The Outbreak (The Nursery Nurse)

Fourty Five

Charlotte's speed grew rapid when the sobbing sound grew closer, she approached the hallway and made a sharp right, she stopped in her tracks when a woman was on the stairs.

Her face was twisted with anguish, face wet with tears as she pulled herself into her knees on the staircase.

"Autumn what's wrong?" Charlotte asked panicked, her voice far and unfamiliar, she rushed towards her.

Autumn continued sobbing, she tried to speak but the more she tried she failed, her throat catching.

Charlotte was kneeling then, she outstretched her hands so they were resting on Autumn's shoulders, "Breathe Aut, look at me, breathe."

Charlotte demonstrated a breathing technique and it took several minutes before Autumn finally managed to co-operate, her chest stopped violently hitching slightly.

She drew several sharp breaths, "It's my baby Char, I keep dreaming that I'm going to lose her."

Charlotte frowned, bringing a comforting hand to Autumns hair she tucked it behind her ear, "You won't Aut, I promise."

"I have a feeling Char, a bad feeling, I can't even begin to describe it."

Charlotte was about to reassure her but Autumn opened her mouth, she began to speak once more but no sound emerged.

She began to cry more violently this time and before Charlotte could react she felt herself being pulled from the dream.

She woke up startled, what was that?

The woman in the poster had been someone she'd known, been close to?

A memory perhaps, she pulled her hands up and pressed her palms firmly against her eyes to try and retract it, she couldn't remember encountering pregnancy throughout the outbreak.

The more she tried the further away it got.

She remembered that the circumstances were sad, whatever it may have been, devastating even.

She felt a sickening feeling twist in her stomach when she remembered her own situation.

She hesitantly pulled her hands away from her eyes and froze in terror.

She was in a room, what could only be described as a bedroom of some sort, she was on the floor, hesitantly she pulled herself upright and examined her surroundings with care.

There was a large lavish bed in the corner, the bedsheets were white and bare, a window was next to it occupied with a reading chair.

A bookshelf with no books was opposite a large wardrobe and she felt herself shiver.

The room was bare, modest. It's only purpose was to be functional.

She stood and blanched white when she realised her clothes had been changed, she was now wearing a drab grey dress.

Utterly confused she slowly approached the window, peering out she gasped. She was in a sort of mansion, a manor perhaps?

Countryside was all she could see, the field stretched outwards until it reached the horizon.

She coward backwards and turned towards the wardrobe, opening the doors she almost laughed, the grey dress was multiplied, they hung in mockery and she immediately shut the doors in fear.

She inhaled deeply and tried to ground herself, she turned in horror when the door clicked open and a man was storming through the room towards her, a cunning sneer on his face.

"Hello Charlotte." He barked, growing closer.

She backed away instinctively before her back hit a wall and gasped.

He was in front of her then, so close that she could feel his breath on her face, he had dark eyes accompanied by dark hair, it hung in front of his eyes as he stared down at her.

She was sure his face had some sort of familiarity, she couldn't place him over the pounding terror that was overcoming her.

"You remember me love?" He cooed, taking her chin and lifting it so her eye's reluctantly met his.

Her eyes grew wide.

A thought was pulled to the forefront of her mind, she was being dragged away, someone was pulling her as she thrashed and screamed.

"You killed my children." Her voice was trembling as she placed him, a name was in her mind, Darren Whitlot.

Roger's right hand man. His executioner. She remembered his name was feared amongst others and she paled.

He smiled wider, "How peculiar that you chose to remember such a thing."

Her hands clenched at her side and she swung for him, he dodged and began to laugh.

"The more you try to harm me love the more I'll make this worse for you."

Charlotte felt her body begin to shake as she realised the danger she was in.

He watched the realisation sink into her face with a sneer, "You don't know the lengths I took to finally get you here, I've been trying to capture you since your encounter with our group years ago."

Charlotte felt her face drop, her kidnapping.

"Ah, you see, I've always been fascinated by you, knowing you've hidden your memories has merely peeked my interest." He began to walk around the space, "I've been given strict instructions on how to break you, after your mind gives over I'll decide what to do with you next."

Charlotte tried to block him out, her eyes darting to the open door behind him, she waited for him to turn his back and darted towards it, she sprinted down a dark hallway gasping frantically, she made it halfway down a staircase before she was pulled back sharply.

"You stupid bitch!" He hissed with spite, she began to cry and he showed no sympathy pulling her backwards by her hair and dragging her back into the room.

He shoved her down onto the floor, he shook with rage as she bit back a cry, her anguish only fuelled his fury.

"You will not disobey me! If you even think of trying to escape I'll be there to stop you each and every time." He spat at her feet before storming from the room, slamming the door behind him.

She inhaled deeply as she willed herself to stop crying, exhausted she pulled herself up and towards the bed, she collapsed onto it and started to scheme.

She would have to provoke him, enough for him to not even think twice before putting her out of her misery and killing her.

She would escape, she had to, she couldn't even think about the things he was about to do to her.

He had an interest in her and she tried to wrap her head around how that could be, she couldn't remember if she was important enough during the prior years.

Someone will come for you, someone always comes for you.

The thoughts pounded in her head until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore and fell into another dream.