Asazi
Chapter 20
I awoke a few seconds later to see four police cars skidding to a stop in the parking lot. Behind them was an ambulance and a fire truck. The fire truck came to a stop and a cop went up to it, pointed south, and said something to the driver of the fire truck and the fire truck left the parking lot, speeding down the road with sirens blaring.
The cops reached the scene and started examining the bodies.
Pain overwhelmed my stomach and head as I started to get up. I had to get away from the cops. They were one of my many enemies too. I got to my feet with blood gushing from my stomach and I started limping away. I heard someone shout and following the shout were two pairs of footsteps running toward me.
I wasn't going to get away. My hands held my gunshot wound, trying to keep the blood from spilling. I was going to die…I was going to die.
At first, the thought seemed horrible. But as I collapsed onto the pavement I realized that death was my only escape from the gangs and other Shawn's that're out there…
As my eyesight darkened I felt released. Free from the anxiety and fear…Free…freedom lies only in death…
-_-
Pain! Something jabbed into my stomach and I moaned in pain. My whole body was numb but I could feel a distant pain in my stomach. It was sharp and seemed like it was cutting through me. "Is she awake," asked a voice. My hearing started to come into play and there was a noisy siren nearby…
"Looks like it. We're gonna need to keep her asleep because this bullet could slip into her lungs if she moves around too much."
"Okay. Where's the tranquilizer?" A female voice.
"Over there…inject it in the wrist." A few seconds later and I felt something go into my wrist. A little pain accompanied it but I didn't care…I was thinking.
Why haven't I died? Am I in heaven? Of course not…I'm in the ambulance. I didn't die.
"You're not going to die, little girl. You're gonna be okay."
Had I said something out loud? My world seemed to spin even with closed eyes. What's going on? "We're taking you to the hospital. Don't worry now, it'll be okay."
"It'll be okay when I die," I mumbled.
Silence. Only the sirens' annoying, high-pitched squealing was heard. "There's the bullet! Get it out now, before she moves. Sit still girl, okay? You're about to be…uh…fixed." I felt a hand press down into my wound and I felt the fingers move around inside me. It was a strange feeling. It didn't hurt but it felt uncomfortable. Then I felt overwhelming pain. It was shocking! It almost took control of me and I spasmed out.
"Shit, she's moving," cried out one of the doctors.
"Hold her down," said the female doctor. "I've almost got it—," I spasmed again and she said, "—hold her down, dammit." I felt a hand pry the center of my pain and then it ripped something from me.
"AAA," I screamed.
The hand exited my stomach area and the woman said, "It's gonna be okay. We've got the bullet out…ssshhh…it's gonna be okay…" Her tone changed and she said, "When's that tranquilizer go into effect?"
"Uhh…another minute or so."
"Okay…uh…," her tone changed back into the nice 'it's gonna be okay' tone. I guess that meant she was talking to me when using it. "You're gonna be okay. You've stopped bleeding and the bullet is gone now so you're gonna be okay…" Then she changed tones again. "How do you think she'll recover?"
"From the looks of it, she should be able to walk around without many problems in a month and in two months she should be just normal…"
He kept on talking about me but I didn't listen. Or care. Shambles. My body was in shambles. I'm gonna be okay, she kept saying. Yeah right. I've been shot and you say it's gonna be okay? You…are……
Sleep attacked me full force and I faded away…not worrying about anything but the gangs finding me and killing me while I'm weak…
And they would eventually…
-_-
I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a hospital room. There was a TV hanging from the ceiling a few yards away, I was in one of the two beds, the other one was empty and around ten feet from me.
I felt a little strange but there was no pain and I wasn't that tired anymore. Then I noticed the medical 'equipment'.
I had two needles in me. One poking into my wrist with a tube going up and into a pouch full of what looked like water. The other needle was in my arm attached to a tube that was filled with red liquid…blood. The tube went off and under the bed.
I sighed. I was weak and vulnerable. I couldn't fight or—train? I can train myself to do things…I could train myself to wake up at a certain time in the morning and I could… Maybe they'll let me watch movies with gunfighting scenes so I could learn what'd stop a bullet and what won't while at the same time learning how to actually fight.
I could watch some movies with fist fights and see what I myself am capable of…perhaps the time I'll spend in the hospital won't be too bad…
A nurse entered the room. After closing the door behind her she walked over to me and said, "Are you feeling okay?"
Having never seen her before, I didn't trust so I decided not to talk and to act traumatized. I shook my head no while making my head shake as if I couldn't control it. I wanted to completely manipulate this woman into making her do close to whatever I wanted. I blinked a few times and said in a shaky voice, "Do-do-does the t-t-t-TV work?"
It took her a second and then she said, "Oh, the TV? Yes it works; the remote is right there," she pointed to a black device with buttons on it. I looked at it and then back at her. "Are you sure you're okay," she asked again.
I nodded yes this time.
She frowned but then continued checking the machines and needles. "I'm gonna have to give you a few shots, okay? It'll make you feel better." I nodded and she jabbed a needle into my shoulder, injected the liquid into me and pulled it back out. "There you go. I have to give you a few more tomorrow but not right now. Sound good?"
I said, "Yes…"
She then said, "By the way, you have a few visitors but I wanted to see if you were awake before I let them in. Do you want to see them?"
My blood froze and I think my heart stopped thumping for a few seconds. But there was no denying them. They would either force their way in or they would come in peacefully…I wanted peacefully so no one would suspect me as guilty.
"Yes, I would like to see them. Are they-they my fruh-fruh-friends?"
The nurse smiled and said, "Yes, I think they are." She left the room, nodded her head to someone outside and walked down the hallway, away from me. Even though I didn't know her, I wanted her to stay in here…but she had other patients to attend to. I wasn't important enough, even though these people might want to kill me right now.
Three people walked in. All looked like they were around high school to college age. Two guys and a girl. The girl stayed back a little and closed the door, then joined the other two, standing next to my bed looking down at me.
"Hello Asazi," said one of the guys with blonde hair. "I'm Travion. This is—," he gestured to the girl, "—Summer and this is—," he gestured to the other guy, "—Brett. We were sent by our leader, who is now dead, to protect you until you are healed."
"Who was your leader," I asked, hoping that they said who I thought it might, just might be…
"Xynan. I believe you knew him."
Xynan told people from his gang to protect me? So Xynan isn't dead yet? No, he's dead. He was chopped in half… The mystery whirled around my head but disappeared when Travion said, "You watched him die, didn't you?"
I looked up at him and shook my head no. "I watched him get chopped in half and then I left after Brink left. You should know I'm on your side. I've killed many from Brink's gang, especially Brink himself. I hope you aren't planning on killing me or anything. It would be a waste."
Travion smiled and said, "Yes it would be a waste if you died. You obviously have talent and the whole city is talking about you."
Summer smiled a grim smile and said, "Xynan wanted us to protect you. We don't know why. Xynan almost always had his own agenda and always had a plan for what's to come and the people that he met. He told us the night he met you that he was planning on sending you to my place for you to have an actual home and training…"
"So basically, you're on my side?"
Travion answered, "Yes, I—and the others—are on your side."
They scattered and sat down in different chairs of the room. I looked at Brett and asked, "Are you shy?" Travion laughed and said, "Brett, uh, doesn't like to talk. He just wants a piece of somebody in the other gang, that's all."
"Oh…so…are you all going to be here for awhile?"
Summer answered, "Until you heal and are ready to leave the hospital. Then it's up to you whether or not you want to move in with me. You'll be safe there and you'll get trained on how to survive on the streets. Miami is not a safe place…but then again, you're not a safe person…"
I frowned. "How would you know?"
Travion answered with a hint of curiosity in his voice. "We watched you take out those people in the parking lot...where'd you learn to shoot like that?"
That made me mad. "Shoot like what? The assholes were right there, how was I going to miss? They weren't even twenty feet from me. You see, that's what makes me mad. Everyone says everyone is talking about me when I haven't done anything special."
"You've avoided the cops," said Summer. "You've survived…hmm…how many shootouts is it now?"
Weariness came over me. I was getting tired again. "If you're tired, go ahead and sleep. We're gonna be right here and you don't have to worry about anyone else." I nodded, acknowledging Travion that I heard him. I was tired and I need the rest…so I slept, with three strangers in the same room protecting me…but I felt safe with them because they knew Xynan and Xynan had ordered them to protect me and that meant Xynan trusted them…and if Xynan did, I could…
…So I slept…