The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter Eleven

I jumped up and ran to the door, then back to the window. I panicked for nearly a minuet before dashing into the hall. The screaming had stopped and it was eerily silent. The promised guard at the end of the hall was no where to be seen.

I turned the corner with caution. By the elevator was a crowd of people. I couldn't see what they were surrounding from hiding behind the wall, so I crept forward.

When I was a few yards away, one of the nurses moved, and I saw a man laying on the ground. There was blood everywhere. I couldn't even see his face.

I tip toed back, fighting down my turning stomach, and searched for the fire exit. There was no way I could just go to my room and wait like a sitting duck. I was sure that whatever happened was going to end up involving me. I might as well get away from any people, so no one else got hurt.

I pushed the door open and began to make my way down. I made it two flights before the lights cut off and a red light began to flash.

I ran down the last few steps, feeling along the wall. The door was locked. I slammed my shoulder against it, but it wouldn't budge.

I walked back up and tried the other door. No luck.

The heater was off. I was left in complete silence, the only sound was my breathing that was gradually getting faster.

The red light was barley enough to see by. It hurt to try to focus on one thing. I rushed both doors a few more times before I sat down on a middle step, back pressed against the door. I tried to tell myself that I could not, would not, be afraid of the dark. I slammed my fist against the step closest to me in frustration when my heart refused to slow down.

The creaking began quietly. I barley noticed it at first. I was too busy cursing at myself for getting locked in a stairway. The faint buzzing grew louder. I sat up straight. It was came from the left and began to echo in the small space.

The faint outline of something black slipped under the doorframe. I stared, leaning forward to see what it was. It looked like a cockroach, but larger, and with a weirdly textured shell. It came a little too close. I jumped up and backed down to the bottom step.

It stopped and seemed to study me. Something in me told me that it wasn't quite as innocent as it looked. I blinked, and it was gone.

Something sharp pinched my wrist. I glanced down in alarm and slapped the bug off my arm. It hit the ground with a thump and I stepped on it, grimacing at my barefooted-ness. Tiny little drops of blood fell from the wound. I shook the door knob again, liking the idea of being trapped less and less.

The buzzing still hadn't stopped. I tried not to question exactly how the bug had gotten on me so quickly. I walked between the two doors, too on edge to sit down. My wrist burned and itched, and the skin swelled, but I felt fine. A couple of more bugs crawled in, but I crushed them before they could bite me.

Finally, there was a loud click and the lights flashed on. The building must have came out from lockdown, though I had an itching suspicion that it wasn't over for me. I raced down six more flights before exiting the lobby.

The street was empty and dark. There were two police cars parked near the entrance. I ducked my head against the freezing wind. It had to be somewhere near zero, and I was only in a short sleeved shirt. I wondered if I was anywhere near the library.

I tried to not be scared of the dark corners, but I couldn't help but try to walk as far around them as possible.

I wasn't anywhere that I recognized. My feet were numb after a block. I should have stuck around and found some shoes.

I made it into a more remote part of the city. I slowed down a little bit. There were less streetlamps than anywhere else. I paused right where the darkness began before taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

Fire erupted in my shoulder. I didn't even have time to scream in pain before I fell into nothing.