Broken Bonds and Stolen Hearts (discontinued)

Chapter 11

"Hey kiddo, how are you doing? Are you still doing the exercises I made for you?" The doctor nodded his head at Ryan before he leaned to ____'s level and spoke to her. She nodded her head subtly before clinging to her father's neck, avoiding eye contact with the green-eyed man. He leaned back and raised an eyebrow at his friend, who only smiled in return.

"So... Step 1?" Ryan asked his friend, who nodded his head before he entered his office for a moment, leaving ____ and her father at the doorsteps.

Ryan placed a hand on ____'s head, gently playing with her hair as he spoke.

"This time, it will be different. We will do this in a way you would like, let's play a game ____!" he smiled as his daughter removed her face from his neck and looked up at him, eyes glittering with excitement.

"What game?" she grinned, which made her father's smile widen more.

"Hide and seek! But this time, it's a special kind of hide and seek. Are you interested?" he watched her eagerly nod her head.

"Uh-huh,"

"Here is the rule. You will be the seeker, and I will cover your eyes with a cloth so that you won't cheat. The game starts when I take the cloth off. Got it?" She nodded her head again, and he took the chance to pull out the blindfold from his bag and wrap it around her eyes.

"I can't see anything!" she whined as she wrapped her arms around her father's shoulders once more.

"That's the point, sweetheart," he chuckled as she placed her chin on his shoulder.

"Okay, let's go before someone catches us," The doctor said as he came out of the office carrying a huge bag and locked the door behind him. He nodded at Ryan before he pulled a face mask the size of ____'s face and placed it on her nose and mouth.

The mask was sprayed with sleeping gas, to make sure ____ doesn't wake once they are above. She was still a child, after all, she would tell everyone she went above once she returns and it will get her banished. In 2 minutes, she was sound asleep on her father's shoulder.

"You sure she's unconscious?" The doctor asked as he peered at her covered face, the only way to know was from her father since he was carrying her.

"Yeah, all her weight is on my shoulder, Tom. We should go now, I'm sure your *friend* is getting sick of waiting for us," Ryan said to the doctor, Tom, who sighed in response at the reminder.

"This way," he started walking ahead, with Ryan following behind him. They walked to the edge of the underground city to make sure they weren't spotted. It was rather easy since the edges were mostly used as graveyards for the rich, while the poor got burned once they die. A truly dumb way to evaluate someone's worth, considering they are all dead in the end anyways.

After walking past rows and rows of new and old graves, they reached the rough stone wall surrounding the city. In between the stone wall, there was a small narrow road, only known to the doctor. It leads to a very old staircase from a previous city that leads to the overworld.

And this was the only way for the doctor to get medicines from the overworld since the rich people of their city had blocked their way. He had connections from there, but never went outside himself because he valued his life in the underworld.

After climbing for what seemed like forever, they finally reached the top where a man who seemed to be in his 40s was waiting for them. Grey threads ran through his shaggy light brown hair, and the scars that covered his arms were still visible even with all the tattoos he had. Tom's friend.

"Took you guys long enough. Thought you were having second thoughts about this," he shook their hands firmly as he greeted them.

"What can I say, my kids can be a handful sometimes. I appreciate your help though," Ryan nodded his head before he adjusted ____, who was still sound asleep on his shoulder.

The view took them by surprise, it was nothing like what they imagined. Overgrown bushes coming from the cracks of old buildings. Colorful flowers here and there. Gigantic trees with birds singing atop. Ryan almost wished that his family was there to see it with him, but he knew better than to fall for this fake heaven. He knew the dangers hiding in the shadows of the trees, waiting for them to slip to devour them.

"This must be the kiddo then?" Tom's friend looked at ____, puzzled by the reason they had her whole face covered, but he didn't question it.

"Yes Ian, this is the kid, ____. It's so good to see you, but we really better keep the pleasantries to when we are somewhere safe," Tom patted ____'s back before he looked at his friend again. Ian nodded in response before he started making his way to the forest, away from the old city.

"I already prepared the underground lab as you asked, the only thing left is the organ. I am sure you heard about the gangs here... They have a base near the lab, if you can get in, you can easily find whatever it is that you need. I have a map of their base, but I will need both of you with me there because they have tight security," he explained, giving both men a look. They looked at each other before Ryan spoke up.

"I need Tom alive, we can both go. I'm more than capable to handle it," He narrowed his eyes at Ian before he tightened his grip on his daughter. Tom was the only one capable of doing the surgery after all, if he got injured, or worse, died. No one will be able to save his daughter.

Tom's life was more worthy than his at that moment.