Into the Darkness

Chapter 11

Elliot's POV
I wake up with a start. I can barely breath. Like when I wake up in the morning and I have a cold. My throat feels all clogged up. I cough a couple if times to clear it up. This is awful. Of all the times and places to get sick.
My throat burns every time I swallow. I try to push myself up. Maybe breakfast has arrived and I can get some water. If It hasn't I am fully prepared to drink from the showers.
I move less then a centimeter and my whole body explodes in pain. I lie back down and don't attempt to move again.
This is bloody awful.
I hear someone else groan from a few mats over. I try and remember who it was that slept over there.
My head starts to hurt so I stop thinking about it.
"You sick too?" My voice comes out more weak then I had planned. Talking really hurts my throat.
They cough, "ya."
It's Kara I think.
"This sucks." I sigh.
"I know. I-" She starts but is interrupted by a coughing fit. She coughs for almost a full 30 seconds. When she finally stops she stays silent.
"Kara? You still there?"
"Eliot... I think I just coughed up blood... a lot of blood."
Before I have time to even process what she said someone starts shrieking. The sound echoes throughout the room making it impossible to pinpoint its location.
I scramble up ignoring the aching in my joints.
I head to the very center of the room. Travis, Gwen and Elle are already there looking around for the source of the screams.
We quickly spot Allie standing at the edge of the light.
She is staring at her hands shaking them like she is trying to get something off.
When I see what's on face and hands I almost throw up.
Scratch that. I do throw up.
Then I look down at my own hands and puke some more.

Allie's POV
It hurts my throat when I scream but I can't think of a more proper reaction then that. My hands are covered in huge blisters. They are all squishy and gross. My hands are completely red. Some of the blisters popped releasing a weird mixture of puss and blood soaking my hands. Not only is it gross but it hurts too. Each blister feels like a million tiny ants biting on my skin.
Some of the other kids come rushing over. Travis is among them thank god. I don't know what good he is going to be but...
Eliot appears from behind Travis. His face his completely covered in blisters like the ones on my hands. He takes one look at me and then turns around and barfs.
Normally the look or smell of barf doesn't bother me that much but his does. There are streaks of red in his puke. I pray that it isn't blood.
Travis keeps looking at me and back at Eliot not sure who to attend to first. Or maybe he isn't sure how to help either one of us.
He turns to me, "what happened Allie?"
"I don't know! I woke up coughing and when I looked at my hands they were like this."
I hold out my hands.
He stares at them unsure what to do.
Eliot finally stops puking, "what's wrong with your face Allie?" He asks in a raspy voice
I touch my face. It feels like its covered in the same blisters as my hand. I stare at Elliot's puffed up face, "oh pleas tell me I don't look like you!"
His hands go to his face.
His eyes widen and he starts to shake his head.
Then he collapses.

Avan's POV
I can't move. Well I'm sure I could but it hurts so much. I feel like someone took a sledgehammer to my body while I slept. It doesn't help that every time I cough my body jerks. Also my head.
My mind only kind of registers the person screaming but it's all kind of background noise. Everything is hazy.
My whole body is heavy.
It's too much effort to stay awake.
I think I'll just sleep...

Kara's POV.
I try to get up and follow Eliot but find that it hurts to much. Travis will be there so I guess it's okay.
I cough up more blood.
Or I think it's blood. It's to dark to really see what it is but it is sticky and all over my hands.
The screaming stops but hushed voices continue. I doubt they are really that quiet but I am have trouble with focusing in on their conversation.
How did I even get sick I wonder. Yesterday I felt perfectly fine. Aren't you supposed to get sick in stages or something like that. Is it all supposed to happen at once like this?
Unless this is only the first stage. What if it is only going to get worse from here on out?
I try to push thoughts like that out of my mind but it sticks there. Figures that the only thing I can focus on is the one think I do not want to think about.
I force myself up and towards the light. It hurts my eyes and makes my head ache but I go anyways. I need to figure out what's going on. Eliot was sick too. Maybe there are others.
Please don't let it be everyone.
I pause when I see the horrible seen in front of me.
Eliot is passed out on the floor. Elle looks like she is about to pass out. Allie... Allie's face is covered in well blisters for lack of a better word. Her face is so puffed up that I can hardly see her eyes, nose and mouth. She looks kind of like a balloon.
She is hyperventilating and looks to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. Gwen is trying to calm her.
Vincent seems to have just gotten there and is staring at everybody in disbelief.
Travis looks like he his trying to be everywhere at once. He is struggling to remain calm.
He looks up at me, "oh not you too Kara."
I want to ask him what he means but he jerks around toward Gwen and Allie. Gwen is trying to support what looks like a now unconscious Allie.
"Gwen stay away from her." he snaps, "we aren't sure if its contagious."
Gwen shrieks and jumps away from Allie who falls to the ground with a thud.
Travis is know checking Eliot's pulse. I get a look at his face and it is very similar to Allie's. Maybe worse.
Is that how I look? Is that what he meant by me too? I quickly feel my face. At first I am relieved to find nothing. But then my fingers move to the edge of my face where I find a few blister things. They are big and bubbly.
He sighs, "well he's alive." He looks around, "where's Avan?"
I look around too but don't see him, "maybe he is still sleeping."
"No way he could sleep through this."
He storms off towards the mats.
I understand why he need Avan now. He has always been positive even in a crisis. He can really bring a group together. Hopefully now is no exception.
I don't know whether Travis actually wants me to follow him or not. I do just because I am curious as of where he could be.
I know Avan sleeps on the very edge of the room so it will be really dark. I can see an outline of Travis stumbling over beds trying to find Avan.
I am so focused on following him I don't notice the person sized lump until after trip over him.
"Over here Travis. I think I found him."
Me and Travis both lift up his heavy body and bring him into the light. He looks worse then the rest. His whole body is completely covered in blisters the size of my fist. His face and body are soaked with puke, blood, and puss. His eyes are blank and bloodshot.
"Is he... Dead?" I turn to Travis who is already kneeling next to him checking for a pulse.
I see his expression break into a look of pure devastation.
Then he starts the CPR. He folds his hand together and starts to press hard onto his chest. He only stops to breath air into his mouth.
It doesn't work. He never comes back.
After another ten minutes Gwen walks up to Travis and puts her hand on his shoulder.
He whirls around. His cheeks are streaked with tears and his eyes filled with determination, "he is going to come back. He has to."
Gwen shakes her head. She is crying too.
"No. Avan's Dead."