Sirens wailed in the distance, relentless and mocking even though they were on a private island, miles from the chaos of the city. The more the sound gnawed at his mind, each shrill reminding him of his helplessness, the more tempted he is to pull it out and end this maddening noise but he couldn't. He wasn't that kind of man. But God, how much longer can he endure this madness?
His jaw clenched tight as he watched a body bag after body bags being pulled from the burning building behind him. They were being loaded into the boat with the fucking siren, still wailing, still mocking him. Until it sailed away, and he felt the weight of the world pressing down onto his shoulders. He felt like a damned fool, waiting to be rescued like some broken animal waiting for a mercy that would never come. The last time he had ever felt this way, he had walked away from the only place he called home and never looked back. Now he wondered if he would ever escape from this damned place and see his friends again.
On the other side of the island, far away from where he was sitting, a sleek black boat is standing atop these waters. It's small enough to slip through unnoticed in the dead of the night and yet, large enough to carry a family doctor and a makeshift infirmary. It carried two extra passengers from the island, one of them the owner of this very boat. Both are injured, though the owner not as heavy as the one he is carrying.
"Sir, you have to get yourself checked as well." his assistant informed, seeing the blood pouring out of the side of his boss's head. Not to mention the blood already staining his white shirt.
His boss ignored him, turning to the doctor standing there instead, with his equipment ready. "She's hurt, save her first."
The doctor immediately get to work. After all the years of working for his family, he knew better than to go against his boss's wishes. Besides, it looked like the lady he was carrying into the boat, needed his attention more, seeing as she looked unnaturally pale and unconscious. He pressed his fingers against her wrist, checking for a pulse.
"She's alive," his boss rasped, his voice thick with determination as he tore off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his blood-soaked shirt, dumping it all on the ground. "She's breathing."
"Faint, sir." he muttered, earning a sharp glare from his boss, but he didn't flinch. He turned to the assistant and instructed, "Get me some warm towels, heaters, anything that can warm her up."
"Got it, doc." the assistant nodded, handing the boss a white towel before disappearing into the boat.
While waiting, the doctor moved quickly, tending to her wounds with practiced hands. At first, he thought her face had seemed vaguely familiar, but as he examined the bloody wounds on her hands, it finally clicked. A cold chill ran through him. He shake his head, wondering what will become of her now, as he carefully wrap the bandages around her knuckles.
"Why are you shaking your head?" the boss questioned.
"There's a chance that she might never play again." he replied calmly, though his heart ached for the young woman. In his many years of treating injuries, the ones that end careers have always been the most heartbreaking.
"Fix it."
The doctor rolled his eyes. Logic seemed to fly out of the boss's window. "I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker."
He could feel the volatile energy radiating from his boss behind him. He knew he owed his life to the assistant, who had rushed in just in time with warm towels and blankets. "I can only find these at short notice, but I've told the crew to crank up the heat."
"That should be good enough," he noted, turning to his boss who now look like he is on the verge of a panic attack. "I would have to cut up her dress, unless you can take it off?"
"Cut it up," he ordered, standing next to the doctor and unstrapping a knife from his shoes. "I'll do it. You hold the towel up."
The doctor did as instructed, lifting the towel like a cover as he waited for his boss to cut up her dress. He can hear the tear of fabric, the slight pause, then some more tear before his boss gave him the clear signal that he's done. Like a seasoned midwife, he drape the towel over her naked body.
He was addressing her other wounds on her shoulder, a bite mark, when he noticed his boss wrapping her hair with a warm towel. It bewildered him, seeing his boss placing another blanket underneath her on her cot to ensure she would be comfortably warm. The doctor had never seen his boss act this way before. Throughout all the years he had served as a family doctor to this family, he had never seen his boss show this much care for a woman, let alone going through such lengths to keep her alive.
Hours have passed but the fire on the building raged on, threatening to burn the forests around if the firemen did not stop it in time. Helicopters have started to hover from above, helping the paramedics and the firemen on the ground lifting people and things to and from the island. Still, the man persistently sat, waiting, watching as the emergency responders worked, ferrying the survivors. His anxiety had risen at an unimaginable level. Though his body screamed for him to run, his mind urged him to remain.
It didn't seem possible. Nothing had seemed possible. What was supposed to be a typical wedding weekend with his friends, turned out to be a tragedy. All these people, the ones who were being carried away in these ferries were people he knew, people he grew up with. If he would just close his eyes, he could still picture their younger selves in their school uniforms, laughing through the halls of their school.
Just days ago, he had walked through this very dock with his closest friends. They had champagne on their way here, reminiscing about the old days. Now he sits here like a fool, alone, staring at the dark waters while the manor burned behind. He didn't think he would be here alone, still dressed in one of his tailored suits with a ratty panic blanket draped over his shoulders. They did say they were coming, his friends.
"I'm still waiting for someone." he had told the paramedic again, when she walked back and asked if he wanted to join the next boat. She had the gall to look sorry for him but he ignored it. No one had seen them anyway. Their bodies hasn't shown up in one of these body bags or he would know, which means that they must've survived the fire, must they? They had to make it out, they just had to.
After all, what had happened here wasn't just a tragedy for a group of ordinary people. These were, and are, the sons and daughters of some of the most powerful families in the world. No way would they perish so easily, especially his two friends, whom he had just seen and talked to literally a few hours ago. If not, there would be retribution. Either way, he would have his answer tonight.