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"In the Shadows"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

The Story of Halo, Zenith, and Nadir

Part Two: Fighting Back

-----

   A few minutes turned into several hours for Nadir and Halo.  Filling out the paperwork was nothing.  They lied about their names, as well as Zenith’s name; they lied about their address, their living conditions, everything.  They convinced the nurse that they would pay for Zenith’s treatment in cash, explaining that Nadir’s parents would be the one paying the bill since the three of them were barely getting by.

   It was a good enough story.  Nobody asked for an ID or a credit card.  The nurse took the information and used it to start a file on Zenith, who was given the name Torch by Nadir and Halo as they tried to hide his identity.  Once all the necessary information was gotten, Nadir and Halo were directed back to the waiting room, the nurse promising to update them on Zenith’s condition as soon as she could.

   The two were quiet for the last few minutes of that first hour.  They watched incoming patients being rolled in on gurneys, and after awhile they began to notice a trend.  Several people in a row came in with burns, and most of them were coughing quite terribly.  Halo and Nadir glanced at each other.  Looking to the television high on the wall, they saw a breaking news story covering a fire burning down an apartment building on Cayman Street.

   “Police are almost one-hundred percent certain that this fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.  Either a stove caught on fire, or something short-circuited.  Police can confirm an electrical fault as the main cause due to the power surging and going out before the building, as well as an abandoned warehouse next to it, caught on fire.  No charges will be filed.  Already fifteen people have been rushed to the hospital with burns and smoke inhalation, however thankfully no deaths have resulted,” the news anchor reported.

   Halo and Nadir glanced at each other.  Nadir whispered, “Well darn, that ruins everything doesn’t it?” grinning sadistically.

   She returned his devious grin with her own, but they disappeared quickly as they realized what he just said.  Halo whimpered a bit and said, “Sorry Nadir…I don’t think it’s okay to wish that people had died…I don’t care how angry we are.  Pain and suffering is one thing, death is another.”

   “I—I agree.  I’m sorry Halo, I’m just so angry and upset.  I want Zenith to be alright,” Nadir whispered.

   The nurse from before returned to them and said, “Oh you poor things.  First your brother and fiancé gets sick, then your entire apartment building burns down.  I’m so sorry.  Do you have anywhere else you can stay?”

   Nadir and Halo glanced at each other, realizing they weren’t as angry with humans and other people as they thought.  Not all of them were as bull-headed as that mayor and that bitch of a woman on television.  Their concern for Zenith only made their hearts heavier and their spirits more weary.  Halo whimpered, “No ma’am.  Our parents, well, the twins’ parents are very far away, and my parents died years ago, so we’re kind of alone here.”

   Lowering his head, feeling shame and defeat, Nadir whispered, “We pretty much only have each other.  We didn’t lose much in that fire.”

   The two fell silent.  The nurse gazed at them, her heart going out to them, unaware of the role they played in a fire that had affected them less than they said it did, even if their sadness about it all was real.  She walked away to her desk, pulling something out from under it, before walking over to them.  She now held two blankets in her hands and said, “Here, take these.  Try and get comfortable out here for now, and once Torch has his own room, you can stay in there with him.”

   Both Halo and Nadir felt paralyzed, almost afraid to take the blankets from her, even as she smiled at them sympathetically.  They had never had anything given to them over the entire fifteen years of their lives.  For the first time they didn’t have to beg for something, or steal it.  It was so strange to them it was almost as if they didn’t understand what was happening, what it meant to be given something so simple and essential as a blanket to keep them warm.  They almost wondered if it was right to take them from her without offering something in return.

   They took the blankets, nodding their heads, trying to remember what to say in reply.  “Th—Thank you,” Halo said at last.

   The nurse smiled and said, “You’re welcome.  Both of you try to relax.  You’ve had a rough night.  I’ll be at my desk if you need me.”

   She left after this.  Halo and Nadir got up to sit together on the couch.  Getting as close as they could to each other, they wrapped the blankets around them and rested against each other, trying to find a comfortable position, realizing they hurt terribly.  “Not all of them are so bad Nadir.  We’ve lied to this woman, and she offers us blankets to keep us warm,” Halo whispered.

   “Yeah Halo,” Nadir whispered, “But you’ve got to remember what the rest of the city thinks about us.  There’s also no way in hell that we’ll be able to pay the bill for Zenith’s treatment.  We burned down our home.  We have no choice but to run away now.  We’re gonna have to find a way to survive somewhere else.”

   Halo didn’t answer Nadir, save for a gentle nod as she rested her head on his shoulder.  Nadir started to close his eyes, but a thought entered his mind that he couldn’t ignore.  Opening them, he looked to Halo and asked, “Hey Halo, why did you tell everyone that you were engaged to Zenith?”

   A gasp escaped Halo.  Sitting up, she gazed at Nadir, unaware that her cheeks were now beet red, and more aware of the back of her neck burning her.  He continued to gaze at her questionably, waiting for an answer.  Finally, Halo took a breath, wrapping the blanket around herself tighter as she replied, “It’s because I know that they only let family members back into the intensive care unit and certain areas of the hospital, family members and of course a husband or wife.  I figured saying I was his fiancée would be enough to convince them to let me back there.”

   She got comfortable again, leaning up against Nadir, ready for sleep.  Nadir however, was not.  He looked to her again and said, “Then why didn’t you just say you were our sister?  Everyone can already tell he and I are hybrids.  We could have just as easily had a cat mother instead of a hedgehog one or whatever and you turned out looking more full-blooded than us?”

   Looking back to Nadir once more, Halo smirked and said, “It was just easier to say I was his fiancée you idiot.  Now go to sleep.”

   Nadir rolled his eyes, resting his head as he muttered, “Sure it was easy.  I’m sure you’re so used to the idea, it just rolled off your tongue.”

   “Goodnight Nadir,” Halo said, sounding annoyed.

   A soft chuckle escaped Nadir but he did not speak further.  Halo pulled her blanket up to her face, her neck continuing to burn as she thought about Nadir’s words.  She realized that while she had said it for the exact reason that she gave that at the same time she didn’t have to think about it at all.  It just rolled right off her lips.  It seemed so…right.

   “I—I love you Zenith,” she whispered.  Afraid she would start crying again or that Nadir might have heard her, she closed her eyes and waited for the pain to go away.

   ...

   “Excuse me?  Miss?  Sir?  Wake up please!” a voice said.

   A groan escaped Nadir as he started to wake up.  He was comfortable, more comfortable than he usually was, not used to having a blanket to keep him warm.  He opened his eyes, his vision tired at first but his interest aroused when he saw the same nurse from before standing above him.  He sat up, seeing Halo do the same as she too was awakened.

   The nurse smiled at them, kneeling down so they could be closer to eye level.  Speaking softly she looked to Nadir and said, “Your brother will be just fine.  He had a cold, but because it wasn’t treated and got worse it turned into pneumonia.  That sounds bad, and he is very weak right now, but he’ll get better.  You have nothing to be afraid of.  He’s very strong.  They caught it before it could get any worse.”

   Another genuine smile came to both Halo’s and Nadir’s faces as they looked to each other.  Though they were tired, they felt such an overwhelming sense of relief.

   Zenith would be alright.

   They both let out a sigh of relief.  Halo murmured, “Oh thank heavens,” quietly to herself.

   Nadir lowered his eyes and said, “Torch had been coughing pretty badly for the past few days.  None of us realized it was that bad.”

   The nurse smiled, reached out and placed her hand on Nadir’s shoulder.  His head snapped back up so he could look at her, puzzled and slightly unsure of why she had done this.  She continued to smile as she started to rub his shoulder, saying, “It’ll be okay Rider,” which was the fake name Nadir had chosen, “I said before, your brother is strong.  He’ll be better after a few days in our care.  Now, it’s late, why don’t you and Mist follow me back to his room so you can get back to sleep?”

   As the nurse stood up, Nadir and Halo, who had taken the name Mist, looked to each other, their awe and confusion at the nurse’s kindness continuing as they slowly stood up.  Holding on to their blankets, Nadir and Halo followed the nurse down the hallways, realizing that even in the middle of the night, it was still quite noisy.  Halo’s ears drooped as she pressed them against her head, trying to block it all out, while Nadir cringed, only opening his eyes enough to see where he was going.

   After several minutes of walking however, it got quiet.  The nurse led them into an elevator, where the chaos of the emergency room floor below disappeared completely.  They leaned against the back wall, as well as each other, feeling exhausted and lost.  The elevator dinged when it arrived at the third floor.  Looking back to them, the nurse said, “Mist?  Rider?  We’re almost there.”

   Halo and Nadir opened their tired eyes, walking off the elevator and following the nurse down the hallways.  It was much quieter on this floor, the emergency room now two floors below them, which might as well have been a world away for them now.  They both let out a yawn, their eyes only half opened as they walked.  They were startled when they bumped into the nurse.

   They looked up at her.  She was smiling at them, the sympathetic look in her eyes unmistakable.  She knelt down beside them and whispered, “We’re here.  Torch is resting now, so try not to wake him.  There’s a small couch and a recliner in the room.  You can rest on those for now.  Try and get some sleep, and don’t worry, we’ll take good care of Torch.”

   Nadir’s eyes widened a bit.  He simply nodded, and walked past the nurse into the room.  Halo, who was only a bit more polite than Zenith and Nadir, let out another yawn and whispered, “Th-thank you, very much.”

   The nurse smiled again and replied, “It’s nothing Mist.  You go on and get some sleep.  Everything will be alright in the morning.”

   After she spoke, the nurse stood back up and went on about her business.  Halo looked back into the room, realizing there was never a moment in her life that she was more grateful for something than she was now, grateful that these people she and Nadir had lied to, and planned to cheat when they didn’t pay Zenith’s medical bills, had saved Zenith’s life, not questioning her and Nadir when they first arrived.  They simply took Zenith and cured him.

   Halo was not accustomed to such kindness.

   She walked into the room, her blanket dragging the floor behind her.  She could see Nadir sitting in the chair beside Zenith’s bed.  Nadir it seemed found it in him to wake up so he could check on his brother, for he looked alert, though tired.  Glancing at Halo he shook his head and said, “Zenith looks okay…he looks sick, but okay.  They didn’t make him any worse it seems.  Looks like those idiots weren’t lying to us after all.  They were wise…I could have destroyed them if they had hurt him.”

   It was strange.  Nadir had reverted to his angry and distrustful ways so quickly.  Halo realized that it was only when Zenith was in danger that Nadir was made vulnerable.  Now that he was assured that his twin brother would be alright, Nadir had no reason to be genuinely nice to anyone anymore, unless they were Zenith or Halo.

   Still, Halo remembered her earlier anger at the world.  If anything she believed the nurse was another innocent victim of the malice of all life, somebody who could be spared, or even saved.  She’d refrain from hating the nurse.

   She would refrain from hating anyone for the moment.

   Halo tip-toed up to the side of the bed, taking soft steps, wrapping her blanket tightly around her for comfort.  She leaned over the side, gazing at Zenith’s face.  He did indeed still look sick.  Placing her hand on his forehead, she could feel the fever, but both she and Nadir noticed on one of the computer screens beside the bed that his temperature was right at one-hundred one degrees.

   It sounded bad, and it was, but it couldn’t be as high as it was before.  Halo was sure Zenith’s fever could have killed him; that’s how bad it was.

   He really would be okay now it seemed.

   Still, Nadir and Halo heard a sniffle come from Zenith; he moaned softly in his sleep, turning as best he could with what strength he had to find a comfortable position.  Once he found one, he fell silent again.  Nadir and Halo glanced at each other.  Letting out a yawn, Nadir said, “Well, I’m gonna take advantage of the stupidity of these selfish humans and soak up all they have to offer, starting with a good sleep in this fancy recliner.  Good night Halo.”

   Satisfied that his twin was alright, Nadir wrapped his blanket around him, reclined the chair, and curled up to fall asleep.  Halo was slower to mimic his actions.  Instead she went back to looking at Zenith.  She wanted to curl up beside him, but realized she couldn’t.  Brushing his bangs away from his eyes, Halo whispered, “I love you Zenith, my Torch.  Sleep well.  I’ll be here waiting for you.”

   She leaned in and got close enough to his face so that she could kiss him on the nose.  As she pulled back, she could hear him let out a deep breath.  The expression on his face relaxed.  Though he still looked stressed, he looked comforted.

   Halo smiled weakly.  She yawned and realized she was finally ready for sleep.  She glanced at the couch that sat across from the bed, and walked over to it, her tail dragging across the floor with the blanket as she was too tired to hold it up anymore.  She laid down slowly, yawning the entire way.  She curled up, covering herself with the blanket, pulling it up to her chin.  As she closed her eyes, she gazed at Zenith, thinking about how much her life depended on his survival.

   “Please Zenith, please tell me you love me too,” Halo whispered.

   Sleep overtook her eyes, and she finally fell asleep.

   Morning came, or at least what Halo thought was morning.  She opened her eyes, expecting to see sunlight filling the room, only to discover that it was still as dark as it was when they arrived.

   As tired as she was earlier, she realized she simply couldn’t go back to sleep.  She sat up, yawning regardless, and immediately looked to Zenith.  He was in a different position, but still asleep, as was Nadir as he slept in the recliner.  Getting up from her seat, Halo walked to the side of Zenith’s bed.  She leaned over the side, and reached to brush his bangs away from his eyes again.  As her fingers curled under his hair, he moaned softly.  Before she could pull away, his eyes opened halfway, and he looked at her.  She was frozen by this, and returned his gaze with her own.

   “Halo?” Zenith whispered, “Where…where are we?”

   Smiling sadly, Halo shook her head and whispered, “Shh, everything’s okay Zenith.  You’re in the hospital.  Your breathing got so bad, and your fever was so hot.  Nadir and I didn’t know what to do, so we brought you here.  They say you have pneumonia, but that you’ll get better.  If we hadn’t brought you here…who knows…what might have happened.”  Her voice trailed off, getting softer with each word.

   Zenith stared at her, his eyes opening the rest of the way.  Though he felt sick, he was concerned when he saw Halo’s sadness.  He was weak, but used what strength he had to reach up and touch her face, causing her to look back at him.

   “What’s going to happen?” Zenith asked in a tired whisper.

   Halo reached up and held his hand, stroking it gently.  “When you’re better, we’re going to bust out of here.  There’s no way we can pay them for all this, but Nadir and I weren’t going to let you die.  We need you Zenith.  When you’re better, we’re leaving Starshine Town for good…the warehouse burned down anyway.”

   “Burned…down?” Zenith asked with wide eyes, “How…what,” he began to sputter and cough as he was already badly winded simply from this short conversation.

   Halo rubbed Zenith’s forehead and said, “It’s okay Zenith.  You need to rest now.  It’s just…I kinda knocked over my television set and it caused a fire, before we left.  Nadir and I didn’t care.  We just wanted to save you.  We’ll figure everything out.”

   Fresh off a cough, Zenith looked to Halo.  He could feel his heart race and his spirit flutter with tingles when her eyes met his.  He loved her so, but didn’t know how to go about telling her.  He hoped one day he’d find the answer, and until then, he was thankful that she cared enough to stay by his side.

   “Thank you Halo,” Zenith whispered.

   With a smile, Halo replied, “It’s okay Zenith…no worries.  Just one thing though.  Everyone here thinks your name is Torch, mine is Mist, and Nadir’s is Rider.  We can’t have them knowing our real names, okay?”

   His eyes had already closed and his body was ready for more rest, but Zenith yawned and whispered, “Okay Halo.”

   Halo felt a tear roll down her cheek.  Part of her was disgusted that she was crying so much, but because she knew it was Zenith who provoked her tears, she let go of any of that disdain.  Not caring whether he knew it or not, Halo leaned over and kissed his brow.  Even though she wasn’t tired, she walked back over to the couch and laid down to rest.  She began to realize that she felt so lost.  She had no direction in life, and it killed her.

   “Why have we been abandoned?” Halo whispered.

   She closed her eyes again, knowing she’d get no answer.

   ...

   “Alright Nadir, enough.  You were the one who said I just had a sore throat after all.”

   Halo opened her eyes.  She had managed to fall back asleep after all.  She awoke to see Nadir and Zenith talking, Nadir teasing his twin about letting himself get so sick, and Zenith coming back with a smart reply of his own.

   Sitting up, Halo said, “Shh Zenith!  We should be calling each other by our fake names.  We can’t let them hear our names at all.  Because they’ll know exactly what we look like, our names will be all we have to protect ourselves.”

   Nadir and Zenith both looked to her.  Back to his old self, Nadir shook his head, crossing his arms behind it as he said, “Chill out Halo.  If they know well enough what we look like, fake names won’t save us.  Besides, I’m not afraid of anyone.”

   Halo and Zenith exchanged glances.  The cat quickly got up and ran up to Nadir.  Grabbing one of his arms, Halo replied, “You should be Nadir.  Those cops have guns.  If they find any reason to arrest you, they’ll do whatever they can to take you down.  We’ve got to be careful!”

   Nadir rolled his eyes.  “Whatever Halo.  I’m the best there is.  No filthy ass cop is going to lay his hands on me.  Infact I’m gonna show off my stuff when I mug some people today.  After all, we’ve got to build up funds for our trip!”  He got up and headed for the door, but stopped long enough to add, “Come on Halo, I need your help.  We’ll get more cash if we split up.”

   Her eyes widened.  “You want to leave Zenith alone here?” Halo asked.

   “I thought his name was Torch,” Nadir replied with a smirk on his face, “Besides, he’s a big boy.  He can take care of himself.  We need to get to work.”

   “Whatever Nadir…I mean, Rider,” Zenith said, waving his hand and continuing to smirk at his twin.

   “I—I…,” Halo stuttered.

   Zenith reached out and took her hand, causing her to look at him.  “I’ll be okay,” Zenith said, “Sure, I feel like crap, but as long as I don’t have to get up a whole bunch I’ll be alright while you’re gone.”

   Halo felt silly, but she was afraid something might happen to Zenith if they left him unprotected.  She leaned forward and hugged him, whispering, “Please Zenith, if they try to hurt you, fight them off and run away.  Nadir and I will find you and we can get out of town together, okay?”

   Returning the hug, Zenith replied, “I promise Halo.”

   Halo pulled back, smiling at him.  “Okay,” she said.  She walked to the door where Nadir waited.

   “We’ll be back soon bro, don’t worry about us,” Nadir said.

   “I never worry about you Nadir,” Zenith said grinning.

   “Whatever,” Nadir replied, flipping his middle finger at Zenith.

   Nadir and Halo left the hospital, telling anyone who asked that they were going to check out what was left of their apartment building.  In reality, they took to the streets, looking for people to rob.  It was basically their occupation.  They robbed people and regarded it like other people thought of another day at the office.  They would sneak up behind their victims, knock them out with swift hits to key pressure points, then take any cash or jewelry they could.

   They never regretted stealing.  While they had to do without, these people got away with their lives, and because Nadir and Halo never stole credit cards or identities, they could quickly make back what they lost.  In their minds, they were being easy on these people, people who wanted so called trash like them and Zenith gone forever.

   The anger from the night before returned.  They attacked as many people as they could before night fell and they met back up at the hospital.

   Sitting outside on a ledge, Nadir was counting his cash.  Halo ran up to him.  “Hey Nadir, looks like you struck it rich!” she exclaimed.

   Grinning smugly, Nadir waved and replied, “You got that right.  I’m not even finished, and already I have nearly two-hundred dollars.  Some people are so stupid.  What kind of idiot carries that much cash anymore?  These people are so stupid, they deserved to be robbed.  It’ll teach them a lesson.”

   “You’re so right Nadir,” Halo replied, her smile as conceited as his, “It’s no less than these people deserve.  We should steal their credit cards and sell them to thugs for even more.  Who cares if their lives are ruined?  Nobody cared when ours were put on a road to poverty and hell, so why should we care if theirs are?”

   “Exactly, the stupid assholes,” Nadir answered.  He finished counting his cash and continued, “Well, I’ve got a grand total of three-hundred twenty-one dollars.  I also stole two watches, a silver ring, and a gold chain.  All in all a good day if I do say so myself.”

   Halo was busy counting her haul as they were talking.  “Well how about this.  I managed to snag three-hundred thirty-three dollars, and I snatched a watch, an onyx ring, and a pair of sunglasses that I know are worth at least one-hundred dollars.  I saw them in a store window a few weeks ago.  If that bastard had enough money to waste on sunglasses that are that expensive, he won’t miss the thirty bucks I stole from him, or these stupid shades,” Halo explained.

   Shaking his fist in the air, Nadir said, “This is perfect.  One day and we’ve got over five-hundred dollars in cash, and more to add to that in goods.  By the time Zenith is better we’ll be good to go.  Now we’ve just got to pick a new city to haunt.”

   The two concealed their cash, getting up to go back inside.  As they were walking, they noticed the nurse from the night before entering ahead of them.  The anger faded again.  She was just another victim like they were…in their minds.  They had to give her that label, or else they’d see no other reason to feel sorry for her.

   As they entered the hospital, Halo whispered, “We can’t stay here.  She’ll get attached to us…it’ll crush her when we run away, even more so the closer she is to us.”

   Nadir nodded.  “Don’t worry Halo, Zenith is strong.  We’ll be out of here in no time.”

   No time turned into a two week stay at the Starshine Town Memorial Hospital.  Over those days, Halo and Nadir continued to rob people, building up their reserve of cash even further by pawning off the goods that they stole at different shops all over the city.  At the same time, Zenith’s strength returned to him.  His lungs cleared up and he could breathe easier.  His fever went away and he felt strong again.  They knew soon that they would escape from that hospital, and run away to their new lives.

   They had decided upon Amble Park, a suburb of a big city along the southern coast, as their new home.

   ...

   The night had come for them to escape.

   It was late, and most of the patients in the hospital were already asleep.  Halo was getting a few drinks from the drink machine so they would have something to last them until the next town.  As she was walking, the nurse that had been so nice to them, Nurse Clara, walked up beside her.  “He’s almost ready to go home Mist, I know you’re excited about that,” she said.

   Halo, who was trying to distance herself emotionally from Nurse Clara, didn’t look to her, and simply answered, “I am…I’m ready for things to start looking up.”

   Nurse Clara frowned a bit.  “Rider tells me you’re going to stay with their parents.  I’m glad you’ve found a place to stay.  It’s such a shame that so much bad happened to you at once, and I’m glad you’ve finally got something good going for you,” she replied.

   “It’s…it’s not as bad as you think.  We weren’t the only victims after all,” Halo said, struggling to find the words to say.

   They stopped before entering Zenith’s room.  Nurse Clara knelt down and hugged Halo, saying, “There’s no need to be so modest Mist.  There are indeed many people who are dealt cards that they don’t deserve, and when they do get cut a break and find happier days, it’s something to be treasured.  I’m just glad I was able to help some souls that needed this miracle more than most.  I’m glad you’re finding rest.”

   Halo felt paralyzed as Nurse Clara embraced her.  This woman clearly cared about all three of them.  Halo tried as best as she could to become apathetic towards her, but realized she couldn’t.

   She just had to remember that running away without paying would hurt the hospital, and not Nurse Clara directly.

   “Th-thank you Nurse Clara, for everything,” Halo whispered.

   Pulling back, Nurse Clara smiled and replied, “You’re most welcome Mist.  I hope things continue to get better for you.  I wish you the very best.”  She stood up and added, “Goodbye Mist.  Make sure to say the same to the boys for me, okay?”

   “I—I will,” Halo whispered.

   One more smile, and then Nurse Clara walked away.

   She was gone.  Finally Halo could let her hatred for all others who persecuted her, Nadir, and Zenith, return.

   But it would be hard to forget this one person who showed them all such kindness and wanted so much for them to be happy.

   Collecting herself, Halo adjusted her grip on the drinks and walked into Zenith’s room.  Nadir was busy counting up all of their cash one final time, while Zenith sat in bed, brushing his hair and looking forward to getting out of the hospital.  Closing the door behind her, Halo whispered, “This is it.  The night shift is here and this is the only chance we’ve got to escape.”

   “Finally!” Zenith cried, “I’m so tired of this place.”

   Nadir stood up, stuffing the cash into a duffle bag they had bought.  “Only one problem Halo.  We can’t just waltz out the front door with Zenith.  We’re going to have to find another way to escape, and I know just how to do it.”

   Zenith raised his hand and said, “No, there’s one other problem.  I’ve still got an IV stuck in my arm.”

   After sticking the drinks in the duffle bag, Halo and Nadir came up to Zenith’s bed.  He was holding his arm out, and the needle in his arm, covered by surgical tape, was still stuck in him.  Nadir said, “We’ll get it out Zenith.  But first, listen to the plan.  There’s a service elevator where they bring up food from the cafeteria to feed the patients.  If we can sneak down the hallway to it after the nurses finish their rounds, we can take it down to the first floor.  We’ll end up in a back hallway downstairs that is off limits to patients.  However, it’s a straight shot down that hallway to a loading dock where trucks unload deliveries to the hospital.  We’ll have no trouble getting out of here if we go that way.  I’ve already snuck out that way twice within the past week.  The first time I tried was last Thursday…it’s Thursday again today, so there shouldn’t be any surprises.  Any deliveries come on Saturdays and Mondays.  We just have to be quick and quiet.”

   “Brilliant plan Nadir,” Halo said with a laugh.  She then looked to Zenith’s arm and said, “Now all we need to do is free him from this thing.”

   They looked to each other once more, each of them taking a breath to relax themselves.  Nadir carefully peeled the surgical tape away from Zenith’s fur, exposing the tube and it’s connection with the needle.  They parted Zenith’s fur and could see the needle sticking out of his arm.  It was just barely beneath the skin, but it caused Halo to cringe.  “Ugh, what a pain to have to get rid of,” she muttered.

   “Tell me about it,” Zenith said with a sigh, “It’ll be okay…I trust you.  Just pull it out slowly, and keep it parallel to my arm.  Don’t pull it up and away until it’s all the way out.”

   Halo nodded slowly, trying to keep from losing her nerve.  Nadir got up and retrieved something from a tray sitting on a table by the door.  “Here,” he said as he returned, “I’ve got a bandage for his arm once we get it out.”

   “Oh…okay,” Halo whispered.

   Zenith took her hand with his free one, causing her to look at him.  “It’ll be okay Halo,” he said again, “Just pull it straight out, slow and steady.”

   She nodded.  After taking one more deep breath, she took the end of the needle, right where it joined up with the IV tube, and held it securely between her fingers.  She almost closed her eyes, but kept them open, a steady gaze on her hands as she pulled back on the needle.  Zenith cringed a bit as he felt it sliding underneath his skin, but for whatever reason almost enjoyed the rush of pain; though minimal it was enough to send those endorphins coursing through him.

   Finally, after a few tense moments, the needle at last broke away from Zenith’s arm.  They all let out a sigh of relief, only for Halo to let out a soft whine as she let the IV tube fall away from her.  “Ugh, that thing is still dripping,” she moaned.

   Nadir put the bandage on Zenith’s arm, rolling his eyes as he replied, “Well duh Halo, it’s a constant feed.  That’s why we didn’t do this earlier.”

   Zenith got up out of bed, stretching his arms.  He asked, “Give me my clothes Nadir, hurry.  I can’t wait to get out of this stinking hospital robe.  Ugh.  I feel even poorer wearing this robe than I do wearing my regular clothes.”

   While Zenith ran into the bathroom to change, Nadir said, “We aren’t poor anymore Zenith.  We’ve got three-thousand dollars to spend.  We just have to spend it wisely and it’ll last us for awhile.  We won’t have to rob anyone for a few months at least.”

   “Good thing,” Halo whispered, “Causing others pain only feels good the first few times you do it.”

   “Oh come on Halo,” Nadir groaned, “Don’t tell me you forgot what those monocle wearing, wine guzzling, fat ass rich people said about us.  These fools are getting what they deserve.  Don’t you ever forget that.  They called you trash.  They think everything would be better if you were locked in jail, or better yet, if you didn’t exist.  Don’t even begin to give a damn about them.  Harden your heart until you only care about yourself, Zenith and me.”

   Looking to Nadir she asked, “What about Nurse Clara?”

   With a defeated sigh, Nadir said, “Fine, her too.  You’d best forget about her Halo.  We’ll never see her again.”

   Zenith came out of the bathroom, wearing his usual outfit.  He tossed the robe to the floor and with a sadistic grin, he said, “Let’s get the hell out of here guys.”

   Halo ran up to Zenith and embraced him.  Seeing him back to his old self allowed her to let go of her vulnerability.  Looking between him and Nadir she said, “Let’s roll!”

   Together they snuck down the hallways until they found the service elevator Nadir spoke of.  Taking it down, they were both surprised and relieved to find their path to freedom free of any probing eyes that would seek to hold them back and punish them for their misdeed.  They ran down a darker hallway, which opened up to the loading dock.  They could see the dark sky above them.  They had escaped the hospital, save for one final fence that enclosed the area.

   First Nadir climbed up the fence, allowing the duffle bag with their money and all of their remaining possessions to fall to the ground below him, before he jumped down after it.  Zenith urged Halo to scale the fence ahead of him, and he followed her.

   Once on the other side, they began to run down the city streets together.  Not once did they look back to the hospital that had saved Zenith’s life, nor did they consider taking a route so they could pass by the burned down warehouse and apartment building.  Their cold outlook on the world had returned.  They were going to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, anything they had to, in order to survive.

   They didn’t care who they hurt.  They would take advantage of whoever they had to.  Fate had given them a life of poverty, and they decided to take fate into their own hands.

   It didn’t matter who they hurt because nobody would have to suffer like they did.

   And so they left Starshine Town, the place of their birth.

   They didn’t know if they'd ever return.  Nor did they care.

   They didn’t care about anything anymore.  Only themselves, and the lives they lived in the shadows.

Description
"In the Shadows"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

The Story of Halo, Zenith, and Nadir

Part Two: Fighting Back

-----

   A few minutes turned into several hours for Nadir and Halo.  Filling out the paperwork was nothing.  They lied about their names, as well as Zenith’s name; they lied about their address, their living conditions, everything.  They convinced the nurse that they would pay for Zenith’s treatment in cash, explaining that Nadir’s parents would be the one paying the bill since the three of them were barely getting by.

   It was a good enough story.  Nobody asked for an ID or a credit card.  The nurse took the information and used it to start a file on Zenith, who was given the name Torch by Nadir and Halo as they tried to hide his identity.  Once all the necessary information was gotten, Nadir and Halo were directed back to the waiting room, the nurse promising to update them on Zenith’s condition as soon as she could.

   The two were quiet for the last few minutes of that first hour.  They watched incoming patients being rolled in on gurneys, and after awhile they began to notice a trend.  Several people in a row came in with burns, and most of them were coughing quite terribly.  Halo and Nadir glanced at each other.  Looking to the television high on the wall, they saw a breaking news story covering a fire burning down an apartment building on Cayman Street.

   “Police are almost one-hundred percent certain that this fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.  Either a stove caught on fire, or something short-circuited.  Police can confirm an electrical fault as the main cause due to the power surging and going out before the building, as well as an abandoned warehouse next to it, caught on fire.  No charges will be filed.  Already fifteen people have been rushed to the hospital with burns and smoke inhalation, however thankfully no deaths have resulted,” the news anchor reported.

   Halo and Nadir glanced at each other.  Nadir whispered, “Well darn, that ruins everything doesn’t it?” grinning sadistically.

   She returned his devious grin with her own, but they disappeared quickly as they realized what he just said.  Halo whimpered a bit and said, “Sorry Nadir…I don’t think it’s okay to wish that people had died…I don’t care how angry we are.  Pain and suffering is one thing, death is another.”

   “I—I agree.  I’m sorry Halo, I’m just so angry and upset.  I want Zenith to be alright,” Nadir whispered.

   The nurse from before returned to them and said, “Oh you poor things.  First your brother and fiancé gets sick, then your entire apartment building burns down.  I’m so sorry.  Do you have anywhere else you can stay?”

   Nadir and Halo glanced at each other, realizing they weren’t as angry with humans and other people as they thought.  Not all of them were as bull-headed as that mayor and that bitch of a woman on television.  Their concern for Zenith only made their hearts heavier and their spirits more weary.  Halo whimpered, “No ma’am.  Our parents, well, the twins’ parents are very far away, and my parents died years ago, so we’re kind of alone here.”

   Lowering his head, feeling shame and defeat, Nadir whispered, “We pretty much only have each other.  We didn’t lose much in that fire.”

   The two fell silent.  The nurse gazed at them, her heart going out to them, unaware of the role they played in a fire that had affected them less than they said it did, even if their sadness about it all was real.  She walked away to her desk, pulling something out from under it, before walking over to them.  She now held two blankets in her hands and said, “Here, take these.  Try and get comfortable out here for now, and once Torch has his own room, you can stay in there with him.”

   Both Halo and Nadir felt paralyzed, almost afraid to take the blankets from her, even as she smiled at them sympathetically.  They had never had anything given to them over the entire fifteen years of their lives.  For the first time they didn’t have to beg for something, or steal it.  It was so strange to them it was almost as if they didn’t understand what was happening, what it meant to be given something so simple and essential as a blanket to keep them warm.  They almost wondered if it was right to take them from her without offering something in return.

   They took the blankets, nodding their heads, trying to remember what to say in reply.  “Th—Thank you,” Halo said at last.

   The nurse smiled and said, “You’re welcome.  Both of you try to relax.  You’ve had a rough night.  I’ll be at my desk if you need me.”

   She left after this.  Halo and Nadir got up to sit together on the couch.  Getting as close as they could to each other, they wrapped the blankets around them and rested against each other, trying to find a comfortable position, realizing they hurt terribly.  “Not all of them are so bad Nadir.  We’ve lied to this woman, and she offers us blankets to keep us warm,” Halo whispered.

   “Yeah Halo,” Nadir whispered, “But you’ve got to remember what the rest of the city thinks about us.  There’s also no way in hell that we’ll be able to pay the bill for Zenith’s treatment.  We burned down our home.  We have no choice but to run away now.  We’re gonna have to find a way to survive somewhere else.”

   Halo didn’t answer Nadir, save for a gentle nod as she rested her head on his shoulder.  Nadir started to close his eyes, but a thought entered his mind that he couldn’t ignore.  Opening them, he looked to Halo and asked, “Hey Halo, why did you tell everyone that you were engaged to Zenith?”

   A gasp escaped Halo.  Sitting up, she gazed at Nadir, unaware that her cheeks were now beet red, and more aware of the back of her neck burning her.  He continued to gaze at her questionably, waiting for an answer.  Finally, Halo took a breath, wrapping the blanket around herself tighter as she replied, “It’s because I know that they only let family members back into the intensive care unit and certain areas of the hospital, family members and of course a husband or wife.  I figured saying I was his fiancée would be enough to convince them to let me back there.”

   She got comfortable again, leaning up against Nadir, ready for sleep.  Nadir however, was not.  He looked to her again and said, “Then why didn’t you just say you were our sister?  Everyone can already tell he and I are hybrids.  We could have just as easily had a cat mother instead of a hedgehog one or whatever and you turned out looking more full-blooded than us?”

   Looking back to Nadir once more, Halo smirked and said, “It was just easier to say I was his fiancée you idiot.  Now go to sleep.”

   Nadir rolled his eyes, resting his head as he muttered, “Sure it was easy.  I’m sure you’re so used to the idea, it just rolled off your tongue.”

   “Goodnight Nadir,” Halo said, sounding annoyed.

   A soft chuckle escaped Nadir but he did not speak further.  Halo pulled her blanket up to her face, her neck continuing to burn as she thought about Nadir’s words.  She realized that while she had said it for the exact reason that she gave that at the same time she didn’t have to think about it at all.  It just rolled right off her lips.  It seemed so…right.

   “I—I love you Zenith,” she whispered.  Afraid she would start crying again or that Nadir might have heard her, she closed her eyes and waited for the pain to go away.

   ...

   “Excuse me?  Miss?  Sir?  Wake up please!” a voice said.

   A groan escaped Nadir as he started to wake up.  He was comfortable, more comfortable than he usually was, not used to having a blanket to keep him warm.  He opened his eyes, his vision tired at first but his interest aroused when he saw the same nurse from before standing above him.  He sat up, seeing Halo do the same as she too was awakened.

   The nurse smiled at them, kneeling down so they could be closer to eye level.  Speaking softly she looked to Nadir and said, “Your brother will be just fine.  He had a cold, but because it wasn’t treated and got worse it turned into pneumonia.  That sounds bad, and he is very weak right now, but he’ll get better.  You have nothing to be afraid of.  He’s very strong.  They caught it before it could get any worse.”

   Another genuine smile came to both Halo’s and Nadir’s faces as they looked to each other.  Though they were tired, they felt such an overwhelming sense of relief.

   Zenith would be alright.

   They both let out a sigh of relief.  Halo murmured, “Oh thank heavens,” quietly to herself.

   Nadir lowered his eyes and said, “Torch had been coughing pretty badly for the past few days.  None of us realized it was that bad.”

   The nurse smiled, reached out and placed her hand on Nadir’s shoulder.  His head snapped back up so he could look at her, puzzled and slightly unsure of why she had done this.  She continued to smile as she started to rub his shoulder, saying, “It’ll be okay Rider,” which was the fake name Nadir had chosen, “I said before, your brother is strong.  He’ll be better after a few days in our care.  Now, it’s late, why don’t you and Mist follow me back to his room so you can get back to sleep?”

   As the nurse stood up, Nadir and Halo, who had taken the name Mist, looked to each other, their awe and confusion at the nurse’s kindness continuing as they slowly stood up.  Holding on to their blankets, Nadir and Halo followed the nurse down the hallways, realizing that even in the middle of the night, it was still quite noisy.  Halo’s ears drooped as she pressed them against her head, trying to block it all out, while Nadir cringed, only opening his eyes enough to see where he was going.

   After several minutes of walking however, it got quiet.  The nurse led them into an elevator, where the chaos of the emergency room floor below disappeared completely.  They leaned against the back wall, as well as each other, feeling exhausted and lost.  The elevator dinged when it arrived at the third floor.  Looking back to them, the nurse said, “Mist?  Rider?  We’re almost there.”

   Halo and Nadir opened their tired eyes, walking off the elevator and following the nurse down the hallways.  It was much quieter on this floor, the emergency room now two floors below them, which might as well have been a world away for them now.  They both let out a yawn, their eyes only half opened as they walked.  They were startled when they bumped into the nurse.

   They looked up at her.  She was smiling at them, the sympathetic look in her eyes unmistakable.  She knelt down beside them and whispered, “We’re here.  Torch is resting now, so try not to wake him.  There’s a small couch and a recliner in the room.  You can rest on those for now.  Try and get some sleep, and don’t worry, we’ll take good care of Torch.”

   Nadir’s eyes widened a bit.  He simply nodded, and walked past the nurse into the room.  Halo, who was only a bit more polite than Zenith and Nadir, let out another yawn and whispered, “Th-thank you, very much.”

   The nurse smiled again and replied, “It’s nothing Mist.  You go on and get some sleep.  Everything will be alright in the morning.”

   After she spoke, the nurse stood back up and went on about her business.  Halo looked back into the room, realizing there was never a moment in her life that she was more grateful for something than she was now, grateful that these people she and Nadir had lied to, and planned to cheat when they didn’t pay Zenith’s medical bills, had saved Zenith’s life, not questioning her and Nadir when they first arrived.  They simply took Zenith and cured him.

   Halo was not accustomed to such kindness.

   She walked into the room, her blanket dragging the floor behind her.  She could see Nadir sitting in the chair beside Zenith’s bed.  Nadir it seemed found it in him to wake up so he could check on his brother, for he looked alert, though tired.  Glancing at Halo he shook his head and said, “Zenith looks okay…he looks sick, but okay.  They didn’t make him any worse it seems.  Looks like those idiots weren’t lying to us after all.  They were wise…I could have destroyed them if they had hurt him.”

   It was strange.  Nadir had reverted to his angry and distrustful ways so quickly.  Halo realized that it was only when Zenith was in danger that Nadir was made vulnerable.  Now that he was assured that his twin brother would be alright, Nadir had no reason to be genuinely nice to anyone anymore, unless they were Zenith or Halo.

   Still, Halo remembered her earlier anger at the world.  If anything she believed the nurse was another innocent victim of the malice of all life, somebody who could be spared, or even saved.  She’d refrain from hating the nurse.

   She would refrain from hating anyone for the moment.

   Halo tip-toed up to the side of the bed, taking soft steps, wrapping her blanket tightly around her for comfort.  She leaned over the side, gazing at Zenith’s face.  He did indeed still look sick.  Placing her hand on his forehead, she could feel the fever, but both she and Nadir noticed on one of the computer screens beside the bed that his temperature was right at one-hundred one degrees.

   It sounded bad, and it was, but it couldn’t be as high as it was before.  Halo was sure Zenith’s fever could have killed him; that’s how bad it was.

   He really would be okay now it seemed.

   Still, Nadir and Halo heard a sniffle come from Zenith; he moaned softly in his sleep, turning as best he could with what strength he had to find a comfortable position.  Once he found one, he fell silent again.  Nadir and Halo glanced at each other.  Letting out a yawn, Nadir said, “Well, I’m gonna take advantage of the stupidity of these selfish humans and soak up all they have to offer, starting with a good sleep in this fancy recliner.  Good night Halo.”

   Satisfied that his twin was alright, Nadir wrapped his blanket around him, reclined the chair, and curled up to fall asleep.  Halo was slower to mimic his actions.  Instead she went back to looking at Zenith.  She wanted to curl up beside him, but realized she couldn’t.  Brushing his bangs away from his eyes, Halo whispered, “I love you Zenith, my Torch.  Sleep well.  I’ll be here waiting for you.”

   She leaned in and got close enough to his face so that she could kiss him on the nose.  As she pulled back, she could hear him let out a deep breath.  The expression on his face relaxed.  Though he still looked stressed, he looked comforted.

   Halo smiled weakly.  She yawned and realized she was finally ready for sleep.  She glanced at the couch that sat across from the bed, and walked over to it, her tail dragging across the floor with the blanket as she was too tired to hold it up anymore.  She laid down slowly, yawning the entire way.  She curled up, covering herself with the blanket, pulling it up to her chin.  As she closed her eyes, she gazed at Zenith, thinking about how much her life depended on his survival.

   “Please Zenith, please tell me you love me too,” Halo whispered.

   Sleep overtook her eyes, and she finally fell asleep.

   Morning came, or at least what Halo thought was morning.  She opened her eyes, expecting to see sunlight filling the room, only to discover that it was still as dark as it was when they arrived.

   As tired as she was earlier, she realized she simply couldn’t go back to sleep.  She sat up, yawning regardless, and immediately looked to Zenith.  He was in a different position, but still asleep, as was Nadir as he slept in the recliner.  Getting up from her seat, Halo walked to the side of Zenith’s bed.  She leaned over the side, and reached to brush his bangs away from his eyes again.  As her fingers curled under his hair, he moaned softly.  Before she could pull away, his eyes opened halfway, and he looked at her.  She was frozen by this, and returned his gaze with her own.

   “Halo?” Zenith whispered, “Where…where are we?”

   Smiling sadly, Halo shook her head and whispered, “Shh, everything’s okay Zenith.  You’re in the hospital.  Your breathing got so bad, and your fever was so hot.  Nadir and I didn’t know what to do, so we brought you here.  They say you have pneumonia, but that you’ll get better.  If we hadn’t brought you here…who knows…what might have happened.”  Her voice trailed off, getting softer with each word.

   Zenith stared at her, his eyes opening the rest of the way.  Though he felt sick, he was concerned when he saw Halo’s sadness.  He was weak, but used what strength he had to reach up and touch her face, causing her to look back at him.

   “What’s going to happen?” Zenith asked in a tired whisper.

   Halo reached up and held his hand, stroking it gently.  “When you’re better, we’re going to bust out of here.  There’s no way we can pay them for all this, but Nadir and I weren’t going to let you die.  We need you Zenith.  When you’re better, we’re leaving Starshine Town for good…the warehouse burned down anyway.”

   “Burned…down?” Zenith asked with wide eyes, “How…what,” he began to sputter and cough as he was already badly winded simply from this short conversation.

   Halo rubbed Zenith’s forehead and said, “It’s okay Zenith.  You need to rest now.  It’s just…I kinda knocked over my television set and it caused a fire, before we left.  Nadir and I didn’t care.  We just wanted to save you.  We’ll figure everything out.”

   Fresh off a cough, Zenith looked to Halo.  He could feel his heart race and his spirit flutter with tingles when her eyes met his.  He loved her so, but didn’t know how to go about telling her.  He hoped one day he’d find the answer, and until then, he was thankful that she cared enough to stay by his side.

   “Thank you Halo,” Zenith whispered.

   With a smile, Halo replied, “It’s okay Zenith…no worries.  Just one thing though.  Everyone here thinks your name is Torch, mine is Mist, and Nadir’s is Rider.  We can’t have them knowing our real names, okay?”

   His eyes had already closed and his body was ready for more rest, but Zenith yawned and whispered, “Okay Halo.”

   Halo felt a tear roll down her cheek.  Part of her was disgusted that she was crying so much, but because she knew it was Zenith who provoked her tears, she let go of any of that disdain.  Not caring whether he knew it or not, Halo leaned over and kissed his brow.  Even though she wasn’t tired, she walked back over to the couch and laid down to rest.  She began to realize that she felt so lost.  She had no direction in life, and it killed her.

   “Why have we been abandoned?” Halo whispered.

   She closed her eyes again, knowing she’d get no answer.

   ...

   “Alright Nadir, enough.  You were the one who said I just had a sore throat after all.”

   Halo opened her eyes.  She had managed to fall back asleep after all.  She awoke to see Nadir and Zenith talking, Nadir teasing his twin about letting himself get so sick, and Zenith coming back with a smart reply of his own.

   Sitting up, Halo said, “Shh Zenith!  We should be calling each other by our fake names.  We can’t let them hear our names at all.  Because they’ll know exactly what we look like, our names will be all we have to protect ourselves.”

   Nadir and Zenith both looked to her.  Back to his old self, Nadir shook his head, crossing his arms behind it as he said, “Chill out Halo.  If they know well enough what we look like, fake names won’t save us.  Besides, I’m not afraid of anyone.”

   Halo and Zenith exchanged glances.  The cat quickly got up and ran up to Nadir.  Grabbing one of his arms, Halo replied, “You should be Nadir.  Those cops have guns.  If they find any reason to arrest you, they’ll do whatever they can to take you down.  We’ve got to be careful!”

   Nadir rolled his eyes.  “Whatever Halo.  I’m the best there is.  No filthy ass cop is going to lay his hands on me.  Infact I’m gonna show off my stuff when I mug some people today.  After all, we’ve got to build up funds for our trip!”  He got up and headed for the door, but stopped long enough to add, “Come on Halo, I need your help.  We’ll get more cash if we split up.”

   Her eyes widened.  “You want to leave Zenith alone here?” Halo asked.

   “I thought his name was Torch,” Nadir replied with a smirk on his face, “Besides, he’s a big boy.  He can take care of himself.  We need to get to work.”

   “Whatever Nadir…I mean, Rider,” Zenith said, waving his hand and continuing to smirk at his twin.

   “I—I…,” Halo stuttered.

   Zenith reached out and took her hand, causing her to look at him.  “I’ll be okay,” Zenith said, “Sure, I feel like crap, but as long as I don’t have to get up a whole bunch I’ll be alright while you’re gone.”

   Halo felt silly, but she was afraid something might happen to Zenith if they left him unprotected.  She leaned forward and hugged him, whispering, “Please Zenith, if they try to hurt you, fight them off and run away.  Nadir and I will find you and we can get out of town together, okay?”

   Returning the hug, Zenith replied, “I promise Halo.”

   Halo pulled back, smiling at him.  “Okay,” she said.  She walked to the door where Nadir waited.

   “We’ll be back soon bro, don’t worry about us,” Nadir said.

   “I never worry about you Nadir,” Zenith said grinning.

   “Whatever,” Nadir replied, flipping his middle finger at Zenith.

   Nadir and Halo left the hospital, telling anyone who asked that they were going to check out what was left of their apartment building.  In reality, they took to the streets, looking for people to rob.  It was basically their occupation.  They robbed people and regarded it like other people thought of another day at the office.  They would sneak up behind their victims, knock them out with swift hits to key pressure points, then take any cash or jewelry they could.

   They never regretted stealing.  While they had to do without, these people got away with their lives, and because Nadir and Halo never stole credit cards or identities, they could quickly make back what they lost.  In their minds, they were being easy on these people, people who wanted so called trash like them and Zenith gone forever.

   The anger from the night before returned.  They attacked as many people as they could before night fell and they met back up at the hospital.

   Sitting outside on a ledge, Nadir was counting his cash.  Halo ran up to him.  “Hey Nadir, looks like you struck it rich!” she exclaimed.

   Grinning smugly, Nadir waved and replied, “You got that right.  I’m not even finished, and already I have nearly two-hundred dollars.  Some people are so stupid.  What kind of idiot carries that much cash anymore?  These people are so stupid, they deserved to be robbed.  It’ll teach them a lesson.”

   “You’re so right Nadir,” Halo replied, her smile as conceited as his, “It’s no less than these people deserve.  We should steal their credit cards and sell them to thugs for even more.  Who cares if their lives are ruined?  Nobody cared when ours were put on a road to poverty and hell, so why should we care if theirs are?”

   “Exactly, the stupid assholes,” Nadir answered.  He finished counting his cash and continued, “Well, I’ve got a grand total of three-hundred twenty-one dollars.  I also stole two watches, a silver ring, and a gold chain.  All in all a good day if I do say so myself.”

   Halo was busy counting her haul as they were talking.  “Well how about this.  I managed to snag three-hundred thirty-three dollars, and I snatched a watch, an onyx ring, and a pair of sunglasses that I know are worth at least one-hundred dollars.  I saw them in a store window a few weeks ago.  If that bastard had enough money to waste on sunglasses that are that expensive, he won’t miss the thirty bucks I stole from him, or these stupid shades,” Halo explained.

   Shaking his fist in the air, Nadir said, “This is perfect.  One day and we’ve got over five-hundred dollars in cash, and more to add to that in goods.  By the time Zenith is better we’ll be good to go.  Now we’ve just got to pick a new city to haunt.”

   The two concealed their cash, getting up to go back inside.  As they were walking, they noticed the nurse from the night before entering ahead of them.  The anger faded again.  She was just another victim like they were…in their minds.  They had to give her that label, or else they’d see no other reason to feel sorry for her.

   As they entered the hospital, Halo whispered, “We can’t stay here.  She’ll get attached to us…it’ll crush her when we run away, even more so the closer she is to us.”

   Nadir nodded.  “Don’t worry Halo, Zenith is strong.  We’ll be out of here in no time.”

   No time turned into a two week stay at the Starshine Town Memorial Hospital.  Over those days, Halo and Nadir continued to rob people, building up their reserve of cash even further by pawning off the goods that they stole at different shops all over the city.  At the same time, Zenith’s strength returned to him.  His lungs cleared up and he could breathe easier.  His fever went away and he felt strong again.  They knew soon that they would escape from that hospital, and run away to their new lives.

   They had decided upon Amble Park, a suburb of a big city along the southern coast, as their new home.

   ...

   The night had come for them to escape.

   It was late, and most of the patients in the hospital were already asleep.  Halo was getting a few drinks from the drink machine so they would have something to last them until the next town.  As she was walking, the nurse that had been so nice to them, Nurse Clara, walked up beside her.  “He’s almost ready to go home Mist, I know you’re excited about that,” she said.

   Halo, who was trying to distance herself emotionally from Nurse Clara, didn’t look to her, and simply answered, “I am…I’m ready for things to start looking up.”

   Nurse Clara frowned a bit.  “Rider tells me you’re going to stay with their parents.  I’m glad you’ve found a place to stay.  It’s such a shame that so much bad happened to you at once, and I’m glad you’ve finally got something good going for you,” she replied.

   “It’s…it’s not as bad as you think.  We weren’t the only victims after all,” Halo said, struggling to find the words to say.

   They stopped before entering Zenith’s room.  Nurse Clara knelt down and hugged Halo, saying, “There’s no need to be so modest Mist.  There are indeed many people who are dealt cards that they don’t deserve, and when they do get cut a break and find happier days, it’s something to be treasured.  I’m just glad I was able to help some souls that needed this miracle more than most.  I’m glad you’re finding rest.”

   Halo felt paralyzed as Nurse Clara embraced her.  This woman clearly cared about all three of them.  Halo tried as best as she could to become apathetic towards her, but realized she couldn’t.

   She just had to remember that running away without paying would hurt the hospital, and not Nurse Clara directly.

   “Th-thank you Nurse Clara, for everything,” Halo whispered.

   Pulling back, Nurse Clara smiled and replied, “You’re most welcome Mist.  I hope things continue to get better for you.  I wish you the very best.”  She stood up and added, “Goodbye Mist.  Make sure to say the same to the boys for me, okay?”

   “I—I will,” Halo whispered.

   One more smile, and then Nurse Clara walked away.

   She was gone.  Finally Halo could let her hatred for all others who persecuted her, Nadir, and Zenith, return.

   But it would be hard to forget this one person who showed them all such kindness and wanted so much for them to be happy.

   Collecting herself, Halo adjusted her grip on the drinks and walked into Zenith’s room.  Nadir was busy counting up all of their cash one final time, while Zenith sat in bed, brushing his hair and looking forward to getting out of the hospital.  Closing the door behind her, Halo whispered, “This is it.  The night shift is here and this is the only chance we’ve got to escape.”

   “Finally!” Zenith cried, “I’m so tired of this place.”

   Nadir stood up, stuffing the cash into a duffle bag they had bought.  “Only one problem Halo.  We can’t just waltz out the front door with Zenith.  We’re going to have to find another way to escape, and I know just how to do it.”

   Zenith raised his hand and said, “No, there’s one other problem.  I’ve still got an IV stuck in my arm.”

   After sticking the drinks in the duffle bag, Halo and Nadir came up to Zenith’s bed.  He was holding his arm out, and the needle in his arm, covered by surgical tape, was still stuck in him.  Nadir said, “We’ll get it out Zenith.  But first, listen to the plan.  There’s a service elevator where they bring up food from the cafeteria to feed the patients.  If we can sneak down the hallway to it after the nurses finish their rounds, we can take it down to the first floor.  We’ll end up in a back hallway downstairs that is off limits to patients.  However, it’s a straight shot down that hallway to a loading dock where trucks unload deliveries to the hospital.  We’ll have no trouble getting out of here if we go that way.  I’ve already snuck out that way twice within the past week.  The first time I tried was last Thursday…it’s Thursday again today, so there shouldn’t be any surprises.  Any deliveries come on Saturdays and Mondays.  We just have to be quick and quiet.”

   “Brilliant plan Nadir,” Halo said with a laugh.  She then looked to Zenith’s arm and said, “Now all we need to do is free him from this thing.”

   They looked to each other once more, each of them taking a breath to relax themselves.  Nadir carefully peeled the surgical tape away from Zenith’s fur, exposing the tube and it’s connection with the needle.  They parted Zenith’s fur and could see the needle sticking out of his arm.  It was just barely beneath the skin, but it caused Halo to cringe.  “Ugh, what a pain to have to get rid of,” she muttered.

   “Tell me about it,” Zenith said with a sigh, “It’ll be okay…I trust you.  Just pull it out slowly, and keep it parallel to my arm.  Don’t pull it up and away until it’s all the way out.”

   Halo nodded slowly, trying to keep from losing her nerve.  Nadir got up and retrieved something from a tray sitting on a table by the door.  “Here,” he said as he returned, “I’ve got a bandage for his arm once we get it out.”

   “Oh…okay,” Halo whispered.

   Zenith took her hand with his free one, causing her to look at him.  “It’ll be okay Halo,” he said again, “Just pull it straight out, slow and steady.”

   She nodded.  After taking one more deep breath, she took the end of the needle, right where it joined up with the IV tube, and held it securely between her fingers.  She almost closed her eyes, but kept them open, a steady gaze on her hands as she pulled back on the needle.  Zenith cringed a bit as he felt it sliding underneath his skin, but for whatever reason almost enjoyed the rush of pain; though minimal it was enough to send those endorphins coursing through him.

   Finally, after a few tense moments, the needle at last broke away from Zenith’s arm.  They all let out a sigh of relief, only for Halo to let out a soft whine as she let the IV tube fall away from her.  “Ugh, that thing is still dripping,” she moaned.

   Nadir put the bandage on Zenith’s arm, rolling his eyes as he replied, “Well duh Halo, it’s a constant feed.  That’s why we didn’t do this earlier.”

   Zenith got up out of bed, stretching his arms.  He asked, “Give me my clothes Nadir, hurry.  I can’t wait to get out of this stinking hospital robe.  Ugh.  I feel even poorer wearing this robe than I do wearing my regular clothes.”

   While Zenith ran into the bathroom to change, Nadir said, “We aren’t poor anymore Zenith.  We’ve got three-thousand dollars to spend.  We just have to spend it wisely and it’ll last us for awhile.  We won’t have to rob anyone for a few months at least.”

   “Good thing,” Halo whispered, “Causing others pain only feels good the first few times you do it.”

   “Oh come on Halo,” Nadir groaned, “Don’t tell me you forgot what those monocle wearing, wine guzzling, fat ass rich people said about us.  These fools are getting what they deserve.  Don’t you ever forget that.  They called you trash.  They think everything would be better if you were locked in jail, or better yet, if you didn’t exist.  Don’t even begin to give a damn about them.  Harden your heart until you only care about yourself, Zenith and me.”

   Looking to Nadir she asked, “What about Nurse Clara?”

   With a defeated sigh, Nadir said, “Fine, her too.  You’d best forget about her Halo.  We’ll never see her again.”

   Zenith came out of the bathroom, wearing his usual outfit.  He tossed the robe to the floor and with a sadistic grin, he said, “Let’s get the hell out of here guys.”

   Halo ran up to Zenith and embraced him.  Seeing him back to his old self allowed her to let go of her vulnerability.  Looking between him and Nadir she said, “Let’s roll!”

   Together they snuck down the hallways until they found the service elevator Nadir spoke of.  Taking it down, they were both surprised and relieved to find their path to freedom free of any probing eyes that would seek to hold them back and punish them for their misdeed.  They ran down a darker hallway, which opened up to the loading dock.  They could see the dark sky above them.  They had escaped the hospital, save for one final fence that enclosed the area.

   First Nadir climbed up the fence, allowing the duffle bag with their money and all of their remaining possessions to fall to the ground below him, before he jumped down after it.  Zenith urged Halo to scale the fence ahead of him, and he followed her.

   Once on the other side, they began to run down the city streets together.  Not once did they look back to the hospital that had saved Zenith’s life, nor did they consider taking a route so they could pass by the burned down warehouse and apartment building.  Their cold outlook on the world had returned.  They were going to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, anything they had to, in order to survive.

   They didn’t care who they hurt.  They would take advantage of whoever they had to.  Fate had given them a life of poverty, and they decided to take fate into their own hands.

   It didn’t matter who they hurt because nobody would have to suffer like they did.

   And so they left Starshine Town, the place of their birth.

   They didn’t know if they'd ever return.  Nor did they care.

   They didn’t care about anything anymore.  Only themselves, and the lives they lived in the shadows.