HOOKED ON ZERO

L

closed my them, I was plagued with visions of a pain-filled Aretha. She had not been able to sleep at all last night. She had tossed and turned, holding her stomach and groaning in pain. Even

ly stopped clutching her stomach, but the worst was not over. As doe-eyed as I wa

e was

of our room, the same room we had spent many nights making love and planning for the future. I didn't know

I didn''t know where I got a hammer from, but I rammed it into it until it was but a wooden pile of crap on the carpeted floor. Next, I went for the fittings on the wall an

came back in full for

a stop, breaking m

ve a situati

ple had gathered, but try as much as I craned my neck, I couldn't see anything. I chec

o Eric, and got

pinstriped trouser suit with gold cufflinks worn with pure leather crocodile loafers. I looked around the neig

stretcher through. I caught a glimpse of a woman lying on the ground, her head twisted in an awkward angle, and

xt, blaring their sirens to my consternation.

ground brought something to life inside of me. To my left was a long haulage trailer. All the huge containers on it w

neath the trailer, a woman's purse lay. A few meters beside it lay some other items scattered in the dirt,

ice hadn't cordoned off, and I slid underneath. I knelt down and assessed what lay scattered around on the dirt. A lipstick, her

ces away. A picture. I bent and crawled towards it, intent on just picking it and shoving it inside the pu

f

wonder and

y picture

lying in the dirt

ess

thin out around the woman. The paramedics had put her on a stretcher and had her neck supported

hts and began the calculations from the dist

side the woman's purse and because of the impact of the collisio

ausible reason I cou

hat I ha

re I had dropped it, and got out from under the trailer. I i

ompany ID card and showed it to the woman. "She's my

jumped easil

ottom and then she looked at me again, this t

d together. "Moo

k and looked behind me. "

was she mouth

A look of reverence jumped into her eyes. "It's really you, Mr. Alexander Moore of Raften pharmaceuticals. I'm so please

would do if she con

s brows squeezed together.

and faced the man. "My secretary." I bobbed

up and down. "You can follow us behind, sir, we're going to Alm

membered seeing a hosp

"Change of plans, Eric,

ic glanced at me from the rear view mirr

y to cancel. Th

tinue arguing, but he chose the wise

s as Eric made a U-turn and began following the ambulance cl

always

recent picture of mine, the one that had been taken during the Tokyo seminar of t

was at today. I racked my brain to see if she had been among t

n that came for an interview a

ld she even have gotten my

was splayed on. Yeah, but the picture I currently had in my

f the options I thou

on. I had enough of hospitals to last me a lifetime. I watched as the two men came down from the ambulance and opened the door at the b

IV and take her vitals before I came down from the car. I stretched, archi

s sho

d me to the emergency ward. There, I encountered another administrative officer who seemed immune to my smile. Sh

e's your st

Moore, CEO of Raft

into his eyes and he beca

e hit the ground. The reason why she's not yet dead is because she was wearing a helmet. The accident would definitely have c

any bills accrued. Matter of fact, I'll leave a check before I go that will cover al

know why I did it, I didn't know the woman from Adam

upidity, but I did

update me in the evening about h

r than I had felt ever since Aret