Lone Runner (On HOLD)

Chapter 3

7 missed calls from mom, nine unanswered texts from her, two missed calls from Victor and a text from him that asks what happened. How would he even know that anything did happen anyways… I sat in the Emergency room for hours waiting to hear about Gabe.

A nurse comes out, “Miss Rosalinda Garcia?”

“Yeah, that’s me… is something wrong?” I asked her as she walked towards me.

She looked at me and asked, “Do you know Mr. Lucas Ramirez?”

That’s Gabe’s dad, I looked at Mrs. Ramirez who was sleeping on the long chair beside where I had been sitting. “Yes, I know him, but don’t you need his wife? Jackie Ramirez… I’ll wake her up for you.”

“No, he requested to get you for him, she said as we started walking to the room he was in. Next door was Gabe and in the room next to Gabe was the Guy I stabbed and shot. I passed those rooms as I went to check-in as a visitor.

I knock softly on the door, “Mr. Ramirez?”

He looks up and gestures me to get closer. As I do I see that he got shot in his leg and his shoulder. Those were the two gunshots Gabe and I had heard. Where had Gabe been shot? And wait… I thought I shot the other guy 5 times, how the hell was he still alive?!

“Are you okay? Do you need me to get you anything sir?” I ask him as I sit in the chair beside his bed.

“No Linda, I wanted to talk with you… alone,” he sounded so concerned. Then he continued, “Everything that just happened wasn’t at random. It was an attack towards me. An hour after you arrived, Victor called to ask if you were with us but I told him that you had left to go home. I guess he had my house on watch and they must have seen you in Gabe’s room. “

“Why would Victor do this though? It shouldn’t mean shit to him where I am or who I’m with,” I wanted to cry so much.

He grabs my hand in his, “Do you remember your sister’s suicide a month ago?”

I nod, “But what does that have to do with anything?”

He sighed and held my hands tighter as he saw tears streaming down my face, “Three months before she killed herself Victor started to bring her to work with him and she’d stay in his office with him for hours… a month later a friend of hers started going. I prayed he didn’t hurt them in any way. I couldn’t say anything, knowing your step-dad and his past… I didn’t want to be the next one on his kill list. Promise me, Linda, that you won’t say anything. For the Safety of me, Jackie, Gabe, your mom, your brother and that other girl. But especially for your safety.”

“I promise… but I’m gonna go home. I’ll be careful. I’ll stay safe,” I said as I started walking out the door. He waved good-bye. I stopped by Gabe’s room and gave him a kiss, he was sleeping. His arm was wrapped up, I guess that’s where he was shot I look into the other guys room and I see he has more injuries than Gabe and his dad. I walk closer and see that he has an eye patch on, his leg and shoulder were wrapped, and his left hand was wrapped. That’s the stab in the eye and 3 shots, I guess 2 of the 5 were misses.

I just stare at him for a while, wondering who he was. Then I realize that I’ve seen him around my neighborhood and he’s always parked somewhere near my school. I started getting that weird feeling that I was getting into some deep shit. I look for his name on the tag on his right arm and it said James Ziegler. As I set his arm back down he wakes up, grips my wrist and whispers, “You’re next.”