Hollow Veins

Chapter Thirteen; The Detour

Fear seemed to blind him. Jaden wanted to call out, but all he could do was run. He heard another smaller cry. A short screach. The blood stopped Jaden short. He stumbled and fell. Straining for night sight, he made out two figures. A pale body scratching at... Ren. Jaden saw red. He plowed into the Infected. He stabbed it over and over again. Jaden was slightly aware of the fact that he was now punching it. He repeatedly slammed its stupid head into a rock. It went limp. Jaden shoved it away from him and rushed back to Ren. She groaned as he pulled her up. She was violently trembling. Jaden searched her for bites, cuts, anything. He signed over and over, "Where are you hurt." Ren blinked and finally processed what he was signing. "Back of head. It's... not mine." Head wounds were not good. Jaden ran his fingers through her hair and found a lump. "Jaden..." Where was the cut?!?!? "JADEN!" She finally got through to him, "The blood." Ren groaned again, "It's. Not. Mine." A sigh of relief passed through Jaden. She held up her hand, which held a bloody knife. He stared at her for a second. Ren tried and failed to hold back the tears her fear had brought on. "I'm... I'm ok." The tears ran down her face. Ren wiped her cheeks. Jaden looked almost as fearful as Ren felt. Then he did the last thing she expected. He hugged her. Ren shut her eyes, and her breathing slowed. They stood like that for a minute or two, calming. Another screach brought them both to their senses. They pulled apart, and Jaden signed, "We need to go." A skidding sound had Jaden's pistol out and pointed uphill. "Don't shoot," Aaron's voice, "You guys ok?" Jaden signed. Ren spoke for him, "We're fine. Where's the others?" Aaron gestured behind him, "I told them to keep going." "There was one up here." He nodded. "But why'd it come so far up?" "I don't know, but right now we need to move."

Rushing around in the dark with weapons. It was most likely the worst recipe for disaster. "We should go back," Alice said. Prince shook his head, "We can't. I'm sorry." Ari nodded in agreement, "He's right. The more we separate, the more likely we'll get killed." "Always the cheerful one." "Shhh. They'll hear us." The three of them were pretty far from the cave now and had stopped to wait. There was some thick brush, and that plus the dark, concealed them pretty well. Somewhere, the others were running around, with those creatures nearby. Was Ren ok? Aaron had immediately sent them this way with all the bags when they'd heard Ren's scream. What happened? That question bounced around in all their heads. There was a rustle. Ari grabbed Prince's arm. He looked down, then up at her. He wiggled his eyebrows. She wacked him. The rustling came nearer. Ari squeezed her knife, ready to lunge at it. A dark figure came into view, and Alice let out a breath, "Aaron?" "No it's Jasper. Where's everyone else." Ari stood, grabbed him, and jerked down. "Ow." "Shh." Jasper winced then looked at Alice, "You feel ok?" "Why should you care?" They all jumped as Aaron, Jaden, and Ren came into view. Blood stains were clearly visible on Ren's shirt. "You hurt?" Prince asked her. Ren shook her head, "Not really." It's not my blood," she added quickly. Jaden looked away. Aaron was impatient, "We need to go on." A series of screeching irrupted.

A long crevice cut through the mountain. Aaron was mystified, "We're supposed to go through this?!" Ari glared at him, "Voice down." "How exactly are we supposed to squeeze through here when blood thirsty monsters are trying to kill us." Jasper looked him right in the eye, "Because we aren't being chased, and it isn't that tight." Ari was the first one to step into it. The tall "walls" rose up to sickening height. They might be walking for hours. It was the width of about three people standing side by side, widening the higher it got. Alice took a deep breath. Her face felt hot, yet she shivered in spite of it. Alice walked into the inside of the mountain.