Chapter 11 - The Blood on the Linoleum
The impact of Ethan’s tackle caught the lead guard entirely off guard, sending both men crashing hard against the opposite wall. The sound of drywall cracking echoed through the sterile room as they hit the partition, knocking a framed hospital safety poster askew.
"Ethan, stop!" Sarah screamed, clutching the baby as the infant began to wail in absolute terror from the sudden violence.
The second guard lunged forward to pull Ethan off his partner, grabbing the collar of his tailored tuxedo jacket and ripping the expensive fabric right down the back. He threw Ethan violently to the floor, sending him skidding across the polished linoleum until he slammed hard into the metal base of the hospital bed.
Ethan groaned, tasting copper as his lip split open against the cold floor. He pushed himself up on his hands, shaking his head to clear the sudden dizziness, his white dress shirt stained with a smear of dark blood.
The lead guard picked himself up, brushing drywall dust off his tactical vest with a cold sneer. He looked down at Ethan like he was nothing more than an insect on the pavement. "You really don't understand the scale of the war you just stepped into, do you, boy?" the guard hissed, bending down to retrieve the manila folder that had spilled its contents across the scattered medical trays.
"Leave the papers!" Judge Sterling wheezed from the floor, clutching his bruised ribs where he had collided with the rolling table.
The guard ignored the judge, scooping up the deed transfer, the trust documents, and the geological survey reports. He tucked them securely under his arm, turning toward the door with his partner right behind him.
"You won't get away with this," Ethan spat, wiping blood from his chin with the back of his hand. "The copies are already filed with the state appellate court. Stealing the originals won't change a damn thing."
The guard paused at the threshold, turning his head just enough to offer a chilling smile. "Appellate courts take months to review filings, Mr. Davis. But bulldozers move very, very fast."
With that, the two men slipped out into the hallway, their heavy footsteps rapidly fading away toward the service elevators.
Silence descended upon Room 412 once again, broken only by the frantic beeping of the heart monitor and the desperate cries of the newborn baby. Ethan scrambled across the floor, rushing over to help Judge Sterling back to his feet while Sarah rocked the infant frantically in the background.
"Are you alright, Judge?" Ethan asked anxiously, gripping the old man’s arm to steady him.
"I’m too old for this nonsense," Sterling muttered, wincing as he straightened his tweed jacket. He looked down at the scattered papers left behind on the floor—papers the guards had ignored in their rush. One single sheet of parchment lay face up near the wastebasket.
The judge’s eyes widened as he read the heading on the stray page. He reached down with a trembling hand, picking it up and handing it directly to Ethan.
"Forget the land deeds, Ethan," the judge whispered, his voice trembling with sudden awe. "Look at what your grandfather’s geological survey actually discovered beneath the valley."
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Ethan took the paper, his eyes scanning the technical jargon until they locked onto a highlighted paragraph that made his blood run completely cold.
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