Chase

~Nariya Patel~

I stretched my feet, savoring the newfound sensation of being able to walk properly once more. The past week and a half forced me to shift my weight onto just one leg, turning normal walking into an almost foreign experience. The doctor assured me that soon, I would adapt, and my life would return to normal.

As I relaxed in the chair, the door to the doctor's office clicked open, drawing my attention to Alexie entering the snug space. A quick glance in my direction confirmed that he took note of my improved condition. He proceeded to flash a smile at the doctor as they exchanged greetings and he expressed gratitude for the marvelous job they had done.

"Thank you so much, Doctor," Alexie said, and the doctor mirrored his smile. "Oh no, no, she was a very good patient," the doctor replied.

"Was she now?" Alexie looked at me, causing me to bite my lips as the earlier scene flashed in my eyes. I knew I had to apologize, yet I didn't know how to explain to him what had happened. "For she can be very feisty at home," he joked, a smirk playing in his eyes. My eyes widened at the implication as they continued to jest, their conversation gradually shifting to discussions about my medicines and plans for my improvement in the coming days.

After expressing our gratitude to the doctors once more, we made our exit, heading back toward the parking area. My course of medicine was complete, and my injury had significantly improved. There were just some chances of future discomfort while walking that I had to be mindful of, but otherwise, I was back to normal. As we strolled through the halls, I observed that we were no longer taking the same route we had entered from. This path was less crowded and had a more office-like atmosphere.

I pondered where we were headed but didn't bother to ask, grateful that we no longer had to traverse those dreadful halls again. After a while, observing the change in the crowd, it became clear that we were making our way towards the staff entrance. The ambiance of this space had a more office aesthetic with beige walls in contrast to the white ones we had encountered upon entering. I wondered why they couldn't maintain the same vibe throughout the building. Perhaps keeping patients on edge helped extract more revenue, but either way, my spirits felt much more lifted now.

As we entered the lift, I finally mustered the courage to own up to my mistakes. "Alex... I—" I began, but something in his tense gaze halted me in my tracks. Following his line of sight, I realized he was fixated on a certain individual sharing the same lift car as us—a man in his mid-30s donned in a janitor's outfit. Confusion furrowed my brows as I struggled to comprehend the meaning behind Alexie's actions.

His veins flexed in frustration, his jaw clenched, and an inaudible gasp escaped my lips as Alexie's hands clasped mine, squeezing them gently. I looked at him, but his gaze remained fixed on the man's back. With our lift being shared by a group of people, it was challenging to make out the man's facial features, but something seemed off in his behavior. He fidgeted a lot, attempting to glance our way multiple times in a not-so-subtle manner, only for his view to be obstructed by other riders.

Another detail caught my attention: he carried no cleaning supplies whatsoever. Typically, these lifts were designed as service lifts with ample space for larger deliveries, featuring doors that opened both ways. The odd combination of his attire, behavior, and lack of equipment heightened the mystery, leaving me bewildered in the confined space of the elevator.

The ding of the elevator grabbed my attention, signaling our imminent arrival on the minus first floor. At that moment, I felt Alexie's grip tighten on me. He smoothly pulled me toward the back door of the elevator, seamlessly blending in with the outgoing crowd. It wasn't until the doors were closing that I caught a glimpse of the man we had been observing inside, panicking to exit, but it was already too late.

As the doors sealed shut, Alexie effortlessly guided me through various doors, leading us to a different exit that opened up to the underground parking floors. Gasping for breath, I struggled to keep up with his long strides, my newly mended leg stumbling a bit with the newfound vigor. The mystery of the man in the janitor's outfit lingered in the air, and the underground parking area now held an unexpected sense of intrigue.

"Alexie," I pleaded, and his eyes snapped to mine. His sharp gaze softened a bit as he spoke, "We are being followed, Nari." His words startled me. 'Followed?' I pondered, 'but by who and why? Was I in danger? Highly unlikely. But then who...' The thought pervaded my brain as I gazed at the individual next to me, '...was Alexie in danger? Or was he dangerous?'

It felt as if he had read the thoughts that clouded my mind when his eyes snapped back to mine, and he proceeded to instruct, "Nari, don't think who and why... think about how."

"How?" I mouthed, desperate for answers.

"Yes, how to get out of this situation," he said as I mouthed an 'oh', nodding in agreement with his implication. He was right; the current circumstance called for a solution rather than reasoning. Glancing around, I realized that the space we had entered was empty, but our perceptions of the situation differed significantly. Alexie clicked his tongue at the sound of a door opening somewhere in the parking lot.

The underground parking, likely reserved for staff or overflow traffic, lay barren of people at the moment. "Alex," I whispered, afraid of my own voice echoing through the space, "where are we going? The car is in the opposite direction outside," I reminded him. I had watched enough horror movies to know that empty parking lots and a stalker on your back were not a good combination.

"Don't worry, moonpie," he smiled encouragingly as he pulled a different key from his back pocket and took a sharp turn, urging me along. Turning off the security lock on the car, I saw that we stood in front of a Hummer SUV. I gaped at the giant vehicle that loomed enormous in front of my five-foot frame.

"Get in," he commanded urgently, and I proceeded to pull open the passenger seat. However, there was just one problem. When God has granted you short legs, getting into one of these high-rise vehicles is a workout in itself. I mean, I get the urgency, but I needed to mountain climb this thing!

I gasped as he picked me up from behind, holding me princess-style and swiftly placing me inside the car. With that, he quickly shut the door behind me and made his way to the driver's side, pulling off the trench coat he wore as he walked. Tossing the garment into the back seat, he sat down and commanded, "Seat belt." I hurriedly pulled the safety belt across me. As I did so, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing the tense array of veins on his arms, muscles flexing. I saw a gleam of excitement in his eyes. I gulped, my eyes glued to him as he spoke, "Listen, Nari, I can get a bit... um... hyper in these situations. So bear with me, okay, moonpie?" He asked, and I just nodded, my eyes fixed on his leather-covered hands gripping the steering wheel.

With my affirmation, he turned on the silent engine, which surprised me considering the size of this thing. Maybe it was electric, I thought, as we smoothly pulled out of the parking spot. A calm thought settled in my mind, believing that perhaps those who were following us had finally left us alone. I sighed in relief, my heart rate slowing a bit as we sped through the parking lot.

However, that calmness was short-lived when I saw a man with his car blocking the sole exit of the parking lot. In that moment, my heart rate accelerated once more. I glanced at Alexie, but he carried himself with his usual calmness, maybe even a little more than normal. I expected him to slow the car, but instead, he accelerated more as we approached the obstructing vehicle. Calmly, he said, his gaze fixated on the obstacle ahead, "Hold on."

"Listen, Nari, bend over, hands clasped above your head, and stay calm. Nothing will happen to us. Also, try not to bite your tongue, okay?" he chirped. I watched in horror as I realized what he was about to do and hastily did as he instructed, pulling my head between my arms as we accelerated towards the exit. I closed my eyes tightly, afraid of the impending collision, but all I heard was a thud, the sound of impact against the other car, and nothing else.

A bit afraid, I slowly came back to my upright stance. However, I saw no damage whatsoever to the front side of the car. Glancing back at the overturned vehicle that we had just hit, I was still in a daze, trying to comprehend what had occurred and checking on the man beside me.

Alexie beamed with delight at the scene that had just occurred, the adrenaline still buzzing in my ears. As it cleared out, I could make out that he was humming a song. As I listened more, I could recognize the rhythm—it was possibly the beat of the song "YMCA." I gaped at the man for a while, and when I finally snapped out of the trance, we were already on the highway, roaring towards the house.

He was not just hyped; he was enthralled beyond excitement! Gulping, I silently called him out, "Alexie..." My voice was just a whisper in the car's interior. His attention snapped onto mine as he raised a brow, questioning, so I continued, "...don't be so jolly after a hit and run... that's... psychotic..." I looked away.

"Moonpie," he cooed, the excitement still lacing his words. "That was not a hit and run; it was self-defense!"

I gaped at his words, shaking my head in disbelief. 'Was this man serious?'

"Listen, Nari," he became serious once more, "If I wouldn't have done that, god knows what they would've done with us, heck, with you!" I could hear the anger rising in his voice, but he calmed himself down. "Also, if I don't stay hyped, then you," he ruffled my hair as he spoke, "you will get tensed. Even now, I can hear the thudding of your heart all the way here."

I looked down; he was right. My heart was racing like crazy. I snapped at him when he started singing in full swing, "It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A." I sighed at him again as a small smile bloomed on my lips. After a while, I playfully slapped his arm, "How will this song help? I'm neither a young man nor Christian!"

He laughed at my playfulness. "Okay, what do you like? Play that," he said.

Scooting a bit to the front, I input the song "Greatest Showman" into the player.

As we zoomed towards the house, we sang in sync-

"It's fire, it's freedom

It's flooding open

It's the preacher in the pulpit and your blind devotion

There's something breaking at the brick of every wall

It's holding all that you know

So tell me, do you wanna go?

Where it's covered in all the colored lights

Where the runaways are running the night

Impossible comes true

It's taking over you

(Oh, this is the greatest show)"