A Race to a Final Heartbeat

Chapter 1 - Alias Chain (Part 1)

Another pointless night. That’s all that the boy was thinking. His bleak black eyes are the only reflecting light on that beach. He looks at his watch, gives a sigh, grabs his dark jacket, and heads back to the street side. He crosses the street only to go through the doors that had but a sign stuck to them “National State Hospital open 24/7”.

He enters the elevator of the hospital and ascends to the 12th floor. The cardiac ward. The door opens to a clear white hallway that branches to different rooms of patients. The only objects disturbing this emptiness is a vending machine and a bench where a woman was sat on at the end of the hallway. He recognizes her elegance; her auburn hair bright as day in the white lit room. Beautiful as she is, her face were dug deep into her hands as she sat quietly. He approaches her, she senses him coming. She looks up to his shirt and raises her hand as if to touch his shirt but stops; only to remember that what they once had was now over. She wipes the tear in her eye and smiles at him. Her brown eyes giving away a ray of redness staring down into his dark black eyes. He looks down at her, his black long hair slightly covering the side of his eye. He sighs again, looks at the door the operation room and smiles.

Boy: Anything good?

She smiles at him. Only for a moment as she alternates her glance back at the patient room.

Girl: Doc said he’ll make it. Adrian, we should be able to see him soon.

Adrian: That’s good isn’t it?

He sits on the bench, he closes his eyes and smiles. She could tell that he was relieved. She smiles back at him.

Girl: Hey Adi –

She was cut off with the opening of the patient door to reveal a man wearing white robes. The man is holding a notepad and gently sets it aside to remove the mask from his face. He looks at both of them and says gently

Doctor: You guys can see him now. Just make sure to give him some space, he needs his air and is still under the drug effect.

They both enter the patient room. There were a lot of cabinets around the room. A television was placed on one end of the room and a hospital bed was placed on the opposite side. There was one window that led to a blocked off wall on the other side of it. Hospital equipment were placed on a desk on the other side of the window. A nurse was standing next to the bed as if to fix the lines of tube that were stuck to the bed. She looks at both of them and quietly steps out of the room. They both walk towards either sides of the bed and look down at the 16 year old boy resting there. There is a breathing mask attached to his mouth, his eyes were closed, his alpine green dyed hair is the first thing you can notice when you look at him. His skin is white, a small bright spark of tan glimmer from his face. His hair is shorter than Adrian’s but long enough to look to be rougher than Adrian’s silky black hair. The girl sits gently on the bed and touches the boy’s arm sympathetically. The boy tilts his head a bit before opening his eyes to reveal the green-ness that lies within them.

The boy looks around the room as if to bear his senses. He glances at the girl, his eyes turn to soften as he looks at her soft smile at him. He shifts his eyes to the other side of the bed where Adrian is found standing. He blinks once at him and raises his other hand in a fist position and points it towards him. The boy smiles and says but one thing after pulling the breather from his mouth with the other hand. “Told you.”

Adrian bumps his fist with the boy and smiles in relief.

Adrian: you sure did. You had me worried for a second there.

Girl: More than just worried, but I always knew that you would make it through the heart surgery. How do you feel?

Boy: I’ve been better. They had this thing attached to me.

He runs his hand towards his chest where a tube was stuck somewhere at the center of his chest.

Adrian: I’m sure that’s what’s keeping you alive right now. You really did make through.

Boy: Yeah well thanks to you guys being there for me.. I sure had no worries. Emma, Adrian, where you both here the whole time?

Emma: we sure were. We couldn’t leave you behind after that incident Nexus.

Nexus: Well now we know how you helped funding the place by emptying their vending machines throughout the wait.

He smirks at her as she tries and slap him while he pushes back.

Nexus: Ow-ow-ow watch the ribs! I just woke up you know!

A beep is heard from Adrian’s pocket. He picks up his phone and read the message on the screen “Grinding session in 6 hours, Monte Carlo st. Be there.” Adrian sighs and check his watch. It was almost midnight. He looks at Nexus as Emma as they engage into their conversation. Nexus stops talking and looks at Adrian.

Nexus: What’s up?

Adrian: Nothing you should worry your face about. Try and rest. We should be leaving anyways.

Emma: Yeah I think it’s best to let you rest, you should be out of here tomorrow morning right? Do you want me to pick you up then?

Nexus: Nah you don’t have to. I need to go somewhere first before I head back home.

Adrian: Right after you’ve been through all that? You sure?

Nexus: It’s necessary.

Emma: its fine, I can take yo-

Nexus: NO. Sorry but, this is something kind of important for myself.

She was shocked by his reaction but kept quiet. She looks at Adrian and gets up. They both walk out the door as they say their goodbyes to the green head. Adrian seemed to be in a hurry but she catches up with him in the elevator. They press the button to the ground floor as they start descending the 12 floors.

Emma: Hey Adi, I was thinking maybe you wanted to go out sometime? Maybe grab a bit or just walk along the beach or –

Adrian: It’s best we keep our business to ourselves.

Emma: Yeah I know that but –

Adrian: It is also better to know that staying away from me is the best option we both have.

Emma: … What on Earth is that supposed to even mean?

Adrian: I’m not safe to be around like I once was. You know this.

Emma: Is it that stupid guild you got wrapped in? You know you can always rejoin the Live Chatters. It is after all where all the people you love are… or loved.

Adrian: I moved on from them. It was too safe for my liking anyways. One word from you about my business and I would have to put you down myself.

Emma: You don’t really mean that…

Adrian: Oh but I do.

The elevator door opens on the 5th floor as a janitor walks in between them. The elevator continues downwards in utter silence. As they reach the ground floor Adrian hurries to the exit but Emma stands in his way.

Emma: I cared you know. About you. About you being there with us. Being there with me.

Adrian tries to walk through her but she pushes him back. He looks down at her as she glares angrily at him.

Adrian: What is it that you want Emma?

Emma: Don’t go to them.

Adrian: Sorry.

He pushes her aside and bursts out the hospital door and disappears from sight. He keeps on running until he was a safe distance from the hospital.

End of Part 1.