THE REN UPGRADE: MONSTERS WITHIN

9: Into The Abyss

There was an upheaval in the ground floor lobby of OakHills general hospital.

Residents, attending staff, everyone ran helter skelter, trying to control curious patients. Some others hung in corners, gossiping in whispers about the return of the supposed murderer.

Security guards tried to restore order. But there was no stopping a swarm of reporters and paparazzi who climbed over themselves to get a word or two from the returned intern turned hospital doctor.

In the midst of the chaos, Ren Carter was focused on only one person. His lips curved in a mischievous grin as he observed the astounded Hana Blackthorn.

“What did you just say to me?” she demanded in a voice thick with disbelief.

“You heard me right, Ms. Blackthorn.” Ren lifted a hand to trace his finger down her cheek, but she shrunk back from his touch. His brows turned down in a frown of mock disappointment. “Were you not curious about me?”

Hana was still having a hard time grasping his sudden proposal…and his sudden change in behavior.

Was he always this brazen?

She wanted to believe that he was having some kind of fun all by himself, a joke only he knew about. “And why would I have to marry you just because of that? I'm simply doing my job as an investigative journalist.”

She felt a twinge of guilt as the latter words echoed in her ears. But the enormity of Ren Carter's proposal quickly washed it away.

Police sirens sang in the distance, and a sense of dread slowly trickled into her being. Having the cops here would mean ending this ridiculous moment with the strange Ren Carter. And that would be quite disappointing, because she had lots of critical questions for him.

Ren leaned forward, his brows twitching. His pair of hazel eyes sparkled with a glint of mischief.

“Because I—”

The front doors burst open and uniformed cops poured into the lobby. A shot was fired into the air. BANG! People scattered in panic.

Another one cut through the noise. CRACK! BAM!

“That's enough, corporal,” one of the officers whispered. “You're scaring the sick folks.”

“Ren Carter! Hands in the air! Now!” the man firing the shots screamed. Ren thought it was quite unnecessary, because he could hear just fine. He looked pissed about the interruption.

Hana heaved a sigh of disappointment.

The arrival of the cops gave the security guards the courage to step in and push back the swarm of reporters and paparazzi. “Please take your leave. This is a hospital. You're disrupting order and tranquility.”

“Please give us something!” One of the reporters yelled, jumping above others. “Mr. Carter! Over here, please!”

Hana was pulled away by the security guards as Ren was surrounded by cops. He did not resist. Instead, he flashed the cops a rude smile.

“Ms. Blackthorn!” he called in a brazen tone.

She turned and stared at him, eager to get to the end of the conversation.

“Think about my offer!” He cut her a wink. “You know where to find me!”

Minutes later, after the lobby had been cleared of the media people and the loiterers, Ren was led to the police vehicle in the premises.

His wrists were cuffed, but he did not seem the least bothered about it. Instead, he appeared bored and carefree about the situation.

“Do we really have to do this again?” he asked the cop that held the back door open and asked him to get in.

The young officer eyed him with the diligence of a newbie. “You’re a felon who broke out of prison. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of—”

“Yeah, I know all that bullshit,” Ren cut in with a sigh. “Listen, I'm a free man, and a hospital director now. You really can't do this.”

“Enough!” The officer grabbed Ren’s arm and shoved him into the car. “Get in!”

“STOP!” A loud cry came from the gated entrance of the hospital.

Everyone turned to see the now former director running in the direction of the police vehicle, all bandages and heavy breaths.

“Let him go, please!” he cried, his voice squeaky with panic.

The officer in charge came forward and obstructed Dominic from taking any further step towards Ren. “What's the matter, Mr. Reeves?”

Dominic panted heavily until he managed to catch his breath. “Please, let him go. Mr. Carter is a free man.”

“What do you mean? He was incarcerated for the deaths of those trial patients, was he not?”

Dominic fumbled in his pockets and retrieved a folded lump of papers. “Here, his release papers. He was released from the penitentiary a month ago.”

The officers exchanged looks of surprise.

Ren chuckled in the backseat. “Well, this has been fun,” he muttered. Then, he nudged the officer aside and got out of the car.

Without warning, he broke the cuffs around his wrists. SNAP! Without so much an effort as lifting a finger.

Gasps of surprise came from the onlookers that peeked from the hidden corners. The officers looked spooked.

“Took you long enough, Mr. Reeves,” Ren flashed Dominic a wan smile. “I was beginning to wonder when you were going to show that face around here.”

“Mr. Reeves, what is going on here?” The same cop seemed too stubborn to let it go. “Explain it to us. How did an intern who was convicted for a manifold murder get released a month later and become the director of—”

“You would know the details if you're doing your jobs right,” Dominic cut in bluntly, avoiding the gaze of everyone, especially Ren’s. “Please, you may take your leave now. This is a hospital and this display might be too much for some of our patients.”

He turned towards Ren, a meek expression on his face. “Mr. Carter, can we go now?”

Ren smirked. He was enjoying the drama a little too much. The look of stark shock and disbelief on every face.

“I reckon we'll meet again, officers.” He lifted his fingers in an elegant wave. Then, he turned on his heels and started towards the lobby, his hands jammed in his pockets.

Domic scurried after him with his head bowed, like a servant eager to please his master.

It was a mystery to the officers.

Ten minutes later, an emergency board meeting was being held at the hospital’s general board room.

Heads of departments were present, legal advisors, key shareholders. And they all looked very displeased with the current situation.

The chairman of the board was the first to speak. Preambles were skipped.

“Mr. Reeves, can you explain to us the sudden change in leadership?”

Dominic Reeves swallowed hard as he took the podium. He hadn't quite prepared for this scenario, because he did not send that email to everyone. Ren Carter had taken him by surprise, but he knew that if he wanted to live, he would have to follow the script that Ren had written.

After all, he offered to yield his position to the lad a month ago. And he still stood firm on that decision.

“Mr. Reeves—”

“I'm sorry I did not give any heads-up,” Dominic started in a shaky voice. “But I have decided to step down from my position as hospital director, and believe me when I say Mr. Carter is the best candidate for this—”

Chris Han, head of the surgery department slammed his palm on the desk and shot to his feet. “How can he be the best candidate as an ex-felon?!”

“You're right, I'm not the best candidate.”

A hush fell over the room as Ren Carter stood to his full height, a commanding, intimidating aura surrounding him.

He swept a long glance around the faces in the room. “Because I'll burn this hospital to the ground to find the truth behind my sister's death.”