Chapter Four : Out Of Time

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     JOHN MCHALE. We were ten minutes away from the Summerlin Hospital, the journey felt a lot longer since there were regrets and preoccupations flowing around us. I realized while looking through the windows of the wilderness, that all of our car rides we all have been on together, has always been the most dreadful experience, and it made me wonder when we would have a fun time inside a car ever.

"Have you always been happy with your powers?" Mike asked Lin while laying his head on the window.

"Yeah. I mean it's cool, it has helped a lot!" Lin responded.

"Really? How?"

"Oh. Well, it helped me fix things, take things from high cabinets, help animals, even the old folks!"

Mike stayed looking at the city of Vegas slowly forming upon our eyes, and for a while I thought their conversation was over.

"You-have you been happy with yours?" Lin then asked awkwardly.

"I barely use it..." Mike answered softly.

"But when you do-are you satisfied with it?"

There was a deep sigh that came from Mike, which gave an answer to Lin and his question, and it wasn't a good one.

To be fair, I understood Mike completely, each time he would use his powers, something bad came as a result, and maybe because he didn't have the chance to use it for good, but somehow his powers would always lead him to the darkest paths.

"Hey!" I finally said, "We're almost there aren't we?"

Lin looked at the sign ahead of him and realized how close we were. He took the car to a random alley he found and turned to us. Mike moved himself away from the window and looked serious just like Lin. I, on the other hand, felt the need to giggle, which I held inside of me.

"Listen, we don't know who we might find on our way to Jennifer. In fact, we don't even know where she is. So, we gotta be careful, got it?" Lin alarmed us.

"How will we find her?" I then asked.

"I mean. I have my powers, so does Lin. One of us has to go to the front desk and ask for her!" Mike answered.

"I can do that. But while I do it, what are y'all going to do?"

"Sit down?" Mike responded ironically.

Lin punched Mike softly and told us to get ready while he turned the car back on the road towards the hospital. I was skeptical as to how the whereabouts of Jennifer never was mentioned in any newspapers or radios, I mentioned that to Mike as we moved closer to the parking lot, which made all of us a bit paranoid, Red Flower could be anywhere, if they fabricated fake evidences, who says they couldn't do much more damage to things around us. As Lin entered the lobby, Mike and I stayed outside and dodged the cameras the best way we could. People would look at us weirdly and that was already enough for us to go in panic, but we held each other's hands and prayed for the guy up in the clouds to protect us. And yeah, let's just say we would get religious every time we would feel at risk, it was more like a last minute resource.

After some long and agonizing five minutes, Lin left the hospital doors and told us to follow him carefully with our heads down. As we walked upon the white corridors and beige walls, nurses would look worried at our presence, patients would grab the metal bars at the side of the walls in fear as if we were thugs. We knew our outfits weren't the best, but something about people treating us differently because of that made me feel like an outcast, and maybe I was one, and nothing was wrong with that honestly, just wanted to put that title myself and not let others do that.

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