Awkward silence.....
"Who are you?"(Uncle Muscle) Finally said, this time with a little more energy in his voice
"Sara"(Me)
I could have said, "how are you doing?" or something like that, but the tone of Uncle Muscle voice made it kind of hard...
"Sara who!?"(Uncle Muscle)Said with a little more intensity
Did he forget about me? was what I thought. Like I said, I was insecure about him remembering me or caring about me and hearing that didn't help
"Sara Mars. We spend a year together two years ago. Did you forget?"(Me) Said a little afraid
Even though I never had a last name before, he gave me his 3 years ago and I had been using it since then. Besides, I heard it over and over again every time I was about to fight someone at the arena
With that much information, I hoped that he would at least remember me
"You can't be her. She is dead"(Uncle Muscle) Said as a matter of fact
"I am not dead!"(Me) Said a little offended
I was pretty sure I wasn't dead or I wouldn't be talking to him, right?
Well, even though I am not 100% percent sure I am the original Sara, considering I came from a place where they could easily clone and map brains like a normal person makes an omelet, but at least I am sure that I am alive
Unless you go all that ancient Chinese philosopher and say this is the dream of a butterfly or something like that(google it)
"I don't know who you are, but I am not in the mood to play any kind of sick games. If you don't want me to visit you and beat you to a pulp, you better stop spilling bullsh-t!"(Uncle Muscle) Said angrily
Hey, I had been fighting constantly for two years, someone yelling wouldn't scare me, especially over the phone
"I AM ALIVE, HOW MANY TIMES MUST I REPEAT IT"(Me) losing my cool
So I got angry too. Considering I was in pain, had a really long day and was not only accused of being dead but also threatened to get beaten to a pulp for saying the truth, anyone would lose their cool. I may have anger issues....
More awkward silence
"Fine, tell me where you are so I can bend my anger on you kid"(Uncle Muscle)
I remembered seeing the hospital name when we entered, so I didn't have a problem knowing the place
"San Peter hospital second floor, here in Capital City. I am at the place with many beds"(Me)
"GPS confirms it, see you soon kid"(Uncle Muscle) Said in a mix of cheerful and threatening voice at the same time and hang up shortly after
I am a little surprised how fast he could triangulate the signal from the cell phone, but considering what he did for living, I probably shouldn't
"Everything alright?"(Mei) said with a worried voice
Considering what she must have heard on her end, anyone would be
"Don't worry, everything should be alright when he arrives"(Me) lied again with a straight face
I was a little surprised that he thought I was dead, but considering I disappeared for two years without notice, I shouldn't have been. Still, I was afraid that he wouldn't recognise me or even if he did, he would ignore me for some reason, even if it didn't make much sense for the way he strongly reacted
Fear never makes sense
I just stayed in the bed with Mei, in complete silence, waiting for someone to show up. I could complain that a doctor should have shown up by now, but considering it was a public hospital, we weren't in critical condition and we weren't bothering anyone to pay attention to us, I shouldn't be surprised no one came to bother us
I should even feel glad no police officer came asking some questions of what happened, considering we were in an accident that may end up in someone dying plus 3 kids in a hospital, but the officers probably didn't act fast enough or they left us alone since we were kids. Knowing the authorities, I am pretty sure it was a little bit of both(since working hard was a pain)
We just waited in silence for no more than 5 minutes when a sudden earthquake hit the hospital. It wasn't a big earthquake that shakes the whole city, destroying buildings, glass and anything fragile all around. It was a low earthquake or a big vibration like what an explosion or when something heavy hit the ground causes
Three minutes later, I could see Uncle Muscle at the open door of the community room or ward or whatever that place was called
It should surprise me how fast he arrived, considering he was really far away from this hospital, considering Capital City was a big city. He should have driven at like 200km per hour to arrive that fast to the hospital, right? I mean, he surely drove to there, right? The earthquake and his sudden arrival are a complete coincidence, right? Let's just leave it at that, it's better not to think about it
Let's just leave it at that, it's better not to think about it
Actually, what I was thinking about when I saw him was something completely different. I didn't care how fast he got there, I cared how he looked when he arrived
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
First, it was his clothes. He usually wore a clean suit without a wrinkle, a nice clean white shirt, some nice pants, a black tie and some shine shoes that looked of really high quality and gave him a refined look. But today, even though he was wearing the usual clothes, they looked completely different
His shirt and suit were full of wrinkles, he had some stains all over his shirt, his shoes weren't shining, his pants had a cut or two here and there, and his tie was completely loose. There wasn't a glimpse of his typical dandy appearance that earned him the title Uncle Muscle
But what shocked me wasn't only that, but also, how bad he looked in general
Fo starters, the white hair that he usually cared about more than anything else, and that he constantly complained how it looked he had little less every day, was a complete mess. It looked like he had less than ever, and it looked like he didn't even care to cut it for moths, and was all over the place
Then came his face. He never told me his age, but he looked like he was between his 40 and 50 the last time I saw him, now it looked like he was definitely in his 60
Lastly, was his expression. It was the kind of face that said "Die word die" as he looked around. It was a face I saw a couple of times at the facility, but I never thought I would see it at the gentle face of Uncle Muscle
He looked all around, full of anger, and even after fighting all kind of battles this last two years, I was a little intimidated by that look. I hesitated for a moment, but with all the courage I could muster, I managed to raise my hand
Shortly after I did it, Uncle Muscle looked directly at me, and his face changed from fury to shock in an instant. I was just about to say something when I suddenly felt a breeze that forced me to close my eyes for a second, follow by a big hug before I could even react
"You are alive!"(Uncle Muscle) Said while hugging me
I must say, I didn't expect that. Well, I did say I was afraid he would ignore me or something like that, but even thinking optimistic, I expected something like a casual acknowledgment of me still being alive or something like that
Worst part, even if my initial response was surprise, and I felt glad that he actually cared for me, I had a little problem
Broken ribs, in case you forgot
I think he was hugging me a little more strongly than he should, but what hurt the most was the pain from my ribs. I was used to be in pain, thanks to the arena experience, but constant pain plus the feeling of suffocating isn't something you can just suck it up, ya know?
I did try for what feels like hours since it felt wrong stopping the touching moment, but in the end, I couldn't hold it anymore
"Uncle Muscle, it hurts"(Me) Managed to say
Uncle Muscle was a little surprised when I said that and quickly steps away like he finally realised we were in the real world and not a dream or something
“I am sorry, are you ok?” (Uncle Muscle) Said with a worried expression
“Just some cuts, some broken ribs, a contusion, and a dislocated arm”(Me)
Uncle Muscle expression changed from worry to panic and a little anger
"Did I hurt you?"(uncle Muscle)
"It's ok"(Me) I had it worst
“What happened?” (Uncle Muscle)
“We were teleported 70 meters above ground, I am lucky I was only hurt this much”(Me)
"Teleported? Why wou... Oh!"(Uncle Muscle) Realised something
He started thinking for a moment like something finally clicked
"So, you find a way to teleport yourself out of that bunker"(Uncle Muscle) Said as a matter of fact
As for me, I was a little surprised. I didn't know that Uncle Muscle knew I was in a bunker
"And your friend over there also came with you?"(Uncle Muscle) Said while finally noticing Mei
I kind of forget about introducing her after the way he reacted, so I panicked a little when she was mention
"Ah! Yes, this I s Mei Lin, a friend of mine. Mei Lin, this is Uncle Muscle"(Me) Introduce them
"Nnicce to meet youu Uncle Muscle"(Mei) Managed to say a little nervously
"Nice to meet you too. I hope you can keep getting along with Sara from now on"(Uncle Muscle) Said with a dazzling smile
After the two of them introduced themselves, I remembered about the other two that weren't here, and should be taking care of(not in a mafia way) before the authorities get to them, or a lab check recognises the strange substances in their bodies(at least Makombo)
"Uncle Muscle, we had two others that came with us when we teleported. Can we take them to a "private" hospital?"(Me) Said while changing the tone in the private part so Uncle Muscle would realise the importance of that aspect
"Sure, give me a second"(Uncle Muscle) Said while taking out his cell phone
He did get what I meant
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Note: Thanks for the help Neiden, even the little mistakes help a lot