The Other Twin

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

*The Resolved and Unresolved*

It took seven minutes for the police to secure the area; they handcuffed the immediate offenders responsible for assault and herded the rest of the boys to the wall, only inconvenienced by a few runaway attempts. While the chief of police began listing off the rights each gang member had, other uniformed cops investigated the area, collecting whatever evidence was available.

By then, paramedics had rushed over to Mikail and I, realizing the former needed urgent medical attention. They first attempted to coax me out of my protective stance over Mikail, but their words blurred into incoherent syllables in my ears. I felt paralyzed, my mind seemed frozen and incapable of believing that the ordeal was over, fearing that in the next moment I'd be at the mercy of another hit across my back.

I just couldn't move.

A female paramedic eventually managed to pry my hands off the walls, allowing them to load Mikail onto a stretcher. With him no longer near my close vicinity, I felt myself deflate, aware of a throbbing pain in my back yet unable to do more than stare mindlessly at the ground. My eyes traced the indents of my palms, staring at the reddened skin as I despaired if anything would be right again.

"Take her arm and help her up, I think she's in shock." I blinked, flinching away from the sudden contact of the paramedics' hands on my arms.

"No," I croaked, "I'm... I'm fine."

"Honey," the female paramedic from earlier crouched down to my sitting position. Amidst the chaos, I found her calm exterior to be an oasis of solace, the one person who seemed to be controlled. I focused on her name tag, reading the name printed on the plastic pin, Audrey.

"I'm okay, really," I insisted, feeling a note of hysteria rise in my voice from all the attention. "You should ch-check on M... Mikail. He needs help." Audrey nodded patiently.

"We're on it dear, but you need help too, you're bleeding." I stared at her for a long moment in confusion. She reached her gloved hand behind my shoulder, igniting a piercing pain down my back. I caved over in agony, feeling a leaden ache take over my nerves in a fiery burn; the earlier pain from the lashes coming back with vengeance. "Help her up."

Audrey and the other two paramedics lifted me, supporting my body on either side as they lead me past the sullen members of the Chrome Gang to the awaiting ambulance outside. Tears filtered into my vision from the physical exertion of walking, tunneling to my destination. Through the foggy awareness of my mind, I vaguely caught glimpses of the familiar faces of Hafsa and Mikail, memorizing the contours of their e features only to forget them just as quickly as pain took over my senses.

"Just a little more," Audrey murmured. "It's going to be alright."

In that moment my eyes fastened onto Chet.

"No," I replied faintly, feeling my legs buckle forward before I collapsed.

***

I let out a sharp hiss between my teeth as I felt the metal tip of the needle tug my skin together.

"Just a few more Taryn," Nurse Saarah assured, evidently having heard. I made a noncommittal grunt as she continued stitching, tightening my grip on the metal bars of the hospital bed as the prickling feeling ensued. When I had fallen forward, I hadn't fainted but simply been overtaken by a sudden dizzy spell from the loss of blood. After I arrived in the hospital, I was brought to a doctor who checked me over to make sure I hadn't broken anything, before sending me to get my wounds stitched.