Page 83 of Red Obsession

“He’s going to find me and kill you,” her broken whispers break through. “He’ll kill you.”

It’s not possible.

“Shit, Izel!” Gabriel yells.

Her eyes barely flutter open before she's mumbling again, and though I can’t make out the words, I lift her, hurrying for the stairs. I have no idea where Killian went, or if Gabriel’s even behind me as I run up the stairs and through the compound.

“Nearest hospital, Gabriel,” I order, the truck coming into view. I have to save her, I need to.

Just as we reach the truck, Killian rounds it and glances at Izel in my arms. Something passes over his face before he’s yanking the door open. Pulling my keys out, I’m not sure who takes them. I climb into the truck, holding her against my chest, unable to look away from her blooded face. Killian and Gabriel converse. But I can’t focus on their words, my eyes glued to Izel.

Izel’s limp body lays in my arms, and every few minutes her breathing stops, and I tense. I know I’m losing her. I can feel it. I can’t live without her.

My eyes can’t move away from her broken nose, swollen eyes, the bruises that cover the entirety of her face and neck. Handprints around her throat. Bruised fingerprints around her breasts.

It’s not until we’re pulling into the emergency room that I finally look up, and Gabriel opens the back door helping me out. We’re both running into the waiting room. A few patients gasp while two nurses who are talking behind the desk stop mid-sentence the moment they see us.

“Page Dr. Mills, Sara, grab a gurney!” one of them yells, and nurses rush around, before the gurney is in front of us where I place her down.

My pulse jumps, watching as they wheel her away. Following closely behind, I can hear the nurses ask questions, but I can’t answer them. My fist tightens as I watch them hooking equipment up, IVs into her arm, BP around her bicep, an oxygen mask.

“SIR!” someone yells, grabbing my arm.

Glancing at the hand, I rip their fingers off me. “Don’t fucking touch me!” I scream, knowing I sound crazy. But only her, onlyIzel touches me. “She was attacked…I don’t know.”

The silent beeping is the only thing keeping me grounded, knowing she has a pulse. Knowing she’s alive and for now so is the person who hurt her.

27

Izel

“He’sgoingtokillyou all,” I mumble, twisting my face when I realize something feels different. The concrete ground is replaced with something warm and soft. There’s a faint beeping in the background, and death no longer lingers in my nose, it’s clean.

“Izel,” someone whispers. A gentle brush of their finger on my cheek causes me to sob. I’m so tired of crying, so tired of being used, sodamn tired.

“Red, it’s okay.”

“He’s going to kill you all,” I repeat, unable to open my eyes and face the monster again. “HE’S GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!” I shout, thrashing around. Panic rips me around. I know what’s going to happen and I’m not going to be able to stop it. I’m weak, I’m useless, I’m nothing.

The dream of Zion coming in here and saving the day is nothing but that, a dream. He’s not coming, I never told him the truth. I never told him anything. He won’t be able to find me. He’s never going to, he’s dead.

“Izel, please, shhh, it’s okay, calm down!” Their hands grip my arm, and I can’t bear it anymore. I’m thrashing, clawing, and screaming at the top of my lungs.

“HE’S GOING TO MURDER YOU!” I shout just as loud hard noises fill my ears, then something pricks my arm. I sob, unsure of what hits me. “He’s going… he’s going… kill you all.” I become sleepy, as my voice breaks as unconsciousness takes me under.

The faint sound of repetitive beeping wakes me from what feels like the best sleep I’ve gotten. Only the moment I’m barely aware of my surroundings, my body hurts, and the fogginess eases away. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I hold on to the pain that courses through my body. I try to drag my eyes open, only to be blinded by the bright fluorescent lights. Squeezing my eyes, I blink, ignoring the tears leaking from the corner of my eyes as they slowly adjust to my surroundings.

IV’s hang near my head, heart monitors, and much more that I have no idea what they do hang around me.

I’m free. I’m in the hospital.

It takes more energy than I like to pull my hand up from the bed, gently touching my face. I hiss when I touch my cheek. I can feel the bruises, but the cuts are new to me. White gauze is wrapped around my wrist. I try to wrap my head around what happened, trying to remember how I even got to the hospital but it’s a blank state.

The door opens and my heart breaks as Zion walks into the room. My skin crawls, and I can feel myself wanting to disappear. Devil never beat me like this. Sure I had bruises and cuts, but I can’t imagine what I look like right now. And I don’t want to.

He’s at my side in an instant. I want him to grab my hand. Tell me everything is going to be okay, but when he doesn’t my heart shatters. He doesn’t want me anymore. He knows what they did to me. I’m not clean. I’m disgusting, and he sees it.

“Leave,” I find myself whispering. I don’t need to see him to watch me break. I don’t want him to see me like this. I twist my face away from him, sobbing at the pain that shoots down my neck. Everything feels like too much and I don’t want this.

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