Anarchy [ Watty's 2016 ]

VIII: Jade

                  

After what felt like ages, we finally got Alex to the closest empty building. I needed an ambulance quickly, so instead of wasting time with a call, Mordekai handed me Alex's gun, and I went outside—careful to prevent any fingerprints—and fired a few shots into the air. I tossed the gun in a nearby Dumpster and waited.

Five minutes later, three police cars and an ambulance were all situated outside of the building. As the paramedics wheeled Alex into the ambulance and sped off, the police questioned Mordekai and me.

"Did you see the perpetrator?" one was asking me.

"N-no...I only heard the gunshots, and I ran over and saw my friend bleeding," I lied, but my voice shook and the fear in my voice was real enough.

"What were you doing here so late?" the officer eyed me suspiciously.

"Wh-what was I doing? Well, I suppose there's no point in lying..." I paused; the officer looked at me expectantly. "T-the truth is, my friends and I wanted to pull a prank on the owners, b-but the shooting happened before we got the chance!" Nearby, I could hear Mordekai say something similar to his officer. Thank goodness he heard me.

The officer looked satisfied with my answer. Inwardly, I sighed in relief. "Well, you did have bad intentions, but since you and your friends did nothing wrong, you're off the hook. So many violent crimes lately, it really is a shame..." he trailed off. "Anyways, let me give you two a ride to the hospital. I'm sure you'll want to see her if—sorry, when—she gets out of surgery."

I'll admit, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself just as much as me, which didn't make me feel very confident. Nevertheless, after Mordekai was done being questioned, the officer drove us to the hospital, as promised.

We spent five hours in the waiting room. Five hours. When we'd arrived, the police officer asked us to make phone calls to our parents. I nearly blurted out, 'My parents aren't here. They're in hiding,' before I realized what an embarrassing, and horrible, mistake that would be. Instead, I just called our home number and left a message, as if my parents were asleep.

I'd spent the first three hours pacing, muttering, and annoying the nurses by constantly asking for updates while Mordekai fidgeted in his seat. After exhausting myself from worry, I finally collapsed on one of the chairs, fast asleep.

Two hours of that, and I was woken up when my head suddenly dipped. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, temporarily forgetting where I was. "What time is it?" the last part of my sentence was cut off by a yawn.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up. It's about...2 A.M." It was Mordekai. My face turned red as I realized he'd been sitting next to me; I must've laid my head on his shoulder, and a movement on his part had woken me. "But a nurse just came in and said Alex just got out of surgery. We can visit her now."

That woke me up. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" My side was still sore, but that didn't stop me from practically dragging him out of the lobby and down the hall.

"Whoa! You're the one who was asleep!" he laughed, trying to keep up. "Slow down!"

Reluctantly, I did, and he stumbled forward. It didn't matter much, because we were in front of her room now. I froze when the nurse said, "Your friend is very lucky. May I ask if she'd gone to a shooting range before the incident?"

I blinked. "What? I—" I thought for a moment. I supposed, yeah, we had been in the training room before I'd left... "Yeah. I guess she was. Why?"

"Well, she was wearing a Kevlar vest under her jacket!" the nurse explained, rather cheerily. "The Kevlar, in conjunction with her thick hoodie, slowed down the bullet enough that it didn't rip through her body. Instead, the shape of the bullet blocked the severed artery, so despite the blood loss, she still escaped serious injury."

"Thanks for the explanation," I said hesitantly.

She nodded and let us in to see Alex. It took all of my willpower to avoid running forward and hugging her. Alex looked up when we entered and smiled weakly. "Hey. I—oof!"

Remember what I said about avoiding running forward? I lied. I didn't succeed. She flinched, and I took a step back. "Sorry, it's just..."

"No, no, it's all right," she assured me, although she grimaced, which hinted otherwise. "I'll be fine."

"Speaking of which," Mordekai said, walking up behind me. "You, madam, are one lucky bitch."

I glared at him, but she laughed. Well, she laughed for second before wincing, then coughing. It hurt to see her in pain, but I was too overjoyed that she was simply alive.

"How long 'til you get out?" I asked anxiously. I didn't like the thought of ARCH-CORE finding her. Or anyone, for that matter. Now that'd I'd seen what they really do...

"Well, if all goes well, I'll be out in two days," she replied.

"Two days, huh?" I couldn't help but chuckle.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, but anyways, like I said: I'll be fine. Both of you guys look dead tired. Pardon the pun. You should go home and get some sleep."

I couldn't exactly deny it. It was two in the morning, for god's sake. I was suddenly very aware of every muscle in my body aching. I felt like I would fall asleep standing up.

Mordekai nodded, "All right...I guess I'll let you off the hook for now." He waved goodbye, then spun around and left.

I was about to follow when Alex grabbed my arm. "Huh?" I said stupidly.

"Listen," she hissed. "This is very important." I looked at her quizzically, wondering what had gotten into her. "You can't stay at your house. Not tonight, not for a little while. I can't shake the feeling that we're still in danger. And if they catch you unaware..." she shuddered.

"So I need you to do me a favor. You can go home to get clothes packed, but you need to stay in the underground for a while. Can you do that for me?"

Alex looked at me, her light-blue eyes glistening. I realized that she was a step away from crying; this was as hard on her as it was on me. I couldn't imagine what she felt when... I gulped. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that."

She nodded and let go of my arm. "Sorry, I..."

"No, I get it. I understand." Before I started crying again, I gave her a hug—more carefully this time—and left the hospital.

I was in my house for ten whole minutes before I heard glass breaking.