Ruby woke in a small room, the air thick with the smell of blood. She opened her eyes and tried to look around at her surroundings. A single small lamp lit the area, revealing a few dozen other people in the room, each of them placed on their own cot. Ruby herself was on a cot, and she looked down at her left arm to see it wrapped up tightly against her body. She lifted her head to look towards the foot of the bed, but the room spun violently, forcing her to rest her head back on the cot. Someone must have noticed she was awake, because hurried footsteps sounded off the wooden floor.
"Hey," Said a light female voice, "How are you feeling?"
The girl moved over to Ruby's side, and she looked up at her. The girl was young, probably no older than herself. She had bright red hair and deep blue eyes, a simple apron over her clothes. The apron seemed to be stained with blood, a number of scarlet splotches dotting its surface. Ruby attempted to speak, but a dry croak was all that escaped her lips. The nurse quickly grabbed a glass from a nearby table, propping up Ruby's head with a hand and gently pouring the liquid into her mouth. Ruby drank deeply, emptying the glass in only a few gulps.
She let out a breath before saying, "Thank you." She slid back on the cot a little, able now to raise her head with only a little dizziness. She propped her back up on the wall behind her, now in a sitting position, "Where am I?" She asked.
"This is the infirmary," The girl responded, her face dropping just a little, "You were brought in with a serious shoulder injury, and you even needed a blood transfusion. Luckily, one of the girls that brought you in was able to give blood. It looks like you'll be fine given some time."
Ruby smiled grimly, "That is, if we have time, right?"
The girl returned her smile, "Unfortunately."
They sat in silence for a moment before Ruby asked, "How has the fight been going? And how long have I been asleep?" She added as she realized she didn't even know what day it was.
"Its been, I'm not sure," The girl's brow furrowed as she thought for a moment, "I think you've been here for two days, but it's difficult to tell from here." She gestured around the room, as there were no windows or anything to tell time with. "As for the fight, we've been holding on. The main chamber was disputed for a full twenty-four hours before we were forced to give it up. That Deathstalker attack made our defense all but worthless. Right now, the Grimm haven't been able to get through our second door. The passageway is too small for many of them to get at it at once, but I expect we might only have another day or two before it goes as well. After that…" She trailed off, clearly disturbed by the possibility, "I imagine that we just have to fight for every room."
Ruby looked down, "In that case, when can I get out of here?"
The girl frowned again, "Normally, I'd keep someone with that sort of injury here at least a couple days, but we need everyone we can to keep out the Grimm. If you're feeling alright, and you don't pass out as soon as you stand up, you should be okay to go."
Ruby nodded, "Alright, will you help me get back in my normal clothes?" She asked as she realized she was in some sort of hospital smock.
The girl nodded in reply, "I had a little spare time, so I patched up most of the holes from the dog bite." She said as she stood and walked over to a small chest at the foot of the cot. She pulled out her shirt, corset, and, most importantly, her combat skirt. Ruby swung her legs over the cot, carefully standing up and testing herself. The girl laid the clothes out on the cot, watching her closely to make sure she could stand without an issue. Once she was satisfied, the girl helped her lift the hospital gown off of her and, after some struggling, get her normal clothes back on.
Ruby looked at the girl, a little surprised that she was remaining so positive given her situation, "Thanks." She said.
The girl waved her off, "Don't mention it."
Ruby looked around the room, again seeing the injuries that people were sustaining in their fight against the Grimm. She's got to manage all these people by herself too. She thought as she looked back at the girl, "I almost forgot," She said, holding out her uninjured hand, "My name's Ruby."
The girl smiled, shaking her hand, "I know who you are, I'm pretty sure a lot of people do, at this point. My name's Maria, nice to meet you."
Ruby smiled back, wondering what she meant by her last comment. She was about to ask when another patient began to awaken across the room, "I'll let you get back to work, then." She said. She looked in the trunk at the foot of her bed and found her weapon, which she strapped to her back.
The girl let out a short, sharp laugh, "Yeah, thanks." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Ruby watched for a moment before turning towards the door, opening it and walking out into the hallway beyond. The hallway itself was quiet, but she heard noises coming from what she figured was the front of the school. She walked for a few minutes before turning a corner and walking into the back of another student, "Oh, sorry."
The other student turned around and Ruby immediately recognized her, "Ruby!" She was immediately wrapped up in a bear hug, Yang's yellow hair stuffing her face. She winced, followed by a sharp intake of breath as her injured arm was caught in between, "Oh! Sorry!" She said, quickly releasing her little sister.
"It's fine, don't worry." She replied, looking past her sister, down the hallway, "What's going on?" She asked, seeing a number of students backed up through the hall.
Yang looked behind her, then turned back to her sister, "This is where the line is." She said, a hint of sorrow in her voice, "We've been pushed back to right here, and right now there's just a barricade between them and us." She explained as she checked her gauntlets, loading a new clip of shells into them.
"So they've already gotten inside?" Ruby asked, concern etching into her features, "We've already lost this much?" She observed the defenders lining the corridor and realized something, "Where's Jaune?"
Yang didn't look at her for a moment, still fiddling with her gauntlets. She remained silent, not making eye contact with her sister.
"Yang..." Ruby said, grabbing her sister's arm, "What happened?"
Yang finally lifted her head to look at Ruby's face, clasping her hands, "Ruby...he..." She choked a little, then continued, "When the Deathstalker attacked, he was the one who saved you. After that, he held the breach in the barricade for close to a half an hour, by himself too. But...in the end..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the tears forming in Ruby's eyes, "He died bravely." She finished, once again bringing her sister into an embrace, this one light and comforting, "I'm sorry." She said, her voice no more than a whisper.
Ruby hadn't cried in a long time, but she sobbed then for what seemed like forever.