Chapter five

“Good day, I’m the guardian for Maria Esterno. I was told she was transferred here early this morning,” Dario informed the nurses at the reception at Kejar hospital.

“You must be Dario. Please, come with me.”

When Dario got to Maria’s ward, it was a private ward and she was on a huge hospital bed.

The room was very spacious, had a flat screen T.V and a coffee table. It also had large windows that allowed natural light to flood room. He could tell this was the VIP suite of the hospital.

Looking at Maria, Dario let out a sigh of relief. She was looking better than he last saw her.

Maria was diagnosed with low blood pressure a few years ago, but they couldn’t afford the treatment so it only got worse over the years.

Her skin was no longer pale which signified that the blood flow to her skin has increased so her blood pressure was improving.

Dario sat beside unconscious Maria and had a little chat with her.

“….I can’t wait for you to wake up to give you all the juicy details.”

“I love you.”

He then pecked her forehead and stood up to leave.

On getting to the door, there was a sudden thunder that shattered the silence in the room like it was giving Dario a warning.

The slightly opened door slammed shut. Maria’s IV bag dropped.

Shivers immediately ran down Dario’s spine but he rushed to pick Maria’s IV bag and hung it back on the IV pole.

He shrugged the sensation of dread that crept through him and went out.

***

“Mr Dario?”

“Mr Dario?” A man in white lab coat called out repeatedly from behind Dario.

Dario turned back, “Hello, Good day!”

“I’m Doctor Mane, in charge of your mother’s case.”

“Can I see you in my office?”

“Yes please,” Dario agreed and followed behind the doctor.

When they got to the office, the doctor offered him a chair and a cup of tea. “I’d love to inform you about your mother’s health status,” he said as his face fell.

“Please go on,” Dario’s heart was already beginning to race for some reason. He could tell it wasn’t going to be good news, though he tried to stay calm holding on to the fact that Maria looked better earlier.

“Maria’s blood pressure is improving and will get better as days go by.”

“In fact, we’re hoping she’ll be awake very soon. We’re sure”

Dario felt an uneasy feeling in his heart, he waited patiently for bad news because his guts could tell one was coming.

“But, there is a problem. Due to the reduced blood flow, her organs have been damaged.”

Dario’s heart broke at the news, “what can we do about it? I’ll pay any amount you want, doctor!” His brows furrowed pleading to get a possible solution.

“All we can do is manage the situation with certain medications,” the doctor replied,

“Mr Dario, I’m sorry to say this, your mother does not have much time left. We can only manage the situation for a certain period of time.”

On hearing the news, his shoulders slumped and his face fell. He was sad only for a moment, when his sadness turned to anger. He hated his life.

His mother won’t live as long as she’s meant to because they were poor and now that he had the money to foot the bills, the damage was already beyond repair. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

In the past, he tried to borrow money from grandma Lauren to buy Maria’s medications, but as expected, he got insults and curses instead.

Now he’d stop at nothing to take revenge.

“Alright sir, thank you so much for your help thus far. I really do appreciate it,” Composing himself, Dario thanked the doctor.

***

Overwhelmed by a deep sense of sorrow, Dario walked along the bustling street. It was evening already so the street was full of people buying from roadside vendors, pedestrians and cars honking repeatedly.

He planned to go to a nearby mall to get new clothes and a few personal items before finding a hotel to spend the night.

After a while, a prickling sensation crept up his neck, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Glancing over his shoulder, he couldn’t quite get a hang of it because the street was literally full of people.

But then, from the corners of his eyes, he caught fleeting glimpses of moving shadows that seemed suspicious.

Heart racing, Dario quickened his pace. It wasn’t certain that he was being followed but his senses were on high alert.

At this point, he didn’t bother looking back, he wanted to find a safe place.

Suddenly, a distant sound of a gun being cocked echoed in the still air, followed by the people screaming and running for their lives.

Dario glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of men in this same kitted black outfit pacing towards his direction and signaling to each other, a silent warning that he was their target.

‘F*** they’re after me’

His blood ran cold as he realized he was being haunted.

Adrenaline surged through his veins, and he broke into a sprint, his feet pounding against the hard concrete. But the men were relentlessly running after him no matter the direction he followed.

With every passing moment, he could hear their footfalls closing in behind him.

Desperation clawed at him as he searched for an escape, but there was no safe place in sight.

On a normal day, Dario wouldn’t mind facing these men head on but they were heavily armed.

Dario knew he had only moments left before they caught up with him, but he didn’t give up on trying to escape.

He definitely didn’t want to die.

As Dario maneuvered through the maze of stalls and vendors, he bumped into people, pushing them out of the way and sending goods tumbling.

Suddenly, one of the men appeared out of a corner street some feets in front of Dario.

Dario looked around, seeing these men from a distance behind and before him, his heart was almost pounding out of his chest.

At this point, there was nowhere he could run and there was nothing he could do

Dario looked around swiftly. What else could he do?

Dario spotted an alleyway to his right and dashed into it, hoping to lose them.

But as he ran through the narrow passageways, the passageways seemed to close in around him, casting dark shadows.

Suddenly, a sharp crack shattered the stillness, and Dario's heart leaped into his throat.

Was it a gunshot? Did they shoot him?