Poisoned - A Snake Museum

[Anna Leigh Williams]

The ride to the herpetologist was a quiet one. Lillian didn't really say much to Chris, he was silent in his seat as she drove. She pulled up to the building. "Would you like to come inside...?" She asked him. He shook his head. "Just get what you can.." He said. She nodded. She left the car running, and exited it. She walked inside, brushing her hair behind her ear. She wore a slim fitting black shirt, with dark wash jeans and black boots. Draped her her was a deep blue trenchcoat. 

She looked around, "Hello...?" She called out.

She noticed all of the snakes. They made her uncomfortable. 

[Lei Wulong]

The woman had been straightening up her displays, as well as straightening out her hair.  She wore a neatly pressed royal blue Quipao.  It was obvious that she was a foreigner, but she was an expert in herpetology.  It felt a little hot in the museum, as it should.  The snakes are cold-blooded and need that heat to keep them going.  She got out her azure fan and started fanning herself before someone finally called out.

She smiled.  Today was her lucky day.  

"Oh, Hello.  You're Lillian Williams, right?" Lian asks the woman, folding up her fan.  

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Lillian turned, taking off her coat. She smiled. "Yes..." She held out her hand to shake it. She pulled out some files. "I had some questions... About snakes..." She set them down. "This is going to sound tremendously awful, but I believe that my father was killed by a snake... Or... snake venom..."

She crossed her arms, "I wanted some expertise on snakes, and their behavior. Just to rule out an actual snake."

She looked at the file. "It says in his autopsy that his systems shut down slowly, that it was similar to a venom found in a snak that's native to our homeland."

She sighed. "My sister found him, sitting in his chair..." She paused, holding her composure. "Could a snake attack a person just because...? Or do they need to be provoked...?" She asked.

[Lei Wulong]

Lian shook the woman's hand, smiling.

"I had some questions... About snakes... This is going to sound tremendously awful, but I believe that my father was killed by a snake... Or... snake venom..."

"I'm sorry to hear that.  It must have been a horrible accident!" 

"My sister found him, sitting in his chair... Could a snake attack a person just because...? Or do they need to be provoked...?"

Lian looked through the files and read the autopsy.  "Well, looks like he was bitten by a common viper venom.  Quite interesting indeed.  Only 14 people in the world have died from this snake since 1876.  And looks like your father was number 15.  And indeed snakes don't attack unless provoked.  The common viper in England is probably the most friendly snake in the world, only biting when threatened.  Even then, it usually doesn't use its venom."  She tucked her hand under her chin in a thinking pose.  "However, there are other aggressive and more venomous snakes, like the Eastern Diamondback Rattle Snake, the spitting cobra, and a Black Mamba to name a few.  Plus, the venom of the common viper is very weak, unless of course he was trying to eat.  But it is indeed very peculiar.  Almost as if... it were staged..." Her eyes narrowed at that remark.

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Lillian raised a brow when lian mentioned the possibility of yer fathers death being staged. She frowned, "So my sister was right...." She said with a tone of sorrow. She looked up at the girl and smiled. "Thankyou for seeing me. Youve given me the answer i was looking for."


She collected her files and put her coat back on. She was getting ready to leave.

[Lei Wulong]

"So my sister was right.... Thankyou for seeing me. You've given me the answer i was looking for."

"Yes.  Indeed.  Your father was murdered in cold blood.  He died a slow, horrible death.  Very unfortunate.  You have my condolences."  She opened her fan as she bowed into it.  "I wish you good luck on your quest."

With Lillian's back turned, now was her chance to strike.  The woman would never see it coming.  She grabbed a chopstick that held her hair in place, and pulled it out.  Her hair was still in place, but it revealed to be a small needle.  It was her specialty, laced in the venom of the king cobra.  Victims will be disoriented, and slowly succumb to their demise.   She quickly throws it at Lillian's back, aiming for the back of her neck.  After all, if she is indeed Nina's sister, she'd put up more of a fight than this.

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Lillian was a little taken aback by her choice of words. She turned to say something, but saw her throwing something at her. She moved her hand up to deflect whatever it was, but the needle pierced the bottom of her palm. She yelped out. "What the....!?" She pulled the needle out, looking at it. "What the hell.....!?" She looked up at her, suddenly realizing. 

"Who are you!?" She yelled out, clutching her hand. "What do you know...!?"

She went to put up her hands, but found herself feeling off. She shook her head. "What was that needle...?" She dropped it.

[Lei Wulong]

"Who are you!?  What do you know...!?"

"Unfortunately for you, my dear... I cannot tell you who I am.  But I can tell you this: I know who killed your father."

She slowly approaches her, with her fan outstretched.

"What was that needle...?"

"My favorite.  The King Cobra.  Do you know how it gets it name?  It eats the smaller weaker snakes.  And unfortunately for you, the King Cobra has a neurotoxin.  That means it kills by asphyxiation.  You're going to start getting paralyzed, and as the venom courses through your veins... you will get weaker, and slowly... you will die as your organs shut down."

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Lillian struggled to stand up, hell she struggled to even breathe. She fell down, still struggling to pull it together. She looked up, her eyes were red. "....W-Why.....??!" She yelped out. Her arm was in so much pain at this point. "C-Chri..!" She couldn't even finish saying her brother's name. She looked at Lian as her vision blurred. Was this how her father died...? Was she to die next? For some strange reason, Lillian was okay with that. 

Things eventually went black, and she passed out.

Meanwhile, outside, Chris had just gotten off the phone with Marcella. It was official. She was leaving him. He took a moment to pull himself together, before heading to the museum door.

[Lei Wulong]

"....W-Why.....??!"

"Your sister killed my father.  It's only natural that her father dies, too.  But of course, I think Nina needs to suffer more.  Wait until she finds out that her precious mother is dead."

When Lillian passed out, Lian could only laugh, but she was quite disappointed.  She had only an hour to live.  Lian thought she'd put up maybe a little bit more of a fight.

"Maybe I should have used the rattle snake venom.  But it is what it is." She shrugged as she closed her fan.  

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Chris walked into the museum, and looked around. He saw Lian standing there, "Excuse me, have y--" He looked down, seeing his twin sister laying her there. He saw that her arm was blue. He pulled out his pistol, and fired at her. "WHO ARE YOU!?" He yelled. He continued to holding his pistol at her. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER!?"

He wouldn't take his eyes off of her, but he did pull out his phone to dial 911...

[Lei Wulong]

Chris showed up.  This was going to complicate things, but no matter.  She would go and kill him right then and there, but he looked like he was ready to battle. 

As he fired shots, Lian did an acrobatic flip over Chris avoiding him as she headed to the exit.  "I'm sorry, but I must leave now.  We'll get in touch soon."

She quickly flees the museum.  With Lillian down, and Johanna gone.  The next step.  What about Elysium?  The very thought excites her.

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Chris grimaced as Lian fled. "COWARD!" He yelled out. He then leaned down to check on Lillian. He felt her pulse, she was alive. "Hello, i-i need help, my sister's been poisoned!" He said into the phone. "We are at the snake museum in Tokyo..." He was breathing heavily. "Please hurry...!" He frowned, looking down at her. All he could do was wait for the ambulance. 

A few minutes later, they arrived. They immediately put Lillian into a gurney, and put her in the ambulance car. 

As the police investigated the area, Chris noticed broken glass out of the corner of his eye. He walked into it, peering into the cozy waiting area. He turned the corner, and saw a blonde woman sitting, facing away. "DADDY!?!!"  He flashed back. He felt an all too familiar pain in his gut. His eyes watered, as he inched closer. "Anna, Nina please stop!!! He's GONE!"  Tears ran down his face, as he trembled. "Daddy, please wake up!"  The cries of his past echoed as he turned the chair around. 

His mother was dead.

Chris' heart felt like it stopped. He screamed out in complete agony. It echoed through the entire museum. The police ran into the room, trying to pull them back. All Chris could feel was pressure on his shoulders from the cops pulling him back. "MOTHER NO!!!!!!!" It felt as though he screamed for her for hours. Tears ran down his face so much he could barely see anymore. His face was red, as he fell to the ground on his knees. 

"IT WAS NINA!" "NO IT WAS ANNA SHE KILLED HIM!" "PLEASE STOP FIGHTING YOUR FATHER IS GONE!"

He wiped his eyes, sobbing. Looking at her pale face, she was posed exactly like his father. "MOMMY PLEASE WAKE UP!"

[Lei Wulong]

Zakk found himself at another scene of another crime.  It was the same one, involving the Williams family.  And just as he had suspected, Johanna Willams was indeed murdered.  It was a shame that this had to happen to such a powerful, prominent woman.  Zakk examined the body, noting the post-mortem bruises on her wrist.  That meant that Johanna didn't die at this museum.  The killer dragged her body all the way out here, but for what reason?  Where is Anna's corpse?  Just as Zakk examined the body, a couple of cadets approached him.

"Sir, we found another body."

Zakk stopped what he was doing.  "Good.  Take me to her."

He was then lead down a corridor, into an office.  In the office, a man sat in chair, eerily still.  Zakk was hoping he'd find Anna, but instead, found the director and herpetologist of the museum.  Why kill an innocent man?  This woman was ruthless.  As Zakk could tell, just like Johanna and this man, there was no sign of injury.  And Lillian, too.  She didn't seem to have any signs of injury as well.  She was poisoned.

That's how everyone died.  Johanna was poisoned.  So was this man.  Anna bled everywhere in her fight.  This could only mean one thing.

"Akagi, I don't think whoever killed Johanna also killed Anna.  I think these murders aren't connected."

Although the note claimed that this person killed Richard Williams, Zakk was beginning to have doubts.  The person who blew up the apartment clearly didn't want Anna to be found.  However, the person who killed Johanna and almost Lillian, did somewhat want the bodies to be found.  Why go through all that trouble to drag Johanna out to a public place for her body to be put on display.  Either way, he was going to get to the bottom of this.

The cadet saluted as Zakk decided he had to go speak to Chris.  He knows that man isn't quite ready to speak yet, but it was worth a shot. 

"Did you manage to catch a glimpse of the killer?"  This would be useful.  Maybe Zakk could check the flight records for Tokyo within the last few days and stop the killer.

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Chris was sitting on the floor, watching as they loaded his mother's body on the gurney, and covering her in the body bag. It was eerily silent, despite all of the people examining. Zakk came to him, and asked if he had seen the killer. Zakk's voice was weak to his ears, but he understood. Chris nodded.

He looked at him. "...She was Asian.. I couldn't tell from where... She had on a blue qipao.... She was short..." He started crying. "Young...." He looked at Zakk. "I don't understand..." He sobbed into his knees, shaking his head. "The note said they killed my father, b-but.... this girl was really young..." He continued to cry.

He wiped his face, getting onto his feet. "I'm gonna kill her..." he stated, glaring around at the scene.