Gate Breakers

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Chapter 4

Nureha awoke with a heavy feeling weighing down on her. Her body felt sore, like she had been through something unimaginable, and the faint scent of antiseptic and hospital sterilization filled the air.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, her vision blurry at first, but soon, the outlines of the room became clearer. The soft beep of a heart monitor echoed in the otherwise quiet room.

As her surroundings began to focus, she recognized the familiar figures standing by her bed. Her twin brothers, Kieran and Tobin, were sitting in chairs nearby, looking exhausted but with expressions full of relief.

They hadn't noticed her waking up at first, both heads down as they sat with their hands clasped tightly in their laps.

Then, Kieran’s voice broke the silence.

“Nureha… are you awake?” He leaned forward, his voice shaky but filled with tenderness.

His usually confident demeanor was absent, replaced by the worry he had kept hidden for the past week.

Nureha blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the dim light of the room. Her mouth was dry, her throat aching.

“What happened?” she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Tobin, who had been silent until then, quickly stood up and rushed to her side. He gently placed a hand on her arm, as if to reassure himself that she was real, that she was alive.

“We thought we lost you, Nureha,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Both of her brothers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at once, their shoulders slumping as they smiled.

Then, without a word, they both wrapped their arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

Tears welled in Nureha's eyes. She didn’t know why—was it from the pain in her body or the relief of feeling her brothers’ warmth? Or perhaps it was the overwhelming feeling of being alive, when she thought for sure she was gone.

They hadn’t abandoned her, not like everyone else had inside that dungeon. Her heart swelled with gratitude.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” Kieran whispered, his voice trembling. “We didn’t know. We never should’ve let you go in there. You could’ve…"

“Hey, it’s okay,” Tobin interrupted, squeezing Nureha’s hand, but his face was pale, his eyes troubled. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. We’ve got you.”

Nureha tried to smile, but she was still so confused. How long had she been out? What had happened after she was left behind? “What about the others? The raid team… the clown…?”

Her brothers’ expressions shifted. They looked at each other, then went back to her. It was Kieran who spoke first, his voice softer now. “Nureha… the gate… it turned into a black gate. You were… you were left behind. But the others escaped. Yumi… Jared… Raizo… they all made it out.”

Nureha’s heart sank at their words. She hadn’t even realized she’d been abandoned, her body too broken and her mind too distant to feel the sting of betrayal at the time.

But now that she heard it, the truth came rushing back. Left behind. Abandoned. The words rang in her ears, mixing with the memory of the Weeping Clown’s laughter, and the agony of realizing she wasn’t strong enough to survive.

Nureha sat on the edge of the hospital bed, her body sore and weak, but her mind was sharp.

The sterile smell of the hospital room lingered in the air, a stark contrast to the chaotic events that had unfolded days before. Her twin brothers, Kieran and Tobin, hovered nearby, their faces a mixture of relief and concern.