Autopsy of a Mind

Evie woke up a day later. Her eyes roved around the room, searching lazily but frantically. Hooked up to so many channels, she looked fragile. The woman who ran a few miles in the morning and ate healthier than most people on the planet was laying on the bed, hooked up to machines because someone had hurt her and drugged her.

For a body that was unused to impurities, it was like a fast-acting poison. She had ground her teeth so much that her jaws had been affected, as were her teeth. Her wrists were so infected that they considered surgery to check if everything was alright. The bullet had been taken out, but she needed months and months of therapy to walk properly and even more time to run.

Would she be able to run on the streets as fast as the wind? She said it gave her a sense of freedom. How much would this affect her in the long run?

"Evie?" I whispered, taking her hand in mine. She groaned as her head turned to me the slightest. "I'm right here," I assured her.

Her eyes were glazed as she looked in my direction, but I was sure she couldn't see me properly in her state.

"S—" she couldn't say anymore. Her voice was lower and gruffer, the usual sweetness gone from it.

"How do you feel?" I asked. I wanted to hit myself for being so stupid. She gave me a lopsided smile.

"'kay," she said generously. I squeezed her hand gently, trying not to hurt her already tormented wrists.

"You don't have to lie," I told her softly. "It only makes it worse." I gulped. "Can you quantify it? On a scale of one to ten, how bad does it hurt?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"Six?" her voice was questioning.

If Evie thought it was a six, it would have been excruciating for others. Her pain threshold was a thousand times higher than others.

I jolted. "The pain medicine isn't working…" I panicked. I was about to push the button to call the doctor in, but she groaned.

"No. I…" she stopped, wetting her throat. "Silence," she said finally.

I nodded vigorously. "I'll call the doctor. They will check you over and then you can have all the peace you want, okay?" I mustered up the courage to say. My instincts were to listen to her unconditionally. But for her, I would have to call the doctor and let them evaluate her.

I pressed the call button and waited for a minute before the nurses arrived. We were first priority at this moment. People filed in and soon, there were nurses, doctors, and interns flitted around the room, looking at the heart monitor, the oxygen level. They were insistently asking questions.

Evie silently nodded to each or shook her head. Never really speaking. "Do you… want to answer them alone?" the doctor asked finally.

I slumped on the sofa. They couldn't see me but I knew Evie was protecting me from how she felt. She couldn't express herself in front of me and it hurt.

Her eyes flitted to me and she watched me for a solid moment before shaking her head. "No. Ask," was what she said.

I almost started to cry. This woman… she was on the brink of death, but she was still thinking about my feelings.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" the doctor asked.

She nodded. When asked where she became quiet for a second before answering. "There is a piercing pain in my ankle and wrists from the cuffs. My stomach… it has cramps. My thigh is burning. And… my head… it hurts."

I winced.

One side of Evie's face was black and blue. She probably didn't feel it as acutely as she should have because of the drugs, but as they wore out, she felt them acutely.

I had heard Jade and Gene's recollection of what happened. Evie had been hit multiple times over the head and face. She didn't seem to remember or realize the intensity of those hits.

"Yes, your skull has a hairline fracture. We are monitoring it, but it should be fine. The swelling in your ankles and wrists is slowly going down so the medicine is working. As for the bullet wound in your thigh. It's going to hurt for a while. We can't medicate you too heavily because of the substances used. You had a mixture of muscle relaxants and hallucinogens given to you, so your heart is working slower than the normal person. We can't use painkillers most of the time." The doctor sounded melancholic. "I am sorry for the pain you are going through," he told her.

She gave him a small smile. "How long will it take for me to fully recover?" she asked. "I have a physically intense job." Her voice was calm.

"To be able to run like a normal person, it should take about six months of physical therapy. But you will also need to be under medication a lot of the time. You should take a leave from physical work and focus on desk work," the doctor told her.

She frowned. "Did I have any pneumonia-related issues?"

The doctor nodded. "We have it under control, actually. That is the least of your problems. You ran a fever several times, but it didn't fry your organs. But I had to admit, your voice… the tearing of your vocal cords can't be repaired."

Evie nodded. "I knew that," she told them. "I've felt it before."

I felt my body give away. I had never really known her true voice. From when I knew her, her voice had been demanding and rough. When she called people, they sometimes thought she was a young boy. Now, it was lower. Maybe with time, the roughness wouldn't sound so devastating to me, but the pain… how long would it last?

There were several other medical questions that revealed that Evie didn't quite remember everything that happened. It was okay. The doctor said that she would slowly regain those memories. Either way, it was fine.

Actually, after the doctors left, the police officers and prosecutors came. They questioned her about everything she remembered and knew.

I followed them out of the room to see them off.

"Dr. Butler," the prosecutor turned to me. "I must thank you on behalf of the prosecutor's office and the police force. Through the joint investigations of Detective Nash, Miss Lewis, and you, we uncovered so many serious criminals within the span of a few days." He bowed deeply.

I nodded. "I had selfish reasons for it. Has the police department announced that all these people have been caught?" I asked gingerly.

He shook his head. "With the Director General being one of the killers, we haven't made the announcement yet. The Assistant Director General will be taking up duties from today. They are preparing for a collective press conference right now." He gave me a lukewarm smile.

"And Benny Phillips. Has he confessed?" I asked. I couldn't go in any longer. I had been thrown out of the investigations. This was personal business now.

"Yes. He didn't see a point in denying it. We can't prove anything apart from aiding and abetting crimes as of now," he shrugged.

"No, with Miss Lewis and the two other victims testifying, the charges will be worse. We've already made Billy Phillips speak. The only person left is Alicia Williams. Before the trial, just let Evie and I talk to her. We'll make her testify," I swore.

He looked at me curiously. "Are you sure you can handle it?" he asked. Then he glanced towards Evie's room. "I can't imagine what it is like to go through that ordeal once, let alone twice. She's a hero. I hope she knows that."

I hung my head. "Don't ever say it to her face. She might throw a tantrum." I tried to give him a smile. "Will the names of the victims be given?" I asked.

"Yes. It is a detailed conference. We aren't going to hold back on any answers."

I sighed in relief.

I walked him out and let myself in the room.

Evie was sleeping once again. I didn't disturb her. When the time for the press-conference came, I shook her lightly to wake her up. She groggily looked up at me with confusion.

"They're announcing it," I said quietly. Her eyes had a spark of interest and she nodded. The television in the room was switched on and the logo of the city police was shown. The news channel contemplated what it was about until finally, the Assistant Director General came into the picture.

Questions were thrown at him, but he dodged them. Finally, he began to speak.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. We have a series of announcements to make, some happy and some sad. Please bear with us." He sucked in a deep breath.

"The officers and consultants from the City Police headquarters have been working tirelessly for the last few months to solve various unsolved cases. In the end, we can reveal the results it has brought us."

Silence.

"At the end of thirty years of terror, we can finally announce that the BTS Killer has been caught. We are deeply saddened to announce that the serial killer that tormented our city and the country for decades had been someone from our own agency. The previous Director General, Billy Phillips was proved without reasonable doubt as the BTS Killer. We have already gotten his confession."

An uproar took over.

"In addition to his confession, we were able to confirm several other serial killings and crimes in the same time frame. The mysterious disappearance of women on highways which was attributed to a serial rapist has finally been solved. The father and daughter pair, Lucy Page and Bernard Page acted together to abduct, torture, and kill women. From their testimonies, we can estimate over a hundred women being a victim of their crimes."

Not one reporter in the room could stop throwing questions.

"And finally, an accomplice to several serial killer cases has been revealed."

They gave his name and his connections as well. Evie's name was mentioned, as was Detective Nash and mine. It was an uproar. Questions were asked and they were all truthfully answered. Transparency was the key to it all.

"They'll give out all the interviews and tapes, won't they?" Evie asked me softly.

"Yes," I said with finality. "Evie… you are finally free."

"Yes… Yes, I am." And she cried.