Third day in a row! ;) Holidays are good for my writing I swear :'D

I can't promise this upload schedule will remain for that much longer, I'm sorry :/ But yeah hope you enjoy the drama that's begining to unfold!

Anyhoo, please review!

-Ela


What Do We Do?

Rifling through drawers to find my work out gear was not going well. So far I had formed a pile of clean clothes on the floor, which I was already predicting I'd trip over at some stage. "Aha!" I exclaimed, pulling out my thin black sports top I had bought from Lidl. Two quid from the clearance counter, yes please!

Still I was missing my leggings, and I had an idea of where they might be. If Levi were real, he'd probably kill me for this - emptying out my laundry basket onto the floor (only mildly aware that the pile of clean clothes was now merging with the pile of dirty clothes) I started to dig for my leggings. And there they were, slightly damp from having a wet towel pressed up against them. Disgusting I know, but it would do the trick; I was only going to go for a run, get back and then have a shower. Anticipating the chilly air outside I slid on my black workout hoody, tucking my house key into the secret lining pocket.

"Bye Steve! Hope you get it all sorted!" I called out, already opening the front door.

"Bye hun! Fingers crossed we've got it fixed before you get back!"

"Goodluck!"

And with that I was out of the door.

Running, oh how I love running. But first, stretches. Using a curb I stretched out my sore legs, readying them for the journey ahead of me. I started with jogging, steadily increasing the pace of my feet slapping the pavement. Already I was sweating, hastily I undid the hoody and prayed the breeze would cool my face down a little. I decided to head towards Central Park, they had lovely woodland trails interlaced into the more popular, main walkways - sometimes it almost tricked me into thinking I was in the country.

Jolts worked their way through my toes all the way to my head, as my running surface suddenly changed from smooth tarmac to uneven dirt track. The further I went the fewer people I could see, and I liked that. The further away I was, the easier it was to convince myself that I was alone in the wilderness. Just me - the sound of my heaving breath mingling with the sound of the wind through the brush.

If I just kept running I wouldn't have to face what happened. If I just kept moving, I could stay alone in an imagined, empty world. If I kept going I was safe.

I was sweating so much. Briefly I stopped to take off my hoody, tying it around my waste and then commencing my run again. In the distance I could see a dog walker and decided to plough past them, the quicker I got past them the sooner I could enter into my fantasy world again. A world without deadlines and sadness, a world where nobody but me existed - so nobody could hurt me and I couldn't hurt them. A world where my problems didn't exist and I could just run.

Pushing myself to keep up the fast pace I'd adopted in order to pass the dog walker was a harder feat than I had thought it would be. My leg muscles were aching a storm already, and my forehead was weeping sweat like it was at a loved ones funeral. While still moving I fumbled to find my hoody sleeve, angling my body down slightly to reach it to my forehead, dabbing at the sweat beads. If I kept running I could run away from the world. So I pushed on. The next part of the track narrowed, the trail clinging to the side of the hill like it was trying not to fall off.

'Why is it so hot?' I internally questioned, forcing myself to keep moving, despite the sensation of my fibrous tissues cooking. Something was wrong, I could run further and faster than this normally. I couldn't keep moving. I couldn't keep going. I wasn't safe. Something was incredibly wrong.

I stopped. The wind whipped my face like a cat o'nine tails, cold pinching my ears like I was a naughty child. All heat was now leaving my body, chill finally overpowering the burning.

After two minutes I started to jog again. I was alone once more, alone and cold. All thoughts of my lovely, imaginary, empty world had ceased. It was too cold now, freezing. I kept running at a fast pace to get my heart going again, get the heat back.

Spots of purple invaded my vision, dots of black and yellow over a turquoise background - like the northern lights at daytime. My foot caught on some brambles and then I was falling. Cuts and scrapes marked my skin as I tumbled down a shear drop. I could feel each thorn pierce my skin.

And I felt the crushing sensation of my thorax colliding with the trunk of a large tree. And I felt my body bend around its form as I went limp.


Hange dipped a hand into the bath water. "It'll do." And with that Petra and Levi were manoeuvring the body once more, grabbing limbs and lifting the form, lowering it into the hot water.

Steam covered the single mirror, bathroom door locked with clothes stuffed into gaps in the frame, a make shift draft excluder to keep in the heat.

Levi held the head above the water. Petra unlatched the medication box. Neil removed the thermometer from the box. Hange took the thermometer and approached the body.

"She's way below normal body temperature."

Petra's face contorted in panic. "What do we do?"

Hange looked for a pulse. "Her heart's stopped."

There was a moment of silence.

"What do we do?" Asked Levi, repeating Petra's question in a monotone voice.

"Neil get the shot of adrenaline out of the side kit. Levi, Petra, get the clothes around her chest out of the way, enough so that I can get to the left of her sternum."

Petra started unbuttoning the shirt. Levi seeing how long unbuttoning would take, ripped the fabric along the seam, pealing it back. Hange readied the syringe, checking for air bubbles.

"Levi, hold her head out of the water, and her shoulders down. Petra hold her legs down."

"Is this going to work?" Asked Petra, voice solemn in the heavy room.

Hange didn't reply.

The needle pierced the skin like a thorn, a pop sound emanated as it penetrated the tissue.

There was a moment of silence.

Nobody moved.

"Is she gone?" Asked Petra, tears forming in her eyes.

Levi said nothing, but stared, straight ahead.

Neil stood unsure of what to do.

Hange waited.