Page 164 of Dissolving Prejudice

I was about to do the same when something sparkled at the corner of my eye, and I looked down at one of the chair’s legs to find—

“That’s mine,” I whispered, voice choked as I lifted up my necklace from the floor. The gold was stained with blood, but there was no mistaking it—this was my necklace, the one Oro had ripped from my neck.

“Shay-Lee, hurry up!” Jordan shouted from where he stood by the door, Camilo passed out on his shoulders.

Collecting myself back together, I shoved the necklace into my pocket and ran toward them. We were smart to hurry, as fire had already spread around the building by the time we reached the ground floor, causing the temperature to rise. The fumes of burning fuel stung my eyes while smoke clogged my throat. Thankfully, the passage to the exit wasn’t blocked by flames, and we were able to run out of the burning place before it killed us, too.

The cars that were parked outside earlier were almost all gone, including the men Jordan beat up when we first got here. Not lingering to wonder where they all went, I pulled the van’s keys out and ran ahead to open the sliding door, so when Jordan reached it, we were able to carefully place Camilo on his back.

Camilo’s face twitched as we laid him down, yet his eyes remained closed.

“We better hurry up.” Jordan said what I already knew.

I took a sharp breath before getting in the van and jumping into the driver’s seat.

“Make sure to keep him safe,” I ordered, then turned on the engine and hit the gas.

The next twenty-five minutes were probably the longest eternity I’d ever lived. Every second was tormenting, every minute never-ending as time stood still. The roads seemed to stretch forever, mile after mile of the same thing. Beads of sweat covered my forehead, causing my hair to stick to my face. Yet, despite the annoyance, I focused on the road ahead, all while ignoring Jordan, who was telling me Camilo was getting worse.

I knew he was getting worse.

I knew he was dying.

I also knew the only thing I could do at that moment was to get him to the fucking hospital as fast as I could, so that’s what I did. Driving like a madman, I didn’t stop at red lights or lift my leg off the gas and instead maneuvered between cars like the road was a racing track. The only thing racing faster than this shitty van was my heart, which was seconds away from exploding. Spotting the hospital from afar, I pushed the gas pedal all the way down until the van squeaked and rattled. Hopefully, this piece of junk wouldn’t fail on me.

“Watch out!” Jordan yelled as I drove full speed toward one of the hospital’s parking barriers that stood in my way.

I drove straight into it, the mechanical arm breaking with the crash but not slowing down the van. The only thing it did was grab security’s attention, who now called for us to stop. No fucking way. Instead of pulling by the side of the road as I was called to do, I drove the van into the ambulance bay, my heart going on a hundred, until I pulled up in front of the emergency entrance. Leaving the engine running, I unbuckled myself and dashed out of the van. Security was running toward me, but instead of stopping with my arms up in the air, I circled the car and slid open the door.

“I need help! He’s dying!” I screamed at the medical staff who stood near the entrance to the building.

Thankfully, they came running toward us with a stretcher ready. The medics reached the van at the same time the security had, and so lost in the chaos, I didn’t realize I was being detained.

“Wait, no, you got it all wrong,” I shouted at the security man who held my arms behind my back. “I’m with him.” I tried pulling toward the stretcher they carried Camilo on when the security guy pulled me back and away.

I kicked my legs and screamed out my lungs, resisting their arrest until one of the medics spoke.

“Male, mid-twenties, unresponsive on arrival. Lacerations to the face and multiple contusions across the chest and abdomen. BP’s dropping—80 over 50. Heart rate is 140. Rigid abdomen, likely internal bleeding. Pulse ox is 85%. Let’s move—Trauma One!”

A suffocating sense of dread gripped my chest, stealing my breath, when Jordan moved toward me.

“No.” I spoke fast, not even stopping to think. “Stay with him.”

Our eyes locked before he nodded, turned around, and followed the medics who carried Camilo into the hospital. It all happened so damn fast that before I knew it, they were both gone, and all I was left to do was to pray.

Not that praying ever helped in my case, but maybe, just this time, it would.

Shay-Lee

“Oh, thank God, you’re here,” Soren sighed with relief as he entered the small room I was currently in.

He was the first person I called after the security staff let me go.

“Yeah, thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“Of course.” He brushed his dark hair back and fixed his glasses. “Are you okay?” he asked, stopping by the bed I was sitting on.

“Yeah, I am.” My eyes focused on my thigh. I wore pants now so Soren couldn’t see the bandage, but earlier, I got a few stitches to the small stab wound. “I was rather lucky. After I explained everything, the security guards let me go with a warning and a fine to pay for that gate I broke. Then, I got treated here for some minor injuries.”