Long Run

SIX_6

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"What do you think is there?" Lucas sniffled, hiding behind Elias.
"Just look!" Ana jumped, pointing towards the spot. A finger fell out from under a body whose back was visible to them. It was as pale as paper. Then another finger fell out again, right beside the first.
Slowly and gradually, fingers the number of a hand popped out completely. They had a ghost-like complexion and looked shrunken in place.
Ana recalled watching a movie with a similar incident and she felt like she'd transmigrated into that scene. Four friends played a dare game, challenging ghosts and suddenly, the house became dark with the lights flicking back and forth. A pale palm had appeared out of nowhere and then, a red-died bodied landed in the room from the ceiling but when they looked, the ceiling wasn't broken. It was a ghost.
Frightened, she turned her head around and beside her were four, no two friends. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she denied the possibility of a ghost appearing believing they only happened on TV.
"Who's there?" Elias called but they got no response. "Do you think it is a ghost?" Ana probed, looking at the duo. She just wanted to be sure she wasn't imagining things and Elias stared at her weirdly. Although it was only for a moment, Lucas' eyes broadened in horror.
"That—that can't be possible, right?" This time, Elias didn't know how to reply. He kept staring at the pale fingers and slowly approached it. "What are you doing?!" Lucas exclaimed. Standing beside him, Ana slapped him and cautioned him to be quiet.
"Do you want to attract more trouble?" She glared and he quickly clammed up but his eyes couldn't hide his fear. Seeing that Ana had no plan to move forward, he lowered his head to her side. "Won't you stop him?" Ana raised her brow and her lips moved. What she said next, nearly knocked Lucas off.
"What? Do you want to take his place? Go ahead then. I won't stop either of you anyway, one of us has to check." She gave him one last look before looking away but the worry in her eyes didn't escape Lucas' gaze. He was also worried.
Thud!
A body fell to the ground. Lucas subconsciously held onto Ana's left arm and she glared at him. He shook his head, refusing to let go and so, Ana ignored him. She walked closer to the body Elias was crouched beside. His grey shirt complimented the teal tiled floor but was a huge contrast to the brown of the body's pants. It was a man and beside him was the person whose fingers had popped out.
"Do you think he's alive?" Lucas couldn't keep still. "Why do you keep talking? You might attract trouble." Ana scolded, "It's already enough that most of these people have died. You don't want to add us to that list, do you?" Her golden hair bounced with her shaking head.
"You two, stop it!" Elias bellowed, "I know you two don't like each other, you don't have to fight all the time. And even if you wanted to fight so badly, you can just leave the premise and rid yourself of all these." He swept his hand across the bodies laid down on the floor. His meaning was obvious, the dead should be respected at least.
"I won't leave. I haven't found my dad yet."
"Me too, I need to know if my family is okay. Also, I don't not like Ana." Lucas completed in a low voice with his head lowered.
Ana was mean. Must she glare at him to prevent him from telling her how he felt? It was true that he never stayed faithful in any of his relationships but he liked Ana. "Although I don't think they can escape this, I'll never give up their search." Raising his head, his eyes were determined.
"Then be quiet at least."
"So what happened to the body?" Ana quickly changed the topic of discussion.
"Dead. No injuries and their eyes remain open." Dusting his palms, Elias stood up. "It's unknown what killed them."
"What if they were poisoned?" Lucas suggested and Elias nodded. "That may be possible too."
"Too?" Ana caught onto him and frowned. "To poison a large group of people in no time, that would be very difficult so it's just a suspicion," Elias explained. He worked with his uncle in the town's clinic during the summer breaks so he had some knowledge of anything involving medicine or thereabout.
"So they may and may not be poisoned?" Lucas was puzzled. To poison and not poison, how else could these people have died?
"It's just a probability. It's not certain. Let's keep looking. Who knows, we might encounter some living people this time." Elias cast a glance at the body on the floor and muttered a string of inaudible words.
"Let's proceed and keep in mind that although we're searching for our families, we need to save those who are still alive," Elias warned as they walked to the western corner of the hall. "Can we go that way?" Ana pointed towards the North but Lucas rejected it.
"No way. I read in a life guide book to not head North if we encounter a strange incident, so let's not head North."
"But I feel that something is there." Ana patted her chest to show how serious she was.
"All the more reason we shouldn't go. Weren't you the one saying to avoid trouble? Want to go back on your words now?" Although Lucas spoke softly, he was very serious and Ana knew just when to stop. "I'm avoiding trouble okay! I just wanted to share my fears. Can't I?"
"You—"
"Don't start this now, please." Elias interrupted and they both shut their mouths. He wanted to continue but a light sound distracted them.
"Help." It was faint but still audible.
"What was that?" Ana suddenly became anxious as her right hand resting on her chest started shaking.
"Shh." Elias put a finger to his lips and motioned them to be quiet. After a while, the sound came again, a lot lighter.
"It's from there," Lucas concluded as he stretched a hand in the direction of the voice. Surprised, he looked at Ana and she too was staring at him. Then they ran towards the northern side of the hall and Ana's face drained of expression as they got to a door that led to the next hall.
"At the count of three, we go in. Are you ready?" Elias said. He was holding the door handle this time with his free hand balled into a tight fist. "One…two…three!" He opened the door immediately, they stood frozen in place, especially Ana.
Her mouth opened and closed multiple times but no words came out.
"That person is alive?" Lucas exclaimed, it was hard to believe that someone was alive. The person was also the only one who survived.
"Help." The person called again but even lighter. The person had only spoken when Ana dashed straight ahead. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. The closer she got to the person, the more familiar he was.
The same black pants and blue shirt. "Which one looks better?" He had said, still in his bathrobe.
"The blue one. It matches your eyes." She had replied as she gulped down a cup of hot chocolate.
Her eyes turned red and heavy with tears.
"Dad?" She managed to say before rushing towards him. All the cells in her body kept screaming in
excitement.
He's alive! He survived!
"Ana? Is that you?" The person turned and Ana was beyond happy, it was her father.
Rushing inside, Elias and Lucas stumbled upon this scene. An excited Ana and a weak Mr Ruby hugging amid tears.
"Mr Ruby! Thank goodness. You're alive." Lucas also broke down as he went forward to join their embrace. Heaven knows how scared he was when he kept seeing many familiar faces scattered across the hall but luckily his family wasn't wrong. His parents had travelled out of town a month ago and his older brother was nowhere to be seen as they searched the entire hall.
On seeing that Mr Ruby was safe, he suddenly had hope that his brother too might be safe.
"Lucas, you little rascal! Don't squeeze too tight. Can't you see he's breathing heavily?" Elias also walked forward. His expressionless face cracked into a smile, he was happy too. "Oh, sorry." Lucas grinned foolishly. He had been too excited.
Finally getting enough air, Mr Ruby placed his hand over Ana's hand. He seemed to have recovered some warmth that had drained out of his.
"You need to go— far away from here. Leave for Sephora as soon as possible." He coughed and Ana gripped his hand tighter as she shook her head.
"No, I won't leave without you. Come on, let's go." She wiped away her tears as she tried to pull him up but the moment she did, she staggered backwards.
He had pushed her.
"Why?" She cried, "why won't you let me take you away? Why did you push me?" Her voice grew louder and cracked as she cried. Lucas and Elias had been stunned and were slow to react.
Mr Ruby gasped. "I don't have much time." He raised his teary eyes, staring at Ana. "You should leave. Go to Sephora and don't come back." His eyelids gradually dropped as he breathed his last.
"Dad!"
"Mr Ruby!" They yelled at once as they rushed to hold him, especially Ana.

Pushing the door, Nova entered. "What happened here, guys?"