How did you get that way?
(You don't even hide how you feel)
How did it get this way?
Make your decision
(You gon' regret it the rest of your life)
Now there's a consequence
You say you're seeing someone else
(Who can love you better than me?)
I'll leave you two alone
Xhane's footsteps echoed down the sterile hallway.
The pungent scent of antiseptic mixed with a hint of synthetic fragrance assaulted her senses, almost making her want to turn around.
The overhead lights hummed casting a clinical glow on the scenery.
As she walked down the stretched-out hallway, her focus remained on the countless doors each adorned with a numerical label.
The numbers began to blur as her mind became overwhelmed with heavy thoughts.
The images of Demons's lifeless body being pierced by bullets flooded her consciousness. Tugging at the edges of her mind.
Xhane was unable to shake the images out of her head. She could still hear the sound of scorching bullets tearing through flesh.
No matter how hard she tried to escape, they seemed to cling to every thought almost haunting her.
The Blinding LED lights seemed to mock her aiding in the nausea sensation that slowly continued to get worse.
Her throat burned as warm liquid inched up, threatening to escape almost making her gag.
The gravity of her actions started to sink in, tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
She couldn't believe what she was about to do, and the realization of it all was crashing down on her.
Unable to keep walking around. Xhane rushed towards the bathroom ahead of her.
Her trembling hand pushed against the heavy metal door, immediately opening not bothering to check if it was already occupied.
The door swung open, revealing an empty dim bathroom. Before she could fully lock the door, warm liquid erupted from her mouth splattering onto the tile floor.
Bracing herself against the cold wall for support, she continued to gag uncontrollably. The thought of vomiting made her stomach churn even more.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stumbled away from the mess grabbing tissues to wipe her mouth.
Making her way toward the sink. Xhane turned the cold water to cleanse her mouth. The foul taste lingered disgusting her even more.
As the cold water washed away the remaining sickness from her mouth. She couldn't help but feel the weight of regret settle in her chest.
Xhane gazed at herself in the mirror, trying to recognize who she was but she failed. Her once-glowing skin was dull. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.
Her face was starting to sink in due to her lack of eating. Lately, all she did was smoke, she did not want to face herself.
The reflection of what was staring at her was not her but a distorted image of despair.
One by one, her hot tears fell into the cold porcelain sink blending with the water disappearing down the drain.
The weight of her guilt pressed harder with each muffled sob, suffocating her from within.
She knew she had reached a point where reversing the damage was impossible.
Xhane wished she would've thought about the consequences before she allowed her sour feelings to get her into a position like this.
The decision she was about to make would change the dynamic of everything she once knew.
She would be further inserting herself in something she never wanted to take a side on.
Pushing the heavy feelings to the side, Xhane wiped her face and prepared herself for what she came to do.
As she emerged from the bathroom, a shiver ran down her spine.
She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched, the unsettling sensation lingered within her.
Deciding to ignore it, Xhane was determined to find the room. She already felt like she took too long as it was.
Turning her body to now the dim hallway her eyes scanned the numbers, and finally her gaze landed on the unmistakable 543.
Xhane braced herself preparing to open the metallic door and step inside.
Her skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat. Her heart thumped forcefully in her chest causing her to almost clutch her torso in pain.
Just as her finger was about to touch the cold door, she heard a loud noise from within the room.
Xhane froze in her tracks, and the unsettling feeling that plagued her intensified urging her to continue.
Without pausing to think, Xhane flung the door open and stepped inside.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to grow heavy as Xhane's gaze met the unfamiliar face.
Her brown eyes quickly realized that the mystery girl was holding a pillow over the demon's face.
Demon's body moved up and down as she tried to get loose. Her sharp nails dug into the girl's wrist making a sharp hiss escape her lips.
" What the fuck is you doin " Xhane spat out
The girl diverted her attention from Demon and turned her body fully towards Xhane.
Not bothering to let the girl respond, Xhane quickly maneuvered around the hospital bed roughly lunging at the girl.
Before she could throw a punch, Xhane felt a searing pain on her cheek. A sharp sting accompanied by warm crimson liquid trickling down her face.
Xhane's anger rose as her gaze swiftly shifted towards the knife held by the girl, realizing she had just been cut.
" Bitch who the fuck are you " Xhane aggressively questioned as her hands wrapped around the girl's throat tightly.
The sound of the girl's choked breaths mixed in with the thudding of her heartbeat.
The girl's lips curled into a sly smile, her eyes glistened with mischief.
" Me ? Oh, I'm just here for a lil bit of fun " the girl responded twirling a knife in her hand.
Before Xhane could respond, the girl lunged her skull into Xhane's causing her grip to be released.
A searing pain radiated through Xhane's head as she lost her balance, stumbling backward and clutching her throbbing skull.
Without wasting a moment, the girl seized the opportunity of Xhane being disoriented.
She began releasing a series of sharp hard punches each landing with calculated precision.
The sound of punches echoed in the room causing Xhane to fully lose her balance.
As Xhane struggled to get off the ground. She found herself underneath the girl, still desperately trying to grab the girl's hair.
A glint of metal caught Xhane's attention. Her gaze fell on the knife clasped tightly in the girl's hand preparing to use it.
Xhane's breath hitched, and her whole body froze. Her pulse throbbed throughout her body reminding her of the fear that she felt.
Just as the knife inched closer to Xhane's trembling skin, she felt the weight of the girl's body fall off of her.
Her eyes immediately darted to demon who gasped for air as she weakly uttered,
"Get up, yo," as she struggled to speak amidst her coughing.
Xhane's heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. The pain in her head came rushing back intensely.
She groggily pushed herself off the cold hospital floor as she surveyed the room seeing the girl getting up at the same time she was.
Her eyes landed on one of the knives that the girl had dropped during their scuffle.
Instinctively, Xhane reached out and grasped it tightly in her trembling hand.
Barely getting steady on her feet, she saw the girl lunging straight towards her.
Reacting on pure instinct, Xhane swiftly side-stepped dodging the sharp hook that was intended to knock her ass down.
In one fluid motion, Xhane gripped the knife tightly grazing it across the girl's cheek. The sound of the blade tearing flesh made her blood run cold.
A loud gasp escaped the girl's lips as she stumbled back clutching her face. Shock etching itself into her features.
Without a word, the girl staggered out of the room. Leaving Xhane in shock, her hands trembled as she lowered the stained knife putting into her back pocket.
Xhane took a deep breath as her attention shifted back to Demon, who was sitting there fluctuating between consciousness from the medication.
Walking over to the wall, Xhane swiftly unplugged all the monitoring equipment.
The last thing she needed was for the alarm to go off bringing attention to them.
She was already surprised nobody heard all the fighting that just took place.
Time was crucial and Xhane needed to get Demon out of this hospital, she knew it was only a certain amount of time before someone else came to kill Demon.
She barely fought the last bitch, there was no way she was winning anymore today.
With gentle hands, she quickly replaced Demon's hospital clothes with regular ones.
"We gotta go," Demon slurred out, her voice tingling with urgency. Xhane quickly shushed her.
Holding Demon up, Xhane made it look like she was merely offering support.
Walking out of the room, Xhane glanced both ways making sure nobody was paying attention before pulling the fire alarm setting off the piercing sirens.
Chaos instantly erupted as medical staff and patients flooded out of their rooms, their attention directed towards the emergency.
Xhane smirked as this created the perfect cover to blend into the crowd.
Making sure her grip was tight on demon, Xhane maneuvered through a busy crowd barely catching the attention of anyone just like planned.
Stepping outside the hospital, relief washed over Xhane as she spotted the car. Exactly where they had promised it would be.
"Come on, Demon, we're almost there," she urged, the loud sirens masking the footsteps and hurried breaths.
As they reached the car, Xhane's heart raced with a mix of fear and determination, knowing that their escape was the only chance for Demon's survival.
The sensation of being watched returned, sending shivers down her spine.
She momentarily froze but shook it off quickly not wanting to draw suspicious attention towards herself with demon gang members.
Dismissing the feeling, Xhane opened the car door placing Demon into the back seat with the help of one of her gang members.
Finally getting inside, Xhane let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Feeling the strange feeling creeping back up, she glanced out the window as the car accelerated.
The hospital lights blurred into streaks of color, but Xhane's attention was drawn to a figure standing on a rooftop.
Moving her face closer to the window, Xhane pushed her glasses on her face so she could try to see who that was.
Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes met Nah'jae's gaze.
Nah'jae stared back at her with an unsettling calmness, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Xhane's face turned pale as she watched Nah'jae effortlessly twirl a gun in her hand and point it in her direction.
Sinking into her seat, Xhane's mind raced trying to comprehend how Nah'jae had found her.
She didn't understand how Nah'jae managed to track her down despite all the precautions she had taken.
Tears threatened to leave her eyes as she knew deep down there was no escaping this situation. She understood that Nah'jae would never forgive her.
As the car sped through the night, Xhane's mind raced with regret and fear.
Her past had finally caught up with her. Sooner or later she would have to face the consequences of her choices.