Chapter 6

Safe. This place looks safer than the last but looking around is still necessary. Who knows if these people in uniform aren't pretending to work here? Who knows if those walking around aren't pretending to be visitors? Taking precaution is necessary.

"ugghh"

"papa"

"ssshh"

His response might be weak, his face is still pale, but at least now, he's not distracted by the pain he was in half an ago. There's no blood but the non-stop groaning earlier showed how much pain he was in, worse than a knife wound.

"Where…"

"I'll get him."

"No"

He's right. It's not safe to leave him alone even if this is an emergency room. Anyone can walk in.

"Listen"

His voice is weaker than the last. Leaning closer is necessary. It seems that he has another purpose for talking softly. It seems that he knows what will happen soon otherwise why would he say that?

"you're going to be fine, you see this, this will flush it out of your system, you're going to be okay, it's just going to take a few days, then you can go back eating steak, lobster, solyanka, I'm going to cook you your favorite dish. Okay?"

"If this won't kill me, your cooking will."

It's good to hear him laugh but at the same, it's impossible to control the tears from falling.

"sorry"

Whatever he's apologizing for, it seems he again is afraid that someone else could hear. There are no doors, only long curtains, separating him from other patients but even if the patient on the opposite side could hear, it wouldn't matter. "I'm fine."

"Are you? Tell me...the truth."

Whoever he heard it from must be someone he trust because why else would he not believe me? "It wasn't as bad as you think, I…she"

Explaining will have to wait since Kir just came in with the doctor. Signal is given but not necessary. It's time to be on the lookout. They have to be here. It was impossible to prevent anyone from knowing at the hotel, more impossible to make it here safely. So what are they waiting for? Could it be him? He looks like he's waiting for someone. Could it be her? She looks tired. Most of the people here are. There are surveillance cams here so maybe they're waiting outside. Maybe they saw the security guards. Maybe they're thinking of a way to get in. Maybe they have their own working here. This hospital is the closest one. This may be part of their plan. It's a crazy thought but it's not impossible. Papa. Running isn't allowed in the emergency area. Getting yelled at is the least of her concern. No one did. Papa. No. Tears again can't be controlled. At his moment, she wished she did not listen to Kir.

"I'm sorry." Said the doctor.

Yelling at the doctor won't bring him back. He's not to blame. All he could do was wait for test results to determine the cause. It's too late. The only one who knows is the one who poisoned him. The only one to blame is…

"Doctor S" Said the hospital staff who just came in.

"excuse me" The doctor said before leaving.

A moment of privacy is absolutely needed. "What happened? he was just" It's obvious but it's hard to believe that he's gone when he looked like he was feeling better a moment ago.

"Listen, we can't go back. Go to another hotel. Don't call me, I'll call you in a hour. Okay?"

"but"

"Call a taxi. Find another exit if you can."

Instructions are simple but it's difficult to take it in at this moment. "papa, wake up…Papa..pa" What's happening? "I can't…can't…breathe..." Can't breathe, can't talk, feels like…like…"owww!"

"woof woof"

Taking a moment to inhale deep breaths is necessary. That was weird. Felt like someone was holding me down. "Thanks. Don't ever take naps before it's dark out."

"wooff!"

"yea yea" It's different for dogs but for humans, having the feeling of not being able to wake up from a dream is common. The harder I tried, the harder it is to breathe. "Okay, it's cool now. You want some?"

"woof, woof"

"here you go…mm…yummy, right? let's see what Nadia thinks."

"woof"

"I don't know. She is a chef, you know, so she might not like it as much as you do. She's probably going to say…uh, she's back with the last ingredient. You'll love it, it's going to be hot and…"

"Hello Holly, nice place you have here."

"wooff! rrrrWUF! WOOF!"

New York

Under the darkness, the city looks the same, beautiful at a distance but tragic in close-up, no longer the same as The City that Never Sleeps; now it's more like the City of Fear, not fear of mafias that this city is once known as but fear of what can't be seen and can kill.

Prior to coming, Amy knew she would get yelled at but also knew that Anthony wouldn't deny her request. He didn't because he cares. He didn't because of Lucy. He's prepared because he knew this would happen but 14 days? Two days in a luxury hotel is long enough. Staying in a luxury condo may be more comfortable but his request to stay inside for 14 days seemed out of line. He should know this is just a number that scientists made up just to be on the safe side. Maybe he needed 14 days to find people he can trust? Maybe no one is willing? Whatever his reason is, these 14 days didn't go by wasted. The numerous documents, pictures, and videos that he provided didn't take 14 days to go over but 14 days were more than enough time to put the pieces together and come up with a few possibilities; Accident is not one of them.

"What?" Amy asked. Everyone is staring and no one is saying anything so it's necessary to remind them again that they're not here to follow orders but to help so "speak freely."

"It's a waste of time. They're not going to tell you."

That's blunt coming from Blake but that's not surprising. What's surprising is she used be a DEA agent. How did she end up working for Anthony? Her reason for quitting is not yet known.

"They will, for money."

"I know why you're doing this but don't you think we should start with looking at her case. You said she was working on a case, right?"

ZJ, on the other hand, is being polite. Her reason is logical too. "They're looking into it."

"You don't know or you can't tell us."

"I don't know." That's the truth. Blake should know why since she used to be an agent. That's confidential information. There are ways to find out if necessary. Right now, it's not necessary.

"Okay, then do you have a computer, we should start looking" Blake trailed off after getting a piece of paper.

"We can start with the 6th floor." Surprised? She seems to be. 14 days in the condo, what's there to do other than to plan ahead? Six floor is where Max's body was found. Three others didn't make it out either. What she's doing in that apartment complex is still unclear since she didn't mention it to anyone.

"Where did you…never mind"

Was she thinking of asking where the list came from? If she asks, there's no need to hide it from her. It came from Danika. Anthony would've been able to get the list too. Maybe that's why she didn't ask.

"Okay, let's go."

It's good to get someone who's eager to help but "Not yet."

"What are we waiting for?"

"guys"

"what?"

"It's in Bronx. We need guys." Amy responded, then immediately noticed Blake's eyeroll.

"and guns" ZJ added.

It's good to see a familiar face. ZJ hasn't changed much and always did have common sense. It's the Bronx. Having tough guys along is necessary. Maybe Blake doesn't know what the Bronx is like?

Well, she does now. Graffiti can be seen on the walls of buildings, mailboxes, and every corner. Buildings are old, tightly packed. Streets look dirty. Fast food takeout restaurants do not look appealing from the outside. People are standing in front of the convenience stores. What they're staring at is obvious. Male bodyguards are necessary. Face masks are also absolutely necessary even under normal conditions.

"This is it." Half of everyone's faces may be covered but their thoughts are visible, especially Blake's; they hate being here. That's obvious.

"wait"

Amy did as told and allowed ZJ to move in front of her.

"go"

"what?"

"Go! go, go!"

Bang!

What the hell! Looking back would be too dangerous. Besides, she can't since ZJ is pushing from behind. Some residents took a peek before closing the door. Those who didn't are probably staying clear of the door. Running down six flight of stairs didn't take long. Nobody following is a good sign. Regardless, ZJ, Blake and the two bodyguards aren't stopping. The main door is kept opened by Blake who has the gun drawn and looking out until the coast is clear.

"Fuck!"

Can't blame Blake for cursing. Most likely she's cursing at me too. ZJ is doing the same, not swearing but running towards the parked suv. "Wait, we can't just leave." No one is listening. "We have to go back. He could be the one we're looking for."

"the shooter or the victim?"

That's possible too. Whoever the shooter is might have came to…

"c'mon, we can't stay, cops are coming."

"but" Any reasons given would not have convinced them. Even the bodyguard is making his own decision, hurriedly starting the car and driving off without being told. Who's in charge here? At this moment, it's not me.

Sounds of police cars can be heard, then seen moments later. No one said anything, no one needs to; Anxiousness to find Max's killer got in the way of my better judgment. Now what.

"Now we wait to see what they can find. If someone got injured, there's going to be an investigation."

How long will that take? Amy sighed loudly, knowing that Blake is right. No need to ask ZJ if she agrees, if she doesn't, she would have said something by now, not resting on the couch with her eyes closed as if exhausted. The outcome was unexpected but she shouldn't be this tired. Maybe it's been awhile since she's been in this type of situation. Anthony did say she went back to doing office work and only accepted this because he couldn't find anyone else. "you okay?"

"Fine, are you?"

Anyone would flinch at the sound of a gunshot no matter how many times…

"What does your friends think about this?

What's that supposed to mean?

"Do they know you're here?"

Oh. Now it's obvious. She's not tired. She's worried. The shooting must have caused her to rethink about this assignment. She thinks that I didn't tell Lucy. She thinks I…

"Oh, so your husband doesn't know what you're doing."

"my husband?"

"oh…I'm sorry, I thought you're married."

"I am."

"Oh, so he doesn't know?"

"He does." Why did I say that?

"sso he let you do this by yourself?"

"I'm not doing this by myself." Seemed like a good answer but obviously that's not what Blake meant. "He wants to come but he doesn't have clearance."

"You couldn't get him clearance?"

For ZJ to ask, that can only mean she doesn't believe me. She must think there is something wrong with our marriage, just like Nadia who cried on the phone, the only method she could use to try to persuade me to go back. "He doesn't need to be here." ZJ is still looking confused. Blake too looks like she has a lot of questions which she should since she knows nothing about me other than being a friend of her boss.

"Are you going to tell him what happened today?"

There's only one reason why ZJ asked. She's going to tell Lucy what happened if I don't. This is the problem of having loyal followers. She's not mine. "Are you saying you're not going to help me if I don't?"

"I just think you're going about this the wrong way and if he knows what happened, he'd agree with me"

"What you doing?" Amy asked, quickly moving closer to ZJ since she's taking the phone out. Does she even have Lucy's phone number? She might. "okay, fine, we're going to wait." Why is she still looking at the phone? "I said okay." Taking her phone away would be easy but that won't stop her from trying later. "pleease, you can't tell him. He's going to be worried."

"No one's answering."

That's good but that doesn't mean Lucy won't find out. All ZJ has to do is send a message.

"Is this the number?"

That is the number. Lying about it wouldn't work because ZJ could always... Shoot. What ZJ is thinking of just became obvious. Even if she agrees to keep it from Lucy, Blake might not keep it from Anthony. Blake hates my idea. Blake doesn't know…

"Do you think it's because he's cheating on you?"

"What!" It came out louder than she had wanted. That's because Blake's assumption is absurd. How did she come up with that? It's now clear what type of person Blake is, blunt and doesn't know the consequences of her words. Is this why she left the DEA? Maybe she got fired…possible. It's also possible Lucy is not picking up because she's sleeping. Sleeping at 9? Maybe not. Let me try. ...hmm...Why isn't she picking up? She could if she's driving. She does that all the time. "Maybe he's taking a shower." Blake might not have said anything this time but what is she thinking? 9PM shower? That's early. Lucy usually takes it right before bed which rarely happens at 9 unless she went out or…she's not sick, is she? Shoot. C'mon, pick up pick up pick up.

"You don't think he's…"

"No, he wouldn't cheat on me, okay?" It's rude but cutting Blake off is necessary. Who says that? She doesn't even know …

"Do you think he's on a plane? Maybe he wants to surprise you."

Ohhh…that…makes a lot of sense. Lucy wouldn't let me do this alone. She may have found a way to cross the border. She's not picking up because she doesn't want me to know. Maybe the wifi is off on the plane. Maybe…"oh god…maybe there's something wrong with the plane." Blake looks confused but that's because she doesn't know what happened before. "Turn the tv on, see if there's any breaking news." It's time to call Janet. Pick up, Janet. Why isn't she picking up? Nadia…Nadia wouldn't be sleeping now. "c'mon c'mon" Voice mail? Sleeping so early? Oh..she could be in Holly's bedroom without her phone. Holly would have her phone in her bedroom…unless she turned it off. No one wants to be interrupted while making love. Shoot. There's no breaking news on tv but that doesn't mean anything. C'mon, where are you?

"Hello"

"Where are you!" Again, that came out wrong but that can't be controlled. "I called you 4 times, why didn't you pick up?"

"Oh, it's charging, I didn't have it with me."

Lucy's voice is calm so there is no need to shout. The background sounds normal so she's not on a plane. "Where are you?"

"umm…Holly's"

It might only be two seconds but that's too long of a hesitation. "really?"

"mhm"

"well, you know you're not a very good liar because I just called Nadia and Holly and they didn't pick up."

"that's bcuz we were outside on the porch, do you want to … stop it, Cocoa."

That is Cocoa barking so the question is "What are you doing there?"

"Nadia made dinner so I…Cocoa, be quiet, ssshhh"

That makes sense under normal conditions but not now so "Why?"

"Why not?"

"You know why not!" Had to shout just in case she couldn't hear since Cocoa is still barking in the background. It's also because she should know why not. Really? Nothing to say? She should know being near Holly has a higher risk of getting infected than…ohh… Lucy's motive just became clear. Being near medical professionals has a higher risk of getting infected than being in the country with the highest cases of infection but apparently, Lucy doesn't think so. "Just be careful, okay?" Again, no response can be heard. Maybe she didn't feel like answering because the answer is obvious. Maybe she doesn't want to say anything to show she doesn't approve. Maybe Anthony already told her …shoot. She may or may not know. If she doesn't know now, she'll eventually find out. "umm…I ah um…there's this incident that happened today, no one got hurt okay I'm fine everybody's fine. He wasn't shooting at us, we're just there at the wrong time, just one of those coincidences you know, no one got hurt. I won't go there again so don't worry about me. Okay?" Maybe she didn't hear. "Hello?...Hello?"

"What do you want me to say?"

shoot…she heard, she's upset. "c'mon, I know you don't agree but I need your support now just like how I supported you last time…pleeease." Bringing up the last time is the only to way to get her to see that… "okay?" Did she say okay? Lucy's response was soft so confirmation is needed.

"Okay"

This time Lucy's voice is very clear. Maybe she's outside to get away from Cocoa.

"Be careful"

"I will. Love you." Amy made a sound of a kiss against the phone before hanging up. Continuing with the conversation will have to wait since it's late in London. "What?" Blake is oddly, silently staring. ZJ is doing the same. I did overreacted. There is nothing to be happy about but getting Lucy's understanding and support did help. At least now, there's one less …

"So is he coming?" ZJ asked.

"no" Flying here to surprise me is a good guess though.

"I think he's hiding something from you."

Anthony did say that Blake is good at sensing things but in this case, she's probably saying that because she's being nosy.

"What does he do? Can I see what he looks like?"

"No"

Meanwhile in London

Lucy glared at the male intruder who's now looking at her phone. If she had a choice, she wouldn't have picked it up. Coming up with a lie wasn't difficult because it's the truth, just not the entire truth. Nadia didn't call or send the message but the invite to pick up dinner did come from her phone. With the speaker on, it was impossible to tell Amy what was happening. They were listening. Cocoa tried though. Besides, it doesn't look like they're here to kill anyone, at least not yet.

"Can you shut that dog up!"

"She will if you let her out."

Cocoa's non-stop barking inside the bathroom is quite annoying. Surprisingly, Nadia's request is granted and more surprisingly, it worked. Without guns in sight, the 2 male followers out of the dining room, and everyone else sitting at the dinner table, the atmosphere along with Nadia's calm voice somehow caused Cocoa to continue with its business, eating from its own bowl.

"Look, I need you to trust me."

That's laughable considering how she was threatening everyone with a gun a moment ago. Her tone has changed but what is she up to?

"They didn't send me. I volunteered. I convinced them to let me talk to you. They know why you're here but they can't wait any longer. So if you're telling me you don't know, I can't help you."

"What is she talking about?" Lucy asked but didn't get a response from Holly who has been very quiet, just listening and staring at the table as if thinking of ways to get this bitch and her 2 male followers out of the house.

"They know about your memory loss. Why do you think she came back?"

"Is that true?"

Oh Nadia, now is not the time. Can't blame her though. Anyone in her situation would have the same reaction. No one likes to be lied to.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what you know."

Sounds like she is trying to help Holly but is she? Can't tell yet since this young brunette hasn't said anything else about herself other than being a friend of Holly's. Friends don't threaten friends so that's obviously a lie. One thing is certain though, she must think she's immune to the virus since she doesn't have her mask on. "Who are you? Who do you work for?" Lucy asked before but again didn't get an answer. Okay. Then… "How is one key going to help?" There she goes again, just sitting there with the same expression, looking like she's running out of patience. "You have all the others?" No response is given but that doesn't mean she doesn't. "How?" All the keys were given to Jack in the underground chamber. The keys would've been lost in the ocean along with…ohh… "You have the images?" Everyone in the underground chamber was forced to give up the keys in exchange for their lives; Jack didn't have the physical keys but he had them scanned before the entire structure collapsed. So the keys are necessary to open the vault? Wait till Scud hears this. "What's in it?"

"They know you have three keys."

"I had, had…two." Lucy stressed the word 'had' while putting up 2 fingers. "You know what happened right? Have they looked in the ocean?"

"Where's the third key?"

"You haven't heard? It's in the underwater cave…in this little island near Lanai, there's this cliff near the waterfall, it's underneath it, get some divers but don't go on the island, it's infested with these hungry giant geckos." It is hard to believe. She's wearing the same look as Nadia and Holly when they heard. "I'm serious, they look like geckos except they're huge and they can sit like dogs and they have these poisonous fangs…and…"

"You think I'm joking!"

Oh shit, Cocoa is barking again. The two male guards just came in from the living room. Guns are again visible. It's now necessary to raise her hands up high. They're not going to shoot, that's obvious but that doesn't mean she won't do anything to …

"Don't!" Nadia shouted.

Cocoa was fast enough to avoid the kick but might not have been able to avoid the second if Nadia didn't get in the way.

"Stop!" That never works. "Okay, I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" Keeping her hands up high, Lucy yelled louder to stop the one in charge from kicking Nadia. It's difficult to calm the situation when Cocoa is still barking. "I'll tell you what I know." That's to let her know to tell her men to back off since it would take more than a soft tone from Nadia to stop Cocoa's barking. "Nadia, take Cocoa to the living room." Lucy knew her request wouldn't be denied since the living room is just a few steps away. As long as they keep the guns out of sight, that would help. "I want to know what's in it." It might not work but it's worth a try.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" That's unexpected since she could've avoided the question like she did earlier. Is there a reason to lie? "Ohh, they don't trust you." That can only mean she's just a low ranking follower. "How much are they paying you? I'll give you a million dollars to tell me...2 million...5...10 to work for me...okay, okay" Looks like she can't be bought. Her gun is out again not pointing at me but any more questions will get her upset, possibly threatening to kill Cocoa again. "I'll help you find it."