Page 146 of Kings & Chaos

“I’ll have someone check on your friend as soon as we get you a bed,” she said.

I looked around for clues about what was going on, what had happened to Rock, but everything looked the same: pale green walls and the too-bright lights that were staring to give me a headache.

Then something crashed behind me, and I heard the clatter of another gurney, this time accompanied by medical staff shouting instructions, their voices urgent.

“We have two gunshots plus head trauma on this one.”

I tried to turn over to see if it was Rock but I couldn’t make my body move.

Nurse Reynolds touched my arm. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“BP dropping!” someone shouted. “I’m going to need a crash cart next to that bed!”

The rattling of the gurney was getting louder, approaching from beyond my head down the hall.

It rolled past so fast I didn’t see the face of the patient.

But I saw the ring on his hand: a gold crown entwined with snakes, the ruby dull under the hospital lights.

Oscar.

And then a second gurney moving just as fast as the first, surrounded by medical staff on both sides, one of them holding an IV bag.

I followed the line to the arm and saw the crown tattoo on a man’s forearm, another ring on his finger, this one set with a jet-black stone.

And blood. So much blood it soaked his clothes.

Neo…

“Nooo!!!!!” I shrieked. I fought to get up, and Nurse Reynolds shouted for help as she held me down, unintelligible screams emerging from my mouth, a sob wrenched from my throat. “Nooo…”

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