Experiment VII

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Climb

 "You alright?" I grimace at the sight of the sizeable chunk of debris lodged in the wound on her side.

"I ain't that easy to get rid of." Ellie forces a less than reassuring smile.

"C'mere," I grunt, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and taking most of her weight. The ground around us suddenly begins to quake. "We need to hurry."

     With a few half-screams and yelps on Ellie's part, we manage to pick up the pace, reaching the stairwell within a matter of minutes.

     My heart sinks at the sight of it. It is completely blocked, which is not much of a surprise, given the circumstances.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding," Ellie gripes.

     I pause for a few moments, weighing up our options, or plain lack thereof.

"We'll double back the way we came and try the east stairwell."

"We'll never make it," Ellie sighs bleakly. "And it'll be blocked too."

     Ignoring Ellie's sentiment, I turn us back around and head down the hallway once more.

    The rumbling grows louder right before the floor begins cracking beneath us.

"Get back!" I shout as huge chunks of the ground begin to break apart and crumble downward.

     We spin around, breaking into a half-sprint in the opposite direction, with the floor giving way close behind us. I wrap my arm around Ellie's wounded side and throw myself forward. She lets out a shriek as we just about jump clear of the gaping hole in the floor, and land face-first on the ground.

     I lie there for a few moments, heaving in a few big breaths of air before, I haul myself off the ground and help Ellie do the same.

"You good?" I question.

"Never better." Ellie coughs as she struggles to find her balance.

"So...What now?"

     Biting down on my lower lip, I glance over the hallway as my mind begins to race. Doubling back is no longer an option, the elevator will not work, and the stairwell is blocked. Not to mention the simple fact that Ellie is running out of time.

"Window," I suddenly declare as my eyes land upon the shattered window a few feet away from us.

"Axel..." Ellie murmurs in a state of disbelief, "You...can't be serious."

     Disregarding Ellie's protests, I saunter over to the window. I place my hands on its frame and take a gulp, leaning over as I peer downward.

"We're three storeys up." Ellie steps forward, her eyes wide and her jaw tightly clenched. "You hear me? THREE! If we try to climb down from that high we'll die for sure!"

     I turn to look at her. "And we'll die if we don't! This is it, our only option."

     Ellie's sighs, looking defeated. "Wh- I can't climb, not like this," she protests and motions to her side, still dripping with blood.

     I glance between the window and the smoke-filled corridor, then back to Ellie. "I'll carry you."

     Ellie gives an ungraceful snort. She then looks at me like I have two heads. "And climb? I don't think so."

     I open my mouth to speak only to end up splutters as the ever-growing cloud of smoke continues to penetrate my lungs. "You got any better ideas?" I lean down, signalling for Ellie to get on.

     She seems ready to protest but instead hobbles over and jumps onto my back, tightly securing her limbs around my torso.

     My legs almost give way under me at her full weight suddenly on me. "Oh whoa, you are heavy!" I exclaim as I manage to steady myself.

     Ellie mumbles something incoherent.

     I grab ahold of the top of the window frame and slide my legs out the window. "Don't look down," I say more to myself than to Ellie.

     Ellie's breathing grows heavy as she peeps over my shoulder and down at the ground far below. "Too late."

     Keeping one hand on the window frame, I stretch over my free hand and grab onto one of the several holes littering the building's outer wall.

"If you mess this up we're both dead." Charthrax's lovely voice helpfully reminds.

     Here goes nothing.

     With a grunt and a push, I twist around, releasing my grip on the window frame in favour of grabbing ahold of the crumbling wall. Once confident I have found solid footing, I begin my descent down the building's fractured surface.

This is a terrible idea.

     The further down we go the more the rock begins to crack and the more unsure of this venture I become. I will myself not to look down, but despite my best efforts, I find myself peering down the building's sheer surface nonetheless. I bit down on my lower lip as the rest of the world seemingly falls away, allowing me to focus on the rocky ground below. Sweat slicks my forehead and my breathing quickens as my clammy fingers start to lose their grip on the rock.

"Not freezing up on me now, are ya?" Ellie chuckles dryly. "Come on, just one more level to go." Her voice wavers and a sense of her fear become obvious.

     I try to get my breathing under control as I get a better grip on the wall and continue my mad scramble downward before the building gives. An unsettling feeling settles in the pit of my stomach as the bricks begin to wobble the further down we go. I manage to make it a couple more feet before an ear-splitting crash sounds from somewhere below us.

     The next thing I know, the ground is getting real close real fast. Way too fast.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Big thank you to everyone who has stuck with this book from the beginning, especially with my horrendous update schedule!

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