THE TROJAN HEIRESS

It wasn't until a minute before midnight in the evening that the rain starting falling heavily upon on the central area of the concrete jungle of Monte Carlos.

Weeks before the eventful storm occurred, the media had forecasted a terrible cataclysmic rainstorm to occur on Monday night and it was as a result of the cataclysmic natural disaster that many companies within the designated region of the predicted disaster, had to permit their workers to return home early than usual especially the perimeters of the city's central hospital situated near three skyscraper and a bus station four avenues' eastwards from the fourth subway station built within the center heart of the city.

As predicted, the warring signs of the storm were already twisting the clouds above the cityscape around an hour after sunset but not a single raindrop fell until after midnight. It kept raining heavily as soon as the heavy downpour of rain was unleashed upon the city from the firmament which drove considerably a lot of drivers and pedestrians off the streets particularly a hospital situated within the very heart of the terrible storm. The heavy rainfall compelled most of the nurses to isolate their patients in their ward rooms, unwilling to allow their patients suffer cold from the stormy weather especially patients allowed freely roam around the hospital grounds although they did their caring job of taking the patients overboard by carrying out the instructions they received from their medical superiors at the media's forecasted time which turned out erroneous when the long awaited rain drastically fell heavily at late hours of midnight.

Unlike a lot of motorists who were afraid to drive their cars under the warrying rainstorm, an undaunted driver steering a black limousine, parked the unscathed limousine at the opposite side of the road facing the hospital building within a few yards near a shiny street light after driving under the stormy weather for at least four hours before arriving at the hospital completely undiscovered by any passerby lurking around the roadside as well as the dark alleys of the building close by.

"Your highness, I suggest we wait till the rain stops and I fear this might impede your health if you step into the rain" The driver said to the passenger at the back seat who coughed twice before taking a handkerchief from the right pocket of his natty suit to wipe his mouth clean.

"Robert, there's no need to worry about me. It's important that I do this myself."

"But your serene highness, the weather's not looking too good for you to step outside and it will most likely keep raining to dawn tomorrow." Robert advised, hoping that his words convinced the man sitting at the back seat.

"I appreciate your concern but there's no perfect chance like this to carry out this gruesome task." The man sitting at the passenger seat, replied.

"Now hand me my umbrella." The man ordered and Robert willing obeyed.

"Good. Wait for me till I get back",

The man said and received the umbrella from Robert but took his black bowler hat beside and wore it on his head before pushing the door open. Everything exposed around him was already drenched under the rain but standing alone outside the car facing directly at the hospital building under the heavy downpour of rain from the stormy sky, was a man in his early forties, standing underneath the shelter of his very own black umbrella face to face with the anterior section of the six-floor hospital building he had evidently come to visit at such an odd hour of the stormy night. He was dressed in his usual fancy outfit of a black suit and trousers which fitted his tall body stature. With great tenacity, he sniffed and exhaled the extremely cold air that accompanied each of the raindrops that he kept seeing pouring down upon the tarmac road and upon his black lace-up shoes with such frightening speed that he could barely see the nearby dark alleys properly though he was sure that the pale lights emanating from every cell window of the hospital building clearly indicated the existing presence of the building right before his eyes which was growing dull every passing minute as a result of the darkness.

He knew visitation hours had long ended and that he wasn't going to be received warmly if any of the nurses on nightshift saw him enter the building at such an hour that was way past the usual bedtime for most people let alone the patients dwelling in the hospital but he had already gambled his fate when he started walking towards the hospital building with more energetic effort, he could infuse into his limbs to avoid getting swept away by the harsh wind brewing around him.

Steadily but slowly, he crossed the road to the other side leaving car behind as well as Robert to watch stride into the hospital grounds without being knocked off by the incoming hustling and bustling of the rough wind which kept clashing against any item in its paths alongside the rain.

It came as surprise to Robert that the man whom he thought wasn't in the right bodily condition to venture into the heart of the storm, was within sightings of the main entrance of the hospital.

Robert watched him withstood the roughness of the storm from where he was sitting cozily inside the limousine at the front seat though he could barely pick out his visage in the dark storm. His driver kept a tight watch on him as he strolled towards the entrance with the same speed and rhythmical reverence, he used to cross the bare street under the cloak of darkness without anyone except Robert watching him find his way into the hospital till he finally disappeared into the building.

Moments later, he was inside the building and he completely was enraptured in a different atmosphere than he was outside few minutes ago. He found the first floor almost pitched black and himself alone striding through the corridors away from the counter abandoned by the nurse on duty. The hospital doors had been irresponsibly left open and the counter deserted by the few nurses who were left looking after the patient in the hospital owing to the fact that none of them thought they would be receiving a visitor at such late hour of the night not to mention that the heavy rain falling outside the building did much to strengthen their speculation and supported them to leave the doors unlocked before retiring back to their own separate quarters already prepared for them to pass the night.

Like the first floor, he found the fifth floor palely dark and spooky after using the elevator to convey himself to his required destination as though he knew exactly where he intended to be which in fact, he actually knew since he had paid quite lot of frequent visits to this same hospital for matters of great importance and he had become quite familiar with the corridors and broad hollow spaces that make up most of the floors in the hospital. It didn't quite feel strange to him that there was a steep darkness within the interiors of the hospital despite the fact that the hospital did not lack a enabling power supply to provide substantial electrical needs for users inside the hospital and he knew that the power was very much available after his ascension to the fifth floor using the electronic powered lift but this had little to arrest his attentions since what had preoccupied his thoughts ever since he stepped into the rain with an umbrella in his hand, was something daringly ominous and life-threatening thought he had his own reasons for stepping into the shadows as though he was some night grim reaper.

With great patience, he silently scoured for Ward nine without having to look for any clear indication of its presence with a torchlight since he needn't none to read the bold inscription placed at the top of every door of each room in numerical order. Sooner than he thought he would find what he was looking for, he found the ward with little effort of silently approaching each of the wards in the fifth floor. Hoping to find what would confirm his fruitful search which had ended briefly, he gently wriggled the door knob and slightly pushed the door ajar. Then he peered inside the cubicle partly shining brightly with a long cylindrical fluorescent light bulb glowing dimly inside the room from where it was neatly fixed near the roof at one side of the ceiling board farther inside the room.

With his dull eyes, He saw a woman sleeping comfortably on the bed cloaked with her usual tunic underneath the blanket which ended at her abdomen while her wavy black hair lay spread on the pillow. He recognized her at first glance and pushed the door further for him to venture farther inside but he went in with such great stealth that he barely arouses any noise that could wake the sleeping woman up from the bed. As soon as he entered the room, he could fully see her right hand exposed on the blanket while the rest part of her body down to her legs remained tucked under the broad blanket.

He winked twice to avoid staring deeply at the woman with great affection and took out his black leather gloves from his right pocket before shifting closer to another centre of attention. He wore his black gloves after suppressing his inner desire to abandoned what he planned to do and silently approached two hospital cribs of which he had noticed being kept at the opposite flank of the hospital where the woman who happened to be his wife lay fast asleep. He was sure things would go accordingly to plan if he doesn't yield to his emotions pestering him from carrying out such gruesome task and did well to gather more courage to carry out his endeavor. Painfully but yet willingly, he pulled himself closed to the cribs and saw the babies lying unconsciously inside. The same set of twins whom his wife gave birth to a week ago, sleeping inside the crib profoundly. He was tempted once again to change his plan but he knew the appearance of the two little babies did nothing to help solve his problem. Without wasting time, he decisively made a move to steal one of the babies away without making any noise and surreptitiously took one of them away from the crib into his arms. He took one last time to caress the babies' cheek with his index finger and stole one last glance at his sleeping wife before leaving the room, shutting the door quietly behind him as he had entered the room.