Finding Humanity

Chapter 4

Somehow, I got volunteered to go first. Nick and Paul hoisted me up and my hands landed in the puddle of blood. They kept pushing, causing my hands to slip forward. My body fell to the floor as my knees made it past the threshold.

I was covered in blood. I could feel it seeping into my clothing as the coppery smell of it hit my nose. It took all I had not to gag as I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees. I took in my surroundings. To my right was a wall with a painting on it and to my left was the horrifying red trail that continued on for a few feet before veering off in the direction of the offices.

I turned myself around and offered my hand down to help pull Diana out next. She took one look at my blood covered arm and rejected my hand. Instead, she did her best to lean herself away from both me and the blood as she was hoisted through. She was able to get through with only her left hand and knee touching the puddle.

Because I already soaked most of it up.

Paul came next, and he only needed a slight boost from Nick to slide himself through. The three of us maneuvered ourselves to help Nick, but he was surprisingly strong for having a gut and managed to get himself out with an unexpected amount of grace.

As I stood up, my accursed long hair fell over my shoulder and got stuck to my blouse, dying the ends red. I quickly flicked my hair back over my shoulder but could feel the wet ends dampen the back of my shirt. A shiver came over my body at the unsettling sensation.

Attempting to orient ourselves, we stood silently for a few heartbeats. We were all a bit unsure of what to do. Paul took one look at me, then the blood trail and adamantly shook his head.

"We should have stayed in the elevator," he mumbled.

Nick shot him a scathing look.

"The stairs are the third door on the right. That way..." Diana whispered, pointing at the trail.

You've got to be kidding me.

"Let's go," Nick ordered. He pushed past us and turned the corner.

I quickly followed in his stead, not needing to be told twice. I took one step around the corner and nearly walked face first into his back. For a second, I couldn't comprehend why we'd stopped. That was until I peered around Nick's towering frame.

There was a woman in the hallway.

Her back was to us, but it was easy to see she wasn't in good shape. Her brown hair that had likely started the day in an up-do was now half out of the elastic that held it. One of her pant legs was ripped and there was blood dripping down her calf.

What shocked me most was her arm. It seemed to be twisted back at an odd angle, like it had been broken in multiple places. I had no idea how the woman was standing.

"Miss?" Diana whispered, making me jump. I hadn't even heard her move up next to me.

Diana took another step forward, passing Nick.

"Miss, are you alright?" she whispered again.

"Diana, no." Paul tried to grasp her arm, but she shook him off.

"Miss?"

This time she seemed to have gotten the woman's attention.

I felt my stomach drop as I watched her turn around. There was something disturbing about the way she moved. It was as though every muscle in her body was stiff and she was fighting against them. Her joints seemed to pop, making each movement seem unnatural.

As we got a better look at her, what faced us was a grotesque sight. The woman had vacant, almost milky eyes, yet they were fixed on us. It looked as though there was a chunk of her lower neck missing. Blood and gore were all down her front.

"Mary?" Diana asked, not bothering to whisper this time.

Mary began a strange, rushed shuffle-walk towards us. Each step looked more abnormal than the last. When she growled, my body immediately went into fight or flight mode and I took a reactionary step back.

"Diana!" Paul yelled in warning, but it was already too late.

Mary descended upon Diana like a thing possessed, knocking them both to the ground.

I felt as though my mind was disconnecting with reality. Everything around me seemed to be happening in slow motion. I watched, frozen in place, as Mary bit into Diana's neck and pulled away flesh with her teeth. I heard the squelch as the blood was released and watched it spurt up from Diana's neck.

The gurgling sound that came from Diana as she choked on her own blood was too horrible for me to process. Mary didn't stop there. She actually began to feast on Diana, going in for bite after bite despite her mouth being full.

I could feel myself slipping into shock at what was happening just five feet in front of me.

"Emily." I heard my name, but it sounded as if I was under water.

"Emily!" Nick grabbed onto my bloody sleeve, breaking me away from Diana's gruesome death.

"Run."