Philip sat down on the bed and dressed his injured hand with the bandages that he had bought earlier. He hissed out of discomfort, the manner in which the arrow pierced his palm still scared him. It was as if Andras had planned to initially incapacitate him before burning him with his powers. Scary as it was, Philip was happy to have escaped the torture exerted on him by the Hunter.
He stood up from the bed and walked to the window. After all the discord and confusion he had faced, he still managed to gather his thoughts and book a hotel that he could stay in. So now, he had the time to plan on how to get Ava back from Zane but first, he had to take care of the person who had betrayed him.
As he was pondering on what to do next, his phone vibrated stubbornly on the table and he picked it when he saw that it was Ava, calling; “Ava?” he said, eagerly hoping that nothing bad had happened to her.
“She’s fine,” Zane replied. “But she’s far gone. If you want to see her, follow the address that I texted you.”
“Listen carefully, Zane if you have touched her in any way…..”
“You will kill me?” Zane asked, and Philip could imagine him chuckling. “You are a weak mistake, Browne and you can barely survive an extreme fight. So keep in mind that I am being merciful right now because this war isn’t going to end until I win.” Then, he cut the call.
Philip scrolled to his messages and saw the address that Zane had texted. With the strength left in him, he zoomed out of the room with his car key. He didn’t know what Zane had done with Ava or what he was planning to do.
*************
Strange imaginations and thoughts filled Philip’s head as he drove past the cars. On seeing the red light, he slowed down and sighed. Ava was a weak and innocent girl, someone who didn’t deserve to be hurt. He didn’t make a promise to her father before he died but he accepted the proposal which meant that she was his responsibility and anything that happened to her was absolutely his fault. Of course, he was a weak mutant just like his father always told him and Zane confirmed it. In addition, his fight with Andras showed that he was incapable of defending himself let alone protecting Ava. As the yellow light turned green, he geared up and bolted.
The SatNav in his car had successfully directed him to the address that Zane had given. He parked his car by the side of the road and used a map on his phone to find his way to the specific place mentioned by Zane. fear began to creep into his heart when he passed a first underbridge, seeing a group of guys. He walked into the second underbridge and his heart leapt into his throat. Ava was lying down unconscious on the ground, in a corner of the bridge with her thighs exposed and her torn dress still hanging on her body. As dazed as he was, he managed to carry her up and walk out of the bridges. As he expected, he didn’t see the group of guys again.
*****************
The nurse in charge of Ava, walked up to Philip and told him that Ava was awake and alright but said that she didn’t want to see anyone. He nodded with a faint smile and exhaled deeply, as soon as the nurse went away. It was his luck that Ava didn’t want to see him because he didn’t know how to face her after putting her through so many difficulties and he wasn’t there to protect her. He remembered when his father slapped him on the face once and gripped his neck tight saying, “You are a weakling. I should have asked your mother to get rid of you earlier! ” Philip’s chest burned on remembering those words. It felt like a sharp knife had delved down into his soul to tear it apart.
He drove out of the hospital’s premises, towards the direction of the hotel he had lodged at. It was best to put himself aside and prepare everything that would make her feel welcome whenever she felt better. A section of the hotel dealt with fashion and clothes, so he went there to select some clothes that she could wear along with some shoes after which he paid and left the store. As he was driving back to the hospital, a call came through and he answered, “Is she alright? ” Tyler asked.
“Yeah,” Philip replied.
“So what are you going to do now? ” Tyler asked in a concerned voice. “You know that Zane will not rest until he frustrates you.”
“I am going to do everything that you can think of.”
“Be careful, Browne,” Tyler said and hung up. They were not allowed to talk much to each other over the phone except when they met. Remembering that, he took a glimpse at his ring. Secrets lay behind that carved skeleton on the circular metal, around his finger. He recalled the day when his father took out a chain and whipped him on the back with all aggressiveness and internal hatred. At that time, he was 15 years and had grown used to his father using whiplash but when the man used a chain to strike him on the back, he felt a new level of rage and resentment within him as he felt some of his bones crack. After receiving five of the chain blows, he did not stop yelling and crying and with that, his father approached him and squatted near him, “Take Control,” was all the cruel man could say.