All Chapters of Ring the Doorbell, Scan the QR: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Dad gripped a tube in his hand, the one connected to my room's air vent.His face twisted with rage as he screamed, "Out of money? Then stop breathing! Do you have any idea how much each breath of oxygen costs?"I opened my mouth wide, trying to gasp for air. My hands shook as I raised my phone.A bright red warning box flashed across the screen. "Payment Overdue. Air Supply Suspended."The balance showed zero."Dad... I... I'm out of money..." I dropped to my knees and grabbed at his pants. Dignity meant nothing when survival was at stake. "Please... give me air..."Dad kicked my hands away and stared down at me coldly. "No money? What about your credit card? What about loans? As long as you can pay, you can breathe!"I fumbled for the credit card in my wallet, my fingers trembling. It was for emergency only, money I'd been saving for a down payment on a house.I operated the card reader with shaking hands. I processed a cash advance, transferred it, and reloaded my account. 5

I clutched my burning cheek, my ears ringing. That slap woke me up. It shattered something, some invisible barrier I hadn't known was there.Dad stopped paying attention to me. He turned and stared at the large white wall in the living room.The wall was moving. The once-white paint began to peel, and a dull thudding sound came from beyond the door. The ceiling light swung wildly, and red warning lights flashed without warning."Warning! Insufficient balance! Warning! Insufficient balance!"The mechanical electronic voice was shrill enough to pierce eardrums."No! We can't hold out!" Dad's face went pale. He jumped up from the floor and charged toward the door."Dad! Don't open it! It's dangerous out there!" I tried to grab him, but my body was too weak to even stand.He shoved aside a chair blocking his way, completely ignoring the million-dollar payment code on the door, and frantically pried at the welded steel bars.The bars didn't budge. He grew desperate. He rammed them w

"I have money! I sold our house back home too! I'll sell my blood! I'll sell my kidney! As long as he's still breathing, I'll fight to save him!"Mom sobbed uncontrollably."Nate hasn't gotten married yet… He hasn't had a chance to live a good life. He's only 25 years old. How can he just leave like this?"Dad dropped to his knees in front of the doctor, his voice breaking as he begged. He banged his forehead to the floor over and over until blood smeared across the tile."Doctor, please, have mercy. He's our only son. If he dies, we won't want to live either. Don't worry about the money. I won't owe the hospital a single cent!"I floated in the air watching this scene, my heart twisting in agony. A searing pain tore through the depths of my soul, more unbearable than any physical pain.So this was it. The "greed" and "cruelty" I'd felt in the dream was their desperate madness in reality, all to save me.The 2,000 dollars for dirty water was expensive medication. The 1,000 for a

Mom suddenly let out a shrill, anguished scream, her voice so hoarse it barely sounded human."He's awake! Nate's awake!"A figure jolted upright from the folding chair beside the bed. Dad wore a faded blue hospital aide vest, his face covered in stubble. He rushed over and nearly tripped over the IV stand."Nate? Can you see me?"He waved his hand in front of my face. That hand was rough and cracked.I wanted to speak, but my throat was blocked. I could only blink slowly, and tears slid down from the corners of my eyes.Dad's legs gave out. He dropped to his knees beside the bed, buried his face in my palm, and his shoulders shook violently. His tears burned against my palm.This man who'd been tough his whole life, who never bowed to anyone, now cried like a helpless child.Doctors and nurses rushed in moments later. They checked my pupils, listened to my heart and lungs, and reviewed the data."A miracle." The doctor removed his stethoscope and exhaled deeply. "All the indi