The ashes we left behind

Chapter 27

We don't find troubles entering the hospital. In fact, doctors and nurses are too busy with the tons of victims that nobody seems to care about who gets in and who gets out.

With shaking hands, I walk past the different people: some of them have small wounds while others are nearly dying.

"Shit", I hear Asher murmur.

I'm totally unable to retain my tears.

"Everything is my fault", I say.

Asher doesn't reply, too busy looking at our surroundings. When he notices a fourteen years old looking teenager lying on the ground against a wall, he rushes to him. The boy is half unconscious and no one is taking care of him. I can't help but follow Asher.

The latter sits next to the boy. I mimic him.

"What did happen to you?" I ask.

"My... My leg", the boy mumbles.

Asher and I stare at the same time at the bloody leg. We ask him if he can make it move. He says that he's unable to feel that part of his body.

"Who did this to you?" Asher asks, anger filling his eyes.

"The grocery... The grocery store... The grocery store exploded."

Asher puts his eyes towards mine. "A bomb."

It takes me a few seconds to integrate the information before I grab the boy's arm and put it around my shoulders. "Let's find a doctor."

"Am I going to die?" the teenager boy asks. It's the exact same question I asked Asher hours ago.

"No", I reply, not even certain if I'm right.

Asher takes the other arm and we levitate the guy. Then, we run to the first nurse we can find.

"I'm busy", he says. "Go find someone else."

"Busy?!" I say, the surprise in my voice. "No you're not."

He raises his head from the bunch of papers he was reading. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"People are dying! This guy will die if you do nothing."

"I'm busy."

Before Asher could add something the nurse won't like, I say toughly, "You're going to take care of this boy whether you want it or not."

"But-

"How dare you answer to her?" Asher says with his usual threatening tone. "You'll obey to her now!"

At the sight of Asher William, the nurse lowers his eyes before nodding. We give him the boy.

I turn to the hospital trying to search for anyone who needs help, still surprised by the way Asher defended me.

"Where is the necklace?" he asks.

Remembering what we originally came for, I try to remember the last time I took the necklace off. Then I look at him and say, "When the cops caught me, I was forced to remove it."

Asher swears. "Not the cops."

***

After making a quick plan, we get into the police station. It's full of people. We can't wait for them all to complain about their cases. So Asher pushes them all away and we arrive to the principal hall where he runs to a police officer. He takes his gun and points it against his forehead. Instantly, everything becomes a mess. The other police officers surround Asher. People are panicking.

I take the opportunity to discreetly get into the tiny corridor taking to other rooms. I open the door on which is written 'evidences bloc'. I check the first shelf. I look for the names. But I don't find mine. I check the others. And again, nothing.

"Shit, shit, shit." I walk from side to side, my hands on the hair I want to snatch. "Not the necklace, not the necklace! Not the fuckin' necklace!" I hit one of the shelves. Some things fall on the ground. The anger gets me to the point of pushing the shelf harder and make it fall itself. I groan.

Not Hailey's necklace!

Someone opening the door makes me stop. I turn to see, not even afraid of who it could be.

"Is it how you look for it?" Asher asks.

"How did you-

"Long story. We don't have time. Did you find it?"

"No."

I can see how much he's trying not to explode of anger.

"I left two other shelves for you", I tell him.

He looks at me as if he wanted to kill me. Instead of actually doing it, he beats the second shelf with his foot. He does it again and again before throwing it on the floor, groaning of disappointment. For once, it doesn't affect me. I feel the same.

Before he could attack the last shelf, I stop him. I tell him that we don't have time so he can express his anger. We find a dagger on the third shelf. Asher lets me get it. And we leave by the backdoor.