FLUFF!
Ok…not exactly 'fluff', but pointless stuff nonetheless. Oh well, it's another chapter. Uber-mean cliffy coming up, advanced warning!
I didn't get a chance to find out if the man managed to fix his gun or not, because as soon as we had rounded a corner Tori shoved me inside a room. It was another conference room: long faux-wood table, plethora of leather-rolly-chairs, coffee machine in the corner. We kept the lights off, crouching in the far corner under the table.
One minute. Three. Five…my head began to spin. Blood, thick and syrupy, still dripped between my fingertips, which were desperately squeezing my arm. Beneath the skin I felt a hard little ball, the bullet, but it was too deep to try and squeeze out.
"Tori?" I whispered at last. "Think it's safe?"
She took her time before responding. "I don't think it's ever 'safe'…"
"Should we go now?"
Another pause. "Yeah. We should probably find Simon and Derek and get out of here."
Still, neither of us moved. It was only once my vision started to swim that I figured we had better get going. I crept out from our hiding spot, feeling horrifically exposed out in the open. "Come on," I beckoned her forward.
I pressed my forehead to the glass of the window, straining to see out into the hall. It was no good, I could only see about three feet in either direction. Careful not to jostle my injured arm, my other hand moved to the doorknob.
"Wait!" Tori grabbed my wrist. "We can't just go out there! Can't you have Liz or Aliena or someone look for us?"
I had thought of that, but I hadn't forgotten what Rae and Royce had told me. Since our awful reunion, I hadn't had a chance to test if what they said about 'making an enemy of the ghost world' was true. Hesitantly, I began reaching out with my powers. Usually it only took a couple notches of straining before the ghost I was directly focusing on would appear. This time, though, Aliena didn't.
"Come on, come on," I muttered under my breath, gritting my teeth and squeezing my eyes closed.
I pulled harder, my head throbbing to the point where I thought I might collapse…
"Chloe…" my eyes flew open but there was no one there. Still, the voice had unmistakably been Aliena's. "…can't…stop…no…"
"Aliena? What's happening? We need you-"
"Got…can't…stuck…help…" I could only catch fragments of what she was saying, but the general message was clear. We weren't going to be able to depend on her help.
"I'll help you," I promised, then let her go. There wasn't time, not now at least. This mission was going to have to be accomplished ghost-free.
"Chloe? What's going on?" Tori was suspicious.
"Long story. We're on our own, though."
She sighed, but reached for the door knob all the same. As she touched it, though, she gasped. "Why is it all wet? And…sticky?"
I glanced down at my hand, straining to see in the dark. Sure enough it was still coated red. "Chloe," Tori whirled on me, "are you hurt?" she must not have seen the dark stain spreading across my shoulder in the dark.
"Not badly," I wouldn't- couldn't- let myself faint from blood loss. It was not an option.
"Chloe, what-"
"We can worry about it later, Tori."
She probably pursed her lips, but at last she nodded. "Alright. But this time, we're getting you help immediately…"
"Sure, sure. Let's just go."
Thankfully, the hall was deserted. Still, it was with caution that we snuck out. "Right or left?" Tori whispered, barley more than a breath.
"Right." We had come from the left.
In the harsh light of the fluorescents above us, the full glory of my latest injury was evident. "Oh God, Chloe…" Tori froze once she caught sight of it.
"I'm fine," I lied. "We just have to keep going."
"But- right. Escape now, worry later. Got it," she shook her head but began creeping down the hallway in the direction we had decided upon. I followed, staying directly behind her like a shadow.
We walked down the hall in silence, seeing no one. It was eerie this…emptiness. Like before, when that guard had seemingly popped out of nowhere. I almost wished there was a visible threat, so we would be able to ensure we avoided it.
Still peeking into the rooms we passed, I saw they had taken on a more sinister appearance. Instead of cozy conference rooms that could have been in any building, there were actually labs. White walls, examining tables, pointy objects and high-tech equipment on the walls…check.
The labs themselves were creepy, but the worst was how some actually had things in them. Not…not humans. Humanoid creature, sure, but the twisted up creatures I didn't let myself look at too closely definitely weren't human.
"Chloe, did you see-"
"Just keep walking, Tori," I said grimly. I didn't want to think about the things behind the doors, much less talk about them. The worst part was it wasn't as if I could just avoid looking into the rooms. Derek could be in one of them. There was no choice but to look into each and every room, searing those images into the backs of my retinas…
"How long do you think-"
Shouts erupted ahead of us, around the next corner. Exchanging glances, we simultaneously broke into sprints.
As we neared the corner, Tori motioned for me to slow down and proceed with caution. I didn't listen. I had heard something…
Derek. Crying out in pain.
Again, kinda a pointless chapter, but I wanted to get something done…
Don't you hate me and my cliffys?
XD