Malik Idris

A strange beeping echoed into my ear, pulling me from my deep slumber. My eyelids were heavy, head pounding as I tried to peel them open. A flash of white light expelled across my eyelids, making me immediately recoil from the harshness. Come on, Malik, I told myself.

Giving it one last try, I opened my eyes, adjusting to the bright white walls and sunlight peeking through the windows. Ridwan laid against the window sill, eyes shut and snoring softly. Nathan's laptop sat on the chair adjacent to my bed. At the mention of his name, I felt my features immediately darken.

"Morning, Malik," his voice chirped as he walked in.

My limbs felt sore, glued down to the bed. Lifting an arm felt as if I were lifting a boulder. My abdomen was numbed; I couldn't feel a thing except the heavy weight of the bindings wrapped tightly against my torso in an uncomfortable hug. Looking down, I realized it was my wound, redness seeping into the wrap.

My memories recalled the stabbing, Cole's painful grunts as he fell beside me, and an all too familiar feminine voice, one that haunted my sleep at night. It couldn't be her.

She was in a psych ward from the crimes she accused me of. They wouldn't let her escape such a high tech hospital unless someone of authority issued her out.

"I brought you some coffee," stated Nathan softly like he was afraid I'd lash out on him.

When Nathan came close to leave the coffee cup on the counter near the bed, I took the opportunity to grab the collar of his uniform.

Nathan gasped, staring at me with wide blue eyes. Blue eyes, blonde hair, male. My anger only fed off the realization as my grip tightened.

"You fucking bastard," I snarled. "Where is she? Where did you take Sajdaa?"

"Malik, let's not be unreasonable here-"

"Bullshit! You lead us to our deaths!" I yelled.

My other hand went to grip his throat as I sat up, imagining how satisfying it would be to break his neck for all the damage he caused.

Nathan clawed at my hand, struggling to breath. "M-Malik."

The struggling seemed to have awoken Ridwan, who upon seeing the chaos, jolted out of his sleeping position and raced towards us, pulling Nathan and I apart. "You guys! Chill out, we can't be killing each other!" he exclaimed worriedly before giving me a pointed look. "Sit down, Malik. You're too weak to pick a fight."

I pointed a shaky finger at Nathan, who was soothing his throat from my harsh grip. "You liar! Nathan, I trusted you!"

Ridwan raised a brow. "What did he do?"

"He lead Cole and I to an ambush. Where is Sajdaa? Nathan, tell me where you took her!" I yelled, tears brimming my eyes. If my suspicions were correct, Sajdaa would be dead by tomorrow morning.

"How do you know she was taken?" questioned Nathan, not locking our gazes.

"Cause you look extremely guilty and I know she would have been here at my side. What did you do?"

"Malik, calm down. I can explain everything," he stated calmly after he recollected himself. He turned to Ridwan. "Pull the curtain."

Ridwan nodded, pulling the curtain on my left side and revealing Cole, looking busted and bruised all over the face.

He was alive, just more shaken up than I was. His abdomen was wrapped in the same bonds to keep the wound from getting infected, but from the looks of it, it seemed he had gotten punched a couple of times.

"Whoa," I breathed out, watching my friend struggle to sit up. Luckily, Ridwan helped him.

"Take it easy, man," smiled Ridwan.

"Thanks, sorry I'm not used to being beaten up this bad," admitted Cole.

I fixed my glared on Nathan, who sat solemn faced. "Start talking," I ordered.

"I want to start off by saying that I'm not the serial killer."

I scoffed. "Sure."

"Malik, I was the one who called the ambulance for you. I followed your car when I figured out it was an ambush. If I didn't get you two help in time, you would have died! Doesn't that prove my innocence?" he asked with pleading eyes.

With the new information, it was plausible to say that Nathan was indeed telling the truth. If I wanted to be more accurate I could hook him to a lie detector test, but considering the IVs injected into my skin, a test would not not be helping my case.

"Okay, you have my attention," I said, keeping a stern face on. I noticed that Cole did the same.

"But where's Sajdaa? She didn't come home last night after you sent her away," stated Ridwan, suspiciously.

Nathan scratched the back of his neck, nervously and gave us a tight smile. "Well, that was my fault."

I was about to jump towards him, but Ridwan's arms stopped me. "Let the man speak. I'm probably more pissed than you, but we need answers," he said.

Grumbling, I sat back down.

Cole cleared his throat. "How is it your fault?" he asked.

Nathan opened his laptop, typing furiously against the keyboard before he turned it to face all of us. "I know who the killers are. I've been suspicious for a long time, trying to piece it all together, but I needed more evidence before I brought it to the investigation."

"Okay, I get it, you did extra research. Great, but you're wasting my time by not telling me who it is," I replied drily.

"I think it's important for you to know that I worked for the killer and lived with him."

All heads turned to Nathan as a silence fell upon all of us. If that was the case, it meant that Nathan was an accomplice. My eyes widened. Of course, I was so stupid not to see it before. Slowly, all the pieces began to make sense, the two murderers that stabbed Cole and I, the notes, the feminine voice, Jay, everything began to add up.

"I told Sajdaa last night to go into my office and get a USB that contained the evidence to prosecute him. In my state of panic, I didn't realize that Sajdaa would most likely come face to face with the killer. This morning when I went back, all that was there was a note," Nathan said as he handed me a flimsy piece of paper.

Say hello to a broken heart... or a carved one.

"Nathan," I started slowly, "was Jay your brother?"

He nodded, looking away from me like he was in shame. "I told him to confess and nothing bad would happen to him unless Dad found out, but he was shot the second I left the room."

Cole and I exchanged glances.

"Malik, you heard that feminine voice too, right?" questioned Cole.

I nodded. "It sounded like my ex."

"So if Nathan isn't the killer, and it turns out that there's two of them..." trailed off Ridwan. "Then who are they?"

I glanced at Nathan, waiting for him to answer the question even though it pained him to admit it. Squeezing his eyes shut, Nathan began to mumble to himself, number in French that helped him calmed down when he was stressed. I felt for him, knowing that his family was initiating killings wasn't an easy task to take in.

"That girl, Mary Smith, she was who the killer referred to in a note. Her relationship was with you?" I asked.

He nodded, letting a few tears slip out. "I-I really want to save Sajdaa, Malik. I don't want you to feel the pain of loss. My father has been abusing Jay and I since our mother died. I was lucky enough to move out and I never spoke to my father except at work."

Ridwan whistled lowly. "Geez, you really have a screwed up family."

"Who is your father, Nathan?" I questioned.

"The police chief."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How is that even possible? You don't even share the same last name."

"I'm not his real son. He's my stepfather."

"Hold on!" exclaimed Ridwan, mentally trying to process everything. "Your dad, the police chief, is the serial killer. Jay was the accomplice, who is also your little brother and I assume you both share the same biological father."

Nathan nodded.

"So now that just leaves us with the extra holes in this whole twisted story. Why did he kill my uncle and why does he have a grudge against my family? Also, who's the second killer?" questioned Ridwan.

Cole glanced at me nervously, but I already knew who the second killer was. "Nathan, search up a woman named Audrey Olsen," I demanded.

Nathan quickly searched her up before he frowned upon coming across her page. "She was in a mental hospital for attempting to stab her boyfriend because demons told her to. She got out last year from the request of the police department!" he said, visibly shocked. "Who on earth would allow such a woman out?"

"A serial killer would because he'd need her help," I said.

"All the killings," Cole mumbled, "they were all connected to one or the other person. Sajdaa is connected to both."

"My ex," I swallowed, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to forget the day she brought a knife close to me when I was asleep, "she wants me. She tried to kill me. I was the boyfriend that sent her there."

"You had a girlfriend?" asked Ridwan, suspicious.

"I wasn't religious then."

Ridwan shook it off. "Doesn't matter anymore. She's trying to kill my little sister because of you. She must be jealous."

"But where does the police chief, Mr. Turner, come in all this?" questioned Cole, trying not to wince from his own injuries.

"That doesn't matter right now. With the information we have plus the documents on my USB, we have enough for an arrest warrant. If my tracking skills are correct, there should be an underground cellar at the place where you two were stabbed," stated Nathan, closing his laptop. "I'll check it out."

"No!" we all shouted simultaneously.

"Why?"

"Let the doctor check up on Cole and me," I said in an authoritative voice, "it seems like Cole is going to be stuck here for a while, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to accompany you along with Ridwan. For now, do some research on your father and Audrey. We need as much information as possible for a trial."

Feeling satisfied, Ridwan and Nathan walked into the corridor, leaving Cole and I alone in the room. A couple of nurses came into the room, most were checking on Cole's injuries since he was the most bruised and battered out of us.

"Do you think Mr. Turner really committed the crimes?" asked Cole, quietly.

"It seems highly plausible considering his odd disappearances and reluctance to take Sajdaa's case. He also fits the description. Now the only question is why?"

Cole stayed silent, absorbing the information in. It was a lot to take in, but I couldn't stop my mind from straying to Sajdaa, who was taken and only Allah knew what was happening to her. Fear pricked under my skin as I began to worry for her safety, hating myself for being blind and allowing myself to get ambushed.

I was so desperate for answers that I became lost in my own thoughts, drowning in the sea of theories that could possibly connect Sajdaa to any criminal. Perhaps I was delusional from the amount of affection that overwhelmed me whenever she smiled or laughed.

After years of hardening my heart for all the tragedies my job brought, only Sajdaa was able to break through the brick exterior and come running to my heart, giving herself a throne and crown to dictate over me. Even the coldest words I said pushed her closer to me like Allah was trying to show me something, show me my way back to Islam.

Glancing at the clock, I realized it was prayer time. I swung my legs off the bed, standing to make my way to the bathroom sink for wudu (ablution). One of the nurses scowled at me, which I promptly ignored.

Allah came first and if I wanted to guarantee anything in life, I had to pray for it as well. I'm coming, Sajdaa. Just hold on a little longer for me.

Assalamualaikum!

I want to clear up something for those who think this is so obvious. The story follows three police officers as well meaning the case will unravel to the officers first.

Besides, nothing is certain still ;)

Regardless, tell me what you think of the revelation and Nathan's relations to the killer.

Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!