sister." His eyes widened in shock and surprise.
"What?" He managed to exclaim, his throat protesting violently.
"I'm Jarod's sister. And, and, I have to go." She dropped a note on the bedside table, and fled the room. Lyle's tried to call after her, but his shouts got caught in his swollen throat.
"You told him?" Jarod asked, as Emily slammed the car door shut. She nodded. "What did he do?"
"Nothing." Emily replied. "He couldn't do anything."
"You ready?" Jarod asked softly, watching his sister's face carefully. She turned away, and looked back towards the hospital, to the window of the room she knew was Lyle's.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Jarod pushed in a CD, and pressed play. "What's that?" Emily asked, trying to ease some of the tension in the air, as Jarod drove away from the building.
"A new group. Hoobastank. Someone told me they were very good. I've never listened to them before, though." Jarod reached over and turned the volume up. Emily winced at the words that filled the air. Jarod reached to angrily turn the music off. Emily grabbed his arm.
"Let it play, Jarod. Just let it play."
I don't want you
To give it all up
And leave your own life
Collecting dust
And I don't want you
To feel sorry for me
You never gave us
A chance to be
And I don't need you
To be by my side
To tell me that
Everything's all right
I just wanted you to
Tell me the truth
You know I'd do that for you
Why are you running away?
Why are you running away?
'Cause I did enough
To show you that I
Was willing to give and sacrifice
And I was the one
Who was lifting you up
When you thought
Your life had had enough
And when I get close
You turn away
There's nothing that
I can do or say
So now I need you to
Tell me the truth
You know I'd do that for you
So why are you running away?
Why are you running away?
Is it me, is it you
Nothing that I can do
To make you
Change your mind
Is it me, is it you
Nothing that I can do
Is it a waste of time?
Is it me, is it you
Nothing that I can do
To make you
Change your mind
So why are you running away?
Why are you running away?
What is it I've got to say
So why are you running away?
To make you admit you're afraid
Why are you running away?
"Lyle?" Miss Parker tiptoed into the room. He blinked at the ceiling, not moving. "Lyle?" Miss Parker repeated. Still, no response. She sat down. "She left already. She and Jarod left about half-an-hour ago." Lyle didn't give any sign that he had heard her. It was like talking to a statue. "Lyle-" She was going to snap at him, but she broke off. "You really loved her, didn't you?" Miss Parker asked quietly.
"Yes." Lyle's voice was like sandpaper, and he seemed small and far away. Miss Parker sighed, and looked down at the floor.
"But she hated me." Lyle finished, gasping a little at the pain, both emotional and physical.
"That's not true, Lyle!" Miss Parker protested. "She loved you. She said so, when she was talking to Jarod and I." His eyes flickered with a bit of hope.
"Really?" A pause. "Then why this?" He begged for an answer, and she sighed again.
"Humans do foolish things, Lyle. She was sorry, though."
"But-" She broke him off, putting a gentle hand over his mouth.
"Sleep. You need to rest." He nodded reluctantly. Miss Parker sat down in a chair near the door, and watched as his eyes closed. Within moments, a soft, regular breathing filled the room.
