"What the fuck!" I shouted as I dodged her bronze kick. The blow hit a car, crumpled the bodywork, and sent the vehicle flying backward. I looked at her, and mentally gave thanks. Thank you, ADHD. If it weren't for that, I'd already be dead from that kick.
I took advantage of the opening and bolted forward, plowing through anyone in my way.
"HELP! SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ME! IT'S A MON—"
The air was ripped from my lungs when something struck my rib cage. I was thrown against the asphalt, scraping everything.
[WARNING: -50 HP]
[HP: 50/100]
The pain was absurd. I felt my ribs crack and a sharp stabbing sensation.
Shit, shit.
I heard her footsteps coming closer, the rhythmic click-clack your leg bronze leg against the asphalt. She was parading,her blonde hair beginning to burn with real flames.
"You are stronger than your brothers," she hissed, her voice distorted, as if several women were speaking at the same time. "I'll love drinking your blood while listening to your screams. It sounds… refreshing."
I got up and, by instinct, clutched my ribs. They were definitely broken. I spat a little blood onto the ground and looked at her.
She opened her mouth and, instead of words, unleashed a jet of greenish flames. I threw myself to the side, feeling the heat singe the hair on my arm. I rolled over a fire hydrant and kept running, my lungs burning.
[WARNING: -10 STAMINA]
[CURRENT STAMINA: 10/50]
I need a plan. Looking ahead, I saw people passing by. Better than nothing. I didn't look back, I just ran, but I could still hear her voice.
"You… how?" she murmured, her voice distorted. "Why do you keep running?"
She spoke again, but now her voice was sweet.
"Stop, my dear… rest in my arms…"
A splitting headache, like a needle piercing my skull, hit me. My vision blurred for a second, but I ignored the throbbing in my temple and kept running.
[WARNING: -05 STAMINA]
[STAMINA: 05/50] Critical
My vision was darkening and my legs were weak. It's now or never.
I turned the corner, and the street was full of people. In desperation, I slammed into a man in a suit, sending him and his belongings to the ground. Before I could react, I felt a burning sensation on my back. Her claws caught me in a glancing blow, tearing my flesh.
AAARGH!
[WARNING: -30 HP]
[HP: 20/100] Critical
I dropped to my knees. I saw the black wallet on the ground. I need to draw attention, I thought to myself. So I grabbed the wallet and rolled, getting back up with agility, but the pain was hell. I felt my blood running, splashing onto the man, who looked shocked and then furious when he saw his wallet in my hand.
"Hey, kid, give that back! THIEF!" the man shouted at the top of his lungs.
The crowd stopped. All eyes turned to us. The empousa, who was about to leap forward and decapitate me, froze abruptly. She looked around, seeing all the people watching. Her face twisted into a mask of hatred and disbelief.
"You… you little worm…" she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "You used mortals to hide?"
She stared at me for another second, seeing that I was still ready to run, even while bleeding.
With a quick movement, a Mist began to form around her. She simply vanished into the shadows at the exact moment the sirens grew too loud.
When I looked ahead, it was already too late. A police officer was right in front of me. He grabbed me. People started staring. That was my chance.
"Sir, help m—"
"You little thief!" the man shouted. "Give my wallet back, officer! This delinquent stole from me!"
The officer looked at me, then at my condition.
"Is that true, kid?"
"It is," I answered, looking down, using the fucking pain I was feeling. I started to cry slowly. "I ran away from home because my father beats me."
I put my hand on my ribs. The officer looked at where my hand was and looked surprised.
"Hey, kid, it's okay. Alright, I'm going to take you to a hospital, but first give this gentleman his wallet back."
I looked at the man, who was red-faced and sweating, and as I handed it back, I said, "Sorry, sir."
He grabbed the wallet forcefully and walked away.
"What's your name, kid?" the officer asked.
"Caleb, sir. Caleb Thorne."
"Alright, come with me. I'm taking you to a hospital."
The officer helped me sit in the back seat of the patrol car. The contact of the upholstery against the gash on my back made me let out a low groan.
"Hey, kid, hang in there. The nearest hospital is ten minutes away," the officer said, turning on the siren.
Looking at him, I asked, "Sir, what's your name?"
"You can call me Sgt. Miller, son. Later you can tell me where you live. I'll take you home and talk to your father, okay?"
"Okay," I answered. I need to heal. Hospitals are full of people. She won't attack me there. I hope it's crowded. I need to survive.
She must be following me or waiting for me to let my guard down, since the System didn't tell me if I completed the mission.
Sergeant Miller started accelerating. The back seat of the patrol car was uncomfortable, and every time the car hit a bump… now that the adrenaline was gone, shit, how much this hurts. I was crying for real now. I've never felt this much pain. If it weren't for the gamer body, I'd already be dead.
"Sergeant Miller…" I called out, my voice barely a whisper. "Thank you. Really."
"Don't thank me yet, son. We'll sort this out. And about your father…" Miller gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. "No one has the right to do that to a child."
I was getting sleepy. It felt like I was about to pass out.
"Haaaa… haa…" my breathing was short, failing.
"Hang in there, kid! We're almost at the hospital!" Miller shouted, looking in the rearview mirror with the face of someone who'd seen a ghost.
I couldn't respond. The air felt heavy, hard to pull in. My hand, pressed against my ribs, was already soaked in warm, sticky blood. My vision was closing in.
"Don't pass out, kid!" Miller slapped the dashboard, trying to keep me awake. "Talk to me! What's your favorite color? Anything!"
"Green…" I whispered, not knowing why that color came to mind. "Green my ass. I like… purple."
Miller's eyes widened and he smiled. "That's it, kid. Stay awake. We're here."
He made a smooth handbrake turn, entering the hospital's emergency ramp. The sound of the tires screeching on the smooth asphalt was the sign we had arrived.
The car barely stopped before he was already opening the door, shouting for a stretcher.
"EMERGENCY! I'VE GOT A CHILD WITH SEVERE INJURIES HERE!" The sergeant's voice echoed through the concrete walls of the entrance.
The doors opened and a group of nurses ran toward us. Miller opened the back door.
"Careful with his back!" Miller warned as they lifted me onto the stretcher.
"GAAAAAH!" The scream escaped when they laid me on my back.
My vision started to spin. The hospital ceiling, with those white fluorescent lights, rushed past as they pushed me down the corridors.
"Heart rate high! He's losing a lot of blood!" I heard a nurse shout.
Miller tried to follow me, but a security guard stopped him at the trauma room door. The last thing I saw of the sergeant was his face, smeared with blood—my blood—with an expression of pure disbelief.
"You're going to be okay, kid!" he shouted before the double doors closed.