What Will You Chose to Sacrifice? (Part 2)

The sensors in the ward were squeaking unpleasantly, some data was blinking on the monitors. Sean did not understand what was happening, but he was sure of one thing - if he did nothing right now, then Ashley's dad would definitely die.

And he will be to blame for this.

When they were in Mexico, Nick subdued the boy's consciousness for a while, but the guy did not know that at the same time his own consciousness was defenseless, and Sean was able to penetrate the head of his "relative" in the same way.

Sean saw pictures of Nick's past, and at that moment did not quite understand what it meant. He saw a grown girl, who was also called Ashley, and whose eyes were often sad. She could look at Nick and laugh, but pain and resentment were hidden in her eyes. She kept the guy at a distance, as if something was holding her back to take the last step.

And now Sean guessed what could be the reason.

Ashley stood in the middle of the room with a confused look and looked first at her mother, then at the man in bed. "S-sean, it wasn't Nick, was it? Nick couldn't do that, could he? He isn't a bad guy, right? He's a friend, isn't he?"

The boy clenched his palms into fists. He was very scared. For the parents, for Ashley. That creature wanted something from him. He remembered how Nick moved his hand over Rick's body, as if manipulating the energy inside the man.

Sean ran to the bed, climbed onto it, and put his palms on Rick's chest. "Imagine the energy, run it inside," he tried to repeat the actions that Marcus had taught him when his mother was in deep sleep.

The boy knew that Ashley's dad's condition was worse than Elena's, but that was the only thing that he, as a child, came up with.

The heart rate sensor beeped, and the flat line on the monitor jerked upward. One more time.

"Ashley, call for the adults!" he shouted to the girl who was shaking Daniel and Corey unsuccessfully to wake them up.

"You saw that all the adults are unconscious!"

"There should be doctors on the other floor!" Sean was distracted for a second, and the monitor beeped again, signaling that the heart has once again stopped beating. The boy immediately returned his hands back to where they were.

Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks, "The door to our floor can only be opened with a special electronic pass, I can't even call the elevator," she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Ashley always considered herself brave, dreamed of travel and adventure, but now she was very scared.

"Teleport!"

"B-but… it's forbidden… outsiders will see," Ashley murmured, instantly forgetting about tears.

"So what! The adults will figure it out later!" Sean shouted sternly, and Ashley jumped to her feet. This was the first time she had seen him like this. Brave, strong, grown-up. The girl nodded her head and disappeared into thin air.

A few minutes later, the sound of several pairs of feet was heard in the hallway. The door to the ward flew open, and the chief doctor ran inside, accompanied by other doctors.

"What's going on here?! Mr. Anderson!" the doctor ran up to Daniel, and realizing that the man was unconscious, like all the people they noticed on the floor along the way, gave the order to one of his colleagues, "Jim, bring people to consciousness," he turned his head and saw the boy, who was sitting on the bed of a special patient, "Kelly, take the children to another ward!"

The nurse ran up to Sean and wanted to pick up the child, but as soon as she grabbed the boy, a long squeak filled the room.

"Hendrix, defibrillator!" shouted the head physician to another colleague.

Sean twisted out of the nurse's arms and placed his palms on Rick's chest. The squeak stopped.

The doctors looked at each other, shocked by what was happening. Sweat beaded on the head doctor's forehead. First, a little girl, whom he saw only once, appeared in his office out of nowhere. Mr. Daniel Anderson once visited the head of the clinic with this child. It was not difficult to guess whose son the little boy was.

The man swallowed. These children were clearly unusual. And considering who their parents are... One wrong step or word - and the chief physician of the most advanced clinic in the country will disappear as if he had never existed.

"Damn it, Hendrix, why the hell are you standing dumb?! Get the next intensive care ward ready, quick! And if someone says even a word about what is happening on the VIP-floor, you are going to fly out of here to hell without a medical license!"

The doctors came to life as if they had returned to reality and remembered their main tasks. The head physician approached Sean, "Kid, don't worry. We will now move this bed with the patient to the next ward and will do everything to keep his health safe. Can you take care of him a little more?"

Sean nodded, the child's eyes filled with fear, but outwardly he was confident. The doctor admired the little hero's endurance. "You're probably Sean, right? Don't be afraid of anything. We won't offend you and your friend, okay?" Sean nodded again.

The arriving doctors rolled the bed out into the corridor, and then brought it to the next ward, where there were even more different equipment and medical supplies. The head doctor carefully handed Sean into the nurse's arms, and the woman carried the child out. The doors to the intensive care unit slammed shut.

She brought him back to Rick's room, where Daniel was already sitting on the couch. Another nurse was checking his and Corey's pulse and blood pressure. Ashley was sitting next to her mother, grabbing her arm and sobbing softly.

"Sean," the man said in a sickly voice as he looked up to see his nephew. The nurse lowered the child to the floor, the boy rushed to his uncle. Daniel waved to the women that they could be free, and all the outsiders left the room.

"Shh, everything will be fine. You and Ashley are great. The main thing is that you are all right." Daniel stroked the child's head. Daniel's own head was splitting with pain, as if a granite slab had fallen on top of it.

"He wanted to kill him. He said he took your powers and his powers too. And that Ashley shouldn't have it either. And then he disappeared. He went to get Mom and Dad. He will kill them too," the boy clutched his uncle's shirt in search of protection and support.

Daniel hugged the child close to him, "Sean, your parents are very strong. Marcus is even stronger." It was true, and Daniel wanted to believe that it would be enough. But after a personal meeting with that unknown creature, the man did not let bad thoughts enter his head.

This entity had already manifested itself in Mexico, but then it was in Sean's body. How did it turn out that it appeared in Nick's? Daniel felt the consequences of its influence on himself. He was sure it wasn't even full strength. And if he felt so bad after the impact, what will be the consequences when this ghost manifests itself fully?

Anderson had been trying unsuccessfully for the last three minutes to reach his brother and Elena, but the calls dropped as if their numbers didn't exist.

"Simon, is there a connection with Marcus?" Daniel dialed the number for Taubert's right hand. Simon's voice was worried.

"We lost contact with them twenty minutes ago. There was a strong energy surge, after which our satellites seemed to go blind. As soon as one of the drones is brought closer to the point, it immediately stops working. I don't know what is going on yet. The local military reports that they have moved two kilometers away from the cordon zone, as people began to lose consciousness. They cannot come close. The general energy background on the planet's surface also raises concerns. I think we need to activate the red threat level. In case the flash occurs earlier than expected."

Daniel pursed his lips. "Got it. Follow the protocol," the man hung up.

"I need to see Mom and Dad," Sean overheard his uncle and Simon talking. Something was pulling the child to where they were.

"Sean..." Daniel didn't know how to answer the boy. On the one hand, it was clearly dangerous there. On the other hand, Sean was one of the key elements of this situation. The man could not risk a child.

The door of the room knocked, Armand and Lina ran inside. After making sure everyone was alive, the couple calmed down a bit.

"Where is Rick? What happened here?" asked Armand. On the way, they noticed several medics sitting on the floor as if they had just come to their senses.

"Nick was here. More precisely what possessed him," Daniel replied.

"Rick was taken to the intensive care unit," Corey said under her breath. All this time she was a silent doll, who saw and understood everything, but could not do anything. She saw Daniel's frightened face when he found her. She saw how his face went gray and how he collapsed to the floor when Nick touched his head. She heard the children scream.

It was terrible. She also saw the creature's gaze, piercing and devoid of emotion. Why didn't it deprive her of her senses? Why did it make her see all this?

"I'll check if they need any help," Lina grabbed a robe from a nearby hanger and threw it over her clothes. A limited number of staff knew about her healing abilities, and the woman was even admitted to intensive care. She used her skills with care so as not to generate strong interest from outsiders.

"What are we going to do?" asked Arman, when Polina left the room, "Marcus called me about half an hour ago, and now none of them is available. Simon said he couldn't get in touch with them either."

"I know I called him," Daniel replied grimly.

"I have to go to Peru," Sean cut in.

"We can't go there without knowing what's going on," Anderson snapped.

"Armand will go with me!"

Armand was slightly taken aback by such a sharp turn. Sean was always polite to him, but they did not have a close connection, unlike with Ashley. Ashley did not get away with Taubert until she was three years old, and called him her prince.

"And if he doesn't, I'll teleport there myself!" the boy gave his final ultimatum.

"Okay," the man agreed.

"Armand, are you crazy? David will kill us if you show up there with his son!" Daniel objected.

"That's right, HIS son. If your brother is hammering something into his head, it's useless to argue with him. You know that very well, Daniel," Armand glanced at the boy, whose eyes were filled with hope. "Did you forget how he almost crippled you when you decided to ruin Elena's reputation by fabricating his interview? As far as I remember, you had to ask for forgiveness while kneeling before her."

"It was a long time ago, and my motives were extremely good," Daniel grimaced.

"Not important. Sean is the second David. And I'd rather go there with him than let the child show up in no one knows where all alone. Then David will surely skin us alive. Moreover, judging by what we know about the possible future, Sean's life is not in danger at the moment."

Daniel reluctantly released his nephew. Armand's arguments were logical. Sean, although he behaved well most of the time, reminded him of David. What was in the boy's head, only he knew.

"Guys, you have no idea!" Lina returned to the room, her eyes burning with undisguised surprise, "Rick! I checked the state of his body and you know what? The mutated cells are back to normal! His body was responding to my energy!"

"R-really?" Corey and Ashley stared at Polina.

She smiled and nodded, "His condition is now stable and improving every minute. The doctor said that there is a possibility that he will come to his senses within 24 hours. And all thanks to quick first aid," the woman winked at Sean. The chief physician has already shared his impressions and added that the information will remain confidential.

"Will Daddy get well?" Ashley stared at her mother, Corey hugged her daughter to her. "Yes, he will definitely get better, my princess. Definitely," a tear rolled down the woman's cheek.

Daniel turned away. The news was great. Corey and Ashley will be happy now.

Sean was relieved, but Nick's last words were pressing on the child even more. Choose: who you save, your parents or this person. The boy hoped that he would not be late.

He put his little palm into Armand's large hand and looked pleadingly at the man.

"Do you know where we need to go?" Taubert asked Sean. The boy nodded. "Okay, then lead me."

"Where are you going?" Polina came to her senses, not grasping the essence of the dialogue.

"They're going to Peru," Daniel got off the couch and walked to the exit. It was necessary to talk to the doctors to make them keep their mouths shut. Wishing Armand good luck was inappropriate. Saying goodbye is even more so. He never liked to say goodbye.

"I'm with you," Lina grabbed Sean's other hand, "Don't even think to stop me, Armand Taubert. I promised Amelia to look after Elena. And my healing abilities can come in handy."

"Oh... okay," the man uttered, clearly unhappy with her choice.

Polina's abilities can come in handy. Even Sean understood that. He glanced sideways at Armand, deciding whether to tell Taubert one detail or not.

Sean has seen many of Nick's memories. They began with a terrible picture, where his mother was lying on the ground with a blade in her chest. There was a lot after that. Armand was there. But Lina was not in these memories. Never.

The boy lowered his head. He tightened his grip on the hands of his companions, and all three disappeared into thin air.