Murderville - Audrey Jensen

Chapter 13 - Broken

(Warnings : mild swearing, mentions of violent attack, mentions of character death

Word Count : 2451

Song : To Build a Home, The Cinematic Orchestra)

Audrey had her hand pressed against the glass, looking into the small hospital room. A fragile body was lying on the bed, tucked under the thin cover, dressed only in a hospital gown. The skin had an odd yellow tinge to it under the bright light. The girl was breathing heavily and slowly, a thin tube wrapped around her nose to help her. In her right arm was a large needle, a bag of blood suspended in the air by a pole, pouring into the tube connected to the girl. That blood was keeping her alive.

Just.

"What happened?" Noah asked the doctor, one arm placed on his friend's shoulders.

"She was unconscious when we reached her, either due to the blood loss or head trauma" The doctor was looking through a stack of sheets on his clipboard "The cut on her arm was easy enough to sew up, but we want to keep her in overnight as she may have a concussion"

Audrey was only half listening, she couldn't keep her eyes off the lifeless girl on the bed. Her face was littered with bruises turning it purple and yellow. She looked broken.

"If all goes well she can go home tomorrow, but no strenuous activity or she might rip the stitches"

"Can we go and see her?" Noah's voice cracked slightly. This day was too much for him.

"She's on a lot of medication right now-"

"Please" Audrey begged.

"Okay" the man sighed "But you have to promise to keep her calm"

The two stepped inside the small room as quietly as she could, each going to one side of the bed.

"Oh god" Audrey whispered, reaching out to gently touch the side of the girl's face "What have you gotten yourself into, Carrots?"

Hearing her nickname, the girl's eyes fluttered open, staring at her friend's in a sleepy confusion.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You got stabbed" Audrey summarised.

"How do you feel?" Noah bent down so he was eye level with the girl.

"Like I got stabbed" She shrugged, the way she slurred her words making them both smile. She seemed to sober up after a few moments, turning so she could see her cousin better.

"Where's Riley?"

The boy didn't answer, staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry" Vicki sniffed, her throat tightening "I tried to save her-"

"I know" He nodded sadly, reaching out to clasp the girl's hand. Audrey took the other one, perching on the end of the bed, but being careful not to touch the girl.

They sat in silence, holding onto one another for comfort. For a few minutes Vicki felt safe. But slowly the attack started to come back to her, making the hairs on her arms stand to attention.