Connection #4

*Dan*

I raced all the way into the hospital. One of the other nurses tried to stop me.

�Sir!� she yelled. �You can�t come back here! Visiting hours is over!�

�I don�t care!� I yelled. �I need to see my girlfriend!� I pushed past her and kept running.

�Sir!� the nurse cried out at me. I made it to room #227. I opened the door. My girlfriend, Liberty, looked up at me.

�Danny,� she said. �Your back.� I rushed over to her.

�Liberty!� I exclaimed. She eyed me funny.

�What�s wrong?� she asked. I sank down at her bedside.

�Tell me Liberty,� I said. �Did you have an attack earlier? Think hard now.� Liberty took a moment think about it.

�How much earlier?� she asked.

�A few minutes ago!� Liberty thought about it again.

�Come to think of it, yes.� She looked over at me.

�Why? What�s wrong?� I swallowed as I stared her down.

�Lower your gown and show me your right shoulder from behind,� I said. Liberty blinked.

�Why?� she asked.

�Just do it,� I said. My girlfriend sighed.

�Fine,� Liberty replied. She turned her back to me and lowered her gown. My eyes widened in horror. On her shoulder was the number eighteen in Kanji. So I wasn�t hearing things. Liberty looked down at the burn with me.

�What�s going on?� she asked. �Do you have one too?� I froze up for a moment. My mind debated on telling her the truth. I figured that I might as well now. I think she has an idea of what�s going on.

I said nothing as I turned around and showed her my number. I heard her go silent in shock.

�Number fifteen?� she asked in a mumble.

�Yes,� I said. I turned to face her again.

�Did you hear any voices while you had the attack?� I asked. �Think hard and remember!� Liberty took a moment to think about it.

�Why yes, come to think of it,� she said. I listened in closely.

�What did it say?� I asked. Liberty turned to me, dead-on.

�You and thirty-six others will die on the Fire Festival of next year,� she said. I looked at her puzzled. It�s close to what I heard.

�Thirty-six others?� I asked.

�Yes,� she said with a nod. I thought about that for a moment.

�That would be you and me,� I said at last. I looked up at her.

�Then, who are the other thirty-five?� I asked. Liberty only looked up at me in silence.