Wither With Me

CHAPTER 52 - IMPULSES

Nora entered the cubicle and curled up into a ball underneath the desk, holding her head with both hands. With needles stabbing her brain, she could pass out at any moment. Her vision turned blurry, and she had chills all over her body.

After the explosion that almost made her plummet down into the void minutes before, she was overcome by intense dread. A primitive, feral, and most importantly, foreign fear. Lilian's emotions invaded her consciousness and made her feel things she shouldn't be feeling.

Now, that fear had turned into unbearable pain. She was still gripped by terror, but this time it was her own. Something terrible must have happened to Lilian.

She wanted to go up after her. She had to do it. It was a shame she couldn't.

The commotion finally subsided, and with it, the screams. All that was left behind was deep, raspy panting. A voice reeking of hostility. Nora covered her nose and mouth as soon as she perceived the disgusting smell of freshly spilled blood.

Who was it? Where did they come from? All she remembered was walking up the stairs along with some more people, following a soldier. Then, someone opened fire on them. Her clouded senses could only distinguish a sudden fuss, and her legs ran on their own.

"I saw you coming in here... Stay where you are, it's better that way..." said the stranger's voice, followed by a chuckle.

That man's voice sounded familiar, although she didn't need to identify him to understand she mustn't let him spot her under any circumstances. His steps, heavy and calculated, reverberated around the office, stopping every so often at regular intervals. Nora felt her own heartbeat inside her head. Barely breathing, she waited.

"Aaaaah...!!! No, please!! Noooo-!!!" a man's screams filled the room.

A dull sound cut the screams short, and the smell of blood intensified. Whatever it was that happened, it was close by.

"There was another one, huh? Doesn't matter, I know you're around here..." said the stranger. His steps approached Nora's position, somewhere behind her back, and passed her towards the other side of the office. "I know who you are, bitch. I always remember faces. You're the one sticking with that brat. Just as I imagined, you guys are here. Fuck, you have no idea how much you made my day."

'I can't stay here... I can't, I can't, I can't... I've got to run...!'

The building shook again. The explosion at the street must've significantly weakened the structure. Furthermore, a strange ruckus boomed nonstop from below. She could make use of that background noise to mask herself.

With a knot in her stomach, and fighting to not faint from the pain, Nora left the cover of the desk and peeked outside the cubicle. Both sides of the corridor were clear. She gulped, and began dragging herself on all fours in the direction opposite to the steps, which continued drifting further away from her position.

Not stopping to think or hesitate, she crawled, leaving behind a cold trail of sweat drops. The cubicles should keep her hidden as long as she didn't stand up.

She reached the office wall and got out of the corridor separating the cubicles, seconds before those ominous steps began coming back in her direction. Was she still safe? Had he seen her? She had no way to know. Looking forward, she spotted the office exit door, wide open, some meters ahead. She kept crawling.

'Come on, come on, come on...'

She was close. Two meters. One meter. Within arm's reach. Nora's fingers closed around the doorframe and, for an instant, she took a breath before continuing.