11:11

Chapter 2

I woke up, feeling drained. Curiosity slowly pried open my swollen eyes to meet the dismal view of the cream-colored hospital room. I wandered around my eyes and found that the walls were simply cream, not peeling or dusty, just cream. At the far end are the black metal frame windows, which can only be opened at the top. The door is fitted with dispensers for latex gloves and hand sanitizers. Clearly, this wasn't my room. 

 I was trying to sit on the bed, but I ended up hissing because of the pain. "You haven't recovered yet," says a voice from behind. I was surrounded by doctors and nurses, They attached IVs, heart monitors and oxygen tanks. My legs were numb, and only my arms and eyes were able to move.

 A woman walked into the room, and I recognized her golden necklace, so I knew it was my mom. "E-elle! I missed you so much!" she tried to hug me, but she was afraid that I would feel pain. It's got me puzzled for a second. How did I end up in here?

"Thank God you woke up! The doctors thought you'd barely survive." 

 I can't recall much about that. 

What happened to me? 

 My head was tilted in confusion. She seemed to be able to read my mind and tell me what had happened. She caressed my cheek and brushed away her tears. "Y-you were seriously injured in a car accident," her voice cracked as she cried. My mind was unable to process what she said. All of a sudden, my tears burst out for no reason. I was feeling empty. I was feeling overwhelmed. I'm missing a piece of something. Someone ordered me to run away. I tried to remove the dextrose on my arm, but the nurses stopped me and injected something that made me lose consciousness.

 I woke up again, and it was almost midnight. I noticed that my mom was lying on my lap. I was trying to reach out for her arm that was on the edge of the bed, but I was afraid it would wake her up. I was smiling at her. How lucky I am to have a mother like her. 

 My mind was drifting away. Memories of my mom and I flashed in front of my eyes.

 I've been to a boxing competition. My opponent was indeed much stronger than me. He was tall, and the muscles were noticeable. I was only 12 years old, but I didn't show that I was afraid. I was the first to throw a kick, but he caught my foot and twisted it. I ended up falling to the ground and hugged my knees because of the pain. I was squealing and I couldn't stop my tears from falling. The judges did nothing, and the crowd started yelling out. My mom came into the ring and embraced me. "You're a warrior. Warriors don't give up and don't give up. Pick up your sword and shield and fight!" she whispers in my ear and encouraged me to stand up. She left the ring and cheered me up. My leg was really hurt, but I ignored the pain and I glared at my opponent. 

 "You broke the wrong part of me. You broke my wings and forgot I had claws." I kept my upright posture as he ran to me. He was trying to throw a punch, but I was easily dodging it and did an uppercut him. His jaw broke and he fell to the floor because of the pain. The referee has declared me as the winner, when my opponent didn't get up. I went home with my mom with an award and a cash prize.

 I went back to reality, looking at the clock. It was 11:08 and I couldn't believe that I had been thinking about it for half an hour. Mom was still sleeping, so I didn't bother her about it. I stood up carefully and reached for a cup of water on the table. I drank all the water, and all of a sudden, my vision was blurry. Everything was spinning, and I heard a glass shattered on the floor. I fell on the floor, and I heard my mom shouting. I closed my eyes for a little while, trying to calm myself down, but all of a sudden the screaming stopped. I opened my eyes, and I was shocked to find myself in the middle of the road. There were no cars, the streets were empty. The houses were dark, and only the street lights were bright. The place was unfamiliar, and it felt strange.

 I heard gunfire so I ran away as quickly as I could. I didn't know where I was, so I kept running. I didn't have anything, and I can only use my arms as a means of self-defense but it would be useless. I stopped running when I heard someone moaning. I walked in that direction, and my eyes widened when I saw a man bleeding. He used his hand to reduce the bleeding. 

I tore a piece of my clothing and wrapped it around his bleeding wound. "Why are you here?" I asked in my usual tone with a sense of concern. He attempted to stand, but he struggled and dropped to his knees. He's coughing blood, and he's clearly in a critical condition.

 "I was shot by a g-gunman," he pointed to his stomach, where he used the cloth to apply pressure on the gunshot wound.

 What am I supposed to do? I'm not a doctor or someone who's an expert in these stuff. 

 I've decided to take him to the nearest hospital. I put his arm around my neck and carried him. He was heavy, so I had a hard time walking along. I almost lost my balance and, fortunately, he caught my arm so I wouldn't fall. When we heard footsteps, we walked faster. It was obviously the gunman who followed us. I was terrified because we were definitely going to die in this state. 

 "Don't look back. We're not going that way," he whispered in a faint voice. Obviously, he was still in agony. We saw the nearby house with the lights on, so we were going towards it.

 The footsteps came to an end so I was at ease. The door had been left ajar, so maybe the owner had left. I kicked open the door and placed him on the sofa. I went to the kitchen to see if there was a first aid kit, but there wasn't one. I was panicking as there was no supplies other than a pain killer. I took a bottle of water from the fridge and I took some painkillers. He was drinking the painkiller, but it wasn't enough. From here on, he could die any time. 

 A person will bleed to death in five to eight minutes. 

 My mom's words were flashing on my mind. Again, I panicked. I have decided to call for help. Maybe a doctor or a nurse can do that. "Wait here, I'm pretty sure you're going to be safe," he nodded as he closed his eyes. 

I went outside, and unexpectedly I felt something cold on my neck. I turned around to see a man wearing a hoodie. His gun was aimed at me. He wrapped his arms around my neck, choking me. I was trying to think of an idea to escape, but it was crucial. He's probably a fighter, judging by his bulky frame. I was searching around my eyes if I could find a weapon to use against him. A small metal bar was a few inches away from me. I used my left foot to scoop it closer to me. I've been looking for the perfect timing. I quickly threw a judo throw on him, and his body landed hard on the ground. His weapon fell out of his grasp.

 I ran away as quickly as I could, but I heard a loud bang all of a sudden. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, and I saw that it was bleeding. 

 f**k, I'm not supposed to die! Not right now! 

I heaved out a curse and fell to the ground.

 Eventually, everything was spinning. I was like being swallowed by a black hole slowly. The trees and the streets were gone, and I was imprisoned in a dark place. 

 "Elle? Wake up!" I've heard faint sounds from afar. It was all darkness, but I could hear distant voices.

 "Can you hear me, please? Wake up!"

Everything has changed. I woke up, and my forehead had beads of sweat. My mom was with me, together with the nurses and the doctors. They all had a concerned look on their faces. 

 Moments later, a nurse gasped and pointed at my stomach. "Why is she bleeding?" she asked the doctor. They were both confused about it. They treated my wound, and it seemed that my wound was open. Luckily, they've been able to stitch back and warn me to be vigilant next time. 

My mom asked me a lot of questions, but I couldn't remember. Not even a single memory. A tear has escaped from my eye. I thought like something was missing again. Without a cause, my heart started aching. I was clenching my chest and cried in agony. My mom hugged me gently and brushed my tears away. "You'll soon understand it all," she gave me a reassuring smile and kissed my forehead. "Slowly but surely, the truth will come out."