Chapter 12: The Second Ava

The emergency department fell into stunned silence.

"...Her name is Ava Carter."

The nurse's words echoed through the hallway.

Ava stared at her in disbelief.

"That's impossible."

The nurse shook her head.

"It's the name on her identification card."

Damien exchanged a quick glance with Lucas.

"Take us to her."

---

Moments later...

The doors to the emergency ward slid open.

Doctors and nurses rushed between patients while monitors beeped steadily.

The nurse led them to a private treatment room.

Through the glass window, Ava could see two women lying on separate beds.

One was unmistakably her mother.

An oxygen mask covered her face.

Her forehead was wrapped in a bloodstained bandage.

The second woman looked to be about Ava's age.

She was unconscious.

Her long black hair spilled over the pillow, partially hiding her face.

The chart at the foot of the bed read:

Patient: Ava Carter

Ava felt her pulse race.

"Who is she?"

Before anyone could answer, the attending physician walked over.

"You must be Miss Carter."

Damien stepped forward.

"I'm Damien Blackwood."

The doctor nodded.

"I'm Dr. Michael Evans."

"We found both women unconscious near the old highway leading out of the city."

"Were they in a car accident?" Lucas asked.

Dr. Evans shook his head.

"No."

"They were attacked."

---

Inside the room...

Ava slowly approached her mother.

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Mom..."

Her mother's fingers twitched.

Very slowly...

Her eyes opened.

"Ava..."

"I'm here."

Her mother struggled to breathe.

"You... came..."

"Don't talk," Ava pleaded.

"We'll get through this."

Her mother weakly shook her head.

"No..."

"They'll come..."

"You have to..."

Her breathing became uneven.

"Tell me the truth," Ava begged.

"Who am I?"

Tears rolled down her mother's cheeks.

"You were never..."

Before she could finish—

The heart monitor suddenly began to beep wildly.

Doctors rushed into the room.

"Everyone outside!"

Damien gently pulled Ava away as medical staff surrounded the bed.

The doors slammed shut.

---

Outside the room...

Ava buried her face in her hands.

"I was so close."

Damien rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"She'll tell you."

Ava looked up at him.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because she chose to run."

"She chose to leave evidence behind."

"She wants you to know."

Before Ava could answer, Lucas called from the next room.

"Sir..."

"You should see this."

---

Damien entered the second room.

The unconscious woman was beginning to stir.

A nurse adjusted her IV.

"She regained consciousness for a moment."

Damien looked at the patient carefully.

Something about her seemed...

Familiar.

The woman slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze landed on Ava.

For a second...

Pure shock filled her face.

Then tears.

"You..."

she whispered.

"They told me you were dead."

The room froze.

Ava took an uncertain step forward.

"Do you know me?"

The woman nodded weakly.

"I've..."

"I've been looking for you..."

"For years."

Ava's heart pounded.

"Who are you?"

The woman tried to sit up.

"My name..."

She winced in pain.

"...is Anna."

"Not Ava."

Lucas frowned.

"But your ID says Ava Carter."

Anna gave a bitter smile.

"It isn't mine."

"They made me use it."

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

Before Anna could answer...

The lights throughout the hospital suddenly went out.

Darkness swallowed the ward.

Emergency alarms blared.

Patients screamed.

Backup generators failed to start.

Lucas reached for his flashlight.

"This isn't a power outage."

"It's deliberate."

At the end of the corridor...

Three figures dressed as hospital staff walked calmly toward the emergency ward.

Each wore a surgical mask.

Each carried a medical case.

Damien immediately sensed the danger.

"They're not doctors."

One of the masked figures slowly opened his case.

Inside...

Was a suppressed handgun.

Damien's voice turned deadly calm.

"Lucas."

"Get Ava out of here."

The first shot shattered the glass doors.

Chaos erupted.

Nurses screamed.

Patients scattered.

Damien shoved Ava behind the nurses' station just as another bullet tore through the wall where she'd been standing seconds earlier.

Lucas drew his weapon and returned fire.

The masked attackers advanced without hesitation.

One of them shouted,

"Take the girl alive!"

Ava's blood ran cold.

They weren't here to kill her.

They were here to capture her.

Then, through the chaos, Anna used the last of her strength to scream one desperate warning.

"Don't let them take her!"

"They switched us..."

"...the night we were born!"