A Dance With Death

|| Chapter 47 - Behind Lies ||

                   

As I walk up to my room, every step that I take adds to my anxiety. Althea's concern is worrying me. What can possibly happen to me now? Is my body in danger? If it were, wouldn't Althea check on it herself?

I reach out for the doorknob, pausing to look over at the reapers and Niall, hesitant. Suddenly, hearing distinct and loud beeps from inside, I grip the knob tighter, and push the door open, only to be welcomed by a sight, that causes me to doubt my own eyes.

One of the monitors beside the old men's beds, show flatlines, not because they're dead, but because of one patient being unplugged from his machines, as indicated by the detached wires and pipes hanging from his bed, while the other man's bed has a stunned visitor standing beside it –– Gwen.

She has her hand on the IV attached to the second man's hand, which she quickly withdraws on seeing me. For the first time ever, I see a genuine expression in her eyes –– the one of panic –– as she nearly stumbles, backing away from his bed.

She unplugged the man from the life-support system.

"What are you doing?!" I demand, making her jump.

She backs away further, vigorously shaking her head. "N-no this isn't wh-what it looks like––"

"It is exactly what it looks like!"

Her unfocussed eyes travel from me to the reapers behind me, her body shaking. "Th-this wasn't supposed to happen!" she yells at them, her voice broken and shrill. "You weren't supposed to know. He'll kill me!"

Althea walks into the room, crossing her arms. "Well, we're reapers and we can sense stuff. Of course we know. We're not dumb."

Gwen shakes her head again, backing away further, nearing my bed.

"Stay away from him," Althea warns. Gwen swallows and freezes in her spot.

"What is going on?!" I ask Althea.

She doesn't remove her gaze from Gwen and clenches her jaw. "She's the one working for Caius. That's what's going on."

I widen my eyes at her, shocked and disappointed at the same time. I look back at Gwen, who now seems more terrified than ever. She was supposed to be my friend. "No. . ." I whisper. But I saw her. She had already tampered with one patient's machines and was about to do the same with the other. 

A short nurse rushes into the room, having heard the beeps and gasps at the monitors. She seems dazed for a moment, but within the next second she frantically reaches out to the man and starts working on the ventilators, in order to help the old man breathe. She presses the nurse call button on the table beneath the monitor for help.

With two long strides, Althea heads towards Gwen, grabs her by the collar of her dress, as she had done before, and hisses, "We're taking this outside. This small room might restrict my arm movement for when I'd want to hit you."

Althea pulls Gwen, pushing past me and throwing her out of the room. Gwen falls to the floor, at Ektor's feet who takes a step away from her, looking at her with pure hatred in his eyes. I follow Althea, fearing that she may hurt Gwen. Griffith and Niall both seem as confused as I am.

Gwen crawls away from Althea on all fours. She then turns around, scared to get back up, and sits on the floor to look at us. "He promised me protection. He'll come for you."

Althea tilts her head to her side and gives a small laugh. "Right now, he's too distracted to care about you."

"What?" Gwen furrows her brows. "What do you mean?"