Chapter Seventeen
Chaos reigned supreme at that given moment. I don’t think I had heard them freak out so much. Everyone was shouting something different, or running around like they didn’t know what to do. My throat was closing up to the point I could no longer breathe and the alarms were screaming in my ears.
My eyes were beginning to bulge as I felt someone lift me up and push through the others. They started running through the apartment and out the door. He begin barking orders telling Gabe to find the doctor, for Sage and Zavier to find out what happened, for Braydon to get Mom and Dean, and for Shayden to stay by his side. Lorik. I had never been more surprised in my life for it to be Lorik. He was being so level headed that it made my head spin.
He laid me down on the hospital bed in the doctor’s office and began rummaging around the cabinets.
“Help me find an Epipen and bags of blood. I don’t know how much she has lost or how much more she will lose once I open her airway back up.”
I didn’t have much longer. I could feel the blackness creeping up on me and my heart pounding to get oxygen. It would stutter. Tears run down my face. I knew I was dying. I wouldn’t make it.
A gunshot rang out and then I heard the rustling of plastic. Within seconds the jabbing of the Epipen in my thigh was like someone shining a ray of light down on me from heaven. He had done it. He had found what was needed to save my life.
As my airway opened up blood spewed like a fountain from my mouth. Shayden handed me a bottle of water and I tried to get it down so I could rinse my stomach. I knew it would come back up but I hoped it would at least get some of that chocolate out.
I had gone five minutes without vomiting when I noticed Shayden grab Lorik’s hand. He had a unit of blood in his hand about to administer it to me. Lorik looked at him confused and then pulled it forward a little to sniff it. He was almost cursing as he tossed it back in the fridge.
“Bitter almonds,” he growled as he looked across the room. I looked over to see Mom, Dean, Gabe, and Braydon standing there. I could see the worry on all their faces.
“Stomach pills?” Shayden asked. I nodded but didn’t know if it would do any good. If I couldn’t keep it down then I would be screwed anyway.
Shayden rifled around the metal cabinet that Lorik had shot the lock off of. He pulled several bottles off the shelf and turned to me. “Why are your medicines down here?”
They shouldn’t have been. My medicine was in my med kit back in the room. This meant it had been tampered with.
“Well that explains why the doctor hung himself,” Gabe said.
“Is that what the seal looks like on one that hasn’t been opened?” Shayden asked me. I nodded.
He punched his knuckle through the seal and got out two pills to hand to me. I took them with as little water as possible hoping it wouldn’t come back up. I looked over at Lorik to see his hands shaking.
“I don’t know what to do Rissa.”
He looked so helpless. He was holding an empty blood bag that was still sealed in the plastic. He knew our blood types weren’t the same. I couldn’t use his blood. I looked to Shay. He glanced over to Lorik’s hand and ripped the bag out of it. He rolled his sleeve up and tied the tourniquet around his upper arm.
Gabe’s training began to kick in as he ran over to Shayden to help him do what he needed. I could feel someone cleaning my face off as I stared at Lorik. He was watching me.
“Thank you. You saved my life,” I told him.
He shook his head. He knew I wasn’t in the clear yet. I needed him to know that what he done meant more to me than anything else. Lorik had gotten me this far without panicking. That was a feat all in itself.
“Lorik, you saved me,” I repeated. He frowned and looked away.
“Okay if you want to do something else to help me, call Kyle.” He nodded his head and grabbed the phone on the wall. Dean took it from him and shook his head. I watched as he slammed the phone against the counter, breaking it open. It had been wired. Why he didn’t just remove the device I didn’t know but I wasn’t going to argue.
Dean reached out smashed the listening device with what was left of the phone. He was making sure no one would hear anything. He reached in his pocket and handed Lorik his cell phone. It was the one phone that no one had access to, including Braxton. Dean used this phone for important calls; calls from the President’s, both the FOA’s and the United States.
I croaked out the number for Kyle’s personal cell phone and listened as he relayed what he could. He was still doing well but I could see the panic forming in his eyes as he stared at me. He was telling Kyle that he couldn’t take me to the hospital, he needed to come here. He held the phone out and I took it. I expected Kyle to say something like he was calling the police but he surprised me.
“Do you need supplies? If so what kind and how much? I also expect to hear the truth from you Marissa Stone. I want to know exactly what’s going on. I’ve done a little research of my own, and I have quite a few questions,” his voice was firm and on edge. I knew when he got like this to not lie to him. Most time I gave only half truths but that wouldn’t work this time.
“Okay. No recorders, no notebooks, and you have to listen completely,” I tried swallowing but my throat was still raw. I cough a little and blood sprayed into my hand. I looked at it confused. I was hoping it was because of what was left in my mouth and not that some had gotten into my lungs.
I gave him a list of things I thought I could use. Things such as more antibiotics, pain medicine, IVs, and blood units for three different blood types. He didn’t question me. He reminded me of the same deal we had before, I paid cash, no receipts. We both knew he could get in trouble. I had no choice but to replenish my kit. I was going to have to throw everything away just in case.
I gave him instructions on which door to come to, where to park, and what to do if he were stopped by someone on his way here. The last one he never replied on. I don’t know if he was worried but he kept his mouth shut, just hanging the phone up. I asked for a wipe and wiped Dean’s phone off as a safety precaution, of course he rolled his eyes at me and reminded me of when I was in the hospital.
I felt the pinch in my skin as Gabe inserted the needle. The unit had filled up and they weren’t waiting for blood tests to see how much I needed. I glanced around the room to see Zavier whispering to Braydon. Dean joined in on the conversation and I watched as Zavier held his shaking hand out and showed them an empty vile. It had small holes in it so that when the water came on, it would fill up and pour out into the shower.
I watched Braydon grab a glove and lift it from Zavier’s hand. He walked out of the room. I knew what he was going to do. He was going to try to print it. The doctor either hung himself because he realized they would try to print it, or he was forced into cooperation. Those were the only two things I could think of. It didn’t however, mean I was right. When it came to assassin’s I learn a long time ago not to assume. Things are usually never how you think they are.
Dean’s phone beeped and he turned to Sage and Zavier. They nodded and left the room. A few minutes later they returned with Kyle. He went to work, checking my blood pressure, my throat, nose, listening to my lungs, and drawing blood. He hooked up an IV and in the end I only needed one more pint of blood.
When Dean showed him the blood units in the fridge something happened I had never seen. Kyle’s face contorted with fury and he began ranting that he would like to meet the doctor that did this. He said more things and at one point I could swear he even threatened to kill him. That is until Dean took him to the doctor.
Minutes later he was back. He was still furious but not nearly as much. The redness was slowly leaving his face but his nostrils were still flared as he took in deep breaths of air. He watched me and I calmed my breathing and watched as he copied me.
When he was completely calm, I went on to tell him everything. He paid close attention, never looking from my face. He was searching for the
truth and I knew it. When I finished he sat down on the edge of my bed and thanked me for trusting him. He then turned to Dean and told him that he had received a phone call from a doctor asking for my records.
“Start pulling files. I want all of ours,” I told Lorik.
He run out of the room and I heard the gun go off again as he blew the lock off the door. Lorik was getting trigger happy. I wasn’t going to say anything, if it help calm his nerves then I was all for it.
“He shouldn’t have ours,” Gabe said. Yeah but assuming never worked for me.
Lorik came back in the room a few minutes later with files under his arm and one in his hand. He handed the files to me. I went through them one by one. It listed each of the guys, including Dad and Dean’s. I closed my eyes to calm myself and handed the files to Kyle.
“If you can keep this secret than I want you as their doctor. It would be easier.”
Kyle nodded his head and took the files. I looked at Lorik and watched him taking in deep breaths. His body was rigid and his knuckles were turning white. I touched his arm and he opened his eyes slowly to look at me.
“It will never happen. I promise you that,” he stated through gritted teeth before he finally let me take the file from him.
It was mine. Even though Kyle said he hadn’t sent my file over to the doctor, he still had a file on hand. It was thick. Everything else it could have said meant nothing to me. It was the paper in the front that I stared at instead. My death certificate. It was dated today, and the cause of death was listed as an allergic reaction.
I slammed it shut and almost slung it across the room to Dean. He caught it but the paper fell to the floor and everyone around him stood there staring at it. Mom broke down in tears. Dean’s fist slammed into the cabinet leaving a dent and possibly breaking some bones. Everyone else looked stunned.
Kyle walked over, picked the death certificate up and asked Dean if he needed to make copies as proof for anything. Dean nodded and Kyle went to the copier in the next room, making the copies needed and then came back. He looked at me as he held the paper over the sink.
“I’ll never let that happen either.” I watched as he took a lighter out of his pocket and lit the original paper.
It smoked as ashes began falling from it. He dropped it down into the sink and I watched as the flames licked up the side for a second before dying down and it was gone.
It took three days before Kyle would even let me out of the bed they had put me in. I was so sick of that room I thought if I saw one more solid white wall I would scream. Each of the boys had taken turns staying with me and keeping me company but it didn’t help except when Zavier was there.
Even Braydon didn’t hold me like Zavier did.
For hours Zavier would lie in bed beside me holding me in his arms. He would caress my face every time he moved my hair out of my eyes. I could feel him playing with strands of my hair. At first I was thinking he was only doing it to comfort me. That is until I woke up once to find him resting his lips against my neck. Even that didn’t really surprise me. It was when he kissed me on the lips after I rolled over to face him.
It was the day Kyle released me that I finally opened up to Zavier.
“I don’t think I can do this. Everyone keeps expecting something great from me or something horrendous. What if they are right? What if I do something so bad that even you guys turn against me?”
“Love, it’s not within you to do something bad. I’ve known you for many years. At no point have I ever known you to do something to turn us against you. You care too much for people. If anything, it’ll be you to straighten things out.”
“How? How am I supposed to do this?”
“I don’t know. What I do know is that I will be there to stand beside you every step of the way. If you ever need me, I’ll be there.”
Zavier leaned in and kissed me again when I heard someone clear their throat. It was Kyle. Dean was insisting we go over to the training room to watch the boys practice. I dressed quickly and almost ran out of the building. I raised my face to the sun shining on me and smiled. Warmth. I mean real honest to goodness warmth. That room had almost frozen me.
Even though it was just the training room, I was so happy to be somewhere else. I was hardly able to contain my excitement. I watched with my knees bouncing as they fought each other. Braydon was facing Shay and the nervousness was palpable.
“It’s a shame you can’t practice. I was going to let you have your way with the dummies. I’ve been looking for an excuse to replace them but until these are used up there really isn’t a need to,” Dean whispered in my ear.
My feet stopped mid-bounce, my jaw dropped and shoulders slumped. I turned slowly looking at Dean and whimpered. He kept a straight face and continued to look out to the boys. I watched as his lips tightened. He was fighting a smile. He knew what he was doing to me.
I looked away from Dean and slowly looked at Kyle.
“The bleeding has been stopped for two days,” I said.
He nodded.
“My stomach doesn’t hurt,” I whispered.
He nodded again.
“I feel good. I mean really good,” I sighed as I turned to look back at the boys.
I heard a snicker come from Dean.
“Alright fine but if you feel dizzy, sick or start hurting you stop immediately and let me know,” Kyle stated.
I jumped up and screamed. I hugged him and then Dean. I jumped from bleacher seat to bleacher seat all the way to the bottom then froze.
The setup of the dummies was just like the camp I had been held hostage in. The music started, it wasn’t mine. Someone had picked out music to go along with what I was about to do. I didn’t want to do this. Images flashed in my head and I took off. With each song I cleared a level of dummies, gutting them, decapitating them, breaking their necks, shoving my blade through their skulls. I did everything the same as I had that day.
When I reached the top of the structure and killed off the dummies I had no choice but to go back down. This was the only thing different. At the camp the top floor was also where the doors where located. Here they were located at the bottom. I took a run and go. The moment my feet touched the edge I launched myself off the structure, flipping in the air once, landing with one leg bent, and down on one knee.
I twisted and killed two dummies at once. I looked over and could see the door to the girls locker room, only in my head it was the door to the office where I found the leader cowering. He had watched me kill every one of his men. He knew he didn’t have a chance.
I walked slowly to the door. I walked in, used the end of my blade to hit the dummy in the temple and began dragging him out like I did the leader. I took his hands placing one over the other above his head and raised my blade. I sent it through both of his hands, holding them to the floor. I ripped open his shirt and began carving the words into his chest. I paused once and hit him in the temple again, looking into the office to where Braydon was that day.
I finished carving on him and kept looking to the door. I had no choice but to finish it. I took my blade and jammed it into his throat. I began wiggling it back and forth until his entire throat was laid open cutting both arteries. There would be no way to survive that. I grabbed my other blade from his hands and stood up facing the office waiting on Braydon to come out.
When he didn’t, I turned to look at the carnage I had left behind me. Two hundred fifty dummies dead in less than thirty minutes. I turned around and slowly raised my hands to look. There was no blood. When my eyes focused and I saw Dean standing there I realized I was safe, it was over. They had set me up so they could see exactly what I had done that day.
I couldn’t help but wonder though if after seeing this if he wouldn’t press charges for murder.