Obsessed

Chapter 5: Bad Memories

Cole

Toronto General Hospital, Toronto: July 1st, 2022 10:25 AM

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"Cole, I need to know what happened." He furrowed his eyebrows, trying not to intimidate anyone. "Don't tell me you boys are engaged in weapon trafficking of some sort–"

"We're not." Ash said, stern with his answer. "Positive." He raised a thumb to assure his words.

I sighed, breaking the gaze with Louis; Lloyd's cousin, also the doctor. He was a cardiac surgeon to be exact.

"Yeah. It's nothing like that," I said.

"It better not be. You boys better make sure you stay out of these dangerous things, alright?" He began lecturing us. "But anyway, the police are giving you a few days to yourself. Not that they wanted to, but, there happened to be shootings a few buildings away the exact moment your fall happened."

I looked at Louis again, shocked.

"Three victims were shot. Two of them died and one is in a nearby hospital, in an unstable condition." He sighed, crossing his arms. "Which is why I want you guys to stay away from mess like this. You guys don't get how serious things could be. It was even more worrisome that you were alone. Weren't you supposed to be out with Lloyd and Ash?" He raised his voice.

He wasn't wrong. I was supposed to be with them, they were just waiting for me nearby when Seliel told me she wanted to talk to me alone.

"Cole, you were barely able to stand straight a moment ago. You couldn't even tell me how many fingers I was holding up. Thankfully you didn't die!"

We all stared at him, a bit worried and scared at how serious and loud his tone had gotten. A shiver crawled down my spine, triggering goosebumps to spread over my back.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry. I just– I just saw one of the dead bodies from the shooting. I shouldn't be yelling at you, I don't know why I just did. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

I didn't mind. Sure it was scary, but seeing so much gore everyday must have made him go crazy. Doctors deserved so much more. And that was one of the reasons I stanned Lloyd's cousin.

"Something really severe and far worse than this could happen to you. That's all I'm trying to say. Especially now. Because of this COVID pandemic, crime rates nowadays are exceeding off the charts."

It was true. Over the past seven to eight months, the crime rates and number of criminals arrested had increased twelve percent. It didn't sound like a lot but it had a huge impact on society. And yes, it was because of a pandemic that spread in the entire world. COVID-19 was a virus that was still continuing to spread. It wasn't too dangerous but it was among the few that were threatening. That was the reason why everyone was mandated to wear a face mask in the hospital, especially if they were near a patient. My friends are just being ignorant and taking it off, knowing Louis won't mind since they were all tested negative for the virus.

I looked away, thinking about it all once again. He didn't know yet. He didn't know this was far beyond just a fall. Seliel had a pistol. And someone else was there too. Perhaps a sniper; someone who shot from afar. I was confused from the start. Seliel lowered the gun but I was sure a bullet had slipped by me. It was definitely planned. But, I didn't want to tell him that. He seemed so stressed and scared. Maybe I was more scared of losing my friend though. I knew for a fact that I would tell my cousin to stay away from friends involved in any dangerous mess, so why wouldn't he want to keep Lloyd safe?