If Strange Things 5 (The End)
Aside from the unexpected encounter, Lina was in a pretty good mood overall. However, she wasn't really angry, since she was too young at the time, and as time passed, she had long forgotten the sadness she felt back then.
Especially after finishing dinner today, Lina completely let go of her trivial anger. The food was so delicious!
Anyway, it suits her taste.
As evening approached, although everyone urged Daryl to take Lina home, the task ultimately fell to Rick. After all, Lina wasn't familiar with the others, and she wouldn't readily let strangers take her home.
The two walked back. The streets were still quite crowded at night, but most of them were drunk or looked like gangsters.
Rick wasn't wearing his uniform either. It was his day off, and besides, wearing a uniform wouldn't necessarily make him any safer; in fact, it would make him more likely to be a target!
"So, how exactly did you get to know those people?" Lina couldn't help but ask. It was just too bizarre! They seemed to know each other as if they had lived together for years.
"It's a long story..." Rick glanced at Lina, wishing she could remember.
"Then let's get to the point." Lina was determined to get to the bottom of this and wouldn't let Rick brush her off so easily.
“Maybe we were family in a past life?” Rick joked.
"...You're a police officer, how come you're superstitious?" Lina rolled her eyes. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Why are you making things up?
“I’ll tell you,” Rick shrugged, “what do you think of them?” Although he wanted to ask Daryl, Lena was eighteen and Daryl was over thirty. This world wasn’t the apocalypse they were talking about.
The probability of Lena falling for Daryl is practically zero, because it's hard to imagine the two of them having anything in common. When it comes to feelings, even love at first sight has its conditions, and Daryl isn't Leonardo DiCaprio.
Unfortunately, he doesn't care about his image at all, which is really a headache.
"Well," Lina said, somewhat conflicted, "I always felt that we got along quite naturally, even familiarly."
“Really? They’ll be staying here for a while, but they’ll probably leave soon. Carol would love for you to come visit.” Rick tried to create opportunities for Daryl, hoping that Lena could get to know everyone, especially Daryl.
"..." Lina became more and more conflicted. This was too strange. "Let's just forget about it. I have some things to do recently."
Rick wasn't discouraged. He would try his best to create the conditions. If that still didn't work... well, it could only be said that Daryl and Lena were destined to be apart.
"That's enough," Lina said. They were almost there, so she didn't ask Rick to see her off any further. The road was very well-lit. Rick watched Lina open the door and go inside before turning to leave.
As a friend, he should have let things take their natural course.
"Oh my god! Little brother, you're such a coward! How could I have such a weakling as you? Oh my god!" Moore wailed in despair. "Why don't you drink a bottle of wine to boost your courage? It's not that big of a deal, is it? Go for it!"
Daryl glared at Moore. "Stop giving bad advice and mind your own business."
"Coward!" Moore cursed as Daryl went back to his room.
Carol and Sophia shook their heads helplessly. Only Moore would dare to make such a bandit-like suggestion; that's how he hooked up with Amy.
Then Amy and Andrea turned around and took him to the police station; it was she and Daryl who went to bail him out.
Fortunately, Amy suddenly remembered, otherwise they might not have been able to get her out.
That old bastard, doesn't he even look at his appearance and demeanor? No one would think he's a good person.
*
In the blink of an eye, almost a week has passed since that dinner. Lina has been busy every day and hasn't had time to think about those people anymore.
She was caught up in the whirlwind of group assignments.
One of the Indian guys in the group had such a heavy accent that it drove her crazy. To make matters worse, he also smelled strongly of spices, the kind that Lina hated. The worst part was that where there's a hidden dragon, there's bound to be a phoenix chick. There was another oddball in the group who would send messages all year round, like "uh-huh" and "okay," but he never showed up for a meeting and never did any of the tasks.
The only people in the group who actually did the work were the group leader and Lina. The Indian guy did come, but he was flirting with girls on the side.
It would have been better if they hadn't come at all; the stench is giving me a headache.
After a busy period, Lina didn't leave the campus for several days, just wandering around between the various teaching buildings.
However, since it was the weekend, Lina didn't stay at school any longer. Instead, she planned to go to the city library to gather some information.
Change your environment and relax.
Whenever she takes out her computer at school to start working, she always feels like she can smell that terrifying odor, it's giving her PTSD!
Enjoying a rare moment of freedom, Lina's phone suddenly rang loudly; it was Rick.
This was somewhat unexpected. She and Rick didn't usually keep in close contact; he was a very busy policeman, and Lena was busy with school, clubs, and homework.
“Hi, Rick…” Lina was interrupted by Rick before she could finish speaking, “Go back to school now, go to a crowded place, preferably indoors.”
"Uh, what's wrong?" Lina asked as she obediently turned around and headed towards the school.
“Remember that car accident? I’ve recently found out about some people who are probably going to target you again,” Rick said seriously as he sped along in his police car, trying to get to Lina’s side as quickly as possible.
“…Damn it,” Lina quickened her pace. The car accident that year was not an accident at all. Someone had their eyes on her. Her uncle was rich and powerful, but had no children, so she naturally became the heir. Although her parents seemed to be just scraps in the family, they had a lot of money, so she was still the heir.
The entanglements between the previous and previous generations in the family are a tangled mess, but in the end, it all boils down to one word: 'profit'.
Lena was in the way, so someone wanted her dead, especially after her uncle's will was confirmed. Someone deliberately caused that car accident, but Lena and her family were lucky to run into Rick.
My uncle has been investigating, but after all, there's an ocean between us, and his influence isn't as invincible on this side of the sea.
So after all these years, they've only found some clues. Rick was also helping to investigate this matter, and he thought those people had given up after so many years of silence.
It seems there isn't one.
Lena hung up the phone and ran. Their school had a security system, a lesson learned the hard way, so they couldn't be crazy enough to rush in with guns.
Just as the gate was right in front of her, Lina was suddenly tackled to the ground and rolled around several times in a sorry state. Then she heard a loud crash behind her.
A car was embedded in the wall, its tires still spinning.
Lina's entire back was soaked instantly; they really weren't planning to let her live at all!
"Hurry up." Daryl pulled up the terrified Lina and turned to dive into the alley.
Lina was still reeling from the shock and mechanically followed Daryl, "Hey! Come up this way!"
Lena looked up in confusion, following the ladder on the wall, and saw Glenn waving at them from above.
Daryl gave Lina a push so she could climb up, while he stayed behind her.
Lena didn't hesitate. They were trustworthy. This was a thought that came to Lena's mind. The three of them climbed onto the rooftop, and Glenn nimbly led them up and down the rooftop, circling around to two streets away.
"You guys..." Lina finally stopped, took a breath, and looked at Daryl and Glenn with a puzzled expression.
“It was Rick who arranged it,” Glenn said breathlessly. “Let’s go, we can’t stay here too long.”
Lina had no choice but to keep up. They climbed down the stairs, scaled an iron fence, and reached the main road. "Let's go..."
A burst of gunfire erupted from them, and the three men, without a word, covered their heads and retreated.
“We have to split up,” Glenn said, putting his hat on Lena’s head and taking her backpack. “You two go from the back, climb the stairs, and then go around the rooftop. I’ll go the other way.”
Daryl nodded. "Be careful." He pulled Lina along and ran in the direction Glenn had indicated. Lina was completely dumbfounded. Why? They weren't even friends, so why was he helping her?
Daryl led Lena on a journey of hiding and dodging, but in the end they still had to face a problem: they had to cross a street that was too obvious and had no cover around them.
The two squatted in the corner for a long time. Daryl took out a mirror. Lina couldn't understand what he was doing, but he just kept turning the small mirror around.
"Let's go." Daryl put away the mirror, pulled Lina along, and walked out.
Lena hadn't forgotten the shooting yet, and she was terrified. Although she grew up in the US, she could say with certainty that the fear of guns is something that can never be eliminated, especially when the bullets explode right next to you.
"Don't be afraid, everything will be alright." Daryl gripped Lina's hand tightly. Lina swallowed nervously, clung to Daryl's arm, and looked around, feeling as if there were villains everywhere trying to kill her!
"Gun..." The moment the bullets exploded at her feet, Lina was completely terrified. She loved shooting and was quite skilled, but when she became a target... Help!!!
Daryl grabbed Lina and quickly ran across the street.
Strangely, there were only a few scattered shots, and then nothing more.
Daryl slipped into the alley again, glanced at his watch, and knew they were almost there.
Sasha and Abraham put away their guns. Moore and Andrea waved to them from the opposite side. The four of them put away their guns and walked down from the rooftop as if nothing had happened, blending into the crowd.
A sudden, violent stop at the alley entrance startled Lena; she almost thought it was one of those suicide bombings! But it turned out to be Rick.
"Get in!" Rick shouted, rolling down the car window.
Daryl opened the car door, shoved Lina inside, and got in himself. He then took out a gun from the car and began looking around through the rear window.
"...My God, I thought I was filming a police thriller." Lina slumped back in the car seat. "So, what do we do? Have they gone mad?" Lina slapped her forehead. She had to call her uncle and great-uncle! How was she supposed to know what to do?
“Don’t worry,” Rick reassured Lina as he sped along, “we’ve already talked to Edward.”
?
How come she, the person involved, knew nothing?
The vehicle sped out of the city, and two black cars immediately appeared behind them. The people inside leaned out of the windows and kept firing at them.
Lena shrank back in fright, then became enraged. As Daryl was firing wildly, he saw Lena also raise her gun.
"Get ready!" Rick suddenly said.
What are you getting ready for? Before Lina could react, Rick had already opened the door and rolled out, and Daryl, holding Lina, opened the car door and pounced down as well.
When Lina got up, covered in soot, she only saw three burning cars.
Lina was horrified to see Carol standing to the side. She was such a gentle person, yet she had a machine gun mounted in front of her.
ah?
Carol smiled slightly. "Are you all alright?"
Lina nodded repeatedly in terror.
“Edward’s written, he’s done over there,” Rick said, looking disheveled, as he walked up to Lena and Daryl. “We can go back now…” Rick’s eyes sharpened, and Lena felt herself being pushed to the ground. She instinctively covered her head, and then another gunshot rang out. Lena saw Carol fire several shots with her pistol. She turned her head and saw the afterimages of people who had just fallen near the car across the street.
“Daryl!” Rick grabbed him, unbuckled his belt, and strangled Daryl in the stomach; he had been shot.
Lina then noticed that Daryl had pushed her aside and taken the bullet for her.
Lena scrambled to her feet and knelt beside Daryl. Rick was still receiving first aid, and Carol came over to help. "Let's lift him to the car," Carol said, though her car was still some distance away.
"I'll help, I can help." Lina felt very guilty.
Daryl struggled to push Rick away. What are you doing? And Carol, what's going on? It's just a scratch!
Rick and Carol pressed Daryl down together and looked at Lena. "Let's do it together. He might have injured his internal organs. If we don't hurry, it will be too late."
Lina almost burst into tears, but crying wasn't the most important thing right now. She held back her sobs and helped them lift Daryl.
Daryl tried to speak, but was always interrupted by Carol. The Emperor was carried into the car, Lina sat in the back seat, and Daryl lay on her lap.
Carol gave him a deathly smile from an angle Lina wasn't looking at, then pointed to her eyes.
Daryl closed his eyes stiffly, feeling even more panicked.
Lina couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears. What could she do? She had killed someone!
Daryl's patience failed him in an instant. He raised his hand and wiped away Lina's tears. Lina was so frightened that she held her breath and then started hiccuping. Why was she coming back to life?
Rick and Carol silently pinched their thighs.
"I...I'm fine, it's not that serious..." Daryl said dryly, "Don't cry..."
Lina was still hiccuping and crying, her face flushed red. How embarrassing! But the hiccups just wouldn't stop!
Daryl racked his brains, and finally sat up. Lena's eyes widened in terror. Seeing Lena's expression, Daryl's face flushed red, and he finally blurted out, "I...I'll take you to see the deer?"
"Pfft—"
"Pfft—"
Carol and Rick couldn't hold back any longer. "Sorry, please continue," Carol quickly suppressed her laughter.
"..." Lina was stunned for a long time, staring blankly at Daryl, "...you, you..."
Daryl felt guilty. Was she angry?
"Are you out of your mind? Deer, deer, deer, damn deer!" Lina yelled, her face turning bright red with anger.
“…You, you don’t get angry…” Daryl scratched his head awkwardly, glancing cautiously at Lina.
The faces looked so familiar that Lina felt a sense of disorientation. Had they met somewhere before?
Just like that inexplicable sense of closeness she felt as a child, Lina blinked, then rolled her eyes and fainted.
!
"Carol!" Daryl would have jumped up if he hadn't been in the car.
Carol turned around, and Daryl pulled Lina closer to Carol while holding her. "She's not injured, but she might have been frightened?" Carol asked doubtfully. "Let's go to the hospital first."
Daryl held Lina nervously for a long time. Then he felt a warmth on his little finger. Daryl looked down in surprise and saw that Lina's little finger was hooked around his little finger.
His heart began to pound.
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