AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“W-what day is it?” I croak, still on the floor.
Jamie decides to stop playing dead at that moment and rolls over, grabbing my ankle. I scream and then there’s an almighty crack which echoes all around the small room, the splatter of something hot and wet across my face and then Jamie lets go, falling onto his back and staring straight up at the ceiling with wide, unseeing eyes.
I don’t even realise I’m screaming until the girl, Odile, helps me stand and keeps an arm wrapped around my waist, holding me close to her.
“Axel!” She hisses.
“What? We’re running out of time!” He retorts. I can’t stop staring at Jamie’s body.
“Is h-he…” I whisper.
“Dead? Yeah, sorry babe,” Odile says apologetically. “The trigger happy dickhead over there was supposed to wait until you left the room.
“Fuck’s sake!” Axel snaps, striding into the room and grabbing me roughly, making me whimper. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Axel, give her to me!”
“No. I’m not fucking arguing with you about this. You’re not carrying her. Let’s go!” he shouts, making me flinch.
Odile rushes over and hugs me tightly, whispering in my ear, “Everything is going to be okay.”
I bury my face into her hair and hope she’s right, then she pulls away leaving me at the mercy of the brute who just shot my ex boyfriend dead.
Should I be terrified or grateful? I can assess my feelings when I’m out of here.
The next few minutes are a blur of activity. I’m aware of moving, of being carried, but I’m so sleepy. I can vaguely feelthe guy’s heartbeat, and hear the sound of his breathing, and then the rain is falling all around us. My head is resting against his chest and then his right hand is pressed over my forehead, shielding me from the weather. I can smell her nearby though – sweetness and warmth.
I can feel my eyelids drooping as everything starts to melt away into nothingness.I hope trusting these strangers was the right thing to do is thelast thought I have before my world turns black.
WINT
The hospital waiting room is bland, walls a dull beige, and the fluorescent lights overhead don’t help the gloom. I’m stuck on a stiff plastic chair, restless hands twitching with worry. Dash still hasn’t woken and the silence is thick, suffocating. Every tick of the clock feels like an eternity.
I can’t get the image out of my head – Dash on the pavement, blood everywhere. Fear’s got a bitter taste in my mouth. The unknown’s weighing heavy on me, and I hate this waiting game.
Suddenly, the monotonous quiet is shattered by North’s phone ringing. He answers, tension etched on his face. My brother’s eyes widen, and I can sense something’s up. He listens intently, his grip on the phone tightening.
“What?” he blurts out, his voice a mix of disbelief and relief. I lean in, trying to catch every word. “Yeah, yeah, I’m at the hospital. Where is she? Bring her in.” North’s voice is urgent, and my heart starts racing. What’s going on?
He hangs up, turns to us, and there’s a flicker of something in his eyes – hope, disbelief, or maybe both. “Candy’s been found. She’s alive.” My mind struggles to process it. The knot in my chest loosens a bit before tightening again.Alive doesn’t mean okay.
“Where is she? Is she hurt?” I fire off questions, urgency in my voice. North, usually the calmest one out of all of us, seems shaken.
“They found her locked in a basement of one of the gang’s HQ. She’s scared but – they think – physically unharmed.”
Relief floods over me, a wave of warmth replacing the earlier chill. Candy’s safe. I can hardly believe it. A heavy weight lifts from my shoulders, and I find myself standing without realising it.
“Can we go see her?” I ask, my eagerness palpable.
“I’m having them bring her in for checking over.” North says. Obviously reading the concern etched on my face, he adds, “Just as a precaution.”
Within half an hour, the waiting room door swings open, and one of the members of The Holy Trinity walks in. The Spirit. I forget his actual name, trying to have as little to do with the criminals who run this town as possible. But I don’t blame North for calling in a favour with them to find Candy.
“She’s here. Side room four. We asked them to bring her to the same ward as Dash, thinking it would make things easier. Don’t anticipate that she’ll have to stay in, though.”
“Let’s leave that decision to the doctors,” Don snaps, barging past the messenger and going in search of Candy.
We all hastily follow him, stumbling to a halt when we see her. She looks pale, eyes wide with a mix of fear and relief. She looks thin. Malnourished. Is that possible after only a few days away from us? Did they not feed her? What the hell is she doing mixed up in crew business?
