NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18: In between two worlds
"Hua Jing!"
Zhao Yan's voice rang out, filled with a mix of panic and urgency that Hua Jing had never heard before. It was raw, desperate, and it pierced through the dark, tangled nightmare holding her captive.
The voice reminded her of someone...the man at the accident scene that day!
Their voices were eerily similar!
There was no way Zhao Yan was that person!
Her eyes snapped open, but something wasn't right.
The soft red glow of the bridal chamber was gone. Zhao Yan's presence, his voice, his steady strength—they had vanished. Instead, she was surrounded by sterile white walls and blinding lights that made her head spin.
She blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of her surroundings. The rhythmic beeping of a machine filled her ears, accompanied by the low hum of fluorescent lights.
Hua Jing's breath caught in her throat as she looked around. The pristine white room was alien, yet eerily familiar. The faint smell of antiseptic tickled her nose.
A hospital.
Her chest tightened as her gaze landed on the figure in the center of the room.
It was her.
Her body lay on the hospital bed, wrapped in bandages, hooked up to countless machines. The sight sent a chill down her spine. Her head was swollen and covered in white gauze, one leg elevated and wrapped, while her arms were encased in casts. Wires snaked around her form, connected to monitors that beeped steadily but weakly.
She stepped closer, her feet moving as if on their own. The person on the bed—her—looked fragile, barely clinging to life.
Is this what the accident did to me? she thought, her stomach churning.
Suddenly, a loud alarm blared, shattering the tense quiet.
"Code Blue!"
The shout made Hua Jing whirl around just as the door burst open. A team of doctors and nurses rushed in, their faces pale and drawn with panic.
"She's crashing!" a nurse yelled, her voice urgent.
"Get the crash cart!" a doctor barked, his tone clipped and commanding.
Hua Jing stumbled backward, her eyes wide as the medical team swarmed the bed. She expected them to acknowledge her, to ask her to step aside, but no one looked at her.
No one saw her.
"What's happening?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Prepare for CPR!" a nurse said, snapping on gloves.
The doctor leaned over the body, his face grim. "No pulse. Start compressions."
A nurse climbed onto the bed, pressing down on her chest with rhythmic force. Hua Jing flinched at the violent movement, the sight of her own body jarring and surreal.
"Push one milligram of epinephrine!"
"Charge the defibrillator to 200 joules!"
The flurry of activity, the clipped voices, the beeping monitors—all of it made Hua Jing's head spin. She turned away, clutching her chest as anxiety clawed at her.
This isn't real. This can't be real.
But the sound of the defibrillator jolted her back to reality.
"Clear!"
The sight of her chest convulsing sent a shiver down her spine.
"Still no pulse!"
"Try again! Increase to 300 joules!"
Hua Jing stared at the scene, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The monitor's weak beeping slowed even further, its erratic rhythm making her stomach churn.
"She's not responding," one nurse said, her voice laced with fear.
"Again!" the doctor barked.
"Clear!"
Another shock. Hua Jing watched her body jerk violently, the sight both horrifying and surreal.
"We're losing her," one of the nurses whispered.
"No, we can't," the doctor snapped. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes darting toward the monitors. "If she dies, we're all dead."
Hua Jing's eyes widened at the statement. What does that mean?
A nurse hesitated, glancing at the doctor. "You mean…?"
"Yes," the doctor said sharply. "You know the orders. If we lose her, we're as good as gone. Focus!"
The tension in the room thickened as the team worked frantically to stabilize her. Hua Jing's mind raced, trying to make sense of what she was hearing.
"Who gave those orders?" a young nurse whispered.
"I don't know," another nurse muttered, her voice barely audible. "But whoever it was, they made it very clear—she has to survive."
Hua Jing's blood ran cold. Who?
Why would someone give that command?
The thought repeated in her mind, over and over. Who would give such a command? Why was her survival so important?
The doctor glanced at the team, his face hard. "No more questions. Do your jobs!"
"Yes, Doctor."
"Push another milligram of epinephrine!"
The tension in the room was suffocating, the frantic movements of the team blurring before Hua Jing's eyes. She couldn't tear her gaze away from her body, the weakened pulse on the monitor, the strained breaths rattling through her chest.
The defibrillator was charged again, its whine filling the room.
"Clear!"
The jolt made Hua Jing flinch, her hands trembling as she took a step back.
"She's stabilizing," one nurse said, her voice tinged with relief.
The monitor's rhythm steadied slightly, the beeping becoming more regular.
"Good," the doctor said, though his shoulders remained tense. "Keep monitoring her vitals. I don't want another episode."
The team nodded, the tension in the room easing slightly.
Hua Jing, however, felt no relief. The words she had overheard repeated in her mind, their weight pressing down on her chest.
She has to survive.
Who gave those orders? Why do they care whether I live or die?
The questions swirled in her head, the confusion and fear making her dizzy. She turned away from the bed, her hands gripping her arms tightly.
Then, the door burst open again.
The sound made her jump, her head snapping toward the entrance.
A figure stood in the doorway, shrouded in shadows. The light from the hallway outlined their frame, making it impossible to see their face.
From the silhouette, she could tell that it was a woman who was very tall and slender.
Her eyes narrowed, a bad premonition quickly forming in her chest
Hua Jing's heart pounded as she stared, her breath catching in her throat.
The figure stepped forward, their movements slow and deliberate. Hua Jing backed away instinctively, her body trembling with a mix of fear and anticipation.
"Who…?"