Unknown POV
Kate, still in control of the SUV, sped through the street, heading for the police station which was situated at the end of the street.
"William, you have to resume control of the vehicle. I'm not doing a very good job from this position." Kate said to a frozen William.
Meanwhile, once the van missed its target, it reversed quickly and followed the SUV in hot pursuit.
"William, they are upon us. Do something." Kate screamed, panic-stricken.
Her screams seemed to work as William was immediately aroused from his frozen state.
Expertly he seized control of the wheel from Kate who couldn't be more grateful, and led the vehicle at a breakneck speed.
Their initial plan which was to drive down to the police station was dashed when they got to the spot where the station should be located and met it empty. There was no trace that a building had been there before.
"What do we do now? " Kate asked, almost in tears. From the side mirror, she could see the van trailing behind them with so much speed.
"We keep driving." William replied, containing his fears.
"That isn't a plan, William. Think of something!" Kate screamed. Her fears were driving her insane.
"Alright, we will keep driving till we get to any police station," William replied, hoping Kate would be calm a bit.
"This is it. I am dead, you are dead, we are both dead. " Kate exclaimed hopelessly once she realized that there was no station around.
William, now sweating profusely more out of fear than out of heat, swerved the car into the ever-busy street that led to Gaza town.
The unsuspecting driver of the van was first disoriented, and by the time he realized himself and took the same route, a red car had pulled into the street from the adjoining road and rode between William's SUV and the van.
"I think we've lost them. " Kate announced once she noticed that the vehicle behind them was no longer a van but a red car. Her tone showed just how much relief she felt.
"We had better hurry." William suggested, somehow he suspected that they could not lose the van just like that.
To Kate's horror, the red car diverted into an adjoining street, and from the side mirror, she saw the van which she believed was gone charging at them with more speed than ever.
"We've not lost the van, William. It is right behind us. " Kate announced suddenly, as a new wave of fear washed over her.
William, maintaining his speed drove to the outskirts of Gaza town, noting in fear the serenity and sparseness of this part of the town.
The SUV came to an abrupt stop just then, and Kate unconsciously cast William a glance.
"What the hell are you stopping for? Kate asked, making a move to seize control of the wheel.
"It isn't me, We are out of gas," William replied, grimly.
"Oh my God," Kate exclaimed with yet a new wave of fear. From the side mirror, she could see the van get close.
Unconsciously, both William and Kate held on to each other, with their fingers locked just as the van hit the back of the SUV with so much force.
From behind, the van pushed William's SUV and rammed it into a nearby tree, and this captured the interest of the few people around.
One of the men made to step out of the van to ascertain the death of both William and his wife, but he was stopped by the others who pointed out the people who now was present, and the arrival of a police van from the distance. Instead, they made a U-turn and went back from where they had come.
**************
Crawford, sitting comfortably in his overly spacious and air-conditioned office, frowned in irritation as his phone rang. He was studying the various reports on Stuart, having assigned various physicians to examine him.
So far the reports have been very similar with only slight differences on a rather insignificant aspect. One striking similarity in the reports is that all five physicians elaborated on the uniqueness of his system.
Stuart, according to the reports, has an unusually high level of immunity. Mr Crawford nodded his head as realization hit him. He now understood why the application of ZIP on Stuart had failed to yield any noticeable result the first time.
He picked up his phone which hadn't stopped ringing from the table, and peered at the screen, wondering within himself why his men were calling.
"Good afternoon, boss." The leader's voice came on once he answered the call. Although it was a few minutes before noon, it didn't matter.
"Yes, Zach." Mr Crawford prodded him further.
"The deed is done, boss."
"What deed?" Mr Crawford replied while he tried to remember if he had given his men any assignment.
"Both William and his wife are dead." The voice called from the other end. From the way he sounded, he expected Mr Crawford to be pleased but the latter was not. Instead, he was momentarily taken aback.
"Who assigned you to take down the couple?" Mr Crawford asked, casually while he kept the reports in the safety of his drawer.
"The lady you sent to us told us it is what you wanted, plus you asked us to keep an eye on them," Zach explained, his voice quivering.
"Oh!" Mr Crawford exclaimed, now understanding why Sofia had insisted that he ordered his men to keep an eye on the couple.
"Is everything alright, boss?" Zach asked, ever politely. Somehow he suspected something was wrong, and feared for his life.
"No Zach, everything is not alright." Mr Crawford said and headed towards the exit, his bunch of keys clinking as he dangled it in his fingers angrily.
Once the door to his office pulled open, his secretary rose immediately to her feet, with her eyes facing the ground.
"Have your seat, Michelle. " He instructed, as he pulled the door shut, using his remote control.
*********
Dr Sofia walked around her garage, indecisive of the car to take to work. It was currently 11:15 AM, and having slept all through the morning, she was ready to report to work. Settling for the white SUV which had arrived a few minutes ago, she drove straight to St Louis hospital. Fixing the plate number wasn't hard at all as she had feared.
No sooner had she settled down in her office than her phone started to ring. Once she saw the caller ID displayed on her screen, she smiled.
She answered the call, expecting good news.
"Good afternoon ma'am," greeted the caller.
"Yes Zach, any news?" Sofia asked, impatiently.
"Both William and his wife are dead," Zach informed while Sofia beamed.
"I will..." Sofia started to say but the sound of Zach's voice from the other end interrupted her.
"When I informed the boss, he didn't seem pleased with the news of their death," Zach replied, worriedly.
"You told Mr Crawford?" Sofia asked with her eyes wide in fear. She then realized her mistake. She should have warned them to keep Crawford out of it, but it was too late.
"I gave you a simple instruction Zach, a simple instruction." Sofia started, angrily.
"Let me finish." She barked the next minute and then continued immediately.
"The instruction was to take both William and his wife out, you moron. What did you go running to Crawford for?" Sofia scolded.
Dr Anderson who had been eavesdropping on Sofia couldn't contain the shock he felt.