Rifle

Chapter Eleven

She also awoke on the floor that same morning.
Her fingers inched around, feeling stone beneath her, the moss grew between the cracks. The moss was soft to the touch, probably green, but she hadn't opened her eyes yet. Something smelled off, but she had become desensitized by then. It was so comfortable in her spot. Se forgot where she was or where she had been before that.

There was warmth, the warmth of the sun beating on her arm. Those violet rays made her skin tingle. Those rays shifted, from her arm to her hand.
It felt different from the sun.
It couldn't have been the sun…but it was so comfortable.

Her voice box let out a small sigh as she turned away from the warmth of the sun; escaping those rays she was so dearly warmed by. Her eyes still closed, she curled into a ball.

It didn't occur to her, still, to wake up, so she continued to just lie there. She couldn't sleep, but it was still kind of dark.
She was sure the nurse wouldn't mind her just sleeping there for a while, being as she was the patient and all. She couldn't fathom where her pillow had gone.

Then it finally hit her, she was on the floor, not in the hospital. It was dimly lit where she was- or very dark, but she had felt the warmth of the sun…she thought.
Her eyes swiftly sprung open, as if a trap catching mice. She could see her hand half-curled-up next to her face. What was that…warmth?
What happened?

She shot up. Where am I? It was dark around her, not a ray of sunshine was near her. A torch was lit across from her; the torch upon that wall of stone danced its flame dance with all of its energy and happiness.

Her eyes darted around; there was a passageway, the same direction her feet pointed as she stretched them out. She had a headache. She felt the back of her head with her hand…it was just sore was all. She remembered her nightmares. She had one where she was at that welcoming dinner for…
She closed her eyes, trying to erase it out of her mind. She couldn't stand it.
Her other nightmares flooded back into her memory.

There was the one with Kyle chained to a wall. The one with him in horrid shape and he had the Pry. There was the nightmare where she circled the rug. There was the nightmare where she accidentally killed everyone.

…Wait…

…The nightmare about Kyle…

It was in a dark stone passageway.
It had torches along the walls…could that dream have…?
The dream couldn't have happened! I died!

She felt herself up and down her arms, quieting her goose bumps. She could hear herself as she unsteadily breathed the musty air. Something did happen, though, other wise I wouldn't be here.

She heard shackles behind her, rattling, making her goose bumps rage even more.
She gulped and stood up completely. Slowly, she turned around.

"Don't look, I'm not decent." She heard the voice echo. He was joking, obviously.

She looked to see anyways. She saw an innocent face, staring at her, she gasped in air when she saw it, and froze. His light brown and mystical eyes looked…normal to her, his dark hair almost covered his eyes- his eyes that were adorned with dark circles.

"Well…" he coughed out of his throat. "This is embarrassing." He let out a weak laugh, accompanied by more coughing. He was in pain, she could tell by the way his infection of Pry pulsed and breathed. His skin tightened up around it, bracing itself for each movement. She started to realize, once more, the pain she was in. He wasn't wearing much- either he was captured while getting dressed, or he walks around his apartment without a shirt on.

She couldn't think for a second, and she definitely couldn't speak- but just stared.
She was stuck, not in time, not in moment, not in the earth, nor the ground, but in a way that was indescribable. She just stood, her eyes not moving as she looked down at him there.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. She whimpered something unintelligible- so that not even she herself could understand. Her thoughts collected together, spun a little, and finally settled. Her mind was returning to normal- even in this place while he, half-dead sat chained in front of her. Tears were beating to escape her eyes, but stood still and caught.

"Kyle." She managed to say- that one word that she wanted to say. That one person that she had wanted to talk to for the longest time was finally before her- that one person she missed.

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me?"

He brought in as much air as he could possibly muster, his eyes strewn with a glee.
"A-aron!" His eyes became wide. "Of course I will! I mean…please…can we?" He pulled his arms forward, trying to reach towards her. A smile broke over his face for only moments before he winced at the pain in his chest. The Pry had really gotten a hold of him and he settled down, bringing his arms back to where they had been. Something changed, then, in his face. He became a bit stern.

"Wait… no… something's wrong…you'd never say something like that…"

We stared at each other for a small while, his lips barely parted as he observed me. I just stood still- I tried to remain emotionless. The test wasn't over. I needed him to realize that.

"It's you isn't it, HAZARD. If it is, I'm going to get out and break your head on the stone! That's not funny! Okay?" He huffed and he puffed…as if he could blow a house down. He was angry. He would be angry with a captor disguised as her.
She caught the part about HAZARD.

Her eyes widened. She knew she had found him- she didn't even know how she did. It wasn't a dream, after all. Her face brightened up, and the dam that held the tears back finally gave in. She covered her mouth with her hand, but spoke anyways, smiling.
"…It's really you…"

She dropped back down to her knees.

"What are you talking about?" his eyes darted around, trying to find the answer on his own, but couldn't.

"Only the real you would react that way…so I…I'm sorry…" she shook her head, as she held it in her hands.

"Wait. So we're getting married…?"

She stopped and sort-of glared at him "O-of course…not." She almost stopped the tears- just so he'd understand how serious she was. She was, though, flushed. Did I really just ask him that? She was not ready to get married- to anyone. She still wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not. She wasn't sure if they'd both live or not.

"Kids?" he smirked, batting his eyelashes at her.

"I'd kill you first." She had stopped crying her tears, now Kyle was being himself.

"I'm fine with that." He laughed. "Besides, I had to make sure it was you, too." He nodded, before flinching at the pulsing pain again.

Instead of him reaching to her again, she reached to him, wrapping her arms around him. She needed to hug him. She swore to herself, silently, that regardless of his condition, if he made a joke right then, she would sock him.

Flood was roaming the streets- it wasn't exactly an easy drive over to the hospital.

Samuel Campbell was the name she remembered as she ran down the hallways. Campbell…is it the Campbell on our team? It had to be- it was the only Campbell in the area still. She could believe it when Kyle told her it was Campbell. It made so much sense to her, and it made everything just as clear.

According to what Kyle told her, the person keeping Kyle captive was a HAZARD- a walking-and-talking GRAVEMIND. It's natural form was the thing she saw when she stepped out of her room that night before- the one that played dead to her sign-language-gun; The disgusting creature with long claws. It could change form- it walked into that lair where Kyle was as different people each time, he told her.
She couldn't get her mind off of it.

She found the lab, first. Knocked on the door, the scientist stepped out.
She asked him and he told her that no one had come to check up on their information yet.

"There's a spy among us- one who wants to foil our efforts, sir."

"A spy you say?"

"Keep the research and findings from everyone but Elizah…no…wait…ask for a password."

The scientist sighed, he didn't exactly like being pushed around by Spartans- but he had to do it- his wife had the Pry. If Aron thought it would produce the cure faster, then maybe his wife would get the cure faster.

"Ask them what Phelibrashans are."

"And what are they?"

"Zombies."

"That's racist."

"Yeah, so only those who know the password could guess the answer, you see?" she gave him a weak, yet sweet, smile. Who am I kidding? That joke is very racist.

The scientists rolled his eyes and returned to his work.

She ran down the hallways again, to her room. The door was open, still; she guessed no one had stopped by. She took anything she needed- a bag with a journal was the only thing of hers that was even in that room.

It had Kyle's notes in it, though, the notes she kept hidden from Elizah and Bant. The notes that revealed so much and so little. After seeing Kyle again, his notes started to make more sense- before, she had no idea what the HARZARD really was- even though the answers were right there in front of her. She had thoughts about it, yes, but she never really fully understood until he explained it to her.

She had to keep the secrets safe.

She heard footsteps coming down the long and empty hallway- echoing loudly.
She swung to the door and flipped the switch off, locked the door and sat quietly with her back up against the door. The person shook the door handle a little. Aron wondered who it was, she heard it walking away, but she was too afraid to peek.
It could have been Campbell for all I know. Why risk being caught sneaking around my own hospital room? That would make anyone suspicious.

She sat in the darkness, the lights from the hall peeked through the windows in small, broken rays. She just kept still for awhile- by now she was sure the footsteps were gone. First, she peeked, wanting to make sure, before unlocking the door and stepping out. She closed it behind her and left the light out, she thought a baddie would notice weird light patterns. HAZARD is intelligent, after all.

She smelled something good- biscuits and gravy.
She trailed, following the smell, realizing fully how hungry she was. The white tiles reflected the lighting fixtures in an eerie way. She followed the scent to a cafeteria- a cafeteria at which she had no idea the hospital had. She peek through the doors, an old lady was finishing preparing two meals.

She slowly approached the lady, passing the clean and abandoned round tables. She purposely made her eyes look a little wider- thinking maybe she could look adorable enough to win some biscuits.

Who was she kidding, she was a patient there, and she deserved food all the same.
She could not risk, though, HAZARD finding out that she knew anything- or that she returned- or that she had Kyle's research notes.

She shyly looked up at the wrinkled lady.

"Whom might those be for?" she eyed the biscuits; she could feel herself starting to drool.

"Elizabeth." The lady almost seemed to be growling.

"Oh, shall I take them to her for you?" She looked up to the lady with a smile that would be genuine if she wasn't so good at acting. Really, she was smiling hoping to get food.

"Sure, whatever." The old lady bagged the biscuits and lazily pushed them across the counter to Aron- Whose only thoughts were to bring one to Kyle and eat the other. She greedily grabbed the bag and turned on her heel and left.

She was passing by the makeshift science hallway again before she left.
She heard talking and stopped by the corner- it was her friends and Haza chatting.

"Are you two hungry? I could get you something from the cafeteria…" She heard Elizah say- she sounded a little bit nervous.

"I'm not hungry." She could hear Haza laughing- she imagined he shrugged. "But I'm sure Bant is" he laughed even harder. She peaked around the corner. Haza nudged Bant with his elbow and chuckled happily. She tried to stop herself from giggling, but it failed, she managed to muffle it a little, though. Everyone's faces were looking away- it was her chance to sneak by.

She shuffled by quickly and quietly- halfway through the hallway she glanced back at them. Haza was staring straight at her, smiling.

Other than that, she passed by unnoticed.