Chapter 36: Ending or Beginning?

The clubhouse was packed as the injured were sent in. Nelly busied herself at the common area, receiving patients and giving orders. Gone were her usual timid and helpless self. Whenever she’s treating a patient, it seems as if she’s a totally different person.

While she was examining a patient, another unconscious man was brought in through the door. “Can you take a look at him?” Chad brought the man straight to Nelly. She took a look and took his pulse. “Prepare for operation,” she tilted her head slightly to talk to Jack who was standing behind her. “On it!” He immediately moved to action. “This is going to hurt a bit. We do not have enough anesthesia. Bite on this,” she gave the man in front of her a piece of cloth. “Ha! I do not need.. AAARGHHHHhhh……” His screech made those around him flinch.

Nelly continued her work steadily, not at all affected. Her hands worked quickly. “Don’t move,” her curt order made the man in front of her freeze. It only lasted for a second before he continued wriggling. “Hold him please,” Nelly looked up and said to the first two men her eyes met. Without wasting another second, she immediately went back to work on the wound, not waiting for their reply.

They looked at each other and hesitated for a few beats before stepping forward and pin the man down. “Let go of me! Son of a bitch! Dammit!” The man trashed and cursed as Nelly treated his injury.

“All done. Rest for a bit,” she said while standing up to leave. The three surprised men looked up at her but she’s already washing her hands at the unconscious man’s side, ready to operate. “That was fast. She really doesn’t give a fuck,” one of them said while shaking his head. “I’ll keep in mind not to get on her bad side,” the other said. “What the fuck, man? Ouch! That hurts,” the man who had his wounds freshly stitched up groaned.

Jack assisted Nelly with the operation while Chad handled the triage. First, the Reaper men came back and got themselves patched up. Slowly, those under the Reaper’s territory started coming in with their family members. The clubhouse eventually turned into a rescue center.

Zalen walked in. Seeing him, Chad immediately stood to leave. “I’ll leave them in your hands,” he said to the man at his side. Right as they walked through the door away from prying ears, Chad immediately asked, “how’s everything going?”

Zalen shook his head. “We got things under control. It was total chaos.”

“What do you find in their clubhouse? How did it explode?” Chad had so many questions. The Viper’s clubhouse exploded that night. The leaders were nowhere to be found. They either ran away or died in that explosion. The Vipers went on a rampage, attacking random buildings like blinded snakes without their heads. Everyone was in distress. The chaos continued through the night.

Zalen raised his head and squinted at the rising sun. “So far, none of the corpses have been identified as any of the leaders yet. They might’ve escaped,” he said. Chad turned to where Zalen was looking. He had a horrifying assumption. The sun was rising, shining bright as its light illuminated all beings, signalling hope and a new beginning. His heart, however, contrary to the sun, felt heavy as the weight of the thought grounded it to the reality of the situation.

“Do you think the leaders arranged the explosion?” He felt goosebumps rising as the thought was voiced out. Zalen shrugged. “Who knows. There is more insanity in this world than we can imagine.” Chad sighed. “The person behind this must be crazy to come up with such a scheme to kill so many people.”

“We have to be on alert. We don’t know who this crazy person is, and why they do such a thing,” Zalen expressed his worry, “what’s our next move?” Chad continued looking at the sunrise, not moving or reacting to the question. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head. “To be honest, I’m not sure anymore. The Vipers have been our greatest enemy of all time. We’ve always had the thought of attacking their base and killing their leaders. But when it really happens…” Chad turned to look at Zalen briefly. Their eyes met in quiet understanding before Chad turned back to the view in front of him. “I simply felt lost. Empty, even.”

They stood together in silent company. The noises of people coming and leaving the clubhouse and the chaos from within sounded from a distance. Suddenly, Chad laughed out loud. “A leader who’s lost is as good as an absent one. What’s the difference between us and the Vipers now?”

A flick sounded from beside him. Zalen took a puff from the cigarette already secured between his lips. He offered the pack to Chad. Chad took a cigarette and repeated the action.

“Do you think the person behind this is the same person who attacked Buzz?” Zalen broke the silence. “Right. Any news of Sammy while all this chaos happened?” That crazy person. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she’s behind the Buzz incident. The recent explosion, however, didn’t look like something she would do. How insane was she? How lunatic could a person get?

“None. I think she left,” Zalen answered. Chad didn’t respond. Instead, he took a long drag of his cigarette. “Who could it be?” Zalen mumbled, almost to himself. “I’m afraid,” Chad said suddenly. “Of what?”

“Think. Who has the power to blend in and knows the way around the Viper’s territory?” Zalen took a brief moment to think before replying, “another Viper?” Chad shook his head. “A Viper who’s brave enough to go against his leaders?” Zalen nodded, “that’s possible. The insanity of those who have nothing to lose is crazy. Unbelievable.”

Chad didn’t buy it. “The Vipers have been around for a long time. The leaders know what they are doing. They know who and when a member’s fear turns into hatred. They would’ve stopped it before it happened,” he explained. “Who do you think the person is, then?”

“Do you think that it’s possible the government has finally decided to take matters in their hands?”