Howling Mist: Ends That Tie
9 Lives
The soft beeping of a heart monitor, the slow breathing of an individual. The rest of the world stood deathly silent. The person stirred slowly sitting up, her crimson eyes sleepy and confused. The world was void of colour, white and black taking centre stage, she groaned her head hurting. Her pail bare feet touched the cold floor. The girl flinched from the cold, her feet making a slapping noise as she moved over to the door. She clung to the door frame, leaning out to check the corridor…it stood empty…devoid of any life. Carefully she came away from the frame, her hospital gown moved with her swaying ever so slightly with her movement.
Offices stood empty, rooms stood empty…her fear started to build. She came to the main doors, the parking lot empty and a drab grey. A thud came from behind, something wet started to touch the back of her heel. The girl slowly turned…her mind stood ablaze, she took a panicked step back. The body of a doctor lay in front of her, the gashes on his torso running deep his face a twisted mask of terror and fear. The bright red blood stood out on the white floor, slowly spreading out into a pool. She backed up terrified…she tripped over something falling to the ground. A mangled headless corpse lay next to her, she pushed it away heart etching into a fearful rhyme. She shot to her feet backing away. From nowhere slaughtered corpses started to fade into the world, spots of blood started to paint the walls red. A window pain burst on the main door, the girl covered herself as she was showered in shards of glass. It had been a sinister trick, her crimson eyes fell again on the car park…which was now scattered with limps, blood and dead bodies.
A small click carried down the corridor, she felt eyes on her. Her eyes fell on something…a black coated wolf, it's white eyes watching her. The girl took a very slow step back…the wolf gave a low growl it's frame lowering…eyes starting to glow a blood red. She turned running, the wolf snarled giving chase. She ran not daring to look back her mind set on the staircase she was heading toward. The leapt and skipped around over the shattered corpses that seemed to paint themselves into the world. Her bare foot touched the stair, she sprinted up vaulting over the bar at the top. The wolf was behind her every step of the way, it leapt at her foot as she vaulted to safety…only missing my near inches. She bolted down one of the random corridors leaving the wolf scratching at the barrier at the top of the staircase.
Frantically she searched for a hiding place, arms outstretched she barged into an office. She tripped landing with a thud on the floor, the door swung shut…a bloody handprint forming on the inside. She sat up eyes drawing down from the door…her hands were coated in blood. Spots of blood painted themselves on her hospital gown, she spat an unpleasant taste filling her mouth…a red dot landed on the floor. She stood up coughing, spitting…anything to rid herself of the foul taste. The lock on the door gave a resounding click…
"……You'll learn to like it…" She moved around, whispers starting to fill her ears. "…We all learn to like it…" The twisted voice struck fear into her "…Look…it's already found you…" There came a growl…
Her eyes drew to the window, edges of her vision starting to blur from fear. Something dark sat at the bottom of the window…its form rose. She backed away flattening herself against the wall, the dark figure slaughter painting in the corridor with a single flicker from the light. The thing growled eyes glowing red, she froze…the glass shattered as it jumped through.
…Welcome to the family. Images raced through her head, the blood, the fear, friends faces. The mirror, herself covered in blood. Her bloody hands…the flickering image of herself in the mirror…and the black wolf that stood in her place.
Paine shot up, brow drenched in sweat. Something touched her on the shoulder, she flinched turning quickly to it.
"Wow! Easy!" Gippal removed his hand.
Paine scanned the room, the heart monitor beep slowly in the corner. Yuna, Rikku and Tidus were slumped on a couch sleeping. Gippal clear his throat gaining Paine's attention.
"They've never left the room…" Gippal smiled lightly "Everyone's been coming to check on you"
"Check on me?" Paine felt her head spin, her body protested against her moving she lay back down.
"Yeah. You've been out for week…" The voice came from the doorway, Baralai stood with a two hot chocolates in his hand. "Guess you wont be wanting anything to drink just now huh?" He chuckled placing the extra on Paine's bedside.
"Ah the man of the moment! This lucky man only walked away with a burst testicle! And here's poor old me with my arm in a sling!" Baralai threw Gippal a glare, Gippal sighed. "Geez, just trying to make her laugh…don't need to take it so seriously"
Baralai shook his head, taking a sip of his drink. "I only had a couple of cuts and bruises that all!" He slapped Gippal hand away from the drink, Gippal gave some sort of growl his plan 'Operation: Tactfully-steal-hot-chocolate' foiled. "So…how are you feeling?" Baralai mentally kicked himself.
"…Like sin…" Paine's body seemed to scream with pain at the slightest movement. She was covered in bandages.
The boys' eyes drew down to the floor. Gippal gave something between a sniff and a sob, Baralai just idly stared at his drink.
"…We almost lost you Doctor P…" Gippal's voice was barely above a whisper. "Once getting you here…twice in the theatre…"
The memories started to play like a old movie, Gippal felt his heart starting to tear in two…he wanted to forget that night in the rain.
"Yunie!!" Rikku's panicked voice came from the back of the car, Yuna turned. "She's not breathing!!"
The car quickly stop, Yuna and the others quickly going round to the back. They laid her on the ground, Lulu started CPR. Minutes past, Lulu and Wakka desperately trying to coax a pulse out of the still Paine.
"Come on Doctor P…" Rikku gave a very small jump on the spot, Lulu and Wakka started to slow…Wakka starting to cry as he pushed on her chest.
"Don't you give up Paine!" Gippal quickly kneeled down beside her, his sling coming undone as the binding snapped. His arm fell limp, his ear shot to her chest…nothing. "Come on Paine" He pushed her chest with his good arm, he counted three then went back to her chest…nothing. "Again" Lulu pushed in a breath, he pumped again then listened…still nothing. "Again!" Lulu again pressed in a breath between Paine's cold lips, a tear landing on her cheek. Gippal pushed again, his ear returning to her chest…nothing. "AGAIN!!" Gippal roared his eyes flooding with tears. Tidus took over, Baralai trying to keep everyone strong. "Breath Paine!!" Gippal pushed again "BBBRREEEEEAAAATTTHHHHH!!!" He started pushing harder, tears sliding down his cheeks. "DYING IS NOT AN OPTION PAINE! NOW BREATH DAMN YOU!!" Still she lay still, despite the breath Tidus gave her. "DAMMIT PAINE! YOU'VE NEVER WALKED AWAY FROM ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE!! NOW BREATH!!" Gippal slammed a fist on her chest. Paine gasped for breath air…Gippal sat back tears flowling freely.
Baralai softly placed a hand on the glass, the many surgions were closing up wounds. A shrill beep came from the monitor.
"Heart failure! Blood pressure dropping!" He felt his heart sink.
"Ten CC's of adrenaline!" They all watched the monitor, the beeping started back up…moments passed…the shrill beep sounded again, the green mountains becoming a single line. "We're losing her!"
"Charged!" They touched pads to her chest "Clear!" Her body raised up then sank. The monitor beeped…then went dead. "Clear!" She shook violently…a single beep came again. "Charging…Clear!" Nothing came…just the long single line and the shrill beep.
Baralai stormed out the room, his mind laying out a map for him. He barged into the operation theatre, one tried to stop him but he slipped past. Baralai began trying to start her heart.
"You!" He looked at one of the nurses "Hit her again!"
The nurse placed the pads on her chest "Clear!" Paine jolted…the pulse went up then sank.
"Come on Paine you can do it! Again!" The nurse replaced the pads
"Clear"
Her form shook again…the line held steady. Baralai pressed again.
"Don't you do this! Don't you dare do this to us Paine!" He backed off "Hit her again!"
"Charging…" The pads once again charged…and again they failed.
"…Get out of here…" Baralai swatted away the pads replacing them with his own pumping. "Come on Paine…this is nothing! This is nothing Paine!" A hand touched his shoulder.
"…She's gone son…" The surgeons voice was low carrying sympathy for him.
"She's not dead!! Don't say it!!!" He backed off, leaving Baralai to alone. "You don't get to quit!! You don't get to leave us alone!!" Baralai snatched an adrenaline syringe, he gave her it watching the screen intently…it still held steady. "Yevon damn it Paine!" Baralai pulled at his hair "DON'T GIVE UP ON ME!!" He pushed frantically tears streaming down his face, the surgeons and nurses looked to feeling his pain. "Come on I don't want to be the only one sitting in the library at break…" He gave a open mouthed smiled looking down at her, the long tube in her mouth was still pumping in air. "It's doesn't end here! You're going to die an old women nice and warm in her bed! Come on Paine! Don't give up on me!! YOU DON'T GET TO GIVE UP!!!" He grabbed the pads turning them up to the max power setting "DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Paine shook…
"We have a pulse!" Baralai turned to the screen, the line had started moving up. "Heart beat raising! Blood pressure raising! Heart beat returning to normal and holding stable!"
Paine sat silent…the tale coming to an end. The boys watched the floor…Paine felt a tear fall from her cheek a smile gently easing out across her face. Her hands came up to her eyes, a small sniff escaped her as the tears started to raise.
"Paine?" Baralai couldn't hide the concern in his voice.
"Doctor P?" Gippal rose his seat holding out his hand a little, unsure of how he could help her.
Paine sniffed, fighting to keep her eyes dry. Guess I'm not a strong as I think I am…Thank you…thank you so much. Gippal and Baralai comforted her.
(Fixed it! Yahoo no more italics! :3 Anyway that's it for the first chapter i hope everyone enjoyed it, I had alot more fun than i thought i would with this...I usually find starting stories hard ^^' Feel free to review and in till the next chapter guys! Bye byee! :3)