The bright shade of green disappeared. Screams, cries, and groaning filled my ears. Darkness came again. I fell into it hopelessly.
The frosty wind stung my face, waking me up. I felt so many things at once. Well, to be honest, mostly pain. But what was going on? Where was I? Where were they, the green eyes? I squinted in the dark, starless night, searching for them, but to no avail. I straightened, and my head spun; the usual post-fainting sensation. My stomach twisted and turned, but I couldn't tell if I was hungry, or was nauseated; it all felt the same.
I rubbed my eyes, hoping to clear away some of the blurriness, and wiped down my face. It was wet and warm, too thick to be sweat. Blood maybe? I didn't care at the moment. I stood up and observed my surroundings. My eyes cleared up, and my bionic night vision started to play its role.
It was dark, as obvious, hardly a star in sight, and the moon nothing but an outline of a pitch black shadow. New moon. Must be the middle of the month.
We were somewhere near the forest. I could smell the fresh moss and undergrowth radiating nearby. But we were somewhere else, near a lake; somewhat of a shore. Kinda like the usual camp sites and whatnot, only eerier. The air was moist, dense with fog, making it colder. I shivered violently. I really wish I had a jacket. I hugged myself tightly, holding in whatever warmth I had left in me. My fingers prickled with numbness. My nose hurt like hell. My ears felt frozen. And one question floated through my mind.
Where were they?
Where was Derek? Will?
I fell to the ground as the horror struck me. Did they catch them? Did Edison Group get to them? I couldn't bear the thought.
But the green eyes. Those green eyes. I could never mistake them. They were his. Derek's. But where was he? I wanted him with me, here.
A rustles of leaves interrupted my thoughts. I stood up and spun. I scanned the area. No one in sight. I shivered again, only it was more of the nerves, not the bitter, moist cold. I mumbled words of reassurance, hardly listening to them. My teeth chattered, echoing throughout the forest. Another rustle. I heard faint steps. Closer. Closer.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
So confused. Mind blurred. I was losing it. Again. The dark called to me, and I was slowly fading...
A dark figure stood above me and I became alert again. The shadow looked down on me pathetically shivering on the ground.
"C-Chl-loe?" a raspy voice called.
Will?
"Chl-loe y-you okay?"
Will!
I could've jumped up and sang in relief, but I was too weak. So I settled for the next thing to come to mind,
"Will! Will, what happened? Where am I? W-"
I stopped short when I caught a better glimpse of him.
"W-Will?"
I backed up, crawling away in my case. Blood. On his clothes. On his hair.
On his mouth.
He reached out to me, "Chloe, I-I need-d your h-help..."
"Will please tell me you fed from an animal or something," I said all out in a rush before I lost it again.
No answer. I cringed.
"Will!"
"Chloe, Derek... I- I sorta.."
Oh no no no no....
I stood up and ran. Well, sorta. Everything hurt. But Derek kept me going. Derek, Derek, Derek.
I reached the dense woods, having the sharp branches and loose twigs greet me with their slashes and scrapes. The moist mud-grass mixture made a gross squishy noise as I ran, making me queasy. The smell of undergrowth was stronger, but something here it was sort of rusty smelling.
Like blood.
I ran faster, following the scent, until I found him.
Derek lay in a bloody mess, clothes ripped, hair covering his eyes.
I fell down beside him. How? Even if Will fed from him, he couldn't have hurt him that badly.
Unless they fought.
And Will won.
"Derek?" I whispered shakily. He didn't answer. I started to well up.
"He's not dead yet,"
I spun. Will.
"Go away!" I yelled.
"Chloe please..."
"No! Go to hell Will. I thought I could trust you."
"Chloe..." he said softly, "Please, we can help him."
I looked at him. His eyes were still red, but impossibly watery. I cooled down.
"Will..." I choked, "I don't want him to die,"
"He doesn't have to."
Silence.
"I'm so, so sorry." he whispered.
I didn't answer. I felt bad for not doing so, but I was too upset and scared and worried to bother.
Derek flinched a little and groaned.
"Derek?"
"C--C-,"
Will got to his feet, "We need to get him to the hospital,"
"We can't! They'll track us and what if they test his blood or-"
"We are taking him to the hospital." he said solidly.
I sighed in frustration and thought about it. I knew we had to do something. Quick. Derek wouldn't heal fast enough.
"Fine, but where are we going to find a hospital in the middle of the woods?"
"We're like a 10 minute walk from the city. A city is sure to have a hospital."
The city? Were we really that close? Before I passed out where were at least 15 miles away from civilization.
"Will?"
"No time,"
"Will, how long was I out?"
He looked at me with hard eyes, "Almost a whole day. We were afraid you weren't going to make it."
I starred, and didn't say anything.
Will picked up Derek with little struggle. I turned my eyes away. I couldn't look at him like that, bloody and broken. But Derek groaned again, I couldn't help but turn my face toward him. "Chloe," he mouthed, hardly making a sound.
I looked at Will. His face was sullen, miserable looking.
"Come on," he said, tilting his head forward.
I followed.
We reached the city in less than 10 minutes, probably because we weren't walking. We were running. Derek's breathing had faltered and we knew we were running out of time. His wounds were still gushing crimson, and I was going nuts.
We spent a whole, terrible 15 minutes looking for a hospital. And by the time we reached there, Derek had stopped breathing. I think I had too.
"Hel-p!" I yelled, choking on the last letter, "P-please! Help! My friend is dying!"
A man with a white coat came rushing out of the sliding doors.
"What the-" he started, until his eyes fell upon Derek.
"Oh, dammit!" he cursed. "Someone get a gurney!" the doctor yelled back at the building, "Now!"
The doctor ran up and and signaled for Will to lay him down. I saw worry in the doctor's eyes.
"What the hell happened to him?" he asked us, but the gurney came and we didn't have time to waste. Will put Derek gently on the gurney, and more doctors came to help.
They quickly rolled the gurney toward the trauma room, Will and I following after. They doctors exchanged information hurriedly, mostly incomprehensible, but I managed to catch some of what they were saying, "Multiple lacerations on the face, neck, and arms." a blonde woman observed. "Major wounds on the chest, and one on left leg. Some bones appear to be broken." the doctor who found us outside shared with the others. Another one the doctors checked his eyes, "Eyes unresponsive. Possible concussion."
The doors crashed open to the trauma room. Will and I were just on their tail when a nurse stopped us for examination. Apparently I still had blood from when I changed....
Crap, I just remembered what happened. Diane, attacking, the white light I let off sending her flying...
What was that?
"Come on, let's get you checked out," said the nurse with a heavy spanish accent. I took one last look through the window of the trauma room, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Derek seemed to be coming around.
But now we just had to deal with the rest of this mess.
