The Monster's Fury

CHAPTER SIX

Adrienne POV

Cole’s murderous laugh echos throughout the room. I can’t peel my eyes off the screen. The closer Carmen gets to Taylor, the more my heart sinks.

“Stop it! I’ll do anything you want! Please!” I cry. I get down on my knees and beg. At this point, what else do I have to lose? If I can get Taylor out of this, then it’s worth it.

“Stop, please. I’ll stop fighting.” I lower my head and watch as my tears hit the floor. I wait for a response, praying that my begging works. He stalks towards me and stops right in front of me. I can see his black shoes as I continue to look down at the floor. He bends down and cups his finger under my chin, lifting my head so that I’m looking at him.

“This is all I wanted from you-- your submission.” His sinister smile sends chills down my spine.

“I just wish you would have given it to me sooner.”

“No. Please. Tay–” He quickly grabs my throat and lifts me to my feet. He swings his body around me so that his erection is poking my ass.

“Now you can watch as your precious cousin takes her last breath.” I struggle against him as I try to break free of his grasp, but his grip around my neck just tightens.

“Settle down Butterfly, it’ll all be over soon.” He breathes, licking the side of my neck. Tears cascade down my face as I continue to fight against him, but everything I try fails. I’m no match for him right now, he overpowers me in every way. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. I turn my head, not wanting to see anymore.

“Oh, no you don’t. Open those beautiful eyes for me.” His voice is sinister as he holds my neck and head, forcing me to watch as Carmen injects a needle into Taylor’s IV. My eyes follow as the air bubble travels from the IV into her vein and my entire world stops. I pray for someone to walk in before it’s too late, but I know I’m praying for nothing. Being that Carmen had unplugged Taylor’s machines, no one else knows what’s going on.

Her eyes spring open as her body starts to shake uncontrollably. She claws at her chest and neck as she tries to breathe, but she’s suffocating. Her head jolts from left to right as she tries to find anything that can help her. Her eyes finally land on Carmen. She reaches out for Carmen to help her but she does nothing. Tears fall down her face as she realizes that the person she loves is actually the one killing her. All of my attention is focused on her wide eyes. I can see her pain, her fear, the feeling of betrayal.

I scream until my throat burns. It’s the only thing I could do. The more I scream, the more Cole laughs. He’s enjoying every minute of this and if I could I would kill him where he stands. I thrash my head back and forth as I try to get loose from his grip. His hold on my neck gets tighter but I don’t care-- I just want to help my sister.

A cold shiver runs down my body, freezing every bone. I peer my eyes at the screen in front of me, Taylor’s body goes limp. I watch lifelessly as she takes her last breath. Carmen leans over and leaves a long kiss on her forehead.

“Yes! I love it when she leaves her signature mark! That kiss of death makes my d**k tingle.” He beams.

Every part of me shuts down. The room starts to spin and the only thing I could hear is my slow, heavy breathing. The only thing I can see is Taylor lying on the hospital bed motionless. She’s gone. She’s really gone. She’s gone. She’s gone. My last words before darkness takes over.

Hunter POV

I look into the bag where the new camera that I just brought Taylor is. I wanted to get her something nice as my way of apologizing for going M.I.A. My hope is that she’ll like it and it would at least help ease the tension, which I’m sure there would be between us. I reach her floor and there’s nothing but chaos as soon as I get off the elevator. Nurses and doctors are running back and forth.

My pace quickens and I can’t help but feel uneasy as I get closer to her room. A nurse accidentally bumps into me as she rushes past me with a defibrillator. I watch as she continues to run down the hallway.

“Don’t make a right. Don’t make a right.” I pray to anyone up there that would listen. My prayers must have fallen on deaf ears because she made the right. I drop the bag with the camera and run as fast I can to Taylor’s room. I barge in and she’s surrounded by doctors and nurses.

“Taylor.” I choke as I try to grasp what’s going on right now.

“Someone get him out of here!” The doctor yells out. One of the female nurses turns around and comes up to me.

“Sir, you need to leave.” She demands as she grabs me and tries to usher me out of the room. I look back and see Taylor lying on the hospital bed. Her only movement is from the doctor doing chest compressions. The nurse is finally able to push me out the door and close it behind her. I stand there and listen. It’s the only thing I’m able to do at this point.

“Prepare for shock.” I hear the doctor shout.

“Clear the patient.”

“Everyone clear.” The nurses respond.

“CLEAR!” I can hear the impact of the voltage hitting Taylor’s body. Silence takes over the room, the only noise is from the flatline of the machines.

“Charge to 300.”

“Clear!” Again, no sound but the flatline.

“Resume CPR. Start chest compressions.” Everything goes blank. My mind, my surroundings-- for a while it feels like I’m not present. I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here-- it feels like time stood still. Until I heard those words.

“Time of death 18:23. Notify the family.” Soon after, the door opens and the same nurse who ushered me out is now looking at me with pools of tears in her eyes. I let her pass knowing that she’s not going to tell me anything because I’m not a family member.

My back hits the wall as I sink down to the floor. My mind went from being numb and blank to having a million thoughts a second. The one screaming at me is Adrienne, then guilt comes shortly after. I should have been here for her. I promised Adrienne-- I promised her and I failed again. Her parents--oh f**k her parents! I quickly stand up and pull out my phone and call Carlos. I know they would rather hear the news from me, than some random nurse.

“Hunter, what’s up?” I open my mouth to say something but the words don’t come out.

“Hello?” He asks again. I clear my throat and finally speak up.

“Carlos, you guys need to come to the hospital.” There’s silence on the other side.

“You still there?” I ask.

“Tell me what happened.” His voice is low and hoarse, making it even harder having to be the one to tell him this.

“It’s okay Hunter, just tell me what happened.” I sigh, knowing this is going to break them.

“Taylor’s gone.”

“Wait, what do you mean she’s gone? How? She was fine--she– she was healing. What happened?!” I can hear the panic in his voice.

“I don’t know how. I came to visit her and the doctors were already doing CPR trying to bring her back. They won’t tell me anything else. You should be getting a call soon. I just figured you would want to hear this from family.”

“This is going to kill Rosa. Both of our babies... gone--” His voice cracks.

“We’ll be right there.” He hung up the phone before I could say anything else. I know he’s trying to hang on but he’s broken-- who wouldn’t be.

Doctors and nurses start to leave Taylor’s room with equipment. Soon after, the nurse that I kept bumping into starts walking towards me. She was walking with her head down but then she quickly raises it when she gets closer to me. I can tell she’s good at her job and every loss affects her personally in some way.

“Hunter?” She gently asks as she stands in front of me. I look up and furrow my brows, surprised that she knows my name, especially since I’ve never met her before.

“The Santana’s said you’d still be here.” She quickly says after realizing my confusion.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss. These things are never easy. You can go in and see her if you’d like. They said it would be okay.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” She pauses for a second, probably trying to find the best way to put it.

“She had a heart attack. I don’t really know much else. I don’t work on this floor. I’m usually on 11 but one of the nurses had a family emergency and had to leave early.”

“Which nurse was that?”

“I think her name was ummm--” She closes her eyes, trying to remember the name of the nurse.

“Crap, I’m sorry, I can’t remember. I’m really bad with names. I can ask someone if you would like.”

“It’s okay, thanks.” She smiles and puts her hand on my shoulder.

“If there’s anything you need, just find me.” I nod my head and she walks off. I look at Taylor’s room and take a deep breath. This family has suffered so much, first Adrienne, now Taylor. I shake my head and clear my throat as I open the door and walk inside the room.

It’s weird how quiet it is now. I’m used to hearing her throwing the remote at the TV because there was never anything good on, or her sweet talking some nurse while they checked her vitals. I pull back the curtains and see her lying there with a white sheet covering her body and face. My legs grow heavier the closer I get to her. I’m not ready to face this reality, but I know I have to. My hand shakes uncontrollably as I reach out and lower the cover from her face. My heart breaks as soon as I see her.

“s**t, Taylor.” I choke up as I look away, not being able to face her anymore. I pull up the chair that’s in the corner knowing that my legs are probably going to give out soon. I take a deep breath as I sit down and refocus on Taylor. Her skin is already a light shade of purple, and for some reason, just by looking at her like this, I can tell that she didn’t go peacefully.

“What happened to you Taylor? I thought you were going to make it through all of this.” My head sinks down after realizing what a huge slap in the face this is. Adrienne went to Cole to save Taylor and she died anyway. It’s like they never stood a chance, no matter what they did. I squeeze Taylor’s hand as pity, sympathy and guilt course through me.

“I came here to apologize for leaving you alone but I never imagined this was what I was going to walk into. I feel like I’ve been saying sorry ever since Adrienne died. When she left, my world crumbled and I didn’t know how to pick up the pieces-- I still don’t. I’m pretty sure you know the feeling more than anyone.” I sigh.

“I’ll tell you one thing, you are a f*****g trooper. Anyone would have thrown in the towel a long time ago but you stuck through everything. Adrienne told me about your dad and everything that happened when you were a kid. You’ve been suffering for a long time Taylor.” My eyes scan the room that’s been her home for the past few months.

“It must have been hell, staying here with nowhere to go. Nowhere to escape from your thoughts. Trapped. When I think about it, I can’t help but hope there’s something good after this life. I hope you see Adrienne and I hope there’s happiness waiting for you. You deserve it.” I let go of her hand and stand up from the chair. I grab onto the ends of the white cloth and cover her face back up. I stand there in silence until I hear people talking outside of the door.

“It’s so sad, she was so young. Who would have thought she would have a heart attack?”

“Has anyone spoken to Carmen? I know she left early but they were close. I think she would want to know.”

The more I listened, the more I couldn't shake this nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. I look down at Taylor’s body and can’t help but feel like she’s trying to tell me something. I quickly leave the room to look for the two women who were just talking. I find them a little further down from Taylor’s room having a conversation. One was a blonde and the other a brunette. I quickly make my way towards them. I know I have to play this smart if I want to get some type of answers.

“Excuse me, ladies.” I call out. They both turn around.

“Do any of you work on this floor?” I ask them.

“Yes, I do.” The blonde answers a little too energetically and I know she’s going to be the one that’s going to give me all of my answers.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I’m Taylor’s brother, the--umm patient in--”

“Yeah, we’re so sorry for your loss. She was a nice girl.” The brunette nurse interjects.

“Thank you. I’m just trying to figure out what happened. I’ve been waiting for a doctor to come and see me but I haven’t heard anything yet. I just want to know what happened to my sister. I heard you guys say something about a heart attack, but she was fine.

How can she just have a heart attack?” I plead and put on my most concerned face, hoping that my lies can get me some answers.

“It’s true that she was healing up and getting better, but anyone can have a heart attack. It’s not uncommon for someone to go into sudden cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, we couldn’t save her.”

“I appreciate everything you all have done for her. If you don’t mind me asking, who’s Carmen? I heard you guys talking about her. It seems she was really close to my sister?”

“Yeah, she got really attached to your sister. She was helping her a lot. I think she felt some sympathy for her.” The blonde responds, more than happy to gossip with me. People like her make my skin crawl.

“Is she here today? I would like to thank her.”

“She left early. She had a family emergency.”

“Oh, well I hope she’s okay. Is there a way I can contact her?”

“I think she’s on tomorrow as well. You can try and come by and see if you can catch her.”

“Thanks again for all your help ladies.” I smile and shake both of their hands. They turn and continue walking down the hallway. I still can’t shake the nagging feeling I felt earlier. Something just doesn’t seem right here and I have a feeling it has something to do with that Carmen nurse. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone to call Sandy.

“Sandy, I need you to look deeper into one of Taylor’s nurses.”

“Why, what’s going on with Taylor?” I was so focused on what I was doing that I forgot Sandy doesn’t know what happened.

“She died a little while ago.”

“What?! How?!”

“Doctors said she had a heart attack but something is telling me there’s something more to this. I spoke to other nurses around here and they said Carmen got really close to Taylor, I’m guessing more than a nurse usually should. She was working this shift but she left for a family emergency. I don’t think it was a coincidence.”

“You think this has something to do with Cole?”

“We never found out how he got that picture he sent to Adrienne. What if it was Carmen?”

“Okay, I’ll look into it. What are you gonna do?”

“Carlos and Rosa should be getting here soon. I’m going to wait for them.”

“That’s good, they shouldn’t be alone right now. I’ll get back to you on that info.”

“Sandy. If this is Cole--”

“I know.” She says, cutting me off and hangs up quickly after. I know she’s just as determined as I am to find Cole. That’s two of our own under his belt. She’s starting to lose her composure too.

I walk back to Taylor’s room as my mind tries to go through every event that led up to Adrienne and Taylor’s death. Was this all part of his plan? I’m quickly pulled from my thoughts as high pitched wails pierce my ears. It’s coming from Taylor’s room and I instantly know it’s Rosa.

I run to the room and burst through the door to see Rosa sobbing on top of Taylor’s body. Carlos is weeping to himself while he rubs her back, trying to console her. When he sees me, he quickly wipes the tears from his face and tries to fix himself up. He looks up and I not only see the pain in his eyes but I can feel it-- it almost takes the wind out of me.

“Mi amor, Hunter’s here. I’m going to talk to him outside.” He brushes her hair away from her face and leaves a long gentle kiss on her temple. She doesn’t react, she just continues to cry. Her sobs echo throughout the room. I can tell each sob breaks Carlos’s heart more and more.

He makes eye contact with me and points his chin towards the door. Letting me know to meet him outside. I nod and walk out. He comes out shortly after. He runs his hand through his hair and takes a deep breath. I stand still and quiet and let him take this moment for himself. After a while, he finally speaks.

“Let’s take a walk.” He steps away from the door and I follow behind him.

“I didn’t want to say this in front of Rosa. I don’t think she’ll be able to handle any more bad news.” He says as we continue to walk down the hallway to the elevators.

“Doctors say that she had a heart attack...but I just looked at my baby girl and I know that’s not true.” I freeze. I should have known they would know something felt off too.

“What do you know Hunter?” His soulless eyes lock onto mine and I know I need to tell him something.

“I don’t know much. I have Sandy looking deeper into a nurse that I have suspicions about.”

“Which one?”

“Carmen.”

“Carmen?” His brows furrow and his head jerks back a little.

“It can’t be Carmen, she helped Taylor out a lot while she was here. I saw her a few times and every time she was around Taylor’s face would light up. She never told us anything but it was obvious they had something going on. She’s a nice girl. Why do you think she has something to do with this?”

“I spoke to some nurses and they said she was working today but she had to leave early for a family emergency. I don’t know why Carlos, but I feel like Taylor is trying to tell me something and it might have something to do with Carmen.” He stays quiet and his face gets really pale.

“You okay?” I ask him but he doesn’t respond.

“Carlos?” I see his knees buckle and I know he’s about to hit the ground. I quickly grab onto him, stopping him from falling any further.

“I NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!” I yell out, trying to get anyone’s attention.

“HELLO!!! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME? I NEED SOME HELP!” When I don’t hear any footsteps running towards me, I gently lay Carlos’s head on the floor and quickly jump up and run to the nurses' station. The blonde I spoke to earlier is sitting there texting away on her phone. It doesn’t take long for her to notice me.

“Hunter!” She smiles.

“Do you need some--”

“Are you f*****g deaf?!” I boom, causing her to flinch.

“Someone passed out by the elevators and I need some f*****g help. Can you do that or is your conversation too important?” She quickly picks up the phone.

“Code Blue. Floor 15. Northside Elevators...Code Blue. Floor 15. Northside Elevators.” She hangs up the phone and runs from behind the nurses' station to the elevators. I follow behind her. Carlos is still lying on the floor in the same position I left him.

“What’s his name?” She asks me as she bends down and checks to see if he’s still breathing.

“Carlos-- Carlos Santana.”

“Mr. Santana. Mr. Santana, can you hear me?” She says that a few times, trying to wake him up. Soon after, three nurses come with a stretcher and work together to lay Carlos on it.

“Carlos? Carlos!” Rosa comes running towards the scene. I grab her before she gets too close. She struggles against me but I hold onto her as tight as I can without hurting her.

“Rosa, you have to calm down. He’ll be okay, just let them do their job.” She stops struggling against me but she continues to cry as the nurses take Carlos away to another room.

“It’s okay, everything will be okay.” I try to calm her down, but I know my efforts are pointless. I can’t imagine the pain she’s feeling right now. I try to walk her to a chair but when she takes a step her body gives out.

“Woah, are you okay?” She doesn’t respond. She just continues to cry. I pick her up and sit her on the chair in the waiting room. Her wails are uncontrollable and I’m at a complete loss on how to settle her down. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone to call Mama.

“Hey son.” She answers after the first couple of rings.

“Mama, I need you.”

“What’s going on?”

“Taylor died today. Carlos and Rosa are here but Carlos passed out and Rosa is just uncontrollable right now. I don’t know what to do here.”

“Oh my God. Taylor? Okay, we’re on our way.” I hang up the phone and sit next to Rosa, who’s still sobbing. I pull her close to me and let her head rest on my shoulder. Her tears drench my shirt, but I don’t care. I sit there in silence until her sobs turn into whimpers.

After a while, the room is quiet. I turn my head to look down at Rosa who’s now sleeping. I dare not to move, afraid that she’ll wake up. She must be exhausted. I hear footsteps coming towards me. I slowly lift my head to see the blonde nurse walking into the room. She smiles at me but I don’t return it. She’s been rubbing me the wrong way since I met her and I’m pretty sure after this incident she knows that.

“Mr. Santana is stable and awake now. We put him in room 1507 if you would like to go and see him now.” I nod my head and look back down at Rosa. I don’t want to wake her up, but I know she needs her husband right now.

“Rosa.” I whisper, trying not to scare her. She doesn’t move.

“Rosa, Carlos is awake. Let’s go see him.”

“Carlos?!” She gasps as her head jolts from my shoulder. She tries to stand up but I hold her hand before she could, knowing that her balance would be completely off.

“He’s okay. The doctors said he’s awake now. We can go see him.” She nods her head. I get up and extend my hand out to her. She grabs it and helps herself up.

“Hey, can I speak to you for a second?” The blonde nurse asks me, stopping us on the way out the room.

“No, I’m busy.”

“It’s okay Hunter. You can talk to her. I’ll be okay.” Rosa insists.

“No, let’s go see Carlos. That’s what’s important right now.” I don’t have the time or energy to waste on some blonde that’s not good at her job. I gently pull on Rosa’s arm so she could follow me out of the waiting room.

We get to Carlos’s room and open the door. Rosa’s body finally relaxes when she sees her husband sitting up in bed.

“Carlos!” She whimpers as she runs to his bedside.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? What happened?” She starts searching his face and his body for any injuries.

“Mi amor, I’m okay. Don’t cry.” He moves his legs to the side of the bed and stands up. He brings her into his chest and kisses her forehead. I see Adrienne in both of them. Thoughts of her begin to flood my mind again. I need to get some fresh air.

“I’ll give you two a minute.” I voice before turning around and walking out the door. My phone rings as I wait for the elevator.

“What’s going on, Sandy?”

“You were right. Carmen works for Cole. She killed Taylor. You and Alex need to meet me at the warehouse now. We’re moving our plans up. The mission starts tonight.”