Character Death

Chapter 4

"The next question," Crete said, "is rather simple: Who deserves to die next?"

He walked out of the room, calling "Back in five," over his shoulder, and leaving them in a stunned silence.

"What did you do, Catherine?" Grissom whispered. "What did you do?"

She didn't raise her gaze from the floor. "He could have killed all of us if it were a tie-"

"You don't know that."

"I have a daughter, Grissom-"

"So did Brass!" Warrick burst out, staring at Catherine as though she were a stranger.

"What happens to Lindsey if I die here?" Catherine cried. "She'll be an orphan at sixteen. Do you really think-"

"Enough!" Grissom yelled. "Enough of this. Crete is coming back in five minutes, and unless we all follow the same plan, another one of us is dead."

Sofia stared at Brass' body, her breathing growing shaky. "I don't trust Catherine."

"We have to trust each other, or we're toast," Nick said grimly.

"Brass trusted," Sofia retorted. "Brass trusted all of us, and look where it got him."

"Here's the deal," Grissom said loudly, and all eyes turned to him. "Everyone votes for themselves." He looked hard at Catherine. "Everyone. And Catherine, if you cross us again, that's it. We'll all vote for you in the next round. Understood?"

She choked out a sob. "He was the one who didn't have anyone, that's why I voted for him."

"He had me," Sara whispered.

"And me," Sofia piped up.

"He had all of us," Nick agreed. "And right now, in here, that's the only thing that matters, that we have each other's-" He broke off his sentence, coughing hard. "Each other's trust."

"So are we in agreement?" Grissom asked, glancing at the door.

Nick, Greg, and Warrick nodded quickly. Sara and Sofia glanced at each other, and then nodded too.

"I'm sorry," Catherine murmured, still trembling. "I'm so sorry, Jim."

When Crete came back in, he found the room deadly silent.

"Who deserves to die next?" he asked quietly. He gathered up all of the flashcards that were splayed out in front of their seats, then took blank ones out of his pocket. "Who wants to start?"

"I will," Grissom said, working his jaw as he looked over at Brass' body.

They took turns writing, and in between turns, they met each other's gazes warily. Their trust, once such a given, had faltered. Suddenly, the temptation to break their agreement lurked just beneath the surface.

"Okay," Crete said, once Sara had finished writing. "Let's see who's next."

He flipped over the first card. "Warrick."

Warrick took a deep breath and looked at the card, nodding once he saw that his name was written in his own handwriting.

"Next is... Sofia."

She, too, looked at her card anxiously.

"Greg... Nick... Sara..." Each card was flipped in front of the recipient. They could tell Crete was enjoying drawing out the suspense.

"Two cards left," he said, waving them in his palm.

Greg coughed nervously, and Nick followed suit.

"Grissom," Crete read, flipping the card to the floor.

All eyes were upon Catherine, noting the way she was trembling again. Noting the way she wouldn't meet any of their gazes.

"And the last card..."

It floated down from his fingers, landing in front of Catherine's chair. Unable to help himself, Nick whooped in excitement.

"Ha!" Greg hooted, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Crete nodded begrudgingly. "I'll be back in five minutes. Enjoy your reprieve."

He left the room, and each of them let out a loud sigh of relief. Nick started to cough in earnest.

"You all right, man?" Warrick asked, looking concerned.

Nick laughed, coughing again. "Yeah, fine. Just dusty in here. Nothing a nice cold glass of water wouldn't cure."

"Ooh, water sounds good," Greg said, looking dreamy. "Water and, like... a cheesesteak."

"I could go for a strawberry popsicle," Sofia said, clearing her own throat with a grimace. "And a hot bath."

Sara smiled sadly. "I miss my sheets."

"God, me too," Grissom groaned.

"Aw, nasty," Warrick muttered, and Greg and Nick burst out laughing.

"What?" Grissom smiled in spite of himself.

"Hey man..." Warrick grinned. "What you two do on your own time..."

Nick just laughed harder, dissolving into barking coughs as he leaned forward-

An ear-splitting siren erupted from the back of his seat. Everyone froze, staring at the legs of his chair.

"No," Warrick whispered.

The door burst open, and Crete came in, aiming his gun at Nick.

"No!" Sara cried desperately. "No, he didn't-"

Two shots caught Nick in the chest. He shuddered once, and then didn't move.

"Stop!" Catherine screamed, her eyes spilling over with tears. "He was coughing, he was just coughing, and the chair was too sensitive! He just rocked it a tiny bit!"

She rocked her chair to demonstrate, and her own siren erupted. The bullet hit her squarely between the eyes, the force knocking her chair backwards.

She was dead before she hit the floor.