"Ferran!"
+++
Ticking of a clock, heavy breathing, dropping of blood, and blowing of the wind. Suddenly the sound of them quickened and repeated. Ferran was overturned by a memory.
That was the voice from Sanchez.
He immediately searched for his partner and he found him peacefully sleeping in the hospital bed and he found himself sitting on a single sofa near the window. He looked at his wristwatch and it's already 9 PM.
Then suddenly he remembered what happened inside that dark forest.
***
While he was interrogating one of the fake hunters, Sanchez shouted his name and he felt Sanchez push him then he heard a gunshot. Sanchez almost screamed and there, Ferran found out that his partner had been hit by a bullet from the back. He did not hesitate to pull his gun and shoot the two behind them.
The one who lost consciousness earlier and the other was Sanchez's opponent who had two bullet wounds but they could have been attacked if Ferran had not preceded him. When he faced the last one standing, his head was almost cut by an ax if he did not quickly avoid it by lying on the ground.
It doesn't end there 'coz the fake hunter intends to attack him again but he rolled on the ground and rolled again and again and again until he got his chance to shoot the enemy's other hand. The hunter let go of his weapon and almost rolled on the ground because of so much pain.
Ferran approached Sanchez to help him stand up but Sanchez couldn't even lift an arm due to excessive weakness. He lost a lot of blood because of a wound in his right arm.
"Hold on Sanchez! Hold on!" Ferran took off his top uniform and wrapped it in Sanchez's bloody wound.
He tried to contact a Rescue but there was no signal in that area.
"Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!" He almost throws his phone due to his annoyance.
Sanchez was about to lose consciousness but after a while, Ferran heard the sound of a helicopter getting closer and closer to where they were.
Soon the Rescue arrived and immediately laid Sanchez on the emergency rescue folding stretcher bed while Ferran followed them until they boarded the helicopter.
***
He asked one of the Rescue how they found out that Ferran and Sanchez needed help and his answer was that someone called them anonymously. It was said that they needed help so they immediately went to the forest where they were.
Ferran sighed heavily, stood up, and looked at Sanchez before he left the private room. He saw police in charge in front of the room aligned to Sanchez's room. One of the fake hunters was inside that room.
As he walks out of the hospital, he wonders why no one even comes or visits Sanchez. Does he have no family? Or other close friends besides Ferran? When he was about to open his pickup car, he felt someone watching him from afar.
When he looked around, he saw the shadow of a man standing behind the tree near the hospital. He fearlessly approached the tree where the mysterious man was. He thought it would leave if he noticed but it didn't.
He seemed to be waiting for Ferran to get closer so he touched his side where his gun was inserted. Making sure in case the man has a bad intention.
He pushed the man towards the tree when he reached it. When he recognized who it was, he immediately let go of him.
"Sorry. I don't mean to push you." Ferran apologized.
"It's okay. Maybe you thought that I was a bad person. I'm sorry for acting strange." Henry responded.
"What are you doing here by the way?" Asked Ferran.
"I just... I just want to know your friend's condition right now."
"Wait, You mean you're the one who contacted the Rescue?"
"Ah yeah." Ferran couldn't help but give Henry a friendly hug.
"Thank you. Thank you very much. But... but how did you know that we're there and need a rescue?"
"About that," He rubbed his palm at his nape before explaining his side. "I was just passing by when I heard a gunshot then I saw you with your friend, it looked like you needed a hand especially when your friend was shot so I hurriedly ran to call for help."
"You didn't know how much I appreciate your effort to help us. Thank you."
"It's nothing. Besides, I consider you a friend. Well, I guess your friend is in good condition so I'm going home."
"Again, thank you and kindly send my regards to Hailey. I don't know yet when I will visit her."
"I will."
+++
When Ferran returned to the hospital and walked toward Sanchez's room, someone suspicious passed on his left side who seemed to be avoiding him.
The man was wearing a polo shirt and a baseball cap that covered his face. It was as if something bad was going to happen so Ferran followed it and held his shoulder. He pulled the man to face him and suspicion turned to shock.
"Beltran?" He let go of his shoulder. "What... What are you doing here?"
"I just visited someone."
"S-Sorry. I have mistaken you." Ferran apologized but Beltran just nodded and left him.
When he entered the room, he found the nurse replacing the dextrose attached to Sanchez who had not regained consciousness since they arrived at the hospital.
Ferran just watched what the nurse was doing until she left. He stayed, waited for Sanchez to wake up but fell asleep out of exhaustion.
***
Footsteps.
Heartbeat monitor.
Whispers.
"...forget and you'll live, remember and you'll die."
***
Beads of cold sweats formed on his forehead.
"Forget and you'll live, remember and you'll die?" He repeated the words from his dream while wiping his sweat.
'What are those words? Who said it? Is it for me? Damn.'
He reminisced the first time he dreamed of that scenario. He's still in his original body so it's not Ferran's. Maybe a warning? A warning for him... but for what?
He shook his head, tried to erase it from his mind, walked toward Sanchez, and sat near his partner.
"You sleep too long. Will you wake up or not? Just kidding." Ferran talked as if he had someone who could hear what he said. "I'm dead to the real Ferran when he found out that I put you in harm." He said.
"You know what? You and Beltran are the same, always there for his partner. So I was really hurt when he died." He closed his eyes and the event played in his mind numerous times, how Beltran passed away in a blink of an eye.
He dared to speak because he knew no one would hear him. He has no one to talk to 'coz he couldn't just let anyone know where he came from. It sounds stupid but what he could do? It happened to him. He reincarnated two years back and lives in his rival's body.
"I hope I can change it too before the appointed time comes." He looked at Sanchez's pale face. "I also wish that I can win this battle, be part of the hope. Hope of our dying world in the future."
"B-Battle? What battle?"