Chapter Thirteen : The Run

For hours they lay together on the floor of the cold hospital room, not talking only sharing warmth. It was uncomfortable but they were too overcome with grief to care, shifting positions only when it became unbearable. Sam's death affected them both badly, Ethan couldn't get the image from his head of the bullets barreling through his friend, exploding out his back in a sickening display of violence. He wanted nothing more than to be gone from this place, wishing they had never came here in the first place, that they were still driving somewhere safe and free of the terror that seemed to inhabit this new world. Ava slept her head across his arm giving him pins and needles but he dare not wake her. She looked peaceful a lot different than the sorrowful mess she had been earlier. He didn't know if she was coping better than him or worse, all he knew for sure was that sleeping was the last thing he felt like doing. Every so often she would give a little jerk, probably starting in her dream, even sleep it seemed was no escape. It was the longest night, haunted by the recent events and surrounded by rotting flesh, the smell became part of the experience fading slowly into the background until it was no longer even noticeable. It seemed that that the assailants hadn't heard them as they run or had no interest in them, regardless no one came for them that night. Ethan's glock lay on the floor in easy reach loaded and ready, even though his thought were never far from it, there it stayed. It was early in the pre dawn that Ava woke cold with the shivering and together they crept from their hiding spot to brave the unknown.

The hospital had taken a turn for the sinister, where before it had felt homely it was now wrought with fresh death. Dawn was breaking, the light streaming through hundreds of windows creating shadows all around. As they back tracked Ava stopped dead causing a familiar panic in Ethan. He spun eyes searching for the threat before settling on Ava's face.

"It's ok." She reassured him, seeing the stress he was under. "I just want to look at the map."

Beside them on the wall was a large map of the hospital, she stood peering at it in the natural morning light. It suddenly occurred to Ethan what Ava was doing, all this time he had been mentally preparing for the dreaded trek past Sam's corpse, it hadn't occurred to him to take an alternate route. He joined her at the map looking at the curved arrow that showed where on the map they stood. Lack of sleep made it frustrating as they tried to find another exit, trying to make sense of which way was what wasn't easy and it didn't help that neither of them knew the roads around the hospital or had any experience with the layout. He had been here several times before but never paid attention except to glance into the rooms at the sick people as he passed. Yesterday he stared openly into the rooms as they passed and he wondered briefly if watching people you have no connection to in their private moments of ill health was normal. It was a full minute before his rambling mind came full circle and he realized he was standing there completely zoned out while Ava was figuring it out alone. A movement down to his left caught his eye, drawing his gaze away from the map to the shadow filled intersection they had passed through only moments earlier and his hand reached automatically to his gun, fingers fumbling with the stud that held it firmly in place.

The creature resembled a man so well it was eerie as it strode along, bare feet slapping against the polished hospital floor. It's arms swung purposely as it stepped from the shadows making Ethan's hands pause as his mind tripped over the thought that it was still a man. It was short lived however as the thing stepped into the light showing it patchy skin and inhuman face. Ava was still looking at the map as it broke into a run, long legs and arms swinging in perfect balance as it gained speed covering the meters quickly. Reaching for Ava he yanked her coat violently causing her to gasp and stumble. She knew well enough that something wasn't right as Ethan backed away a look of horror on his face as he fumbled for the gun again. Spinning she faced the threat with just enough time to step back as it came thundering into her knocking her onto her back, following her down and pinning her. Ethan ran to her aid as the large man beat at her with closed fists and grabbed her hair with long fingered powerful hands. It raised her head as if to pull it from her shoulders before bringing it down on the hard floor with a loud crack before he could throw his meager weight against it toppling the creature on to it's side. Ava's screams became sobs as the creature refused to let her hair go, anchoring her head down as she tried to rise. Ethan danced indecisively on the spot not sure what to do as the snarling creature yanked Ava from side to side as it twisted and tried to stand while refusing to let go the prey it sought so ferociously. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him as he watched his last friend in this world pulled about savagely. In desperation he kicked at the monster as it pulled her closer trying to secure a death hold on her. She screamed as it overpowered her struggling with brute force. Ethan's kicks didn't go unnoticed, as it lashed out a long arm making a grab at his leg. It missed its target and he kicked its arm in retaliation, he stomped the arm with all his might trying to get the thing to lose focus on Ava. It worked as it released her in favor of defending itself before trying to rise and face its attacker. Once free of the restrictions that trying to hold someone down posed it was much more mobile raising itself fast on the palms of its hands, it stood a full six foot in height. He had tried so hard to draw its attention that he hadn't given a thought to what it was he would do what he got it. The corridor suddenly seemed narrower than ever as he tried to avoid the approaching form. The morlock was fast, grabbing him with long arms as he tried to duck around it. Scrabbling wildly he swung fists, beating on the creature that held him fast by his jacket but found that it overpowered him easily. Landing blows only made him panic more as his fists connected with solid flesh to no effect. He had to stop swinging and use his arms to keep the creature at length but not having clothes itself meant it was hard to keep a grip on. Raising his legs up off the floor he used his body weight to topple the creature as it tried desperately to keep its hold over him. Stumbling the creature lowered him to the ground unable to support the extra weight but refused to give up easily. Now he found himself underneath it on his back while it straddled him. Desperately he used his forearm to stop it biting his face by forcing one arm under its chin. In a frustrated reply it raised him off the floor slamming him back down, a sudden white flash making his vision blur and spots dance before his eyes. It was a losing battle as the creature overpowered him greatly making it only a matter of time before he could no longer resist. It bit at his flailing free hand as he tried to push its face away from him, catching a finger in its mouth.

Pain erupted like a volcano flowing hot lava down his arm. He screamed as teeth cut through flesh like a painful vice ever tightening, the pain unbearable he sobbed and pleaded on deaf ears as it tried to bite the digit off. Without warning his hand jerked to the side and came free, still the pain was so bad all he could do was hold his finger with his free hand lifting them both up together before tucking them between his legs willing the pain to go. The creature toppled sideways off him, hitting the floor with a crack as its head bounced unconsciously. He squirmed, wriggling from under it's legs he slid along the floor pulling his legs up into a ball and straitening them again. Somewhere the clang of a fire extinguisher being dropped heavily sounded but it didn't register with him as nothing seemed to stop the pain while he struggled to stand, doubled over still clutching at it. He didn't want to look at it but Ava insisted prying his hand away. The bite was deep, cutting all the way to the bone both sides of his ring finger. His hand shook uncontrollably while his feet just wanted to keep moving. Ava forced him to stand in one spot while she examined it but taking the pressure off the wound was unbearable and he took his finger back clutching it again before resuming a half dance half pace. The morlock lay motionless the familiar dark blood dripped slowly on to the floor from a gash in its scalp. He kicked the creature repeatedly in anger and pain as Ava disappeared into the closest room calling for him to follow. She rifled through cupboards looking for bandages to wrap the wound. While he paced circles walking in and out of the room constantly lifting his wounded finger up and down. She found a sheet of painkillers in the bedside drawer tossed them onto the bench and resumed her search for bandages. Ethan grabbed at them swallowing two tablets dry, he gagged as they first scratched and then stuck in his throat. The basin tap sputtered a bit before clear water slowly started to build a steady flow. It was refreshing as he gulped it down before letting it flow over his finger. The pain wavered under the flow of water, blood dripping into the basin to form a swirl before disappearing down the drain. Moments later Ava took his hand drying it on a clean towel before swabbing it with a bedadine wipe. Wrapping the finger tightly she wound bandage around the finger before encompassing his middle finger and finally his hand, once it was wrapped she went to secure it but stopped staring fearfully into the hall.

"C'mon." Ethan's hand shook and he just wanted it to be done so he could resume his pacing. Her face was frozen with a look that made him forget his hand, turning to stare with her, he watched in silence as the creature stood once more, looking drunkenly unsteady on its feet. One side of its face was coated in fresh blood and one of its blue eyes had gone a deep red, streaked with veins that were almost black. Slowly it staggered back the way it came leaving a trail of bloodied half footprints as it did so. When he next looked at Ava he noticed the blood that had trickled from a cut on her head, streaking its way past her nose before forming drips on her swollen top lip. Wiping it away with his thumb he bought her back to the situation at hand and she finished off his bandaging. He couldn't move his right hand not that he wanted to, the pain had been so overwhelming that he had wished his finger gone just to have it stop. Even now with the medication still not kicking in combine with a compression bandage it throbbed and he had to refrain from sudden movements of that arm.

"So we go back the way we came in yesterday?" He questioned her. "And get the hell out of here right?" She managed an agreeable nod and with that they were moving again.

Samuel's corpse had been dragged around the hall, no longer resembling a person. It was the first sign of things to come, stopping them dead in their tracks just shy of the barricade. Ava wept when she seen what had become of their friend while Ethan dry retched. Beyond him the people that had formed the small community were in no better shape, some devoured to the point that they began to look more like skeletons with very little flesh left on them. Bloody footprints of many kinds traced the floor until it was a highway of blood. As they walked quietly through there was no choice but to step in the blood, Ethan hoped silently to himself that they wouldn't need to run, it would be the end of you if you slipped over here. His finger throbbed, aching pain shooting to his elbow kept his mind strait, he had to keep moving as if somehow he could outrun it. Amongst the other dead in the room stood another dead person, she was holding a child still fresh from the slaughter. It hung obscenely across her arms, flopping with every bite the creature took. Ava drew her gun but rather than shoot she kept the gun leveled as they picked their way across the room. One of the soldiers lay in the exit hall way, fingers stripped of flesh with some removed completely at the joints. His face was a gaping hole through the balaclava as something had eaten away as much as they could around the bothersome material. Ethan felt no pity for the man as he surveyed his legs, bullet holes ripped through his pants and exposed legs chewed away as much as could be got at. Ava watched the former woman as she ate despite how much it made her want to shut down and cry. The feeding creature was content to stare back, it's blue eyes unwavering in defiance. It had no need of fresh prey, the battle from the day before had provided plenty for all and it seemed that most had come and had their fill. The air was alive with flies and all manner of small creatures scurried from their movement as they slowly made their exit down the corridor and into the car park. Those last moments in the entrance to the hospital, staring out across the lot to the vehicle they had parked only yesterday but what felt like forever ago, those moments were the worst. Leaving behind a friend, stepping out into who knew what dangers, but the worst part was not knowing what to do next. Where to go? The shop felt like another lifetime away from where they stood, neither of them saying it but both sensing the others feeling of not wanting to return. They crossed the lot together and sat in the car not sure what to do. Never had Ethan felt so lost in his whole life, his future always seemed like a distant thing not knowing where he was headed in life while people pulled him in different directions. His mum trying to get him to care about school or his father talking about following his own path. It all seemed so far away now, a distant dream, before him lay a path that was truly uncertain. As he sat pain diminishing to a bearable throb, as his despair became overwhelming, tears began to form in his eyes overflowing leaving glistening trails across his cheeks, the warm morning sun making them shine.

"Time to leave town." Ava said starting the car and shattering the silence, as all around them a beautiful day was warming the land.