As Brad followed uncertainly behind Jill and Rebecca on their way over to the medicine room, the mansion's eerily silent interior unnerved him greatly; and a part of him wished they could get back outside again, if only for the fresh, bracing air...
The oxygen inside felt strained and musty to breathe; and an oddly clinical smell wafted unpleasantly in the atmosphere.
His limp was stronger than it had been before; his bony ankle having been twisted painfully on a misplaced step on the main staircase, his careless foot falling and wrenching sharply to the side.
He'd had to grab the banister hastily for support as a deep, shooting ache crept nastily up through his calf, buckling his knee and yelping loudly.
Rebecca had stifled a giggle as he began to pull himself upwards again; his awkward posture and high-pitched cry probably having caused the amusement.
She'd stopped as she saw his face screw up with pain when he eased his weight onto his injured ankle, and she'd earnestly offered him an outstretched hand to help him up the rest of the stairs.
Brad had looked up at her in awkward self-consciousness before hesitantly reaching out his long arm and grasping her small hand. Both sets of eyes flickered away, slightly embarrassed as their warm skin touched, Rebecca tightening her hand around his as she helped him upwards.
Jill was waiting by the door to the dining room balcony, her small booted foot tapping impatiently on the thick-carpeted floor, arms folded loosely across her chest.
When Brad and Rebecca reached the top, they paused for a second before letting go of each other, Brad resting his glinting eyes on her and offering a small, thankful smile. Rebecca smiled back a little sheepishly, and she tilted her head away, pink tinges forming on her cheeks as they made their way over to where Jill stood, waiting.
Rebecca kept pace with him as they crossed the upper balcony of the dining hall; glancing sideways at him as he uttered small pained whimpers with every other step, his eyes narrowed and focused on the wooden floorboards below.
"How badly does it hurt?" she asked, sounding apprehensive.
He looked up, his teeth biting the inside of his mouth,
"It... I'm okay, it's no big deal..."
His eyes snapped shut as he stepped a little too hard and jolted his whole leg, his bitten-down nails pressing into the flesh of his palms as he clenched his fists tightly.
"Once we get back to the drug room, I'll see what I can do to patch your ankle up; you'll be fine," Rebecca promised kindly, and Brad nodded in silent gratitude as they reached the door to the barrier stairs hallway.
They bypassed the thick wooden fence separating the hall, Brad raising his eyebrows in confusion as the odd layout of the room. Jill led the way downstairs, her speed steady, yet her posture indifferent towards the others following.
Rebecca took Brad's warm hand again to assist him down the stairs; her other arm resting securely around the padded back of his bright protective vest to keep him straight.
He felt a little choked up as his fingers pressed against hers again; but the feeling wasn't an unpleasant one.
He was grateful for the help; and he felt comforted that someone actually seemed to care about him, for once...
He reached the bottom fairly quickly with Rebecca's help, and followed in Jill's wake towards the drug room, the door already open as she'd hurried ahead.
Brad paused and held back nervously as Rebecca went to enter, and she turned around quizzically, motioning over to him to follow,
"Come on..? Whats the matter?" she asked, sounding a little worried.
He hunched up a little, his faded, muddy boot pawing the carpet slowly, his pale lips slightly parted and down-turned with uncertainty.
He felt apprehensive about seeing Chris in there; he knew exactly how he was going to react to seeing him, and he wasn't sure he could take yet another load of verbal abuse today...
"What is it?!? There's not much point hanging around out here..."
When he still didn't move, Rebecca sighed and grabbed his skinny wrist, pulling him, unwillingly, towards the door. Brad stepped uncomfortably into the room, and instantly saw the reclining figures of both Chris and Richard on a low medical sickbed over in the corner.
Jill had seated herself in the bedside chair, and was speaking in a low tone to Chris, who was whispering back rapidly, his face slightly angered as his dark gaze flickered over towards Brad and back, an outstretched, bandaged leg lying rigidly against the off-white sheets below.
Richard lay the other way, twitching slightly in a fitful-looking sleep, his body facing towards the right wall. His relaxed right arm was resting against his gently gasping chest; his other was tucked to the side out of sight.
Chris' whispering became gradually louder and more heated; and Rebecca stepped a little closer to Brad; her soft arm brushing his, posture straightening defensively.
Chris voiced a low, mumbled curse, glaring away towards the blotchy wall moodily, his broad shoulders hunching in displeasure. Jill carried on muttering to him in a tone too quiet to hear properly, Chris replying only with short words and half-hearted sentences.
Rebecca frowned at Chris, unimpressed, before turning back to stare up at Brad, the heavy expression on his face one of obvious worry and tension.
"Let me take a look at your ankle, Brad, I'll see if I can help with the pain?"
Brad looked down at her, blinking and nodding anxiously. As there was nowhere else to sit in the room, he slid down and sat on the hard floor beside the door, easing his right leg carefully out in front of him, flinching as the droning ache intensified.
Rebecca knelt down before him, picking at the tight double knot of his laces with difficulty, and easing the stiff boot from over his swelling ankle gently.
She tenderly ran her hand over the inflamed flesh under his thick black sock, the toes of his long, angled foot tensing and twitching.
"Hmm... It's not broken or anything, it's just a little sprain. Does that hurt much?"
She squeezed her fingers a little over the slightly bulging ankle, and his face contorted at the contact.
"Umm, kinda, yeah..."
Rebecca nodded, and was about to stand up when she noticed the slashes at the knee of his green-brown combats, dryed blood visible through the holes. She peered at the wound, frowning up at him,
"When did you do this?"
She rolled up the base of his combats up over his knee, the slightly freckled skin of his calf noticably even paler than the rest of him, revealing a small but deep-looking gouge, the flesh totally stripped in a small radius around it.
The blood was brown and crusty around it, and his leg twitched sensitively when she ran a finger lightly along the surface.
"It was outside, earlier. I just tripped, and there was a sharp rock on the floor..."
"Something startled you, huh?"
Rebecca finished his train of thought for him, beginning to get to know his traits quite well. She smiled kindly,
"You're just an accident waiting to happen, aren't you?"
Brad felt comfortingly relaxed under her gentle care, and he flashed her quite a charming, amused grin, his eyes crinkling happily,
"That's me..."
Rebecca's smile widened, and she giggled to herself as she stood up, moving over to the medicine cabinet behind her and gathering a bandage roll, antiseptic lotion and a few small sticking plasters. A small red and black Umbrella logo was centrally placed on each; the huge pharmaceutical company renowned in these parts for their top-of-the-range medical and health-care products.
She knelt back down next to Brad, peeling off the short, fleecy sock, and noticing that his deep hazel eyes seemed to be trained on her as she carefully wrapped a long, soft ream of bandage securely around his twisted and bruising ankle, tucking the end into the first roll.
Brad felt the clenching ache dull a little as the gauze's pressure encased his protruding ankle bones; and as Rebecca squeezed a blob of antiseptic lotion onto the deep cut on his knee, covering it completely with sticking plaster, he felt calmly reassured and much more at ease.
Rebecca moved away to replace the treatment items, and Brad slowly rolled his trouser leg down, and pulled on his sock and boot over his newly wadded ankle. It felt much thicker and tigher now; but he was very grateful that the horrid, creeping ache was dwindling now.
He was tying the laces in his mad double knot when Rebecca walked back over, settling down next to him against the wall, the both of them feeling a little more confident to smile at each other warmly.
Brad's sickly-pallored face leaned in closely towards her, and a few butterflies fluttered fleetingly inside her as his slightly upturned nose nearly brushed hers.
"Thank you," he murmured gratefully, his breath warm on her face, "It was really kind of you to help me..."
His eyes twitched to the floor, "I doubt anyone else would have.."
Rebecca cast her soft azure eyes over his, a pinkish blush warming her cheeks again,
"You're welcome..." she whispered back, "I'm... glad I could help.."
Her tender hand reached over and found his, and they hesitantly entwined their fingers together, Rebecca's brushing his sharp knuckle bones, his compassionately smoothing over hers.
Brad bent his head down so their foreheads could bump gently, Rebecca chuckling sweetly as a falling strand of his hair tickled her face, Brad's contented smile spreading to an effortless grin.
She reached up and delicately swept the smooth lock back over the rest of his shiny hair, and he playfully blew on her short fringe, rustling it and making her laugh squeakily, her arm batting at him jokily.
He laughed freely along with her; a sweet, genuine laugh which he hadn't remembered using in a long time.
Her head tilted sideways onto his narrow shoulder, her bronzish-brown hair stroking the sensitive skin of his gaunt neck, and he eased his lean arm around her slight waist as she snuggled in cozily against his side, her arms lightly enclosing his gangly frame.
"Huh...Well, ain't that sweet..." Chris' voice muttered sarcastically from the corner, and Brad gazed over Rebecca's head at him in mixed annoyance and withdrawal. Jill started attempting to reason with him again, but he waved her short, sharp words away impatiently.
Rebecca ignored him completely; sighing heavily and adjusting her head more comfortably over Brad's pointy shoulder bone.
Chris still glowered over at Brad, his arms folded petulantly across his chest, mossy eyes sullen and unblinking.
"So... found the guts to crawl back, did you? Huh... How badly did Irons bollock you, then? Did he threaten you with the sack?" His eyes suddenly twinkled, an unpleasant, mocking grin spoiling his features, "Or... Did he sack you? This a last errand before you're booted off the force for good?"
He barked a loud, unflattering laugh before his sneering pout returned, his angry eyes level and challenging.
Brad's grip tightened a little on Rebecca for support, and he stumbled awkwardly over his nervous reply,
"No... He didn't fire me, Chris. I... I'd tell you I'm sorry for leaving you behind; but we both know you're not going to believe it..."
Chris snorted hatefully, "Hah... sorry, huh... you knew exactly what you were doing. What kind of a man are you, scarpering like a stupid little kid when you're being relied upon? Jesus... If it wasn't for you and your piss-weak cowardice... -"
"- Give it a friggin' rest, Chris!" Rebecca's usually withdrawn voice resounded angrily around the room, her face uncharacteristically darkened and threatening, " Leave him alone! He came back, he's sorry and he feels damn awful about what he did! Isn't that obvious? What more do you want from him!?!"
Brad recoiled as Rebecca's infuriated tone exploded next to him; and he looked down at her in a surprised wariness. Chris also looked surprised, and his eyes darted around uncomfortably as he replied, his voice weaker and less confident,
"Hmph. Well... It's his fault we all got stranded here," he frowned in Brad's direction again; "His fault we all got split up and jumped on by those Goddamn mutts outside. If he'd stayed put ... -"
"Yeah?" Rebecca interrupted furiously, "And if he had? You'd all have ran back to that chopper and flown clean outta here; and you wouldn't have found us." She looked fleetingly over at the still slumbering figure of Richard beside Chris, his face creased in pain even as he slept, "Jill wouldn't have been here to find Richard in time, and he'd be lying dead and freezing in that corridor!!"
Chris' face was lightened of it's uncouth scowl, and he looked down at Richard aswell, a look of newborn realization dawning across his troubled features. Rebecca's anger dimmed a little as Chris' gentle expression slowly resurfaced, easing the strained skin around his eyes and mouth.
"I think you're fixating a little too much on your moral condemnation here," She continued in a gentler tone, "Can't you think a bit more optimistically? He actually, kind of, did us a favour."
Chris gazed down shamefully, and Rebecca turned and smiled up at Brad, who was staring to and fro between them, and he smiled back gleefully as she winked sneakily at him, leaning in onto his shoulder again.
Brad flickered his eyes back upwards and met Chris' awkward gaze, who was rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.
His eyes kept flickering down at Richard's sleeping figure; and it seemed, even from Brad's point of view, like there was something unseen between the two of them.
Rebecca had chosen all the right words; she'd known exactly what to say to Chris to send him reeling guiltily, and Brad was taken aback as to the accuracy of her perception.
Chris seemed to be struggling for the right words, and his voice was low and uneasy as he spoke;
"Brad, umm... I guess I have been a little harsh with you... But you do understand where I'm coming from, right? Brad winced and nodded slightly as he continued, "It was a really irresponsible thing to do; you know that, don't you?"
Brad nodded again, raising his head to look at Chris square on, Rebecca's gentle hold on him boosting his confidence, and he tightened his fingers around her waist a little;
"I know full well it was, Chris. I can see nothing I can say will change your opinion of me; but can I ask that we just leave this for now and get ourselves out of here? I'm not asking for your excusal; all I want is a chance... Just give me a chance to prove I'm not totally useless..."
The words came tumbling out effortlessly; and they all turned to regard him as he spoke in a suprisingly clear tone; causing him to sound much older and more mature.
Chris' face twitched, and he shifted into a more upright posture.
"For now. But you know you'll have to take responsibility someday. You're not a child, Brad. Everything has a consequence, and you've got to face up to it. But, you're right. Top priority is getting the hell out of here, and I guess the fact you did come back is reason enough to trust you."
Jill, who had been listening to all of this a little impatiently, restraining herself from interrupting several times, finally rose and stretched wearily.
"God almighty. Talk about soap opera garbage... Do you think we can all maybe get going now?" She looked down at Brad and Rebecca, still holding on to each other comfortingly, "Umm, Rebecca, you think you can leave Brad alone a minute? If we're going, I'm gonna need some help with Richard. Okay?"
Rebecca glanced up at her and nodded silently, casting a quick smile up at Brad as she let him go, standing up and moving towards the bed as Brad's arm dropped from her side.
Jill approached Richard gently; leaning over him carefully and placing a hand on his cheek.
"Richard...? You awake?"
His eyes were flickering underneath the lids, and he seemed to be murmuring quiet, sleepy words incoherently.
"Rich? Come on, we've gotta get moving. Brad's here, we can go now. Richard!?"
His dopey eyes opened slowly, and he groaned mournfully as reality hit him once more, dolefully staring up at Jill in mild confusion.
"Uhh... Yeah, yeah, I'm awake... huhh.. What we doing?"
"We're leaving now; Brad's brought the chopper."
Richard twisted round slightly to the right to peer at Brad sat alone over near the door, his sleep-blurred eyes taking a second to focus.
"Oh... Hey, man..."
He and Richard had been with S.T.A.R.S for a similar amount of time; and as such had both co-operated in quite a few missions and rescues together. Brad's shyness and Richard's tendency to keep to himself, though, had meant they hadn't communicated much, knowing each other only as team-mates and nothing more.
Truthfully, Richard had never really liked it when Brad got picked on by the other officers at the R.P.D, but he'd never made a open opposition to it either; preffering to remain neutral in these kind of situations.
"Hey... Umm, how you feeling?" Brad asked politely, realising he hadn't actually been told what was wrong with him. He was clearly in quite a bit of pain; it was clear on his strained, tensed face, but it wasn't obvious what was wrong with him from where Brad sat.
"Uhh.. Like hammered crap, to be honest, but I guess I'm okay..." He gazed up at Jill and Rebecca, who were stood over him like guardians, "Thanks to these guys, anyway..."
Jill smiled down at him motherly, and placed a hand on his good shoulder before turning round to Brad,
"I found him upstairs; he just collapsed in front of me, and he's got this huge... bite wound on his arm, but he can't remember what did it to him. There was poison, too... I had to find my way over here to get help, and I found these two all tucked up in here."
Richard was listening to all this with a furrowed brow; looking as if he was hearing all this for the very first time.
As Jill carried on about his poisoning and getting the serum to him in time, how he nearly died more than once, he reached and clasped his bandaged left arm again, the heat of the stinging wound still seeping heavily through the cloth.
He gripped tighter and tighter, and as Jill finished her recounting of his ordeal, Brad noticed his features were locked in a traumatized grimace, his eyes squinting and wrinkled with the painful memories.
Jill stared down at him sorrowfully, leaning and slipping her arm under his heavy shoulders.
"Come on, let's get you up..."
He paused, taking a few deep breaths, and then heaved his upper body forwards with Jill's support, rising and sitting fully upright on the bed.
Chris was watching worriedly, and he automatically reached out and steadied him with a sturdy arm. Richard breathed deeply again, building up strength. He swung his legs outwards and touched down onto the scuffed wooden floorboards below, still clasping at his arm and bowing his head tiredly.
He pushed himself determinedly up from the bed, stumbling a little off balance, and Jill caught him roughly as he teetered to the side unsteadily. He smiled apologetically to Jill and nodded gently at her, and she released him slowly, letting him stand on his own.
His left side still sagged a bit to the side, his shoulder especially hunched and tense, but his overall posture was good, and he tested out walking a few paces unaided, and was satisfactorily even in his steps.
Jill grinned proudly at him, and Chris, not wanting to look weak and out of place, sat up also, carefully teasing his splinted leg outwards and onto the floor as gently as he could.
He took longer to stand; he had to sit back down a few times as the pressure made his leg scream, but he eventually heaved himself onto it, quickly steadying himself against the wall as he fell sideways a little.
Jill had her arm supportively around Richard, ignoring his gentle insisting that he was okay, and she motioned over at Brad with her other hand.
"Go help Chris, would ya Brad? I don't think Rebecca's strong enough; you'll have to be his crutch."
Brad gulped nervously, slowly rising to his feet and hesitantly approaching Chris' leaning figure. Chris looked up at him with a slightly disapproving frown, not making Brad feel any more comfortable, but he seemed to know he needed the help.
As Brad stood next to him uncertainly, Chris pushed himself off the wall with care, and Brad hooked his arm round his back clumsily, buckling a little and wincing as Chris' weight fell onto his already quite weak shoulders.
Chris glanced across at him, a little annoyed as Brad struggled to hold him up straight as they crossed the room, Chris' leg still taking most of his body mass.
His hand was painfully tight around Brad's slender upper arm, his forearm pressing uncomfortably onto Brad's sharply protruding shoulder blade.
They all left the medicine room together; Brad struggling awkwardly along with the burden of Chris' weight leeching any strength he did have, Jill holding Richard's waist tightly and unnecessarily as he walked quite steadily by himself, and Rebecca following meekly behind.
She wanted to get Chris' other side, but his bad leg was moving unpredictably as he pulled himself along, and she didn't want to get in his way and cause him anymore pain.
They reached the main hall again without incident; and the eerie silence of the mansion weighed heavily on their already weary shoulders.
It was much too quiet...
After progressing eagerly down the main staircase, and stepping carefully over the various toppled pieces of furniture littering the hall, anticipation was replaced by frustration as Jill placed a hand on the doorknob of the front doors; pulling and pushing fruitlessly with a crushing disappointment.
She turned to the others, fists clenched and a small vein standing up on her paling forehead.
"It's locked!!? Who in God's name..."
She turned back around as Richard stepped up the the door, twisting the doorknob harder with his slowly recovering strength. He frowned and finally banged against the weathered mahogany wood with his good side, shaking his head and backing away as it didn't even budge an inch.
Chris pointed vaguely over his shoulder, motioning to the partially obscured door atop the first flight of stairs.
"Try that one; that's the way I got in earlier when you barricaded the front doors..."
But they were met with a bitter disappointment once again as the pattern-encrusted back door remained stubbornly sealed tight when Jill pushed determinedly on the brass handle.
She turned back to the others in defeated helplessness, shrugging heavily. Chris' face signalled a grimace, and he looked around the hall a little despairingly, his eyes resting contemplatively on each set of doors in turn.
"So... What do we do now, then? Anyone know their way round this place yet?" He turned half-expectantly towards Rebecca, flickering his gaze between her and Richard, "You come across any other possible ways out since you've been here?"
Rebecca shook her head, eyebrows raised and slightly questioning. Richard looked thoughtful for a moment, before he threw a glance at the balcony above them, cocking his head in consideration.
"Hmmm... Well, I seem to remember there being a long terrace upstairs; it looks down onto the mansion front. I didn't spend long in there, it seemed empty, but maybe we can find a way down from the balcony? Just a thought..."
The group exchanged optimistic nods; and they returned more eagerly up the staircase, following Richard's unsure lead.
He twisted over to the right, pausing a second to survey the surrounding doors on the stair balcony, then continuing on more confidently to the lonesome door at the very end; overshadowed by a looming stained-glass window, which threw glints of moon-illuminated colour onto the fading cream wall beside the door.
As Richard placed his forcibly steady hand onto the long door handle, another door below them slammed heavily; and they all flinched in slight panic, Brad bleating his shrill, fearful yelp noticeably louder than the rest of the startled team.
Heavy footsteps were heard thudding evenly in the echoing lower hall, and Jill's trembling arms clasped the balcony railings as she peered over hesitantly. She gasped excitedly as she recognised the burly figure in his deep red jacket, holding a thick, shining silver magnum loosely at his side.
"Oh God, he's okay..!" She mumbled quickly, almost merely to herself, before she shouted gleefully
"Barry!!?"
He spun round and craned his thick neck upwards, pausing and slowly raising a strong hand to wave slightly in a rigid movement.
She and Richard rushed towards the staircase to meet him, whilst Chris and Rebecca held back, partly because of Chris' reluctance to retrace back down the strength-draining staircase again, and partly because he felt quite anxious about Barry's awkward posture; the way he was backing away from the approaching figures slightly and fidgeting too much with the barrel of his gleaming gun.
The expression of uneasiness and hesitation was clear on Barry's face even from where Chris stood; and it was one that he hadn't recalled seeing before now.
He felt nervous as Jill and Richard approached, Jill jabbering enthusiastically, Barry replying with gruff, unemotional short sentences, his posture hunched and uncomfortable.
Either way, something odd was going on here; and Chris didn't like it one bit.
