Hills Of Pain

Chapter Four

Elyria scurried down the stairs, it's been months since she last heard from Everly. She had always planted herself by the window every day, praying silently and hoping that her daughter would return to her, at long last, the heavens answered her prayers.

“Mom!”

The guards took to their positions and aimed at Everly, ready to pull the trigger. She appeared as a random street girl, more like a beggar. They only awaited an order to shoot from Hubbard, instead, he cued for them to drop their weapons.

“Everly!” Elyria yelled, cuddling her arms around her body.

“Mom,” a wedge of anger mixed with tears filled her throat,“E-Edwin” she stuttered, choking out her words.

“Don't worry dear, you're safe here.”

Hubbard advanced in their direction, he wasn't a gangster anymore, but he should have been. He had a lode-gold hair, which he groomed carefully. The aquiline nose he sported complimented his prominent cheekbones. Handsome in an understated way, his basalt jaw and spartan shoulders spoke of strength. He possessed a patent, leonine power and always walked with purpose and authority. People had always remarked that his best feature was his entrancing, wayfarer-blue eyes, sloe shaped they could shine as bright as the evening stars when they were a flash with triumph. At other times, they could resemble two liquid-blue pools of flashing fire.

His devil-may-care outlook and bass voice were a big part of his ambitious character. He always wore nifty clothes and his spicy aroma was appealing.

“Dad!”

He embraced and patted her continuously as he expelled his breath and gazed heavenward.

“Everything will be fine, you've made the best decision by returning home.”

The honking of a van and blaring of a siren could be heard in a distant as an ambulance and special ops' van approached the crime scene with a team of Doctors and mobile soldiers.

The head nurse, Diane, threw her gloves and face shield on, she pulled out a stretcher from the ambulance and slipped into her lab coat. The other nurses did the same in like manner.

Graeme Clough, the newly designated district commander of the special ops team in coven town. He slammed the door of the van, ran his hands through his hair and clenched his jaw. He never envisaged his first task to be a murder case.

The special ops team fell into positions and formed a wall so no one would get into the scene.

Diane drove the stretcher into the room, while Graeme Clough followed behind her. Edwin laid unconscious on the floor, he had lost so much blood and strength, with the assistance of other nurses she laid him on the stretcher and fit the oxygen tube into his nostrils.

Greame Clough scanned the room for any hint, but the masked man was smart enough not to leave traces behind, except for the shattered windows. He opened Edwin's shirt and gazed at the gunshot wound on his chest, from his years of experience, he knew the assassin wasn't an average type. The bullet sank deep into his heart, if it had gotten any further, then Edwin wouldn't last the next 48 hours.

Attempted murder was a serious crime, but putting the culprit behind bars would be as difficult as containing the wind. He rolled up his sleeve and gritted his teeth. The squeals of people in the neighborhood could be heard in a distant, as Diane pushed out the stretcher, the special ops team did well to repel the agonizing neighbors from breaking into the scene.

Drops of sweat ran from her forehead and died on her lips as she expelled her breath. She paused mid-stride and gazed at the agonizing neighbors, the voice of her dying son rang aloud in her ears.

“Mom!mom save me!”

She was a single mother who only wanted the best for her son, but he died a few years back in a fire incident. She still hadn't gotten over the shock, furthermore, she gazed at Edwin, her heart gave a loud thump, almost crashing to the ground, she clenched the stretcher's handgrip and saved herself.

Furthermore, she could see her son communicating to her through Edwin's face.

“Mom! Please save me, I would rather not die twice.”

she gripped a fistful of shirt at the chest level, all this while Greame Clough kept her firmly In his gaze, he knew something had opened her old wounds. The saying,“Old flames could burn twice.”, was actually true. She felt an electrical feeling as he held her hand, a smile flickered at the edge of his mouth, she lifted her eyes directly meeting his pupils as he cued for her to move on.

She focused all her energy into one push and eventually got the stretcher inside the ambulance.

Furthermore, she hopped into it and cued for the driver to move. The siren dwindled as they left for the hospital. Graeme Clough took some steps forward and stopped mid-stride, he gazed at the window with a brief tilt of his head, the gunman wouldn't have shot at it for no reason, he hurried back into the room and peeked out through the window, the footprints of the old man were still visible.