Rachel lay motionless on the cold, dirty road.
Her dress was soaked red, and the dark pool beneath her kept growing.
The smell of blood mixed with the faint stench of dust and exhaust from passing cars.
It had been more than thirty minutes since she fell there.
People had walked by — men, women, even couples holding hands.
They glanced at her but kept moving.
Some slowed down for a second, then hurried away as if afraid to get involved.
Others didn't even turn their heads fully.
An hour rolled by but no one stopped to help or check her.
Her breathing was faint, each one weaker than the last.
Her eyes were closed, her lips pale.
The sound of the city kept going around her — footsteps, honking, the hum of voices — but for her, the world was slipping away.
Another thirty minutes passed.
Then a young girl with long blonde hair came walking down the street.
She wore a blue jumpsuit, her school bag slung over one shoulder.
She was only sixteen but already worked as a home tutor in the evenings.
Her name was Kira Barner.
Kira had just finished teaching a lesson and was heading home to her studio apartment.
She was tired, but when she caught sight of Rachel lying on the ground, she froze.
Her eyes widened as she stepped closer, her heart beating faster.
The woman on the ground wasn't moving and blood was everywhere around her on the floor.
Kira dropped her bag and hurried over.
She bent down and placed two fingers near Rachel's nose and mouth, holding her breath as she waited to feel air and a small but weak breath brushed against her fingertips.
"She's still breathing… thank God," Kira whispered.
Then her jaw tightened. "Which cruel person did this to her?" She looked around, but no one seemed to care.
People just passed by, avoiding her eyes.
"I need to call for help," Kira muttered.
Her hands trembled a little as she pulled out her phone.
She unlocked it with her face and quickly dialed 221, the emergency hotline of the Gilead Police Force.
A calm female voice answered almost at once. "221, what's your emergency?"
Kira spoke quickly. "I found a lady. She's been in a hit-and-run accident. She's bleeding a lot."
"Miss, what's your name? And your exact location?"
"My name is Kira Barner. I'm in front of… wait—" She turned her head, scanning the street signs. "House number 20, Zarx Street. Please hurry."
"Alright," the dispatcher said, her tone still calm but firmer. "I'm calling an ambulance now. If there's no traffic, it should reach you in twenty minutes. Stay with her until then."
Then the call ended.
Kira put her phone back in her pocket and knelt beside Rachel.
She didn't know who this woman was and she didn't know if she had family nearby. All she knew was that Rachel was alone and running out of time.
The minutes dragged on and the air felt heavier.
Kira kept looking down the street, waiting for the flashing red lights of an ambulance but none came.
By the time twenty-five minutes had passed, her patience snapped.
She stood up, brushed the dust from her knees, and muttered, "I wonder why the ambulance hasn't come since...Perhaps there's traffic but I don't think this woman can wait for an ambulance to come anymore."
She bent down, hooked her arms under Rachel's, and tried to lift her.
Rachel's body felt limp, heavier than Kira expected.
For a moment she staggered, almost falling but she gritted her teeth, shifted Rachel onto her back, and took a deep breath.
"Alright… we're going," she told the unconscious woman.
She began walking, then jogging, then running — ignoring the burning in her legs.
Street after street blurred past. People turned their heads to stare at the young girl running with a grown woman on her back, but no one offered help.
Sweat trickled down her face, her back ached, her arms throbbed but she didn't stop.
Every time she thought she might collapse, she pushed harder.
Thirty minutes later, she finally saw the tall white building of Shen Hospital at the corner of OA Avenue.
The sight gave her one last burst of strength.
Outside the hospital entrance, four nurses were standing together, talking and laughing.
Their voices stopped at once when they saw Kira staggering toward them.
"Oh my God," one nurse gasped. "Korra, Tasha — stretcher, now! Sukie, come with me!"
The nurses ran.
Sukie and the first nurse reached Kira and carefully eased Rachel off her back.
Korra and Tasha rushed over with a stretcher, and they quickly laid Rachel on it.
Without wasting a second, they rolled her through the sliding glass doors and into the Accident and Emergency Department.
Inside, the smell of antiseptic filled the air while Machines beeped in nearby rooms.
The nurses pushed Rachel straight toward an empty bed.
Korra and Tasha pulled out their phones, calling the on-duty doctors and surgeons.
Moments later, two young doctors and two surgeons in white coats hurried in.
Their eyes went straight to the unconscious woman, and they began checking her condition.
"Where's her guardian?" one doctor asked sharply.
The nurses glanced at each other.
Then Tasha pointed toward the doorway, where Kira stood breathing hard. "Over there."
The doctors turned to her. "Are you her guardian?"
"No," Kira replied between breaths. "I found her on Zarx Street. She was lying in her own blood. I couldn't just leave her there, so I brought her here."
One doctor nodded and turned to Nurse Tasha. "Check her bag. Look for a phone and an ID."
Tasha moved quickly, finding Rachel's purse.
Inside was a National Identity Card and a smartphone.
She tried unlocking the phone but the phone vibrated and showed 'Wrong password,' She tried again and again but her guesses were still wrong.
It took twenty tries before the phone finally opened.
Tasha went straight to the call log and tapped the first contact: OWNER OF MY HEART followed by four heart emojis.
She took a deep breath, then dialed.
The phone rang for a long time before ending with no answer.
She tried again but still no answer, she tried again and again but the call was never answered.
Frustration crept onto her face as she decided to call other recent numbers, but none of them picked up either after dialing their number multiple times.
Doctor Tim, one of the young doctors, frowned. "No one's answering? Not even other numbers?"
"No one," Tasha replied, shaking her head. "It's like no one's available."
"This is serious," Doctor Tim muttered quietly.
"What should we do now?" the nurses asked together, their voices laced with tension.
Tim let out a slow sigh and rubbed his temple.
His gaze shifted back to the young blonde girl in the corner.
"Miss…?"
"Kira," she answered. "Kira Barner." She stood with her hands on her hips, her back still aching from the long run.