C462 What Happened

The explosion hit Cipher hard. Her body was thrown backward, and she crashed to the ground before losing consciousness. Kiddo, who had been nearby, was also thrown by the blast. She hit her head against a wall and fell to the ground. The security guard's body disappeared in the explosion. For a moment, everything around us was covered in smoke and dust. Bighead and I saw the explosion from a distance. “Let's go!” I shouted. We immediately ran toward them. When I reached Cipher, she was lying motionless on the ground. “Wife!” I dropped beside her and checked her. She was breathing, but she wasn't responding. I quickly lifted her into my arms. “Come on, Wife. Wake up.” Bighead rushed toward Kiddo. “She's alive!” He carefully picked her up and carried her toward the car. Survivor had already started the engine. “Get in!” she shouted. I climbed into the vehicle with Cipher in my arms while Bighead placed Kiddo inside.

Survivor immediately drove away. She was clearly panicking. “Kiddo, are you okay?” Kiddo groaned. “Ahhh! My head hurts!” Survivor looked at her through the mirror. “Can you see properly?” “I think so.” I wasn't listening anymore. I was focused on Alicia. “Wife, wake up.” I gently shook her. “Wife, please. Don't leave me.” She didn't respond. I grabbed some water and splashed a little onto her face. “Alicia!” For several minutes, nothing happened. Then her eyes slowly opened. I immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at me weakly and moved her hand. “Water.” I quickly gave her the bottle. She took a few sips. Then suddenly screamed. “My leg!” Everyone looked at her. “My left leg hurts!” She tried to move it and immediately cried out again. “Ahhh! My shoulder!” I looked at Survivor. “We need a doctor.” Bighead thought for a moment. “My mother.” Everyone looked at him. “She’s a nurse. She can help us.” Survivor didn't hesitate. “Then we're going to our house.” She turned the car around and headed toward the Wood residence. It was still early in the morning. At the Wood residence, Kelvin had decided not to go to work. Ben had just come downstairs while Valeria and Tracy were sitting together, playing with Tristan. Everything was peaceful. Until the front door suddenly opened.

Everyone turned. Valeria froze when she saw us. “What happened?” Kelvin and Tracy exchanged worried looks. Sarah immediately stepped forward. “Let's go to my room.” I carried Alicia inside. Kiddo had regained enough strength to walk, although she was clearly struggling. Samantha stayed beside her, holding her hand and helping her move. Valeria immediately followed us. Everyone else came behind her. I looked at Valeria. “Aunt Valeria, please save her.” Alicia cried out again. “My left leg…” She grabbed her shoulder. “My shoulder hurts.” Bighead quickly rushed in with the first-aid kit. “Mom, check her leg first.” Valeria immediately knelt beside Alicia. She carefully examined her leg, then checked her shoulder. Her expression changed. “Alicia…” She looked at her in disbelief. “How did you survive this?” Alicia didn't answer. She was too exhausted. Valeria quickly gave her some painkillers and began treating her leg. After bandaging it, she carefully examined Alicia's shoulder. She froze again. “You were shot before.” Valeria pointed toward the shoulder. “The old wound has reopened. Something must have aggravated it.”She carefully treated the area. “It's painful, but we need to keep it clean and let it heal.”

I looked at her anxiously. “Aunt, will she be okay?” Valeria looked at Alicia again. “She survived all of that and made it here. She'll be fine.” I breathed out slowly. “She just needs to rest.” “For how long?” Valeria thought for a moment. “A week, maybe.” Alicia nodded weakly. We all remained quiet. At least she was alive. That was what mattered. Valeria then turned toward Kiddo. “Let me look at your head.” Kiddo sat down. But Samantha still refused to let go of her hand. She stayed beside her the entire time. Valeria examined the injury and treated it. After finishing, Laura looked at the others. “What do we do now?” Nobody answered. Alicia was still in pain. She finally shook her head. “I don't know.” She took a slow breath. “But the man at the mall said their aim was to kill me.” Samantha's eyes widened. “A security guard?” Alicia shook her head. “He pretended to be a security guard.” Samantha looked at Alicia. “Then what do we do about Kiddo?” She glanced toward Faith. “Her parents already caused a scene once.” Kelvin and Tracy exchanged looks. They remembered what had happened before. Faith's father had threatened everyone, warning them that he would expose the fake disappearance if they continued keeping secrets from him. Nobody wanted to repeat that situation.

Alicia didn't answer. Then, surprisingly, Sarah gave a small laugh. “She can stay with you for today.” Everyone looked at her. “We'll think of something tomorrow.” Sarah looked toward Faith. “And her wound isn't that deep. With some rest, she may be much better by tomorrow.” Laura nodded. “That's probably the better plan.” Amanda, however, looked worried. “Alicia…” She hesitated. “What about your son?” The smile disappeared from Alicia's face. She looked down. “We'll know tomorrow.” She took a breath. “For now, let's rest.” Then she suddenly looked around the room. “Gold and Diamond.” Everyone looked at each other. “Where is it?” Amanda immediately waved the small dagger. “Don't worry. We took it with us.” Alicia nodded. “Good.” She closed her eyes for a moment. At least Hanna hadn't gotten it. Not yet. After staying for a few more minutes, most of us prepared to leave. Faith, however, remained behind. Samantha helped her into her room. “I'll stay with her,” Samantha said. Faith nodded quietly. The rest of us began leaving. Before Sarah could walk away, Kelvin stopped her. He looked at both Sarah and Samantha. “What is going on?” Sarah froze. Kelvin's expression was serious. “Today, you're going to tell me everything.” Samantha and Sarah exchanged a look. Neither of them answered. Kelvin folded his arms. “No more excuses.” The room became silent. After everything that had happened that morning, the Wood family was demanding the truth.