Chapter 110: Chapter 110

Third Person’s POV

Inside the ambulance, a sense of claustrophobia always lingers. The confined space is filled with activity, from the paramedics tending to Maxine's wound to the police officer urgently demanding that she survive.

Despite the chaos around her, Maxine remains calm, feeling the chill of the ambulance seeping into her body. As time ticks by, the pain in her wound subsides, leaving her with goosebumps and a pallid complexion. Her eyes grow heavy, her breaths shallow, amidst the cacophony of urgent voices.

“It is Code 3. Code 3!”

A life threatening emergency code 3, her faint vital signs and sirens rang on her ears.

‘Ahhhh, I am going to die,’ Maxine realized, and by the time she did, she could not stop the grin spread on her bloody lips.

They say time is like a tissue. With every minute that passes before treatment, more body parts that should be pink will turn white or blue, and white or blue equals to dead. Maxine could feel that in any moment she can be at Code 4, then code 5 in the end, which means he’ll die.

She closed her eyes tightly and then forced them open again. A police officer noticed her and as soon as he saw Maxine regaining consciousness, he encouraged her to hold on.

"Hey! We're almost at the hospital! Hang in there!"

Taking a deep breath, Maxine whispered, "I need to talk to her. I need to talk to her..."

"Be quiet and don't exert yourself!"

Maxine shook her head and let out a small chuckle. The police officer couldn't believe that she could still find humor in this situation. Well, he shouldn't underestimate the woman who emerged from the wine storage after committing a murder.

He didn't feel sorry for a criminal. However, it is human nature to care for one another. Moreover, Maxine might be the best witness they had against Ian Grim, who had been arrested just moments ago.

"I... I don't... I don't think I'll make it," Maxine uttered before coughing up more blood. "Ugh! Ugh!"

“Sh*t,” the cop cursed.

In Maxine’s state, she looks like she’s about to enter the Code 4.

Maxine managed to muster up some strength and grabbed the police officer's arm. She held on tightly and pleaded, "Cellphone. Give me your cellphone. I need to call someone. Please."

The cop hesitated, unsure of what to do. But he knew that if Maxine didn't make it, at least she should have the chance to say what she needed to say.

"I'll confess everything. I'll tell you everything Mr. Ian Grim asked me to do. So please... Ugh! Ugh!" Maxine coughed up more blood.

"Her vital signs are dropping!" the paramedic exclaimed.

Realizing that time was running out, the police officer quickly handed over his phone to Maxine. She grasped it with her bloody, trembling hand and dialed Agatha's number from memory.

As the phone rang on the other end, Maxine couldn't help but feel a rush of memories flooding back. The last conversation she had with Agatha played vividly in her mind.

It was the moment when Brett caught her and allowed Agatha to meet her.

When Agatha entered the room, she glanced at Maxine. However, there was no sign of fear in her eyes.

Curious, Maxine asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Agatha swung her feet in the air as she sat on the bed. She looked down at her feet and replied, "I am. I'm still scared of you."

A pang of pain shot through Maxine. It didn't come from the physical wounds she received from the beating, but rather from her heart.

"Then," she whispered, "why did you bother coming here? Don't force yourself. I never asked you to forgive me."

Maxine could hear a faint sigh escaping Agatha's lips.

She lifted her head, and in that moment, their eyes locked.

Maxine felt a twinge of pain again as she gazed into those eyes that seemed so unfamiliar. She had always been the kind girl, showing kindness despite her demeanor. It might have been too harsh for her to admit, but she considered Agatha her first true human friend. Mike was a friend, but Agatha was the one who brought her emotions back.

As Agatha looked at her, almost like a savior, Maxine felt her chest tighten. She couldn't catch her breath.

"Why didn't you end me?" Agatha finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Why are you helping me?"

Instead of replying, Maxine turned her head to look out the window.

"When I was young," she whispered, "I lived on the streets. Eating whatever I could find to survive, that was my reality."

Agatha observed Maxine's profile, picturing the hardships she must have faced. She could envision a young, pale boy rummaging through trash cans and sleeping in a corner without any warmth. It was then that Agatha understood why Maxine was so guarded around others.

"Mr. Ian Grim took me in," Maxine continued. "But in return, I had to do his bidding. I did everything he asked, even... taking a life."

Agatha's body tensed up. She was scared of Maxine, but that fear intensified when she heard her confession. She knew Maxine was an assassin, but facing the reality was even more terrifying than she had imagined.

So she remained frozen in place, unable to swallow as she continued to listen without uttering a word.

"I grew up without any emotions. That's why I avoided forming attachments to anyone, because I knew that one day, I might have to kill that person with just a single command from my boss. My only desire was to save money and live alone; away from her, who promised to set me free once I killed you," Maxine continued. "But everything went wrong." She looked back at Agatha and smiled.

Agatha's eyes widened. This was the first time she had seen Maxine smile like that; a smile filled with profound emotions.

"You made me understand what guilt truly means," Maxine said. "A killer like me, burdened with the remorse of all the terrible things I've done."

After staying silent for a long time, Agatha finally spoke.

"Is it because I showed you kindness?" Agatha asked in a hushed voice.

“Maybe,” Maxine uttered, sighing.

“When everything ends, will you surrender to the police?” Agatha asked.

“I will. If that happens, will you visit me in prison? Because I think, no one will do.”

Agatha bowed her head. She knew the answer; that she won’t visit the person who almost killed her. Yet, she couldn’t put it in words.

Seeing her hesitation, Maxine then chuckled.

“Never mind. In the second thought, there’s no way someone will visit a monster like me.” she avoided her gaze. “Go back. Don’t worry. I will make sure to reveal Ian’s crime to the world.”

“Maxine,” Agatha called.

Maxine looked back and hear the words which will come from her mouth.

“Thank you,” Agatha said before she stood up.

“Agatha,” Maxine replied, “Sorry.”

Agatha nodded her head with a faint smile before she walked out. After she left, Maxine laid down on the bed.

She stared at the ceiling, before a cracking laugh slipped from her lips.

“Even at the end, I couldn’t say it.” she shook her head and added, “No. Even when I will in the brick of dead, I won’t ever do that. Because this is my punishment sent from heaven.”

Beeeeeeep~

Maxine was jolted back to reality by the beep. She realized she was still in the ambulance, facing the possibility of death.

She attempted to call Agatha, but the call wouldn't go through.

"I must have really upset the heavens," she chuckled to herself.

Unable to reach Agatha, Maxine decided to leave a voicemail instead. She held the phone to her ear and spoke softly:

“I don't think I'm going to make it. So... I just wanted to apologize again. I'm sorry for everything I've done."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she took a deep breath and continued.

“Also, Agatha… You see, I…”

‘I wanted to be your friend.’

Maxine desperately wanted to be Agatha's friend. She knew that her time was running out, and with it, all the emotions she held dear. If she could just confess her true feelings, maybe she could find peace at last.

But Maxine couldn't bring herself to be so selfish.

"I'm the one who killed your father," she confessed, tears streaming down her face.

"It was under Ian's orders. I was just an assassin following his commands."

A killer befriending the daughter of her victim. It's a tragic tale that belongs in a book with no room for happy endings. And Maxine had come to accept her fate.

She hung up the phone and turned to the stunned police officer beside her.

"Sir," she whispered, "please record everything I'm about to say. I'll tell you all the things I did under Ian Grim's command."

The night was chilly and foggy.

The blaring sirens of the ambulance cut through the traffic, reminiscent of boxers' entrance music.

As the voice on the radio resumed, the police officers and paramedics inside the ambulance prepared themselves for a Code 5 situation.

Maxine lay motionless with her eyes closed.

A hush fell over the people inside the ambulance, waiting for the radio to bring them back to life. However, it wasn't the radio that resonated, but the faint sound of Maxine's vital signs flatlining.

Beep~

The radio crackled with the report.

"Reporting. It's Code 5. It's code 5."

Maxine passed away without ever expressing to Agatha how much their friendship meant to her. Yet, she had no regrets.

She lived on the streets like a rat. She killed like a machine. She yearned for freedom. And she found a true friend.

Despite the hardships in Maxine's life, she found solace in how it all came to an end.

"I couldn't ask you to be my friend. But with these words, I can thank you for everything you've done for me."