Chapter 4. Trapped

“You must be the new nurse, huh?” the guard said, touching his hips and breathing heavily.

“I’ll get the new patient settled,” he added.

The other bald guard finished breathing heavily.

“Ugh! So exhausting! Why is this demon causing trouble at night like this? Let’s go ahead.”

“Come on, buddy. I want to drink a lot.” Zee looked at the bruises and scratches on Justin’s cheeks.

What happened to him? Did the residents beat him up? From what Zee knows, werewolves usually avoid settlements.

They are intelligent and wise creatures that seldom cause problems in Paramour. This one must be among the pack’s one percent of thugs. Justin falls to his knees, exhausted. Zee failed to grab him, only gripping the chain connected to his neck.

“I’m thirsty,” Justin says. His eyes sometimes close, sometimes slightly open. Zee sighs resignedly, feeling trapped by herself.

***

“Did you say there’s only one guard in the lobby?” Arkan whispered as he peeked at Mr. Jonas, who stood rigidly behind a tree.

Letta, standing behind him, scratched her ear. “He’s quite loud. Luckily, we managed to avoid the main guard. We need to disable the guard in the lobby. Move away. Arkan, you go!”

“Oh, I feel embarrassed,” said Arkan.

Letta shook her head and looked at Marco on the other side of the tree. Marco was also with Ravin. Marco and Letta exchanged glances, nodding at each other to signal the start of the operation. Marco ran ahead of his friends. He managed to break into the room and jump over the table in the lobby, causing Mr. Jonas’ neck to snap.

Arkan, Letta, and Ravin entered the room and were shocked to see Mr. Jonas’ lifeless body slumped in the chair with his eyes wide open, sending shivers down their spines.

“Can fairies die so easily?” Ravin asked. “That’s unusual.”

“He’s a fairy? I thought he was a dummy,” Arkan said.

“Marco, please close his eyes,” Letta pleaded. Marco raised his eyebrows and touched Mr. Jonas’ eyes until they were shut.

“You look like you just witnessed a death,” he exclaimed. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Find room 108,” said Ravin, scanning the marble floor plan.

Ravin blinked in less than a minute, and Letta asked, “Have you memorized it?”

“Yes,” he responded.

“Your photographic memory is faster than usual. You’re cool, Beta,” praised Arka.

Marco grabbed Ravin by the collar and positioned the bespectacled man beside him. “Lead the way, Ravin. Letta and Arkan, stand by. There are lots of dangerous creatures here. Be prepared for any attack,” Marco said.

Both nodded in agreement. As they walked down the halls, they looked at the quiet rooms. Wolves see well. Dim lighting isn’t too bothersome. However, the medicine’s odor was unbearable. Marco scrunched up his nose. His eyes were red and burning.

“This building has a very unusual numbering system,” Ravin said, his neck aching as he checked each number label individually.

“We can skip going upstairs since Room 135 is the last one, and we already passed it,” he added. “Ah, so the first room is located at the highest point of the building,” Letta remarked.

A loud thud was heard from one of the doors, causing Arkan to startle. Letta was the only one to look up and yell, “Watch out!”

***

The elevator makes a sound. The wheelchair goes fast through the cafeteria. The closest available room is number 77, on a different floor—the second one. By the way, the elderly male wizard patient passed away this morning. Zee led Justin to the location while they were being chased by time.

“Ouch!” Justin’s head hit the iron support behind him. “Hey… wait! Oh no! You might kill me!” he yelled. “I’m going to die!”

Zee unfolds her hands on the wheelchair. What dream did she have last night to meet a difficult and troublesome patient again? Is Dad punishing her from far away?

“Why, why, why? Are you confused or something?” Zee snorted.

Justin looked down, and he refused to turn around. “I’m hungry.”

Zee sighed. “Can’t you see that the cafeteria’s closed? Hang in there. We’ll have to wait until morning to eat. Regard it as a mild consequence for your actions,” Zee stated.

“However, is there a regulation against consuming dinner?”

“Nope,” Zee drawled, “let’s leave—”

Zee’s complaining ceased as Justin suddenly woke up.

Zee walked slowly to the only well-lit area, where two vending machines trapped the light like fireflies in jars. Zee knew to leave immediately and run from the man, his instincts telling him so. Her eyes flicked to the big clock on the pillar. The hour hand pointed sharply—only fifteen more chimes until midnight.

On her mother’s memorial day, Azeeva never failed to keep her promise to visit her mother’s grave. Although she felt her mother’s support from above, why was life still challenging?

Azeeva gazed at Justin’s back. The man was limping, clearly relying on one leg for support. Whether his right leg was sprained or broken, it must have been very painful. Justin winced as his foot hit the table leg. Zee’s heart sank for a moment.

“If I leave him alone, my mom won’t be happy.”

Zee let her emotions guide her as she caught up with Justin and gently pushed his shoulder, urging him to sit up.

“Stay here and I’ll go find you something to eat,” she said on her way out.

“I want some bread—” Justin started saying.

“Leave it to me!” Zee interrupted impatiently.

Justin pressed his lips together and cleared his throat, hoping to avoid embarrassment while approaching a girl. He didn’t have to wait long before Zee returned with a large sausage and water. Justin gazed at his meal on the table and smiled slightly.

“Thanks, Miss,” he said.

“You have five minutes. Eat it fast,” said Zee, surprised by Justin’s grip on her arm.

“Sit. You must be tired after staying up all night.”

“Stop joking around!” Zee waved her hand and sat in the front seat.