previous chapter: Abetment [13]: 2.5: 2083, October 1st, Friday. 11:05
1164 words
Vince walks into the small back alley clinic. The waiting area looks nice, nicer than Vince is used to. Usually, Ripper Doc’s offices look like multiple murders happened there.
The area is empty, except for some chairs. On the back wall, there is a large green door with the words “Surgery” on it. Vince checks the door and notices it is locked, but he puts his weight against the door and bashes it in.
Behind the door is a small surgery. It barely fits on the operating table, which is crammed inside the room. A doctor is performing surgery there. She looks in her sixties and has long grey hair. Her face is covered with a surgical mask and she is dressed in shrubs. The patient looks in his fifties, with slightly greying hair.
The doctor looks up when he comes in. She is visibly shaken up when the man enters.
“Vince, I am implanting a bionic heart right now. Can you come back later?”
Vince grabs his gun and points it at her. “I have given you more than enough time. Where is the money you owe me, Corine?”
She hangs her head. “I don’t have it.”
Vince looks around. “You must have something of value here.” he rushes his hands over the old medical equipment. “No, this definitely isn’t worth enough.” He looks around. What is behind that door?
“Two more patients,” Corine says. “Please Vince, I will get you your money, but -”
Vince ignores her and bashes the other door in too. Behind the door is a small room, that barely fits two hospital beds. One bed is occupied by a woman in her thirties, and the other by a twelve-year-old girl.
“Please, Vince, I have nothing of value. Please leave.”
Vince points at the child. “The girl, is she stable.”
“Yes, she was caught in an explosion but had only superficial damage. I sutured her wounds, and her anaesthesia will wear off soon. She will be alright.”
Vince points his gun back at the doctor. “This is how this is gonna work. I take the little girl, you tell her Mom she died and you cremated her.”
“What?” Corine stammers. “I am not gonna let you take a little girl!”
Vince laughs. “You said you had nothing of value. You let me take this girl, and I consider all of our debt paid.”
Corine looks him in the eyes. “All of it?”
“All of it,” Vince repeats.
Corine looks at the girl and back at him. “Fine, take her. But I never ever want to see you here again, do you understand?”
Vince smiles. “I do. Glad to do business with you.”
Vince picks up the girl in his arms and carries her to his car, where he lays her down unceremoniously in the backseats.
He takes place in the front seat and takes his phone out of his pocket, and calls the only number in it.
“This is Julian, who am I speaking to” a voice sounds from the phone.
“Hi Julian,” Vince says. “I have something you are interested in.”
“Did you kidnap a child again?”
“Exactly,” Vince exclaims.
“Did you make sure this time that no one is looking for her? Last time you kidnapped a child I was visited by the police and several mercs. I would prefer not to deal with the noise.”
Vince smiles. He considered Julian would be hesitant. “This time I made sure nobody is looking for her. Everyone thinks she is dead and cremated.”
Julian sighs. “Is she healthy? Or did you pick up a starving street child again? The pharmaceutical company won’t accept a starving, withered child. I told you this before.”
“No, she is healthy. Well, she is injured at the moment, but the ripper doc fixed her up. But she looks well fed, with a healthy diet. The teeth look nice. Looks like a rich kid. I am sure she can withstand many medical trials before she dies. The Pharma company will be happy.”
Julian sighs. “Fine, come over and we talk money.”
Vince smiles. He knew Julian would cave. “Be there in ten.”
When Vince arrives at Julian’s house, he picks up the still-unconscious little girl from the backseat and carries her to the door. He fantasises about the money he will get for her, and how he could spend it. Maybe he could hire that expensive stripper. What was her name again? Or maybe he was thinking too small. He could probably rent out a whole strip club for a night.
When he arrives at the front door, he notices the door is propped open. Strange. He slowly pushes against the door with his arms and steps inside.
He gasps when he enters the hallway of the house. In front of him lies Julian, in a pile of blood. His head is destroyed and his brain and blood are splattered all over the floor and walls. Vince almost drops the child from his arms.
He hears the cocking of a gun and feels a cold barrel pressing against his neck. A woman’s voice sounds from behind him.
“Slowly put the child on the ground.”
He tries to turn his head, but the barrel gets pressed deeper into his neck. “Don’t turn your head. Don’t look at me, just put the child down.”
Vince complies and slowly puts the unconscious child on the ground. While he does that, he sees a woman appear from the shadows before him. She is tall, with long black hair and deep green eyes. Her right arm is made of metal, and she is wearing a black vest and high boots.
She shakes her head. “Of all the evil people I have seen in the world, child traffickers are the ones I hate most.”
Vince looks at her in fear. “Who are you?”
“My name is Thorn. And my friend here who is pushing a gun to your head is Sage.”
“Are you here to kill me?” Vince asks.
Thorn laughs. “No, I don’t kill people.”
Vince feels a bit more at ease. No idea what they are planning, but at least he isn’t close to dying.
Then she continues. “My friend, on the other hand, would love to kill a piece of shit like you.”
Vince never even noticed or processed the gunshot that killed him, he was dead the moment the bullet entered his brain.
Ellie and Sophia are driving home when the little girl wakes up in the backseat. She wipes her eyes and looks around.
“Where am I? How did I get here?”
Sophia sighs. “That is a long story. What is your name?”
The girl looks at her suspiciously. “Sarah. But my Daddy says I shouldn’t talk to strangers.”
Sophia sighs. “Well, can you tell us the name or the phone number of your daddy, so I can call him to pick you up?”
The girl smiles. “Of course. My daddy is the president.”
next chapter: Abetment [15]: 3.1: 2089, June 18th, Saturday. 11:00
all chapters: Abetment