Serpents • Daryl Dixon

1

I groaned and tried to open my eyes, only to have a bright light peak through and close them. I flutter my eyes finally to be able to see my surroundings. I looked around furrowing my eyebrows, confused as to where I was at. I then hear beeping sounds out of the blue and turn to see a heart monitor and the familiar lines going up and down.

Before all of this, I just graduated college four years prior and just finished my medical training and was about to be a certified nurse, but unfortunately that didn't happen. I sit up, rubbing my head and seeing some IV needles in me, along with what looks like a hospital gown. I hissed in pain as I tore the needles out and slowly got off the bed. I looked in some of the drawers next to me, hoping to find some sort of weapon. Luckily, I find a pair of scissors and grab a hold on them in my hand tightly.

I make my way towards the front door with slow steady steps. As if they can hear me when I'm barefooted. I reach the door and slowly grab a hold of the handle and turn it. I open the door as slow as I can, hoping to not make any noise. Suddenly, the fear of making any noise was not important when a doctor appears on the other side, accompanied by a police officer. I raise my hand about to strike when the officer grabs my wrists and knocks it out of my hand and pushes me up against the wall, grunting in pain knowing that there's most likely bruises on my back from the car.

"Calm down. There's no need for that. You're safe now," the women tells me. She slowly releases me and I look between her and the doctor.

"Safe? You guys hit me with a car! The least you could've done was be more welcoming about it," I yell at her and the doctor, taking a step forward which probably wasn't the best idea.

"Back up," the officer says as I see her rest her hand on her gun. I do as she says, not wanting today to be my last day on earth. I feel myself breathing heavily as I put some distance in between them and me.

"Where the hell am I?" I demanded.

"First tell us your name. This will give us the opportunity to have a somewhat professional conversation with you from here on out. So, tell us your name," she demands. In my head, I debated with myself if I should give her my real name. But then again, this woman has a gun and who knows what else?

"Ava. Ava Coleman. Now, where the hell am I?" I ask again forcefully and annoyed.

The female officer sighs before saying, "You're at Grady Memorial Hospital. You're lucky we found you when we did or else who knows what might of happened to you."

"Lucky? You guys could've just came up and talked to me instead of just hitting me with a damn car, " I said angrily.

"Well, would you have even bothered to listen if we did?" She asked. Well, she did have a point. "And by the way, my men didn't mean to hit you; they mistook you for a rotter, " she went on to say.

I sighed before looking towards the ground. Looking at my legs, I see a bunch of cuts and bruises that just kept piling up. Let's just say I've had a rough journey.

I look back up at the officer, "So when will I be able to leave?" I asked.

She furrowed her eyebrows at me like I just said something stupid.

"You don't get to leave. We saved your life, and now you owe us," she said. I felt my eyebrows raise because I knew for a fact that this women cannot be serious.

"Okay first of all, I didn't asked to be saved. And second, who the hell are you to tell me that I can't leave?" I said as I got closer to her where I was up to her face.

"I won't tell you a second time. Back. Up, " she demanded. I stood in front of her for a few seconds, looking straight into her eyes, and backed up.