I'm glad you guys are enjoying this. :) Here's chapter 4, hope you like it! :D I think there's one more chapter to go after this.
They crawled through the vents until they reached the western-most point, then Becker gestured that they were going to take the right turn.
"I can see a light," He whispered.
"Flickering?"
"Yes," He responded slowly as he edged towards the next grate. "It's the anomaly."
Jess let out a thankful breath. "Thank god."
"There doesn't appear to be any creatures in there, so I'm going to drop down and secure the room. Can you get on the comms to Connor and the others and let them know we've located it?"
"On it," She said happily, finally glad something was going to plan.
Until all she heard was static.
Becker made to lower himself into the room, but Jess's hand on his arm and her hiss of "Becker" stopped him immediately.
"What is it?" He asked, immediately worried. Her scanned her face and arms for any sign of innjury or that something was wrong.
Her words pulled his gaze right back to hers. "The comms are down. It must be the anomaly interference. That's never happened before..."
She looked worried, so Becker decided he should try to at least sound like he had a plan. "Think of it in a positive way - at least Connor's not yapping in our ears."
She cracked a small smile, but was still unnerved by the news. The comms had always worked before, and they were always a way for her to communicate with the team, no matter what. They were security, safety, and peace of mind for her back at the ARC with only the computer to keep her informed. "We've got a plan to stick to. We'll lock it and then get out. It'll be fine, stop worrying."
"I'm not worrying," She huffed back defensively, folding her arms across her chest.
Becker simply raised his eyebrows sceptically. "You stay here, Jessica. Do not move unless I tell you too, okay?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Where else am I going to go, Becker?" She pointed out, pleased with her answer.
"Right," he had to concede.
And with that he dropped down into the hospital room below, landing deathly silently, gun raised and aimed at the open doorway. Jess positioned herself so that she was laying on her stomach with her head poking through the vent gap into the room below, pointing her own EMD at the doorway just in case as Becker turned to securing the room.
It was about five times larger than the other one, and it held an MRI scanner. The anomaly covered the entrance to the scanner on the opposite side of the room to the door.
Becker checked every corner and crevice, then crossed to the door. There was a terrifying second in which he disappeared completely from her sight, but then he was back, closing the door and locking it.
He turned to her, lowering his EMD.
"You can come down now," He told her.
"Err, Becker?" She swung her legs into the gap, then considered the four metre jump. "Do you think…"
"I'll catch you," He promised after a moments confusion - After all, how many of his team has he had to catch before because they couldn't jump a gap? Somehow, Jess thought his men could manage it - swinging his weapon onto his back and out of the way.
"Okay… right…" She muttered reluctantly, unable to tear her eyes away from the drop. "I'm coming… now…"
Becker actually smiled a little, and rolled his eyes. "Whenever you're ready, Jessica."
"I'm ready."
"Okay."
"I am…"
"So jump."
"I am…" She complained, then took a deep breath, told herself to man up, and jumped, squeezing her eyes shut tight.
Becker caught her, like he said he would, clutching her close to his body.
"Thank you," She breathed as he put her back on her feet.
"Just... doing my job," He replied awkwardly.
She swallowed, then made herself concentrate.
Closing the anomaly was tricky - it took her ten minutes and a couple of tries to reset the locking device properly. As soon as it was a success, she grinned, then turned back to Becker, who was standing behind her, watching the door intently.
She rolled her eyes.
"Relax, Becker. You locked it."
"Doesn't mean a creature can't open it."
"I'm pretty sure Saurornithoides don't have opposable thumbs."
He gave her a half-serious glare. "Yes, thank you, Jess."
"Just enriching your education," She quipped happily.
He rolled his eyes as they regrouped under the vent. "I went to Sandhurst Secondary School - it specialises in science."
"Sandhurst to Sandhurst?" She teased.
Becker made a 'seriously, kill me now' mock face, complete with amused sigh, then surveyed the vent.
"There's no way we're getting back up there," He had to admit. "Even in your heels. We'll have to take the corridors."
"What?" Jess turned to him, wide eyed.
"We'll be careful," He told her, unperturbed. "I'll keep you safe, Jess. I promised you that."
"But what about you?" She asked meekly.
He interrupted what could potentially be awkward silence with, "This is my job, Jess. I don't need protection, I'm the protection. I... could use a partner though?"
"Me?"
"Who else, Jessica?" He smirked kindly, then his whole face turned soft, knowing this was probably hard for her, out of her comfort zone. "Do you think you can do that? Do exactly as I say and watch my back?"
"I've always got your back," She pointed out. Then nodded. "Okay."
"Let's go," He ushered her towards the door. "There's a staircase at the end of this corridor. Should take us to the ground floor, right by the A&E doors."
"That doesn't sound too bad," She commented optimistically.
"There is three branching corridors from which carnivorous creatures could potentially attack us," He added.
"Brilliant," She sighed dryly, sounding much too much like him, and following him out the door, trusty EMD raised. "Maybe the Saurornithoides are still in that room a floor above?" She suggested quietly.
"Maybe they're stalking us now," Becker countered.
"I was just trying to be optimistic…" She muttered as they reached the first crossroads.
Becker gestured for her to copy him as he placed his back flat on the wall to the right and tilted his body to glance down the left corridor. She did the same as best she could down the right corridor.
"Clear," He breathed. "Anything?"
"Not so far as I can see," She replied quietly. "I much prefer CCTV, though."
"Come on then," He continued stepping cautiously down the corridor, every so often stopping to listen back the way they'd come. Suddenly, he leaned towards Jess, so close she was momentarily surprised.
Oh god. Why does he have to stand-
Concentrate, Jess! Now is not the time.
But-
"Do you think you could keep a look out behind?"
She nodded.
They continued to creep through the empty corridor, highly aware that they could be attacked by multiple bird-raptors at any moment. Jess tried to slow her breathing, for sound purposes, but also for her sense of calm.
Breathe, Jess. Breathe. Concentrate. Don't mess up.
Oh, god, please don't kill Becker.
"Jess," He hissed, and she spun to face him. They'd reached the second junction. They repeated the same actions, both declaring it clear, and momentarily crossed into the open space, before steeping to the relative safety of the corridor.
There was a sudden sound like a screeching, angry snap from one of the creatures a floor or two above them, and Jess jumped out of her skin. She tried to hold back the squeal, but some of it still escaped. She started to shake and hyperventilate.
Oh, god, she couldn't do this.
Why was she here?
She was so unprepared for this.
She was going to die.
Oh god.
"Jess, Jessica," Becker quickly trapped her against the side of the corridor for stability against her back, his hands firm and strong on either of her arms. "Shh, calm down. Come on, you're doing so well. You can do this."
She took a deep, steady breath, then looked at him. He was like a rock - solid and strong and unmoving - and he had faith in her. She could do this.
"Okay?" He asked carefully.
"Okay," She nodded. "Yes, yeah, I'm… okay."
"Okay," He agreed, and they began the slow creep to the last junction.
Jess started to believe that actually, yes, they could do this together. They'd escaped two Saurornithoides out to eat them, crawled through god knows how much of the ventilation system, and locked the ticky anomaly. Only one more junction to go and they would be at the home run stage - eight flights of stairs and safety.
Maybe they would have time to get that drink?
They could-
A growling-screeching snarl caught her attention, and she snapped her EMD round to face it.
Definitely nearby this time.
The Saurornithoide was standing at the last junction they'd just passed in the middle of the corridor, staring at her with its huge, piercing eyes, large clawed second toe on its right foot clacking menacingly on the solid hospital floor like she'd seen raptors do in Jurassic Park.
It was sizing her up, deciding if it could make the two and a half meters in one jump.
Jess didn't move, barely even breathed.
Becker, who stood by the next junction a meter behind her, spun to face the situation.
"Jess," He breathed, the creature barely glancing at him. His voice was unusually strained, and even faced with a carnivorous dinosaur, Jess could hear the worry in his voice. "Jess, don't panic. Listen and do exactly as I say, okay? Slowly, very slowly, pick up your right foot and place it behind you. Careful now."
Shaking violently, she placed the foot behind her.
There was no way she was going to be able to aim properly and shoot it in the state she was in. And god knew that Becker wouldn't have enough time.
Better not to aggravate it either.
The creature snorted.
Too late for that.
Oh god, it's going to rip me to pieces, she thought, which didn't help at all. Curse her and her uncensored thoughts.
"And again, Jess," Becker's voice was the only security she had. "Your left foot. Lift it as little as possible…"
She managed one more step, almost to Becker, who had retreated into the junction as she had retreated in the hope that they could slowly and carefully make it to the door a couple of feet behind him. His EMD was raised, trained on the Saurornithoide staring her down, so he didn't see it coming.
For once, he was caught unawares.
The second Saurornithoide darted out from behind the nurse's station three feet from him with a screech, snapping and aiming right for his head.
The noise and action snapped the first Saurornithoide into action, but Jess didn't waste time waiting for it to make a move.
She bolted backwards towards Becker and the other creature.
At least that way had a door.
"Becker!" She screamed as she detoured around the other side of the nurse's station, putting it between herself and the first creature, and remerged back in the corridor behind the second creature.
Becker had dived backwards, getting caught by the creature's left talon across the chest but thankfully avoiding the whole thing. He lay half slumped against the wall, and shot the frustrated creature that had attacked him three times in the face.
It was pushed back so that the two Saurornithoides were side by side, and angry, snarling at them hungrily, clicking their toes in a way that would haunt Jess's dreams for a long time.
The door to the stairwell was only a couple of meters away now, but Becker was finding it hard to breath as blood gushed out of the nasty, jagged cut on his chest, his faded black uniform staining red fast.
Jess raised her EMD and took a shot, succeeding in angering the Saurornithoides as a full-blast slammed into one. She used the few precious seconds to place her arm under Becker's waist and hoisted him up.
"Jess-" He winced, his voice hoarse. "You can't-"
"Shut up and shoot," She snapped, retreating quickly to the stairwell door as the Saurornithoides advanced, incredibly irritated now.
One made a jump for them as they reached the closed door, but Becker shot it with a pulse right in the chest.
Jess shifted his weight, now painfully aware that they were cornered if she couldn't get this door open, and wrenched it with all her might.
It was heavy, and hardly moved.
"Come on!" She yelled, somewhat desperate and hysterical now. The creatures screeched again, and edged forwards, sizing up their prey. Probably deciding who to eat first. "Open!"
She tried it again, and the catch broke free, the heavy door inching open enough for her to drag Becker through.
As he crossed the threshold and made to slam the resisting door the second Saurornithoide made a swipe at him, drawing a deep slash across his right upper arm, evidently hitting an artery or some important blood vessel with the amount of blood it drew.
"Becker!" Jess tried to call his attention as he slumped to the floor, his back to the door which was now being rammed violently by the furious Saurornithoides. "Becker!" She knelt down in front of him desperately, tilting his face so that she could see his eyes. They were unfocused and full of pain. "Becker, look at me. Come on, we have to keep moving, the others might come from above. Just some stairs - that's all there is, just some stairs - and then we can get someone to patch up your arm and chest."
"And…" He had to take a deep breath, which caused him to cough up blood. "…stomach."
Without hesitating, Jess's hands snapped to his t-shirt and she pulled it up a couple of inches. Sure enough, there was another jagged gash across his stomach muscles, torn skin and blood making it hard to determine the length or depth. But definitely deep. And nasty.
She probably would have fainted from it. But Becker was a lot tougher.
Still, he was obviously trying hard to fight unconsciousness and just breath.
"Oh god," She couldn't help the words leave her mouth as she covered it with her hands, desperately attempting to stop the blood flow, and trying not to gag. "Oh…"
"Thanks…" Becker managed a weak sarcastic joke. "Vote… of confidence."
She chuckled weakly, before realising how inappropriate that was. "Come on," She steeled herself and hauled him carefully to his feet as the banging against the door continued just as determinedly. "Let's get you to medical."
"Mission… success…" He joked again dryly, and rather macabrely, as they took the stairs painfully slowly - or just painfully for Becker. Jess watched his feet and tried not to complain at the weight he was now placing on her shoulders.
"It was," She tried to convince him, tried to show her usual optimism, for his sake. "Anomaly locked, creatures located."
"One man down," Becker winced at the end of the sentence as he landed a little too heavily on his feet. A screech from the floor of above broke the relative silence of the hospital.
Jess looked aghast at his words. "No, don't say that. Besides, you can't... you still owe me a drink." She tried to lighten the mood as they reached the sixth floor.
He chuckled rather weakly, but it just brought up splatters of blood. "Should have… pretty," He mumbled.
Jess snapped her head round to face him immediately, his eyes were even more unfocused, and his words were becoming slightly incoherent now.
She tried not to panic. She really did.
"Should have?" She pressed, trying to keep him on track and his mind working. So long as he was in conversation, he was still conscious, which meant he was still alive, and still moving towards safety.
"For dinner," He told her hoarsely. "Drinks was… cowardly."
Jess tried not to feel unnecessarily pleased, but luckily shock took over.
Did Becker just confess to wanting to ask her out?
"We'll go out for dinner," She promised. "If you want…"
"Def…" He breathed heavily as they reached the fourth floor.
"Hey, Becker," She shook him slightly to keep him awake, then realised just how stupid that was. "Stay with me," She tried not to sound panicked, but she was. Her voice shook as another screech from a creature sounded from within the floor they were on. The creatures were following from within the corridors, and one of the stairwell doors was just bound to be ajar. "You can't… you promised you'd look after me," She pointed out desperately, aware that she sounded so whiney when he was the one potentially dying. But she wouldn't have said it if she wasn't so afraid.
"I… did," He agreed, leaning his weight on her so much that she knew it was the strength from adrenaline keeping him up. "I… always…"
"Becker?" She called his attention as his head lolled forwards slightly and they reached the second floor. He blinked at picked his head up a little to look at her. The sheer amount of effort it took unnerved her.
"You're… so beautiful," He mumbled, completely out of it now.
Jess swallowed. "Ideally, you would have said that at dinner, but I guess under threat from a creature attack is the best I can hope for with us," She tried to joke.
"I'm not… good enough," He took her words literally, seriously. And now he was just spurting out his actual thoughts, and Jess didn't want him to regret anything he said. "You…"
"Shh," She told him gently as they reached the bottom of the staircase and emerged in the eerily huge but silent and gloomy A&E. On the other side of the double glass doors twenty feet away was Matt and Emily, along with a medical team and a hoard of soldiers gearing up to go in. "We're almost there," She told Becker as Matt and Emily spotted them.
"Open the doors!" They heard Matt order immediately to a soldier, as the quarantine meant they wouldn't open from the inside. "Now!"
Then Becker stumbled, and Jess wasn't sure they were even going to make it to the doors.
This is my longest chapter yet for this story! I actually rather like it, so please like it? :) Anyway, I'd looooove to know what you thought. Next chapter coming tomorrow, I promise! I might expand this to an extra chapter after that, depending on how my re-write of chapter 5 goes. Let me know what you think? :)
Thank you! x
