The door of this make-shift hospital opens and a tall man appears. Why is he is so familiar? My mind is still foggy from being drugged, so I can’t remember everything immediately. The man sits on the hospital bed and doesn’t say anything for the first few minutes.
He is testing me.
“Lovely hospital room.” The man breaks the silence by looking around, a pleased expression on his face.
“It is. I wish I understood the significance of it, though.” I’m baiting him to give me a straight answer. He looks at me and smiles.
“Asking you if you remember this would be futile. You were so,” he slowly looks at the crib and then back at me, “young.”
Hell no.
The man presses a button, and my mother’s voice appears again.
My mother’s voice. The crib. The hospital room.
“I was born in this room.” It wasn’t much of a question, but I’m hoping for some confirmation because I’m losing my mind.
“Not really. We just had it remade into the room you were resting with your dear mother.”
“How the fuck do you know that?”
“Your daddy dearest put up cameras in your mother’s hospital room and recorded everything. Probably for security measures.” He shifts onto the bed. “And the stupid motherfucker stored everything on his computer.”
“I didn’t know about that.” The man stands up and slaps me across the face. When I look at him, he is still fucking smiling.
“Lies won’t be tolerated here, M.”
“I’m not fucking lying! And who are you?”
“Oh, you don’t remember me? I’ll give you a hint.” He produces a pen and paper from his back pocket and stands before me with a fake smile.
“How can I take your order?” My blood runs cold as all my memories rush back.
“Emin?” I ask him, although there is no question behind it. He throws the pen and paper onto the floor and stands before me. Emin holds his finger up before I can even ask my question—why?
“My master asked me to be there for Lana. And my master obtained the footage of the room from your father’s computer, where your mother was resting with you,” he says to me matter-of-factly. I straighten myself as much as I can and cross my legs.
“Your master should come out here and face me himself,” I tell him.
“Our master will.”
“Emin, tell me, why did you betray Lana?”
“I betrayed many people.” He goes to the side cabinet and gets a gun from there. He walks back to me and points it at my forehead. “But today is not about me, it’s about you.”
“What the fuck did I do?”
“Stop lying. My master has had a hunger for you for many years.” I blink to process this information. Throughout my life, I have accumulated many enemies, but none have been fixated on me for long.
There is being mad, and there is one state stronger than all of them—revenge.
“I don’t have time for these games, and if you have read anything about me, you know that I could break out of here in a matter of minutes.” Emin’s smile falters, and he lowers his gun.
“We thought you might say that, and that’s why—” Emin looks at what’s probably a hidden camera, and motions with his hands, “—we have leverage.” After a couple of minutes, the door opens, and two men walk in with Lana.
I’m seeing red, and my blood is boiling—Lana has a bloody nose, her hands are tied, and she is scared out of her mind. Hereyes are looking for mine, and once we lock eyes, I start moving in my seat. They make her sit in a chair.
Without taking my eyes off her, I address Emin. “If any of you try to hurt her, God wouldn’t be able to stop me from the carnage I will instill.” My words are cold just like the atmosphere in the room. These guys are professionals, but so am I.
