Chapter 3

Riley's POV

I awake only to painful throbbing sensations in my temple and arm. The bright fluorescent lights above me were killing my eyes. A heart beat monitor, and some other hospital equipment were beside me.

Wait.

Hospital equipment? Oh god. That's when I remember what happened with that psychotic girl. I try to sit up, and when I do I find that I have a change of clothes, stitches, and some tubes going in and out of me.

"I am NOT going in there to see that inconceivable bitch!" I heard someone yell behind the door, followed by some murmurs. After one big sigh, the door opens to reveal Ryan.

"Hey... you're up. How are you feeling?" Ryan sheepishly asks as he shuts the door.

"What happened? How am I here? No... a better question, where am I?" I frantically say without stopping to breathe. He smiles at me and tells me to calms down.

Ryan walks over to the hospital bed I was lying on, and sits near the edge. "Charlie went all ballistic on you, you passed out, and now you're in our gang base."

I give him a weird look while I scoff, "Yeah... the hospital is your gang base."

"No seriously. We are in the underground part of it." He says and he looks like he's not even joking, "The main floor is designed to look like no one lives here. The base is underground, it has everything from medical assistance to restaurants to dorms---anything, you name it and it's there."

"What are you? Running a metropolis down here?" I said totally flabbergasted.

"Hm. I guess." Ryan drawled as he fidgeted with a loose piece of thread. I asked him how, "As you already know, I'm a McCalister. And McCalisters are dumb rich. Before I ran away, I took a lump-some of money. Two million."

My jaw automatically drops, "They let you have access to two million dollars?" He chuckles at my reaction, "Don't act like two million is a lot of money. It's nothing really. I didn't have enough to complete the business---it was Charlie who helped me out and here we are today."

"You are such a hypocrite." I point out as I shake my head. He trails his eyes from the piece of thread to me. "Why do you say so?"

"You told me that rich gangs aren't real gangs. They 'do it for kicks'." I stated as I made air quotations for do it for kicks.

"No no no. Rich gangs are gangs that aren't runaways, they have unlimited cash from their parents. Real gangs on the other hand, are runaways. Each gang has their own 'metropolis' underground somewhere. It's not what you think where we live on the streets, have rumbles, and do drugs--- it's actually business."

I nod to show that I understand but really I don't. "Okay... so if this is a business, why do you carry switchblades and fight."

"It's still a gang. There is a number of disagreements and betrayals flying around." He said still looking at me, "we have to get you prepared for the fight of the century. It ends it all."

Before I could ask what that was, the door flung open. Charlie stomped right in with annoyance plastered on her face. "Dude. You are takin' a hell of a long time. Move aside."

Fear and terror trickled down down my spine. I was in the same room with the  girl who tried to murder me! 

"You asked me to apologize to her, right?" Ryan nods in response, "So imma apologize to her. But I need you out of the room boo."

Ryan quickly turns to me and finds that my eyes are opened wide---pleading for him to not go.

"No! Don't leave me with your girlfriend! She's bat shit crazy!" I blurted out then I cover my mouth in regret.

"Ex-girlfriend." He says placing an emaphasizes on ex as he stands up to go to the door. "Don't worry i'll be right behind the door."

She places her hands on her hips as she waits for the door to close shut. Once it's shut, she turns to me, "So. Where the fuck did you come from?"

I give her silence in response. "If you want to stay alive. Stay away from him, Riley." She says my name as if it tasted like rotten eggs, "and you know exactly what I mean. Quit flirting with my boyfriend." She points her finger at me that I feel as if it was going to jab me in the eye.

Me flirting with Ryan? Ha. She wishes.

Charlie begins to walk out. Just as her hand barely touches the handle---I gather up the courage to say, "your ex-boyfriend."

She whips her head in my direction, and gives me the middle finger. The door opens, she leaves, and I can finally breathe again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*One week later*

The doctors said my wounds hadn't completely recovered, but I was well enough to get out of the hospital. The only person that had been visiting me during my stay was Ryan. Some nights, I would wake up and find Ryan sleeping by my side. He told me he was doing that because he had a feeling Charlie would strike again. Speaking of Ryan, I wondered where he was today. He hadn't come the night before, or any time today. I asked the doctors if they knew here he was, all they were told is that he was busy.

"Ms. Rene, we have received new orders from Mr. McCalister. He requests for you to stay in this room until he comes. He will come around 4:30PM today." The doctor nonchalantly informed me, "I highly suggest you listen to his orders."

I raise one eyebrow in suspicion, "Why do you highly suggest me to listen to his orders?" The doctor quickly looks out the door. After looking left to right, she shuts the door. "Please don't tell him I told you this," She whispers with fear as she moves closer to me, "The things he does are terrible... no that's an understatement. Evil, the things he does to get what he wants are evil to the core. You think I work here willingly? I don't. Him and his gang kidnapped all the doctors and nurses here. My previous colleague was killed because he did not follow orders."

My breathing lessens at this information, "Oh my god... I'm so sorry... I had no idea." I say as my subtle sobbing hitches. She looks me straight in the eye, "Be careful young one, he has never taken care of someone like this until now. You are in grave danger."

"Who is in grave danger?" A deep voice asked behind us. Slowly, the doctor and I turn our heads to an angry Ryan. His fist was clenched, and the other was holding a gun. The doctor dropped down her knees begging for her life. He mockingly laughed in her face, "You only had one job. One job." Before I could register what was happening, Ryan had shot the doctor in her head. Her skull bashed down to the hard floor, causing even more blood to pour out.

"OH MY GOD. NO. NO. NO." I shout whilst crying hysterically then I turn my attention to the killer, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?" Ryan took his phone, saying somethings I couldn't decipher to the other person. As he was talking, I was clawing my nails into his skin and punching him. But, he didn't even flinch. What I was doing was very useless.

I draw my attention back to the dead doctor, "I can't... believe that... no I'm dreaming. You'll wake up Riley... Riley it's all going to be okay... This is just a sick... sick dream." A group of gang members wearing all black bust into the room, taking the lifeless body away. Another group came to clean up all the blood. My stomach was making unpleasant growls in response to all of this. A gush of vomit splashes onto Ryan from my mouth. He is covered, head to toe in my vomit. I grin in accomplishment. "Take her away to my room." He roars at one of the gang members.

They automatically take action by putting handcuffs and a blindfold on me. I screamed out all profanity, until I felt exhausted. Echos of footstep fill the air, I assumed that we were in an empty hallway. Suddenly, I was put into a halt then I heard the opening of a door. They removed the blindfold and handcuffs, "Mr. McCalister requires you to stay in here." I frown in response.

Once they leave and lock the door, my quest to escape begins. I turn on the light and my breathing hitches at the sight of his room. Crystal chandeliers, cashmere carpets, a king-sized bed draped with a red velvet blanket, walls had golden pictures frames, beautiful red and white roses sat beside it---his room was beautiful.

"Like it? I designed it all by myself." A deep voice startled me.
I turn and I find Ryan grinning but his eyes were red and baggy. I didn't care about that though. He had just killed the doctor!

"I don't care. You evil, cunning murder. Why are you keeping me here anyway!" I said with distaste, crossing my arms. Ryan's grin twists into that tough look he always wore.

"First off, I am a murderer. So, I take that as a compliment." He fumes, "Second, I killed her because my data team found out that she is a spy for the OvO Gang. While my people were sick, and healing in the hospital---she would give them cyanide. Instantly killing them."

I raise my eyebrows at the latter of what he had said. He placed his hand at the small part of my back, leading me to his bed. He sat down, and I did the same.

"I didn't visit you in the hospital because I've been recieveing threats from the OvO gang. Negotiating with them is impossible." He said as he looked at the carpet, clenching his jaw.

"What kind of threats..." I ask, looking at him.

"Here you have two options, you can either stay or go home. If you stay you'll have to pledge to this gang and you'll officially be a part of it. But here's the catch, if you want to go home, just know that the OvO gang will find you. Once they do, they will torture you, kill your family members, and then kill you. They pose these threats because they are so pissed off about that encounter that night. The fight with that blonde. Drew." Ryan told me as he look at me, "I know is a har---"

Before he could finish his sentence I scream, "Yes!". Shortly after, my eyes are filled with unwanted tears. They slide down my face like a child sliding down a slide. "I... want... to stay!" I broke down, covering my face in my hands.

This would be my new life now. I want to go home. Truly I do, but I am now aware of the consequences. I would never forgive myself if I brought any harm to my parents. Of course I hated they way they barked at me to be like my best friend. To be like my cousin. To be like my neighbor. But never to be like myself. I hate them, but not enough to get them killed.

I felt warmth surround my body. I lifted my head to find Ryan hugging me from the side. He had noticed I stopped crying, "It's called an act of compassion." He said as his gave me this beautiful, warm smile. 

"Hey! That's my line..." I giggled in spite of how I'm feeling. Then we just sit there in silence for a bit...just us. Ryan begins to lean forward. Closer, closer and closer. He slided his hand under my shirt, gently pulling me closer. Our lips were barely touching, just as the kiss was about to start---BANG BANG BANG!

Ryan let out an annoyed sigh as he got up to open the door.

"Hello, it's me Daniel. Rank Three. Reporting for guiding duty." The voice said.

*Author's Note: That is Daniel (Jonny Gray)*

"Ah right, come in Daniel." Ryan says as he widens the door. A boy who appears to be a teenager enters the room.

"Okay so where is my client?"He says as he stares at a picture frame.

"On the bed." Ryan says.

Daniel turns to me, with big round eyes. He looked like he broke into a sweat. "Oh... her... she... where... okay... me... h-h-help...yes...uh." He cutely stammered as he pulled on the neck part of his sweater.

Ryan just smirks and shakes his head. He walks over to me, "Daniel will be your guide. He'll show you around, and protect you until you can handle yourself." He takes my hand and kisses it, "I wish I could be your guide but I am the leader of this gang. I need to place my attention to the gang."

Ryan walks out the door, leaving me with my guide. I can practically feel the hormones radiating off him.

"Hi, my name is Ri---" he interrupts my introduction, "Richard."

"Um n---"

"Ria."

"It---"

"Rihanna."

"You know what forget i--"

Daniel smiles because he knows I'm getting pretty ticked off. "It's Riley. I'm just messing with ya."

"Do it look like I want to be messed with?" I fume as I point at my tear stained face. He shakes his head vigorously.

"Mess with me. I'll stomp all over you." I sternly say.

"Wow." he said as he raised his hands, "I swear you looked sweeter 2 minutes ago."

I shake off my sudden outburst, "Sorry. It's just all of this. It's hard to take in."

His face turns into genuine sincerity, "Yup. It was hard for all of us to take it in. But I'm sure you'll fit right in."

He walks over to me and whispers, "it's going to get worse." I groan as I burrow face into one of Ryan's pillows.

_______________________

Author's Note:

Chapter question: If you were Riley would you go home or stay?

Thank you a million times for reading this chapter!

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-Mizteddyz🌺