Chapter 16 - Invisible Savior

Chapter 16

Invisible Savior

 

“Kade get down here!”  It was the first thing Kade heard when he answered his cell phone.

“Vince, what’s up?”

“Man, it’s Whinny.”

“Whinny?!”

“Yeah, this morning around three, her house caught on fire, and dude they don’t know what caused it.  She got trapped somehow.”

“Is she alright?!”  Vince could tell Kade was running.

“…no.  Viggo ran back in to get her and she was unconscious when he carried her out.”

“Where are you?” 

“St. Jo’s.  You know where that is?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be there soon.”  Kade hung up and tossed the phone onto the passenger’s seat.

*~*~*

Kade rushed himself into Saint Josephine’s Hospital.  He ran to the front desk.  The lady behind the desk, who looked to be about twenty, rolled her eyes from the computer screen to Kade.  Her annoyed expression turned flirtatious.  “How can I help you?”  She wore a smile and battered her eyelashes.  Then she crossed her arms and leaned forward.

“I need to find a Whinny Chandler.”

“Sister?”  She had turned back to the computer screen, not looking as bored.

“No.”

“Mom?”  She pulled out a piece of paper.

“Girlfriend.”

She stopped for a second and then started drumming her fingernails on the paper.

“Sort of...”  He finished for her sake.

She didn’t meet his eyes but said, “Second floor, room 214.”

“Thanks!”

Kade made his way to Whinny’s room to see Viggo reading a book.

“Is she alright?”  He was breathing hard.

Viggo lifted his head up.  “For now.  Please wake her up. She’ll be happy to see you.”  He looked back down and returned to his book.  Apparently he was thinking about something.

Kade walked over to her bed. “Whinny...” He shook her arm lightly.  Whinny’s eyes fluttered open.  She didn’t smile, but you could see it in her eyes that she was flustered but relaxed.  “Hey, how’re you doing?”

“Fine.”  She whispered.

“What’s wrong with her voice?”  Kade asked Viggo.

Viggo answered without his eyes leaving the page.  “They think the smoke damaged some of the tissues in her respiratory system.”

“I thought the symptoms of smoke inhalation didn’t show within twenty-four-forty-eight hours.”  Viggo didn’t answer this time.

“They gave me a bronchodilator.”  She whispered; it was hoarse this time.  Kade looked to Viggo.

“A substance that makes the muscles in the respiratory system relax.  The tube that gets air into the lungs expanded and she could breathe a little easier.  They gave it to her cause they needed to give her oxygen.”

“Ah.” Whinny and Kade shot one last glance towards Viggo.  He was still engulfed in his book.  The two then locked eyes.

“No, they still don’t know how the fire started.”  She answered his question after seeing it in his mind.

“Really?  Was it electrical?” He thought.  She shook her head.  Whinny glanced at Viggo again and then leaned in towards Kade.  She showed him the palms of her hands.  On each of them was a huge splotch, covering the whole middle and top of her palms, of a mixed crimson-yelled color, surrounded by a thick black line.  Kade looked at her hands and then back up at her.  His expression was of shock and confusion, but also of understanding.  Whinny started coughing.  Viggo came over with a plastic cup of lukewarm water.  She drank it and the coughing subsided a little.  Kade looked at her like he could feel her pain better than she could.  Whinny closed her eyes.  She let out a heavy sigh and then coughed.  Kade took his place in a chair right next to her bed.

*~*~*

The next day, Vince and Shawn came, in addition to Viggo and Kade. “Hey, love.”  Shawn greeted as the two entered the room.  Whinny smiled, it was refreshing to have Shawn around. 

Vince went over to Whinny and kissed her on the forehead.  “How’s my girl doing?”  His smile was friendly and comforting.  She shrugged to answer “okay”.  “Do we know what started the fire?” 

Whinny and Kade looked to each other at the same time.  She then held out her hands and received a couple gasps.

“Hon, did you get burned?”  Shawn asked, not even believing her own question. 

“That’s what the doctors think.”

“Those aren’t burns...”  It came from Viggo sitting in the chair he had claimed his own.  He was talking more so to himself than he was to anyone else. 

“So you... started the fire?”  Shawn asked in half-hearted disbelief.  “What about your aunt and uncle?”

“They’ve been missing for four days, since we last saw them.”  Viggo answered.

“We figured they took a vacation but just forgot to tell us.  You know they’re not the youngest kids in town.”  Whinny added.

“Yeah, but we both decided they wouldn’t have done that.  They had nowhere to go, and they would’ve called us by now.

“So, Whinny.”  Kade changed the subject.  “You’re voice sounds better, did they find any effects.”

“Nope.  I just inhaled a little smoke, and my throat is gunna hurt for about another three days.”

“That’s good.”

Shawn looked exasperated as she sat down. “So these supernatural powers just keep coming.”

“So far.”  Whinny answered with a sigh.

“Wow.  This is like something you’d see on a nerd movie, where someone has magical powers and fights for good against evil.”  She stopped.  “No offense, Whinny.  This is just a little weird for me.”

“It’s cool, it is for everyone.”  She said. “So have any of you seen the man yet?”  It was a subject she was firm on.

“I have.”  The man stepped into the doorframe.  Vince and Kade jumped up from the ground where they were sitting against the wall.  “And it’s the hunter.”

“The hunter?!”  It was Kade.

“Is that your new super villain name?”  Vince joined. 

“You would think you’d come up with something better.”

“But it applies nicely.”

“So what’s up?  Why are you following her around?!”  He gave them and I-already-told-you look.   “Cut the act.  There’s something you’re not telling us.”

Shawn slowly grabbed the remote attached to the hospital bed.  Whinny saw this and locked eyes with Viggo.  Without any extra noise, Shawn pressed the nurse-help button.

“Alright, it’s no fun chasing – hunting- you when you really don’t know anything about my reasoning.” He turned to Viggo.  “You, when you went back in to get your sister, she wasn’t surrounded by fire was she?  Actually, you probably found her by the door, am I right.” Viggo slowly nodded his head.  “Then I guess I’ll start with Caleb. Caleb is the boy that’s been watching over you and protecting you since you came to this earth three years ago. Your brother doesn’t have anyone because he wasn’t in danger.  Whinny, you have a gift.  But you know gifts can be given, and gifts can be taken.”

“So these aren’t permanent?”

“They are, but they can be taken away.  Anyway,” He gave her a harsh look for interrupting him.  “It’s because of him, you’re not dead yet.”  Everyone in the room could hear Kade inhale sharply.  “There’s more than just me after you, my dear.  Kade here has been doing Caleb’s job of protecting you from me, so Caleb has a lighter load.  My advantage here, is that Kade’s only human.  There’s nothing special about him at all.  And so my job is easy as well.”

“You wanna bet?!”  Kade whipped his hand out in front of him and swung it back around.  His movement was sharp and quick.  A sudden line of blood, timing with this snappy action, appeared on the Hunter’s arm.  A long cut from his elbow, circled down his arm to his wrist.

The nurse arrived on the scene.  She took one look at the surroundings and looked to Whinny.  “Please ma’am,” Whinny locked eyes with her and saw she was afraid.  “this man is bothering us and refuses to leave.”  The nurse paused a moment, thinking about what she should actually do, and then politely asked the man to leave.  He shot her a cold glare, telling her to back off.  The Hunter locked eyes with Whinny.  We’ll continue this later. And he disappeared.