The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 286
“Who pushed them? Where did he go?”
“He ran for it! The guy in black-he was gone in a blink!”
The truck driver jumped down from the cab, his face pale as a sheet and his legs trembling. He rushed over to Leilani, his fear from the near-accident instantly turning into adrenaline-fueled anger.
Everything had happened so fast that he didn’t understand the context. He thought Leilani had dragged Yvonne onto the road in some sort of suicide pact. His voice shook. “What the hell is wrong with you two? Did you run into traffic trying to kill yourselves? If you want to die, do it somewhere else! Do you have any idea how much trouble you would have caused?”
Thank God he hadn’t hit them. If he had, his life would have been over.
Leilani raised her eyes coldly. Before she could speak, the bystanders exploded in her defense.
“Hey, watch your mouth! It wasn’t the girl’s fault. Someone pushed them!”
“Yeah! I saw it with my own eyes! A man in black shoved them from behind!”
“Look for yourself, the girl was knocked unconscious! And you’re standing here blaming them?”
“Have a heart, man!”
The driver was rendered speechless by the crowd’s rebuke. It was only then that he noticed the blood on Yvonne’s forehead. Panic set in instantly.
“I… I didn’t mean it! It’s not my fault either. Who can stop a truck that fast when people just jump out?”
Leilani ignored the driver’s excuses. She looked up and scanned the area. The crowd was growing, and a sea of cell phone cameras were pointed right at them. The flashes stung her eyes.
With a cold expression, Leilani dialed 911. She quickly shared their location with the dispatch.
Putting her phone down, she looked at the unconscious Yvonne. Her fingertips gently wiped a trace of blood from the girl’s temple, her gaze turning icy.
She wouldn’t forget this!
In the crowd not far away, a figure in black clothes pulled his baseball cap low and quietly slipped into a dark alley. He took out his phone and whispered a report. “That Leilani reacted too fast. Yvonne is out cold, but Leilani is fine.”
A cold sneer came from the other end of the line. “Useless! How could you miss such a perfect opportunity?”
The man in black gripped his phone tightly. “But Yvonne was knocked out, and it’s chaotic over there. Should I go back and-”
“Withdraw,” the voice interrupted him. “There are too many people now. Going out there is suicide. If you want to die, I won’t stop you. But when you get caught, just don’t drag me into it.”
17:48
The man was frustrated, but he had no other choice. He had indeed failed today. “I understand. Wait for the next time. Next time, I won’t let them get off so easily!”
He took one last look at Leilani, who was surrounded by concerned strangers, then turned and disappeared deep into the alley.
In the hospital hallway, the smell of disinfectant was sharp and cold.
Leilani stood outside the ward, watching quietly as the doctor finished the final checkup on Yvonne.
“The patient is fine. She passed out from the impact and likely has a mild concussion, but she should wake up in a couple of days with some rest.”
The doctor put away his stethoscope and spoke to Leilani. “I’ll come back in a bit to dress the scrape on her forehead. The dressing will need to be changed daily to prevent infection.”
Leilani nodded repeatedly. “I understand. Thank you, doctor.”
After the doctor left, she pushed open the door and walked to Yvonne’s bedside.
17:48
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