The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter Ten

When I woke opened my eyes the next morning, someone was standing in the corner of my room. I saw blonde hair, a flash of white. I blinked and it was gone.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. There was nothing. Derek wasn't even there. And I felt completely fine, nothing hurt like it had before. I hadn't even had another nightmare. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I pulled the tape off my wrist and let the needle slip out.

There was a window, but I had to be on one of the top floors. There was now way I could climb down, but the door was unlocked. I was wearing hospital sweatpants and couldn't find my shoes. I didn't even have a shirt on, just the bandages on my chest. I glanced in the mirror in the bathroom. My neck was completely fine.

I dug through the cabinets until I found an old gown. I put it back with a sigh, before eyeing the shower. The rain had done a good job of getting most of the dirt off me, but hot water sounded much better. I scrubbed myself clean as best as I could without getting the bandages wet.

I wandered back into the small room. I didn't feel feverish anymore, my legs and feet were fine. The thought of the man standing in the corner, watching me, made me feel in edge about being in here alone. But I couldn't leave without being noticed.

I glanced back to where the man had been, then at the door.

Screw it.

I made my way down the hallway slowly, trying to draw attention to myself. I got a few strange looks, but mostly the nurses ignored me. It took three try's to find an empty elevator. I didn't need any more questions from adults.

I crossed the lobby, holding my breath. I wasn't looking forward to being out in the cold half-dressed, but I wasn't exactly safe here. Now I knew better than to stay in one place for more than a day. Just as I reached the door, I noticed two men standing just outside, blocking the flow of traffic.

Their faces were burnt and scarred badly. Their eyes were wide open, almost as if they didn't have eyelids. They were dressed strangely, with long coats and gloves and boots. They held completely still, as if they were waiting for something.

Waiting for me.

I could have sworn I saw one of them smile.

I took a step back when I caught sight of Derek walking up behind them. He walked around the men and didn't even blink when he saw me standing there. I backed away a little more and turned to find another way out, but he caught up to me and threw his arm around my shoulder. He steered me back to the elevator.

"You do realize that its only ten degrees out, right?" He asked as he pressed the button for the fifth floor.

I looked at the door. The men were gone, traffic had gone back to normal.

"You could have at least put some shoes on."

"That would have been a great idea if there had been any," I retorted.

He was quite for a second.

"I'm glad you had enough common sense to realize that they were waiting for you."

I looked over at him, but he was staring intently at the map of the building. Part of me was glad he had seen them too. It meant I wasn't completely crazy.

"Who?" I asked innocently.

He glared for a second, but I saw the corner of his mouth tilt up.

Derek steered me back into the room and flagged down a nurse. She didn't look very happy about me trying to leave.

"We got your file from Rutherford," She said as she put a new IV in. "I'll be putting security officer down the hall, so don't try anything again."

Derek waited until she was gone before speaking.

"An officer will be in to talk to you later," He warned. "And if no one comes forward to take you, you'll be placed in foster care when your released."

I wouldn't be here by then, but I decided not to say that.

"You look better than last night," Derek said a little more gently.

I shrugged. I didn't tell him that may or may not have had something to do with the man in the room when I woke up. It sounded crazy to me too.

"How long were you on the streets?"

He must have already known, if the hospital had my file. I shrugged again.

Derek didn't ask any more questions for a long time.

"What did you get yourself into, kid?" He asked.

"I have no idea," I responded. "But it wasn't on purpose." 

I  hoped.

He sighed and stood up, scribbling something onto a piece of paper on the nightstand before handing it to me.

"Here's my cell phone number. I'm going to tell the nurses about the men outside and have then keep an eye on you," Derek said. "I have an afternoon class to teach. Don't try to leave again, okay? Its more dangerous out there than you think."

"Why do you care?" I snapped.

I didn't want to have to feel guilty about him caring, but I did. I put the paper in my pocket anyway. Derek looked at me sadly for a long second.

"Because someone has to," He said simply. "Call me if you see anything else."

He hesitated.

"Or if you get too scared to stay by yourself."

He shut the door behind him. I flopped back down and told myself that I should leave. I should get as far away from here as possible before night, because who knew what it would bring. But I couldn't make myself get up.

I dozed off for a little while. An officer came in and asked more pointless questions. The doctor was a little stumped at my sudden improvement, but I hardly paid him any attention.

 I had paced for hours, until the sun went down. I stared at the corner of the room a lot, worried that the man would come back.

I thought I should get some salt or something, but figured that wouldn't work. If anything, I should be looking for holy water. Maybe even a bible.

After an hour of silence, I finally laid back down. Maybe nothing strange would happen, and I would be able to sleep through the night.

Then the screams started.