Stranded [ 9 ]

>You woke up to the light of the rising sun.
>Gentle rays cast through the window shutters, bringing warmth and the promise of a new day.
>Jennette had her head on your chest and her arms folded up between you.
>You couldn't help but smile.
>The only thing wrong with this moment is that it wouldn't last forever.
>But you would enjoy it nonetheless.

>After some time passed, Jennette slowly lifted her head and looked at you.
>For a moment, it was silent, then her cheeks reddened deeply.
>She sat up and pulled the quilt off.
>"I really need to pee. Sorry."
"Go ahead. I`m going to head upstairs and take a shower."
>"Okay."
>She headed to the bathroom.
>You stood up and stretched before going upstairs.
>They creaked beneath your feet as you scaled them.
>You went into the bedroom and grabbed a change of clothing before going into the bathroom.
>Good thing this place had two of them.

>You twisted the knobs and the water came on.
>A few seconds later, you had it perfectly warm.
>It rained down and released a mire of steam.
>Okay, maybe it needed to be a bit colder.

>You had some time alone to think.
>There were a lot of things happening lately, and your thoughts were a mess because of it.
>Memories went through your mind, rivers flowing and connecting the subconscious and waking parts of your mind.
>Past experiences seemed to bleed out into the reality around you.
>You saw the faces of your lost family in the reflective tiles along the wall of the shower.
>The tidal wave of raw emotion, of fear and regret, sadness and fury, all hit you at once.
>Sights that you always pushed to the back of your mind danced within the spotlight of your thoughts.
>You tried to stop thinking about it while taking a few deep breaths.
>Soon, the flashbacks ceased to plague you.
>You sat down in the shower, legs crossed and allowing the water to freely run across your face and flow down your body.

>The steam rose from the hot water, casting faint shadows along the wall.
>You were still sitting down, recovering from what had just occurred.
>Christ, those things were getting worse.
>You checked your watch.
>You`ve been in here for an hour.
>There was a knock at the bathroom door.
>"Anon, are you okay in there?"
>There was a hint of worry in her voice.
"Yeah. I`m alright. I`ll be out in a bit."
>You braced yourself against the wall as you stood on shaky legs.
>It always fucked you up when this shit happened.
>You shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, feeling the small, fluffy rug beneath your feet.
>You dried off and put your clothes on, then opened the door.
>Down the hall in your room, Jennette was sitting on your bed.
>She heard your steps and looked up, gentle smile across her face.
>"You`re okay, right?"

"Yeah, just fine."
>In actuality, you likely weren't, but you didn't want Jennette to worry too much about you.
>"Okay... well, you up for breakfast?"
>Your stomach felt like it was run through with a hot knife, so maybe you weren`t going to-
>A gunshot.
>A scream.
>Was she hit?
>No, no. She looked fine, no wounds, nothing.
>You`ve been shot.
>Blood drained out of a wound in your chest, and you couldn`t breathe.
>You found your way to the floor and held pressure on the wound.
>It got harder by the second, and all you could do was struggle to stay awake.
>Jennette stood and looked out the window, then aimed and fired the pistol.
>All of her practice had paid off, because she hit the guy.

>You were losing a lot of blood, but she could help.
>You just knew that she wouldn't let you die.
>She remembered what to do with a wound like this.
>But she knew it wouldn't be enough.
>There was an expression of worry and anger across her face.
>"If I don`t take you to a hospital, you`re gonna die. You`ve lost too much blood. We`ve gotta go right now."
>You shook your head, not wanting her to be seen by the public.
>"I`ve got a plan, just give me a sec."
>She helped you onto the bed and gave you a piece of cloth to hold pressure on the wound with.

>She came back wearing an oddly crafted hoodie, jeans, and a pair of boots.
>"I don`t think they`ll be able to see any part of my face."
>She somehow lifted you and held you in both of her arms.
>"We`re going to fly. Don`t mess around here."
>She carried you downstairs and walked outside.
>Then she got a running start, let her wings spread out wide, and took off.

>It was cold.
>It was windy.
>The sky was bright and beautiful, and so was she, her hair flowing in the wind.
>Not a cloud in this blue patchwork ceiling, only a blue to pink gradient that stretched across your vision.

>This was probably going to be the end of your life as a hitman though.
>Too much attention, and with this wound, you`d be out of work for a while.
>But you were mainly worried about what would happen to Jennette.
>Would she be okay?
>You assured yourself that she would be okay.
>And at that moment, you decided for a career change.
>You didn`t want to be a part of this anymore.
>These thoughts gradually dwindled as the life drained from your veins.
>Jennette noticed the color draining from your face and struggled to quicken her pace.
>There was a void behind your eyes that drew you in, that seemed to hunger for what little bit of strength you clung to.

>It claimed you, dragging you deep within a massive chasm of numbness.
>No sight, no hearing, no feeling.
>But there was pain.
>And emotion.
>And something within you, even when every other part of your mind said to give up, refused to cut ties with this world.
>Refused to let go.
>You clawed your way back into your life, and soon you felt the searing, throbbing pain of the hole in your chest.
>A reminder that yes, you were still here.
>And you would remain.
>You couldn`t hang on for long though, and hoped Jennette would get there in time.
>The thought of leaving her here, all by herself...
>That wouldn`t happen.
>You couldn`t tell how long it had been, but soon your back was met with the feeling of cold, solid concrete.
>And you heard the sound of Jennette calling out, then she left you there.
>It was for the good of the both of you.
>The last thing you saw before the darkness reclaimed you was Jennette.
>Circling above you.
>Making sure you were okay.
>Then you closed your eyes.

>There was a piercing beep from a monitor to your side.
>You were in a hospital.
>You were alive.
>There was a strong pain in your chest, and a large bandage.
>You looked around for a moment.
>The walls were a stark white, but certain areas were alight from the sun peeking through the shutters on the window.
>The sunshine warmed the blanket that you were under, not to the point of discomfort though.
>You tried to sit up and you were rewarded with a sharp, radiating pain from that wound on your chest.
>You quickly laid back down, recoiling from it.
>It seemed like you were here to stay.
>It made sense though, with a wound like this.
>There was no chance of survival if you decided to leave.
>But why were you here in the first place, and who had done this to you?
>How did you get here?

>A nurse arrived in your room a few minutes later, and along side her was a police officer.
>For some reason, that sent a sharp spike of fear through your gut, but you ignored it.
>He was probably here to find out who had shot you.
>That's what you hoped for, at least.
>The nurse realized that you were awake, and rushed over to you.
>"Finally, you're awake!"
"How long have I been out?"
>She looked up for a second, thinking.
>"Two days. You've been unconscious for a while."
>Two days?
>"You're lucky we found you out there. Someone actually left you in front of the emergency room entrance and yelled for help. When we got out there, the only person there was you. Who would do something like that?"
>The police officer sat down in a chair.
>He was a gruff looking man with a few scars and short stubble on his face.
>"Someone who doesn't want to be seen, probably."
>He looked over at you.
>"Can you tell us who that was?"
"No. I... can't remember anything."

>"Retrograde amnesia. You did lose a lot of blood, and your heart had stopped. You probably had some brain damage caused by that, if that's the case."
>The nurse looked concerned.
>But the officer was having none of it.
>"Seems awfully convenient. I'm here because I suspect that you're a part of something. I've been working on this case for a while, and I finally have you cornered."
>What was this guy talking about?
>The nurse gave the officer a stern look.
>"Give him a break. The guy's been shot, can't remember anything, and now he's being yelled at by you, Take a moment to think about his health."
>"Alright. I'll be back later though."
>He got up and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind you,
>The nurse fussed about with the various equipment attached to you.
>"Don't mind him. Just stay quiet."
>Wait, what?
>"I can tell you're confused. Just don't worry, I work for the same people you do. There was a mark on your head, and someone managed to find where you lived, right?"
"I've got no clue. Seriously."

>"You can stop pretending to have amnesia now. The officer's out of the room."
"I'm... well, not joking. I don't know why someone shot me, or why there was a mark on my head, or anything else."
>The nurse/whatever the hell she was looked stupefied.
>"You're serious?"
"Absolutely. Sorry ma'am."
>"Shit. No not tell the officer about this."
"I mean, I probably have no choice, right?"
>"Yeah, pretty much. If what you're saying is true though, you're now a person with no idea about what's going on with all of this shit. You're going to die if you leave this place. Just telling you that now, so you aren't in any hurry to leave."
"Well, that's a pain. I don't plan on going any time soon anyways though."
>You gestured to the massive bandage across your chest.
"I'm going to be here for a while."
>"Good to hear. Thing is, unless your memory comes back, you're a risk to a good many people in the underground. Do not go and blab about this shit or it will come down on you, alright?"
"Yeah, I got it."

>What were you involved in?
>Well, you hoped it would come back to you.
>In the meantime, the only thing you could do is work on recovering from the wound.
>And focus on recovering your memories.