Kristin screamed, and rushed towards them. Wendell laughed, "and just what are you going to do?"
"I'll start with not feeling sorry for you anymore!" She roared as the thin metal lock pick flashed in her fingers. She reared back before Wendell could free his hands and stabbed him in the side of the throat, twisting it up and down as it went in. As soon as she pulled the tool free, blood spurted out. With each pump of his heart, it splashed across her face and body.
He dropped Lucas to the ground where he laid, stunned by both the fall and what was happening. Clutching at his neck, Wendell started to whimper, "help me... Please, make it stop."
"It's far too late for that." Kristin whispered as he stumbled and went to his knees in front of her.
He soon stopped moving, and Kristin took a deep breath. She turned to Lucas, who started to crawl backwards away from her. "He's gone, are you hurt?"
"No, no I'm good." He stared at her blood covered form with frighten eyes. When she tried to approach, Lucas scuttled back again.
"Then what is wrong?"
He kept moving until he hit the tank. "You... you just killed him."
She sighed, "I'm sorry, I know it was rather brutal but he would have strangled you or broken your neck. I had to stop him."
"I get that, and uh, thanks… it's just... I've never seen you like that." He swallowed nervously as Kristin crouched down beside to check for injuries. "Are you sure you didn't get the crazy virus?"
She tilted his chin up and softly probed the tissue that was already turning a deep purple. "Yes, it isn't airborne, I would have to inject it to be affected."
"And you didn't, right? Or did Zellar?" He asked quietly, still trying to edge away from her.
Kristin stood, pursing her lips angrily, "no, I am not infected with anything. I am however, tired, stressed, and coming down with a natural illness. I apologize if I frightened you, but I couldn't just let him continue. Next time I am forced to save your life, I'll be more thoughtful." She snapped, crossing her arms and gave him a furious stare.
Nathan spoke softly, his voice echoing out of the tank to her. "Kristin, he's just scared, and frankly, that was disturbing."
She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, "your trachea may be bruised, it'll be sore for several days but you'll be ok. Now, before someone else interrupts us, we need to move."
Ignoring the worried looks they exchanged, Kristin leaned over Wendell's body. She stripped off his boots, socks, and outer clothes. She tossed the footwear at the young man. "Lucas, put these on, they'll cushion the soles of your feet and help in the snow."
He picked them up, "what about your feet?"
"I'll survive," she replied shortly. She folded up the clothing and set it aside, "those are for you Nathan, as soon as we get you out, put on the dry clothes."
Kristin cleared her throat and breathed deeply, she was exhausted and feeling the effects of fever. She wanted to be in a warm bed, or beach, preferably on Nathan's island, with a stiff drink in her hand. Getting frustrated at the people she cared about wouldn't help anything. She was fairly certain when this was over, she would have some apologizing to do.
"Are we ready?" She asked in a calmer tone, flashing a smile.
Lucas finished tying his new boots and nodded, returning the smile. Nathan seemed more reserved, but nodded as well. He didn't voice it, but even for the extreme circumstances, Kristin's behavior concerned him. He wished she would explain more about the virus was working on to know how it might be affecting her. They had little choice but to follow her plan at this point, but he wondered if it was too dangerous for the outcome. They had no way of knowing how far away the nearest village was, they could be completely lost in the mountains before finding help.
They got into position behind the tank, Nathan pulled himself as high as he could, with his feet in the holes left by the couplings. He held on with his fingers hooked on the top of the tank, giving him a small amount of leverage.
Kristin took a moment and stepped back before they got ready to push. "Lucas, you need to concentrate. When we push over the tank, it will be loud. Push it away from the window, get behind it, and cover your head. We need to work fast no matter what happens. Nathan, that goes for you too."
"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, whipping his head around to face her, "do you think this won't work?"
"I don't know. But, no matter how scared you are, how fast your heart is beating in your chest, keep going. Promise me that. Once the window blows, grab your blanket and jump. Get out of here and tell everyone what happened. Even if you are alone, we have to stop Zellar above all else."
He nodded silently, and with her, started to push the tank. With Nathan inside pumping like a child on a swing, it quickly toppled. They gave him a moment to crawl out, and change into the warm clothing, then slid the tank to far side of the room.
"What about the pump? To add to the explosion?" Lucas asked, trying ignore Nathan as he forcibly pulled him into position behind the tank.
"We don't have time. Wendell may have been ordered to watch us, or he may have just happened to hear us. Either way, we may have more company soon." Kristen announced as she doubled checked their merger shield.
"Take cover!" Kristin ordered as she ran to the window, trying not to slip on the water now covering the floor. A stray splash would, at best, destroy their plans. At worst, it would kill her.
She removed the fabric wrapped chunk of potassium from the window ledge and dropped it into the water filled jar. She had nothing to compare it to, so she could only hope the wrappings would give her enough time to get to safety before the water reached the soft metal, causing an explosion.
She grabbed the survival packs and bolted back, leaping over the tank. Nathan pushed her down, covering her and Lucas' heads with his arms. The blast roared through the room moments later.
"Wrap yourself in the blanket and jump. There's less of a chance of losing it the fall, and it'll help if you land on the broken glass. Just remember to try to jump out as far as you can so you don't hit the cliff face." Nathan directed them, easily picking up the rest of Kristin's unspoken plan. They made the short trek back to the broken window tearing open the packs as they went.
Lucas shoved the food and water in his jeans pocket, and was copied by Nathan. He hesitated at the opening, unsure if he could actually make the leap. "We're too high," he gasped, "we'll die."
As if to mock him, immense piles of snow, knocked loose from the explosion tremors, poured from the roof of the building, softly landing below them. "Go!" Kristin yelled, turning as she heard a noise at the door.
Dr. Zellar entered carrying a pistol. He barely gave the Wendell's body a glance, but pointed the weapon at them. "Stop! You won't make it!" He took several steps at a dead run, "Kristin, please don't."
Lucas gripped the edge of the window pane so tightly the remaining glass cut into his fingers. Nathan grabbed his other arm, dislodging the blanket. "No!" Lucas yelled, knowing his intent.
Zellar was so close they could see his wildly dilated pupils and heaving chest. "Make them come away from the window. Don't do this to me."
"No way in hell." Kristin snarled, "you won't be able to use them against me anymore." She stepped back, thrusting her arms out, shoving them out the window while using the momentum to throw herself at Zellar. The last thing the men saw, before they flew into the storm, was her crumpling to the ground directly after a shot rang out.
The nice thing about being unexpectedly thrown out of a window in a complete blizzard is you don't see what is coming. Not having the control of knowing when you'll be leaving the firm ground behind you is helpful as well. Nathan and Lucas didn't have time to tense up as they plummeted, they were lost in the blinding snow around them. For a strange moment, they could both see the impossibly large individual snowflakes swirling around them like a vortex caught in the updraft of the cliff. They were struck by the sudden unexpected beauty, then they hit the ground.
Author's note: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! See you a few days.