Chapter 208 The Darkest Memory
"Bella, you take Mom and Dad and go first." Gale carefully wiped the blood from my face with his sleeve, his expression more serious than I'd ever seen.
"Don't be scared. Brian, Marcus, and I will check if there are any other survivors. We'll catch up with you soon."
I nodded hard. My father Lancelot Sorelli and my mother Nicole Sorelli told Gale, "Gale, stay safe!"
Both Lancelot and Nicole were injured. I drove them away, and as we passed through the manor gates, I looked back to see our home being devoured inch by inch by blood and flames.
My brothers' shouts carried over on the wind, "Is anyone there? If you're alive, answer us!"
"Bella! Watch out!" Lancelot clutched the wound on his stomach, his face pale as he gripped the seat, shouting a warning.
The moment he called out, I saw the assassin ahead and jerked the steering wheel left, barely dodging the spray of bullets. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of our specially reinforced cars from the estate. The tire exploded with a bang, then the car shuddered and slid forward, nearly flipping over.
Brian and Marcus ran over to draw the assassins away while Lancelot, Nicole, and I abandoned the car and fled.
The sharp smell of blood mixed with thick smoke choked my throat. The firelight stained the sky a vicious red.
"Let's head east. There's a small market there. I remember there's a little pharmacy," I said rapidly.
Lancelot and Nicole didn't object.
After walking over two hundred yards, I felt their bodies growheavier and heavier, as if iron chains were tied to their feet.
I saw their faces were abnormally pale, and my heart grew heavy.
They were losing too much blood.
"Dad, Mom, rest for a bit." I had them sit against a stone wall and pressed on their wounds to stop the bleeding while I mentally calculated how long it would take me to run to the pharmacy and back alone.
But there was too much blood. I couldn't stop it.
"Bella." Nicole suddenly touched my face gently, and I realized I was crying.
Tears poured down like heavy rain.
"I'll go get something to stop the bleeding. I can save you." My heart raced as I frantically tore my clothes to make simple bandages. "I'll stop the bleeding and bandage you up. I can definitely save you!"
"We believe in you," Lancelot and Nicole said gently.
Their eyes were full of regret. I didn't dare meet their gaze—every look brought another measure of despair.
"Bella, promise us you'll live well together with Gale, Brian, and Marcus," Nicole said weakly. "You must survive!"
Lancelot gasped for air with difficulty, his chest rising and falling more and more faintly. He opened his mouth, his teeth flecked with bloody foam. "You four siblings must support each other."
"Stop talking! Save your strength!" I cried out, stubborn as a madwoman. "I won't let you die. Our whole family is going to live!"
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from behind.
An ambush!
I instinctively spread my arms to shield Lancelot and Nicole. The moment the gun was aimed at me, Lancelot used the last of his strength to push me away.
The gunshot was deafening.
I hit the ground hard. Splattered blood drops fell into my eyes, but I didn't dare blink.
This was a nightmare. Lancelot was shot in the forehead right in front of me. Nicole let out an urgent, twisted wail, and then the world seemed to hit mute.
"Dad!"
My sanity shattered instantly.
The attacker had probably escaped from the battle my brothers were fighting. Missing one arm, that shot was his last bullet. He cursed, threw away the gun, and pulled out a walkie-talkie to call his companions.
I lunged at him like a crazed beast, beating and biting. Rage and hatred unleashed something in me—I beat him to death.
Before he died, I gripped his severed arm wound hard. His screams were dreadful—he might have been killed by the pain itself.
"Bella, Bella." Nicole's call brought me back. Without looking at the attacker lying in a pool of blood, I crawled back to her side, trembling all over.
"You need to go. His companions could show up any moment," Nicole said, her breath weak.
"Mom, let's go together." I lifted her onto my back and stumbled into the night.
Luckily, the pharmacy was still where I remembered it. I smashed the window, climbed in with Nicole on my back, and then gently set her down.
"Mom, I see the medicine we need! Wait for me, I'll save you right away!"
"Okay."
"Mom, does it hurt?" I kept talking to her while searching for medicine and tools, afraid Nicole would lose consciousness.
"No."
"How could it not hurt? Mom, don't lie to me."
"Alright, baby. It actually hurts a lot."
"It won't hurt soon. Mom, we'll get revenge for Dad together. You have to hold on!"
No answer from behind.
"Mom?" I didn't dare turn around. "We..."
I dropped what I was holding and grabbed an automated external defibrillator from the corner. I was desperate to make Nicole's heart beat again.
My heart could still feel pain, but Nicole couldn't feel anything anymore.
I would never have a mother again.
When Gale found me, he said I was crying while holding Nicole's body. Three assassins' bodies lay in the pharmacy. I had multiple injuries, and my right hand had been hit by two bullets—one shot through the palm, another embedded in the flesh and bone at the base. Yet I seemed to feel no pain.
"Bella, Bella!"
Lucas's anxious voicepulled me from my memories.
He gripped my shoulders hard. I stared blankly at the fluorescent light on the ceiling. The light was blinding, and my tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Don't think about it anymore!" Lucas pulled me into a tight embrace. His solid arms feltlike inescapable restraints, yet they made me feel safe.
I buried my face in his chest and broke down crying, babbling incoherently, "I kept telling myself that I couldn't save them because my right hand was injured. I know—I just can't accept it. Why, after studying medicine for so many years, couldn't I even save my own parents' lives!"
The muscles in Lucas's chest kept trembling. He rubbed my back hard, comforting me over and over in a low voice, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have brought you here. Don't think about it. You did everything you could."
I cried myself unconscious in Lucas's arms. When I woke up again, I was already home.
Lucas was carrying me in his arms, his movements gentle and deliberate. He laid me on the bedroom bed, then sat on the edge watching over me.
I tugged at his sleeve. Lucas's body paused, then he slowly lay down beside me.
I nestledinto his arms, hugging his waist tightly, and closed my eyes in exhaustion.
I don't know how much time passed before a phone ringtone broke the silence.
I groggily opened my eyes to see Lucas half sitting up, holding my phone. "It's an unknown number. Should I answer?"
I made a sound and nodded.
Lucas pressed the answer button. Gale's anxious voice reached both Lucas and me: "Bella? Something's happened. Marcus is missing!"