My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 105

Nina

“My name is Nina Harper. I’m a student at Mountainview University. Edward is a liar, and werewolves are real. Enzo is a good man, and he came to save me…”

As I whispered this mantra to myself, I finally, slowly but surely, made my way to Enzo’s door. I pulled the paper out of my hand and uncrumpled it, straining my blurry eyes to read the numbers.

On the paper, there was a list of four different numbers.

“Seven… Three… Nine… Zero.”

I punched the first number into the door and bit my lip, watching with bated breath and letting out a disappointed sigh when the light blinked red on the keypad. I glanced both ways over my shoulder again, groaning quietly as searing pain overtook my injured neck, before I tried the next number.

“Eight… One… Two… Five.”

I waited again. The keypad blinked red again.

It had to be one of these numbers, right?

“Five… Four…. Six… Nine.”

As the light on the keypad blinked red at me for the third time, it almost felt as though it was mocking me this time, as if to say that I was a blundering idiot for thinking that Edward actually had the real codes to our prison cells written on a scrap of paper in his pocket. Surely Edward was too smart to do something as simple as that.

Still, there was one more code on the paper. I took a deep breath, glancing over my shoulders again with the fear of seeing Edward sprinting down the hallway to tackle me constantly looking in my mind, before I punched in the last code.

“Eight… Nine… Zero… Two.”

It felt like I waited for an eternity. My breath was caught in my throat, my fingers crossed in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, the final code was the correct code.

Once again, the light on the keypad blinked red.

“Fuck!”

Momentarily, I forgot my pain as I threw the paper to the ground and pounded my fist against the concrete wall, ignoring the searing sensation in my fists as the concrete scraped up my knuckles. These codes were the only hope I had to get Enzo and I out of here, and none of them worked. There was no doubt in my mind that Edward was watching all of this on a hidden camera, laughing to himself as he watched my futile struggle to escape. Surely, any minute now, he would return and drag me back to my cell, where he would force the final dose of medicine down my throat and then promptly beat Enzo to death in front of me, forcing me to watch.

I felt a sob catch in my throat. I backed up against the wall and slid down to the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest. As the tears started to flow, I could feel their salty sting on my swollen eye, but I didn’t care. Surely, the pain I felt now would be nothing compared to the pain I would feel when Edward returned -- and it would especially be nothing compared to the pain that poor Enzo would feel because of my actions. I knew that Edward wouldn’t make Enzo’s death quick; he would make it as painful and slow as possible, because he was a sick man who loved watching the light leave other people’s eyes.

I leaned my head back and hit it against the wall lightly, sobbing quietly to myself as I cursed myself for ever coming to this school to begin with. Maybe, if I hadn’t come here, none of this would have ever happened. Enzo could be safe right now if it wasn’t for me. Maybe his father was right; maybe I was just a burden.

Suddenly, I jumped as I heard Cora’s voice echo in my head faintly. She sounded weak and far away, but she was there.

“Check again…”

“What?” I said out loud. “What do you mean? None of the codes work.”

He wasn’t conscious. He was slumped over at the post, his head leaning against it. The chains had his arms wrapped around the post, and he was on his knees. As I approached, I could see his chest moving weakly, and could hear the sound of strained breaths escaping his lips. He was alive, just barely, but the way that the enormous gashes on his back were gushing blood indicated that he wouldn’t be alive for much longer.

“E-Enzo?” I said.

He didn’t respond. I knew, as I approached, that he was dying. I had heard about the sound coming from his chest in anatomy classes before: the death rattle, it was called. His chest was making a weak, bubbling sound with each breath as fluid slowly built up inside of his lungs.

I ran over to him, dropping to my knees, and cupped his face in my hands. “Enzo,” I said, gently patting his cheeks to wake him up, “you have to wake up. Please.”

His head felt like a bowling ball in my hands. I could just barely see his eyelids flutter, so I knew he was still in there, but I didn’t know how much longer I would have. Edward must have given him something to keep him from healing -- was it the same medicine he gave me?

I knew that I possessed healing abilities once. I didn’t know if they were still there after all of the medicine Edward gave me, but I had to try.

Taking a deep breath, I shakily reached out and touched his back, wincing as I heard the squelching beneath my fingers. I closed my eyes and focused my energy on him… But nothing happened.

Or so I thought.

The rattle in his chest stopped. I felt him move beneath my fingers, followed by a weak whisper escaping his lips.

“N-Nina…”