Saint Peter's Hospital,
South Carolina,
USA
The lights were flickering as I ran under them, passing through nurses and doctors with my phone clenched tightly in my hand.
"Your father was killed in a motor accident and we need you to identify the body."
Identify?
The words of the call were still imprinted in my brain, and my head was shaking already, brewing up a headache.
"Wait! Ma'am!"
Someone called behind me and I knew it was one of the nurses at the front desk but I didn't care. I couldn't stop running, my life was dead and unidentifiable. My brain was switched off as I sprinted suddenly, trying to lose the nurse behind me.
How? He had left the house smiling this morning. He told me he had a meeting to go to. He told me to enjoy my day out with my friends. He told me to stay safe and I wished him the same.
I kept to my side of the deal but he didn't.
My eyes clenched suddenly as I collided with someone, hearing the sounds of files and papers falling to the ground. I held my head, my ears raising a bit because of the noises around.
Unable to hold it in, I opened my eyes as hot tears spilled from them, as I tried to control my emotions. I wanted to lay down there and cry but I knew I couldn't.
"Miss Moreno!" I heard a familiar voice which made me stand up immediately, the papers were still on the ground and the person picked them up quietly as I walked to the source of the voice, like a crazy person searching for the nearest comfort.
Soon, I was dragged into a soft chest, her voice soothing me as my cries came out in larger waves.
"It's okay. It's going to be fine, you need to go," She whispered into my ears softly and I couldn't still stop crying. Those words, I hated them. She said them before when my mother died of cancer and now, she was saying them again.
I didn't bother to hug her back, all I did was cry again, and again, unable to stop. People passed me by because they didn't feel my pain, they didn't know they were passing an orphan. A lady who has just lost her only parent, her father, her companion. Nurse Lizzy's fingers caressed my back as my shoulders shook.
I pulled out from her hug with a tear-stricken face. She was also crying, the tears visible due to her brown color. She held her hand over her mouth, as I looked at her with my lashes wet. I was a shell of myself at that moment, someone who didn't know what was going to happen next in her life. Since they had cruelly taken my mother and father, want the fuck was I doing here?
"Rae," Her eyes looks behind me, to the hallway and they widened suddenly. She turned to me and pulled the hood of my hoodie over my hair which made me stare at her weirdly with tears still all over my face.
Before I knew it she grabbed my hand and started walking forward. I just followed her like she was the source of warmth I left. Unlike the people that passed me by, she was the only one who knew what I had gone and was going through.
"Listen, I need to tell you something, follow me." She said with her head tilted back, and her voice was low and secretive which made me stop sobbing at the moment. She held my hands and squeezed them as I walked briskly behind her, wondering what was suddenly wrong.
After a short while, we disappeared into a quiet hall. I stayed put, following her steps, a little bit scared as we entered another room. Footsteps could be heard behind us as she listened silently, putting her index finger to her mouth. She couldn't shut the door either and I wondered why but I did as she said, I kept quiet.
"Shit, we lost her." I heard a male gruff voice say and my eyes widened in fear, entering more into the shadows.
"Could they have gone up the emergency stairs?" Another one said, his voice a little smoother than the other.
"I think that nurse knows what is going on. Keep an eye on her Doctor," The voice from earlier came again and there was a sigh.
"Lizzy is innocent, I swear. Look, I did what you wanted and we did not give him medical attention. Please-" A different voice said and I almost whimpered at that but Lizzy shook her head at me as my eyes became glassy.
A deep sound was heard, like a punch as the person coughed out and fell to the floor. I stared down, my heart beating fast enough that I could hear it.
"Shut up, where's the body anyway?" The gruff voice said and there were sounds of groans coming from before.
"Answer him, you dimwit!" The smooth voice came again, and another hit was heard with more groaning.
"It's in the autopsy room. We couldn't burn it, not yet!" The person complained again and I almost screamed in pain. Why? Why would they want to burn his body? Why were they looking for me?
"You better finish the job, or you'll join the carcass. Python, let's find that girl. We can't let that bastard's heir run away." The gruff voice said and there were footsteps of people walking away.
Sadness and anger burned through me as I almost screamed but Lizzy looked at me with pleading eyes, putting her index finger to her mouth again.
"Fuck!" A metal bang was heard and there were groans again. Lizzy's hand soothingly squeezed on mine but I was far gone. "I know you're there Lizzy. With her."
Shit.
Lizzy however, nodded at me, straightening up and coming out of the room with me. I stared at the doctor in anger, fear brewing in me but far away from my facial features. I paid no pity to the blood on his face, I didn't care.
"It's my father, isn't it?" I asked, causing Lizzy to look at me in pain and the man laughed a bit.
"Of course it is. You don't know who your father is. He deserved it. He was rotten! Just like all of them. Lizzy, leave this girl. She will cause your-"
"Shut up Lawrence. She is different from her father. Can't you see the poor girl is lost and confused?" She scolded but he replied to that, by spitting blood on the ground and cleaning his teeth.
"I don't care, Lizzy, you heard when I protected you once, I won't do it again. And you," He said walking towards me, but Lizzy shifted me back a bit, "You better run. Far away from here. Siren is a bastard and he won't stop at nothing to destroy your father's generation." He said in an evil tone and I laid back in fear.
"That's enough! Thank you for your direction," She said sarcastically and pulled me deeper into the hall as the doctor shouted behind me. I wanted to run back and kill him, I wanted to run back and burn him alive. The other side of me was showing evidently.
As we got to the end of the hall, Lizzy turned me to her, "I've planned with a few nurses and-" She looked again and I did the same, no one was there.
"-we will remove your father's body and burn it, keep the ashes in the jar and send it to you." She said and I stared at her in confusion. Where was I going to be? That she had to send it?
My phone buzzed suddenly and I glanced at it, revealing the contact ID, Luciana. I remembered how I ran out of the outing and wanted to pick it but Lizzy collected it, switching the phone off. I almost complained but she covered my mouth.
"Be smart, Raven. Trust me on this. Listen, your dad was indeed terrible and he owned a lot of gangs and did a whole bunch of illegal shit but the reason I agreed to help him was that I knew how much he loved you." She said, with her eyes watering a bit and I couldn't help but do the same.
"Lizzy, what do I do now?" I asked, the obvious question in the air.
"You run. Your father has a private beach house in Italy back home. You're to lay down low for a while. As we speak, your flight is at 6:30 pm. Your suitcase has been packed by Inyu and has been dropped at the airport." She said silently again and more tears fell from my eyes as they widened.
"What of Inyu and her son? Fergil?" I asked, inquiring about the maid and the bodyguard.
"They are safe, we can't let them follow you behind. You might be easier to track. Your flight is in one hour and you need to change your clothes. You need to stay alive, okay?" She said again and I nodded, my whole composure changed to survival. My dad had known he was going to die so he had planned with Lizzy. This was a whole new fucking chapter for me and so far, it had been a fucking hell.
What else was being kept from me? I followed her down the empty hallway and we entered another office which she turned the lights on this time.
I saw an ash hoodie and sweatpants which I changed to, really fast. My brain was calculating slowly but I had to get to the bottom of the situation.
When I was done, she gave me some shades and packed my shiny brown hair in a tight bun. The sounds were too fast and my heart was beating hard. If I was not careful, I could end up like my father before the day ended.
She nodded at me and gave me a journal. "That's your father's, your answers are in there. Keep your phone off, when you get there, get a new one and quickly transfer contacts, okay? Do not call anyone. I know this is fast for you mi amor, but you're a strong child and I know you can do this." She said, finally landing a kiss on my cheek.
I inserted the book into the small bag she gave me and put my phone there too as my clothes had no pockets. "Won't they know I'm running away?" I asked, clearing my throat when I realized there was some mucus there.
"They will but the Oreno Gang will protect you. Don't talk to anyone till you get there? okay?" She said, as we came out of the office and she switched off the light.
We walked briskly down the hallway to the emergency exit, our footsteps hitting the ground. When she opened the door, we were led into a dark alleyway. I looked to the end to see Gazzo, my driver, and a small car that I didn't come with.
What the fuck was happening?
You're running for your life, that's what.
I was pulled into soft arms and I nearly cried again, knowing that I would miss her intensely. She kissed my cheeks sensually and pecked my forehead. "Don't waste your precious tears again my love. I'll be okay. Now go!" She said and I nodded and hugged her one more time making her chuckle.
If not for Lizzy, I would have been killed at the hospital. Nowhere was safe for me. "Be safe Lizzy," I said and she nodded at me. At that, I ran into the small car and sat down, looking at Gazzo.
He turned on the engine and I saw his face, he looked sad and detected, just like me.
"I would have been very happy to serve you, Raven Moreno, I hope you return when you get back on your feet." His voice was solemn as he does, constantly looking back to see if anyone was following us but there was no one.
I nodded too, not choosing to talk.
"My brother will pick you up at the other side. Please, he is my twin. Don't mistake anyone." He said again as we neared the airport road. He was practically flying. Plus, the hospital was near the airport so I wasn't surprised, I just gazed out the window. Lost in thought.
"Thank you, Gazzo," I said, thanking the second person today, that had helped in saving my life.