Chapter 4 - Dave & Fen-Hua

Art by SketchBiscuit, @my.weird.corner on IG

Time flows fast when you’re alone in a room without any way to distinguish the time.

Acquainted with the fact, Bernadette laid awake. She stopped crying after dozing off and woke up with her back stiff after god knows how long passed.

Once again. The silence left with her thoughts.

Unable to cry anymore, or feel a lot for that matter, she stared into the ceiling. ‘The man whom I’d swore my life a year ago bled out beneath me yesterday’. He’d tried to do something and by the way it seemed, she would’ve not survived if her subconscious didn’t react before her in the moment.

It irked her though, what came now? A person she’d seen once in twenty years of her life is now telling her Bernadette will stay with them for an undefined amount of time. Even if Melina had cleaned up the evidence of her crime, would the police still search for her? Did she have a chance to go back now? Would someone put her out of it? Worry pressed at her core like a stack of bricks. Although breathing, she felt like no air even came close to her lungs. Helplessness creeped from her head to her toes and despair pleaded that she’d dreamt it up.

No matter how hard she pinched her skin, nothing changed. The white walls closed in and the disinfectant smell burned.

“Uh… Bernadette Marzell?“

The voice familiar, Bernadette tilted up in the hospital bed. The young nurse that accompanied the doctor on last visit stood in the middle of the room. Bernadette tried to calm her breathing, she didn’t need any more worries and delays on getting out. Crumbling walls about to collapse on her head would be better than the white prison blocks currently around her.

“Your transfer crew is here. You should be able to walk by now, I will be accompanying you to the exit. Try not to put strain onto your left arm. The transfer is early into your stay, so your wounds haven’t had the time to heal.”

Bernadette took her time, leaning onto her right when she first sat up in the bed, silent. After stabilizing, less nausea hitting her, she turned. Her legs dangled from the side as she sat in bed.

‘Alright, you got this. You’ll be out in no time,’ she urged in her thoughts. Smiling to herself, that depraved for communication that she became her own wingman.

Breathing in, she pushed herself up on her legs, a wobble in her step. If it hadn’t been for the nurse she would’ve fell back into bed. The nurse offered her an assuring smile, standing there until Bernadette felt brave enough to take small steps. She laxed her left. It throbbed with pain but at the same time tingled as if static enveloped it.

It took quite some time for the two of them to get out of the first hallway. The illuminated sign above their heads read the letters ‘Emergency Room’, the light flickered from time to time, the bulb inside struggling. What Bernadette took as a hospital waiting room, echoed empty. Bricks lined the walls, the sight looking as if someone scraped the façade clean off. Plastic burgundy chairs lined the wall, propped up on a rusting pipe.

Lost in thought, her body moved forward on her own. Only did she come back to consciousness as the nurse shook her shoulder to indicate a small flight of steps in front of them. At the end of the staircase was an antique push-pull door, the yellow stained glass peered into the busy street.

As the two descended down the stairs, the nurse let go of Bernadette’s shoulder and opened the door in a brisk motion. A huff came from the left of the door and just as Bernadette felt like the door will close in front of her face, a pale hand forced it to stay open. The nurse handling her sent a warm smile, as the two walked out and the influx of hot air hit her like a truck.

The boy that held the door open for the two let it close when they walked out, turning to face Bernadette alone.

A short, freckled boy, still in his teenage years stood by her side. Rather pallid, his eyelids resembled Melina’s own, albeit bit rounder and, by his expression, meaner.

Albeit with a head full of childish raven-black hair springing all over, his face emitted no emotion, it remained cool as marble. His style looked as if having exited a time machine, mimicking a fifties-typical greaser. A plain white tee hid under a black leather jacket, his jeans cuffed.

Recollecting the words said to her earlier by Melina, Bernadette returned the gaze.

“’morrow, there’s gonna be a stuck-up pale kiddo at the hospital doors. Wit’ ‘im a big burly guy ya probably saw on the photo I sent the other night. They’re takin’ ya to the House, ya’ll be campin’ wit’ us for a bit.”

The young man’s face contorted into a scowl, he muttered something. Seeing as she couldn’t make out any words, she figured he’d said something in another language. He gestured the nurse to leave with his left hand, sweeping the air. The nurse waved with giddiness before disappearing back into the building.

Bernadette looked around; Melina had mentioned a muscular man. She guessed him to be the ebony man on the left of the photo, taller than Melina for more than a head.

“Fuck! Hey, hey!” Her search stopped with a yank to her bandaged arm, to which she practically screamed (and felt quite embarrassed about seconds later). The pain shot down and she yanked it back, the younger man rolling his eyes as he let go. The kid had some nerve, alright! He gestured to a compact black car. It seemed scratched up, but she didn’t want to complain. One yank was enough.

Wobbling on her legs still, they made their way to the beat-up car.

He opened the door for her (the only polite deed so far), and as she fit herself to the very leftmost of the backseat, she noticed the man she searched for at the wheel.

“Hopefully fella didn’t sour your mood. Name’s Fen-Hua[1]. English ain’t his best bet.”

Fen-Hua slotted himself beside Bernadette in the backseats, uttering a broken-sounding “sorry” before glaring at the other man.

“Li Fen-Hua,” his voice raspy, the boy seemed to correct the other’s pronunciation, which was… Pretty wrong from what she gathered when the boy repeated the name.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m Dave. We’re escorting you to the House. Bosslady and others will be taking care of you.”

The mood in the car as it started to drive lightened. Disregarding Fen-Hua’s everlasting glare, the occasional chatter over innocent topics with Dave let Bernadette feel lighthearted.

She watched the city pass in the window, the sun hanging in the middle of the sky, “I don’t really recognize this part. I’ve been out of the United States but never explored much of the surrounding neighborhoods after I moved in with my husband. Last week was a first for me to go Downtown.”

The man at the wheel raised his eyebrows as he drove. Although she didn’t see the speedometer, by the way they passed buildings she guessed they peaked the speed limit, “We’re heading out of Greenwich village; the House is at East Harlem. Bosslady is done with this month’s Chinatown business so she’s probably waiting on us.”

“Chinatown business?” Bernadette felt herself ask on impulse. Regretting it soon after.

The driver shook his head, “Dunno. That’s on her to tell you. I’m just a transporter and a lone weapon’s expert for them kids. Got called from my break to deal with you today. Guess Ant’s pressed that you got blood all over his new car,” he snorted, keeping his eyes on the road. Bernadette glanced over at Fen-Hua, who looked a little puzzled but didn’t say anything.

“I’ll apologize when I next see him, I have to thank him too.”

The man’s lips quirked up when she said that: “Yeah, but maybe not so soon. Bosslady barely got him by the leash, he’d claw your face off for fucking up the car. On him though, he gets a new car every month and names it ‘Barca’ or whatever. He doesn’t even do anything with the old ones, just parks them over somewhere. Call that being loaded.”

Even if said in a joking tone, Bernadette felt her muscles tense a bit. She remembered the glare received back at the hospital, resentful.

“We’ll be getting out in a bit, almost by the house. You get out with Fen and I’ll park a little farther down. Never know who’s tracking.”

Bernadette nodded, but she heard Fen-Hua whine.

“Li Fen-Hua,” the ‘a’ stretched in a childish tone. Dave rolled his eyes and the car came to a stop after a few more minutes.

Before she’d even taken in her surroundings, Fen-Hua yanked her by her good hand and forced her to hurry out of the vehicle. She turned around to thank Dave but the boy beside her closed the door and resumed to drag her down the street and heap of people. To their left, multiple police vehicles lined on the parking alongside the road. A bubbling anxiety crawled up her windpipe but flattened as they turned in to an indoor parking, turning a left and entering a fenced in park path. Fen-Hua’s eyes darted to the road, the hand around her wrist tightening as they made a detour into a small street connected to the path, the path tight and leading to a building of peeling façade.

They entered the building, Fen-Hua opening the heavy door himself, and found themselves meeting glass shards lining the floors. The boy didn’t seem to see a problem in it, walking over the crunching glass as if he did it often enough.

“Uh,” she thought of what to say, but found it to be useless as the boy didn’t even turn to signal noticing her unease.

They ascended three flights of stairs, Fen-Hua letting go of her arm so she can go up at her own pace. He ended up waiting for her at the top of each flight, if she managed to be quick enough, she’d see a toothy smile on his face (that he wiped off as soon as he saw her stare). She found that it suited him, he looked his age when he showed any bout of playful behavior.

At the last flight, he stood beside a white chipping door, the number 306 hanging by its side on a nail hammered into it.

Coming up to him, he banged on the door with his fist. He yelled some unintelligible words, but the other side had for sure understood as they opened the door soon after.

Melina came over the threshold and glanced over at Bernadette. Her face when she walked out seemed stern and focused onto the boy, but a smile quirked on her lips when she saw the other woman. She told Fen-Hua something in the same language he spoke prior before she gestured Bernadette to come closer. Letting the younger boy in first, she walked in with an arm falling over Bernadette’s shoulder, not bothering to close the door.

“Welcome home!” Her voice boomed through the empty space. Bernadette flinched at the volume.

Noticing Fen-Hua shrugging off the jacket and yanking off his tan boots before coming in, she tried to replicate his movements. Turns out luck wasn’t on her side, finding herself wincing as she tried to bend over to take off her loose shoes.

“Yeah, no need. Heard the bastard nabbed you in the‒” Melina gestured to her side, and Bernadette’s throat closed up for a moment. Fuck, she’d completely forgotten about what happened. Guilt weighed like a thousand rocks in her stomach,

She went on with her day no matter the fact she killed a man.

Melina noticed the change as Bernadette stood in place, petrified. She sighed, waiting for the other’s move, muttering a “Jeez”

Letting go of the other girl, she snapped her fingers: “Hey, hey! Look over here and breathe with me!”

The yelling for sure wasn’t helping, but Bernadette tilted her head to look at the shorter girl. Melina held her right hand over her chest as she rose it with every inhale, Bernadette trying her best to mimic the action. Thinking of Europe, lakes, untamed wildlife, she tried to ride out the suffocating feeling in her throat.

Her eyesight clearing up, Bernadette looked at the other’s face. Melina sent her a smile, seeing her come to, and stretched her arms over her own head as they walked into the room, at last.

“So, you been oogling my bro, yeah?” Melina switched topics with a smirk as she saw Bernadette’s face flare up. She jerked her head from side to side before speaking in a hoarse voice: “No! I was observing how similar the two of you looked.”

Melina snorted as she swung her arm over Bernadette’s shoulder again, tightening her grip before launching herself onto the couch with her. Bernadette cringed at the pain in her wrist, Melina continuing to pick at her personal space by leaning her head on the ravenette’s shoulder.

“Well ya’re outta luck. We’re just siblin’s by occupation. No blood ties in sight,” she gestured with her hands, waving them in front of them, “Found ‘im in an alley one night an’ lucky for him I knew Chinese so we could communicate. Gave ‘im a name ‘n all,” she sighed as her playful demeanor seemed to thin out by the aura of the empty yellow room,

“Anyhow," the room turned cold again, "how ‘bout we talk business now, bud?”

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[1] - 李 奋花