Elegance with Expense

52. Blue and Red Flashing Lights

It was black, and then there were flashing lights around me. The distant commotion became closer and closer as I became more aware. I was lying on an uncomfortable bed, the type that you would find in the jail cell of a third world country. I wasn't complaining though, at least I wasn't sitting upright.

Bitter air hit my bare arms as I shivered in agony, the feeling had calmed, but the principal hadn't. I was clearly targeted, I just cannot remember how it all happened.

I felt my eyes moving from left to right as the lights flashed in slow motion above me, and the not so distant siren noise sped up slightly. I coughed to scratch the inside of my throat, then tried to push myself up, I needed to see where I was. Had I been captured? Had I been captured and now am I being saved?

I coughed once more, but the sound was less than pathetic compared to the noises around me, I was questioning whether or not I had even heard myself. No words were coming out my mouth, I couldn't even form decent sentences in my mind, only air came out.

With all the strength that I had left in my body, I pushed myself up on my elbows and looked around. The noise that I was hearing earlier was the irritating sirens on top of the ambulance, and the bitterness came from the outside.

I couldn't see anybody, nor could I hear anyone, I definitely was not at the back of the restaurant, and my family was not here with me.

A derelict road, looking like an abandoned highway with grasslands on either side. The ambulance had stopped at an angle, all doors had been carelessly flung open, and I was lying on the travel bed a few meters away.

The only light was the one coming from the emergency vehicle, but it was frightening, being left alone at a place like this in the dark.

Common sense, something had clearly happened whilst I was being transported. It wasn't hard for me to understand that I still felt like a bus had hit me, and now it seemed like I was in some real trouble.

If the ambulance did get hijacked by the same people who wanted to hurt me, why did they leave me? Why did they take the paramedics and ruin the truck, but they did nothing other than poison and leave me to freeze?

Just as I turned myself, I heard a groan, signifying that I wasn't as alone as I originally assumed. The murmur wasn't threatening, it sounded more like somebody was in pain, and it was heard from right in front of me.

This gave me the motivation to properly push myself up on my elbows and glance around, it was mainly dark so it was difficult to see, especially with the distracting red and blue lights.

I was still dizzy, and the minute I sat back up, my hysterical choking started up again; I held my breath quickly which seemed to do the trick, and rolled off the bed, not realizing how high it was. My legs weren't working, so the best option was to crawl towards the direction of the body I was seeing against the ambulance.

This man was definitely alive, but I couldn't be sure if this was a trick to get me into a more vulnerable position, away from anything I could use as a weapon. But I needed to make sure that he was alright.

I wanted to gasp at what I saw, but my voice wouldn't work, so I just covered my mouth as I locked eyes with my favourite brother.

His right hand had been chained to the taillight of the ambulance, and his other hand was holding the side of his stomach. 

Only when the rotating lights displayed blue, did I see the blood all over him, it was his own.

'Alessa, you can't help me here.' He panted, leaning over to clench his wound.