Chapter 54 You need to leave!
Vincent
Everything seemed to have got worse by the time I regained consciousness again. From the pain to the dizziness to the fact that I could barely suck in a breath now without feeling like the metal stuck in my side was trying to tear my insides out, to the smell of something burning that seemed to fill all of my senses. I knew instantly that I needed to get out. Now.
First, I tackled the seatbelt around my torso without glancing at the part of the car that was already up in flames. It was close to where I was. I could feel the heat. But if I looked at it, I knew I was going to panic, which was certainly what I didn't need right now.
What I needed was fuel of my own, and the thought of possibly letting that bastard get away with this if I did die was more than enough fuel to have me pulling at that seatbelt until it came free.
“Fuck!” I grunted loudly in pain as my body dropped to the roof of the car. Well, most of my body. My leg was still stuck, and the piece of metal in my ribs was hooked tightly, preventing me from dropping completely.
My brain threatened to shut down from how painful that felt. I forced my eyes open, though, and moved on to the step of pulling my leg free. By the time I managed to succeed with that, most of the car seemed to be engulfed in flames, not to talk of the fact that my phone started ringing somewhere around me again.
I looked around for it and grabbed it before pondering what to do with this piece of metal hanging from my side. At the rate with which the car was burning, it was bound to explode soon, and if I tried to pull the metal from my side blindly, I was more likely to pass out again and inevitably die than make it out alive.
I sucked in a gasp and moved to carry out the only thought in my head before the adrenaline pumping through my veins failed me. I was going to detach the other end of the splintered beam in my side from the door frame and crawl my way past the mangled door itself outside.
That was the only way.
It was going to be borderline painful, but I've gone through worse. I can do it. I can—
Fuck!!!! I could barely even let out a sound when I made the first move to tug on the twisted metal. The pain nearly had me passing out but no. I blinked the darkness away and tugged on the metal again.
I sucked in a breath at the feeling of being torn from the inside. On the bright side, though, the beam seems to break from the door frame a bit.
I tugged on it again with all the strength I could muster. Okay, progress. Again. And again. And again.
The rest from that point onwards felt like a trance, like a game of push and pull with my consciousness. I got out, though, my leg snagging on multiple pieces of glass that tore at my flesh, and by the time I crawled my way out, just a few feet from the car, I was more than ready to give up that game.
Fuck. I felt my consciousness elude me yet again as I pushed myself further away from the car once more and lay on my back. I’d done it. I’d made it out, but I needed to do one more thing to make sure I didn't rot here and die.
I raised up my phone with the last bit of sheer willpower I had pumping through me to tug on a function I've never had to use on my phone before, and then I gave in to the darkness.
“Hey… it’s okay, darling. You did so good.” I felt my body relax slowly as a soft female voice echoed around me. Her face formed before me as the darkness closed in. “It’s okay.”
It is?
Distantly, I heard something explode loudly, almost pulling me away from her, but she held on firmly. "Yes, come on. Let’s go.” She held onto my arm and walked me through the darkness, her smile soothing the ache I knew I'd ignored for so long.
I jolted awake at the small sound, the room dark and my neck sweaty from how restless my very short nap had been. Fuck. I groaned as I tried to adjust myself on the bed while simultaneously glancing at the clock I'd requested Frank put in my room right beside my bed.
2:09 am. What? That was not even up to thirty minutes.
I whipped my head towards the door when I heard the sound again. Like a commotion, then the subtle sound of fast-approaching footsteps. I barely managed to sit up slightly when the door burst open. It was Frank, and he looked frantic.
“What is—”
“You need to leave! Now!”
“What?” "Why?" He came to my bedside and proceeded to check the still-beeping machine before unhooking the IV bag attached to me from its stand. He stuffed it into my pocket. “Some guys came in with an injured friend a few minutes ago, seeking medical help. They thought this might be a hospital somehow and thought they should check.”
“Oh fuck.” I sat up on the bed and moved my legs over the edge, down to the floor, with his help.
“Where are they?”
“At the front desk with Tasha. I told them I needed to get something quick, but they might have caught on.”
I grunted in pain as he helped me to my feet. “You think they’re here for me?”
“I don't know. I just know it's weird that they somehow found this place and figured it might be a hospital. We don't even have a sign outside. It literally says 'private property' on the gate.”
I felt my mind wander in different directions as he led me out the door and into the hallway. “Does anyone else know I'm here… apart from Kael?”
“No. Just I, Tasha, Kael, and… right, the girl, Ariel, dropped by yesterday to visit her mom, but she doesn't know about you or the accident.”
Fuck! I stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, already feeling dizzy from all the movement.
“Her mom. What are we going to do about her?”
His eyes wandered about like he would somehow find the answers in the wall. “Uhm… I'm sure she'll be taken care of. Let's just focus on getting you out.”
We started down and around a turn in the hallway again. “My car is parked out back.” He removed one hand from my arm to dig into his pockets. "Here are the keys. I'll tell Kael once—” A loud beep from somewhere caught him short in his statement.
He reached into his pockets again but this time pulled out a phone. Both he and I cursed when we saw what had caused the beep.
A camera feed showing a number of armed men circling the building silently to the back where we were currently headed.
Fuck.