When Every Second Counts
Chapter 8
Where Death is Almost Welcome
Jane rubbed her sore shoulder without thinking of it. She did not touch her neck. The anesthetic had worn off what seemed like ages ago, and she took little notice of the physical pain anyway. She stared dully at the yellowish glow of the miniaturized barrier that surrounded the scouting vehicle. Melissa had called it a "Quatro."
Melissa was the doctor. Where had the woman gone? Jane had fallen into a fitful sleep, only to wake alone. Totally alone it seemed, no but with guilt for company. She felt she owed something to the universe. Perhaps because she had so lived while so many others in the city had died. She had witnessed three deaths already.
One man fell down the stairs of the hospital, so soon she had lost one she said she could guide out. The second, oh he fell on the way. He collapsed, falling as the Phantom stalked him and fed upon him. The third...
The third Jane knew now. He had made it. Three little humans huddled within a large mass of machinery and glass. She spoke with him; he was not as faceless as she tried to tell herself. The young man, too young to be in the force. He took off his helmet when they were in the safety of the Quatro. Melissa knew how to work the scouting vehicle. It appeared she liked machinery.
The young soldier had yet to become an officer. Jane soon found out how long it would take him. He was not a lieutenant. He was not a private. He was a cadet. The only reason he had been there was because he was close to entering the force fully.
And because he was General Hein's nephew. Alexander Hein.
A loyal cadet. She knew him now, she had talked to him, and she had watched him die. No longer faceless. She had not said one word as he died. He had gone to find supplies of ovo-packs and anything else he thought they might need. He said he would be careful.
He did not see it, what caught him from behind. What were they? How could they kill without leaving a mark?
Melissa had saved them. She reactivated the shield when the creature got too close. Too late for the cadet. He died outside of shelter.
And what of Melissa? She did what she could to console the corporal. She spoke of her own work and questioned Jane about hers. She did what she could to help Jane, and tried to keep her neck and shoulder healthy. Jane learned that she had been shot. Imagine that, being shot.
She had given Jane an anesthetic. It was also a sedative. With the sedative came sleep, and with sleep came nightmares. And when the nightmares faded, the waking world called. Melissa was gone when she woke up.
And now? Now she was left alone. She imagined what Gray would say. How he made it so easy looking she would never know. He would tell her she failed, would he not? Or would he be sympathetic? She wondered if she would ever get the chance to, or if he was already dead.
Or Ryan, what would he think of her? He was always so optimistic. But now? After she had failed miserably he would tell her how she was lucky, and maybe he would forgive her for the death. The death was not his to forgive.
Neil would taunt her mercilessly. It would be his method of revenge. It was deserved. After the way she treated him, she deserved his malice. By now it did not seem to matter. She lived, and he could have been dead. She almost wished him there, even above the others. Gray might be nice about it, understand. Ryan would try, perhaps he would be able to help. Neil would have reflected her mentality.
She hated herself. She failed. She failed and she lived. She lived at the expense of others' lives. What for? Were her friends even alive? Could she face them even if they were?
Jane slumped as much as she could in the chair. She fell asleep again, this time for longer. When she awoke she saw that the barrier had failed. She almost panicked in the darkness before realizing that it seemed not to matter anymore. At least not to her.
