Reptile Eyes

Victory

When Cara brings the soup, I take it and swallow it to the last drop. I have made a resolution. I may have no idea why I am being targeted by evil, but I know that cowering is not an option.

If anything, I need to be strong and fight back. Whether I emerge victorious or end up dead, I will never know until I try. And trying is what I am going to do.

After drinking the soup, I feel a surge of energy. Though not enough to jump around, at least I am not as lethargic as before. The cold is no longer as unbearable as well. The numbness is slowly leaving my body.

Not wanting to fall asleep and encounter anguish once more, I decide to sit up. What I did not expect is to instantly be hit with a wave of nausea as soon as I sit up.

There is no way I am going to throw up all the soup that Cara painstakingly prepared for me. I pinch my nose and shit my eyes. Miraculously, nausea subsides as well as the dizziness.

"Steady, and take a deep breath then exhale slowly. You should have told me that you wanted to get up. An abrupt movement right now is not good for you. Stop being stubborn and just ask for help. Is this not the reason I am working sotting right here? I am here so you can ask when you need help."

I detect a trace of annoyance in his voice. But what can I do? I have been alone for a long time now. Having no one to talk to or rely on, there is no way that can suddenly change. It is a process.

Even though I want to say all this out loud, I stop myself. He is only trying to help and he is showing me so much concern that even Logan, never showed me. What? This is the very first time I have thought of logan in a derivative manner. What is going on with me?

Not once in all the time I was married to Logan, had I ever compared him to anyone. He was my world. Then came the twins, and my world became perfect. After their tragic death, I have coped with their demise by holding on to all our best memories.

Then what just happened? Why do I feel the need to compare my Logan to a stranger? Why should the comparison between the two be in favour of a stranger? Is there a connection between the two? But what?

Suddenly, I feel a chilling effect on my whole body and I visibly shudder. That numbing fear slowly engulfs me once more. I grit my teeth not wanting to falter in my resolve to be stronger.

"Vicki! Calm down. Goodness, you are freezing, what is going on here. Cara! Please come quickly! I am here with you Victory. Fight the urge to close your eyes. You cannot do that now. You can do this dear. You are strong. Fill your mind with happy thoughts. Please."

In the end, his voice breaks and my heart twists in agony. If a stranger can fight for my well-being, why can't I do so for myself? A new resolve not to disappoint Angelo settles at the very core of my heart.

If he can believe in me, then isn't it time I start believing in myself? A need to feel fills my heart. I have to chase this numbness away no matter what. I dig my nails into my palms until I feel a distant pang of pain.

I concentrate on that pain and like magic, the numbness slowly dissipates. I see Angelo scrunch his nose as he starts sniffing. I watch as he furrows his brow before he lowers his eyes to my hands.

'Cara! What the heck Victory? Cara, before you dress those wounds, make sure to cut off her nails. We cannot have her hurt herself, again. Not until we get to the local authorities first. Argh!"

Michelangelo pulls at his hair as he screams. He is undoubtedly quite flustered. I feel bad for causing him to worry so much. But how do I explain all that has been happening to me?

Even I do not have a logical explanation for any of this. Then how do I make anyone understand something that I do not even comprehend? I am sure even if I try, I definitely will be incoherent.

Cara meticulously cleans and poultices my perforated palms. All this while, she does not say anything nor does she change her expression. She is quite good at hiding her emotions. If she is annoyed, I can never tell since she still has a hint of a smile on her face.

"There dear. All done now. Boss, I understand what she must be going through. I have come across such cases before. They all would say they were engulfed in a numbing sensation that was spooky and the need to feel drives them to inflict pain on themselves. The quickest way is bodily harm."

I stare at Cara for a long time before I remember to breathe. Does this lady have an ability to delve into people's minds? How can she have described everything so flawlessly? Who is she?

Suddenly, I do not feel safe any longer. Surges of Apprehension towards her are all I feel now. I want to run, but till now, we are still in the sea. I do not have the strength to swim, nor the desire to leave the warmth of the cabin.

How do I trust them now? On the other hand, I rely on Angelo to fend off my nightmares but how do I tell him that his trusted subordinate just spooked the life out of me? Won't that be offensive?

The rest of the way is spent in silence. Neither Angelo nor Cara utters a word to me. I more than welcome the silence. I am not sure I would have handled any questions at this point.

I have many questions of my own but I just do not have the desire to ask anymore. Not until I am sure I know what Cara is up to anyway. Besides, once we reach the mainland, I will be going my way.

After a while, I hear the blaring sound of a siren and I snap my head and look at Angelo questioningly. He shrugs and gets up to go up on the deck. In no time he returns to inform me of the situation.

"Bloody coppers! I called hours ago informing them about you. I specifically asked for them to send a rescue team. It is only now that they are showing up. What if something had happened to you? Why bother come now when I explained the gravity of the situation hours ago? We are almost reaching the bay and that is when they say they have brought paramedics. Incompetent idiots!"

Wow. Even I have nothing to say. To be honest, Angelo's anger is justified. If I had maybe died, he would have gone through an unnecessary gruelling investigation yet it would have been their incompetence. I just stare at him and do not utter a word.

The door is opened and three-man come in with a stretcher. Instantly, dread fills me up. I feel paralysed with fear. I cannot go with them. When the leader looked at me, I swear I saw his eyes turn into slits. It was just a flash but I know it cannot be my imagination.

"Do not worry Victory, we will take care of you from now on. We will get you to the best medical facility in the area. Thank you sir for your bravery. Any other person would not have put his life on the line for a stranger."

Red flag. Deep and fiery crimson red flag! How come he knows my name? Who told him my name? I fold my hands and let out a deafening scream. There is no way I am going to let them take me.

"Sorry sir, she is terrified. Since we are almost reaching the mainland, why don't I just drop her at the hospital? As you can all see, she is quite traumatised but very stable now. She is no longer in danger. I always have a nurse with me so, she helped a lot."

"But we have to also take her statement. This is most likely an attempted murder case. We have to take her."

The leader is hellbent on taking me with them. But I can also see that the other two are confused. They also do not have dark energy to them. Angelo stands his ground and refuses adamantly.

"With all due respect officer Gallow, I have been taking care of her since dawn. It is almost dusk now and she has recuperated much since then. Can I not take her to the hospital now? She is terrified of you people. What good will she be for a witness if she clams up and refuses to talk? Besides, there is a chance she might even get worse. Just let me take her to the hospital then you can do your questioning there."

"Sir, I think this gentleman is correct. Let her calm down first and it is true she is terrified of us."

"Be quiet Henry! Anyway, here is my number Mr Grande. Inform us of the hospital you will take her to. Though I suggest the CityMed. They are quite efficient there. We will ve leaving now."

"Thank you so much. Cara, please see them out!"

"Sure Boss."

As soon as they leave, Angelo shuts the door. He ruffles his hair and exhales. Slowly he turns to me and holds my gaze for a while. He then comes and starts patting my back and I feel myself relax.

"What type of danger have you got yourself wrapped up in Vicki?"

I have no idea what he is talking about. What does he mean by that? Why is he asking? Does he think I am doing crazy shit like drugs? No! If he starts being suspicious of me then I will be all alone again.

I never thought that spending half a day with someone would someday make me dependent on them. I barely know him but now, it is as if I have known him for years. I cannot explain it, but I just know that o need him to survive this.

"What do you mean Angelo?"

"Come on Vicki. The dude knew your name and I know I did not tell anyone your name. How is that even possible. And your reaction when you saw him was epic! You became so pale like a sheet of paper, a clear indication that you recognised him. Who is he, Vicki? What bullshit are you tangled up in? Who wants to kill you?"

How do I tell him? What do I tell him when I can barely understand this myself? Will he even believe me or he will just take it as an excuse? I need help but can I fully trust him? What I do not need is to end up in some asylum.

"I do not know where to start Angelo. That is if I can finish it all without you labelling me a case for the shrink. It is all so surreal but it is happening to me and I am scared. My life is in danger but even the police cannot help me."

Angelo cuts me off when he puts a finger on his lips. I stop talking and he stands up and sits on the chair. Cara walks in without knocking. She takes her thermometer and checks my temperature then she smiles and walks out.

Only then do I understand why Angelo stopped me from talking. He is an observer and I am sure he picked up something odd about Cara.

Angelo gets a pen and starts scribbling on paper. He folds it and hands it to me.

"Let us talk about it later. I will accompany you to the hospital. At this point, I cannot be surprised if the walls have ears."

After finishing reading, I look up at him and a foreign emotion surges in my heart. I just know that I am no longer alone and that knowledge alone, drives most of my fear away.