The sound of paramedics rushing up the stairs jolted Amber from her daze. The door burst open, and two EMTs swept in, their movements quick and efficient. One immediately assessed Micha while the other prepared a stretcher.
"What happened?" one of them asked as they worked.
"We found her like this," Kyro answered, his voice cracking. "She's been stabbed—deep, in the abdomen."
"Alright, step back," the EMT instructed, gently but firmly guiding Kyro away. Amber watched as they lifted Micha onto the stretcher, her friend's face pale and barely conscious.
"She's lost a lot of blood," the other paramedic muttered. "We need to move now."
The flashing red and blue lights from the ambulance outside painted the dim room in eerie, pulsing colors. Her hands trembled in her lap, still sticky with Micha's blood.
Kyro stood frozen for a moment, his hoodie still clutched in his hands, before snapping out of it. "I'm coming with her."
"Me too," Amber said, her voice barely a whisper as she struggled to her feet. Her legs wobbled, and Kyro grabbed her arm to steady her.
"Alright, let's go," the paramedic said, already wheeling Micha out of the room. Amber and Kyro followed closely, the cold night air biting at their skin as they stepped outside. The ambulance's rear doors were open, and the paramedics carefully loaded Micha inside.
Kyro climbed in first, positioning himself near Micha's head. Amber hesitated, her heart pounding, before pulling herself into the cramped space. The doors slammed shut behind them, and the ambulance lurched into motion, sirens wailing.
Amber sat on the floor of the ambulance, her knees pulled to her chest as she watched the paramedics work frantically to stabilize Micha. Tubes and monitors surrounded her, a blur of beeping sounds and shouted instructions. Kyro held Micha's hand tightly, his lips moving in silent prayer or perhaps words of encouragement that Amber couldn't hear over the chaos.
"She's going to make it," Kyro said, more to himself than anyone else. His eyes met Amber's, a desperate plea for reassurance she wasn't sure she could give.
The hospital came into view, its harsh fluorescent lights glowing like a beacon against the dark sky. The ambulance skidded to a halt, and the paramedics threw the doors open, quickly unloading Micha and rushing her through the emergency entrance. Amber and Kyro stumbled after them, their bloodstained clothes drawing stares from the staff and other patients.
A nurse stopped them at the entrance to the trauma room. "You'll have to wait out here," she said firmly.
"But—" Kyro started, his voice rising in protest.
"Let them work," Amber interrupted, placing a trembling hand on his arm. Her knees gave out, and she sank into one of the plastic chairs in the waiting area. Kyro hesitated, then sat beside her, his head in his hands.This was so unreal. Things just happened so fast.
The sterile smell of the hospital mixed with the coppery tang of blood still clinging to them. Kyro stared at the floor, his mind replaying Micha's faint whisper over and over.
Run.
Amber glanced at Kyro, whose jaw was clenched in barely contained anguish. Whatever danger Micha had tried to warn them about, it wasn't over.
The weight of what had just happened clung to Amber like a suffocating fog. Kyro paced the room in restless, agitated steps, his hoodie—now replaced with a clean shirt—still faintly stained at the edges.
" I think we should inform the rest, they deserve to know." Kyro said after a long pause which felt like forever.
Amber nods her head silently, fishing out her bloody phone and groups calls her friends, telling them to come immediately at Carana Hospital, at the emergency unit, failing to inform them of their ordeal.
Pin drop silence, so loud you could literally hear air moving.
Around thirty minutes later, Alison and James walk into the reception, wearing very frantic expressions.
Amber still sat, her expression tight, lips pressed into a thin line as if holding back something just beneath the surface.
The air felt too thick. Too heavy.
Amber glanced at Kyro, her brown eyes darkened by the weight of the moment. She observed but didn't say anything. There wasn't much that could be said right now. They were about to walk out of the waiting room, into the reception where their friends, Alison and James, were waiting. Waiting for news they didn't expect, news that was going to break their world in two.
Micha's world. Their world.
"I should've gone with her last night," Amber muttered, more to herself than to Kyro. "I should've just—"
"No," Kyro interrupted, his voice firm despite the knot in his chest. "We couldn't have known. None of us could have known. We did what we could."
Amber nodded, but her jaw tightened.
They reached the door to the reception. Kyro took a deep breath and turned the handle. The door swung open, and there they were—Alison, sitting on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. James stood by the window, staring out into the city skyline, his arms crossed as if trying to shut out everything he couldn't control., looking serious for the very first time. Both of them looked up as the door opened.
"Kyro, Amber..." Alison's voice broke the silence, her gaze immediately searching their faces for any hint of what had happened.