Teen Titans: Apocalypse

~Five~

The hall on the other side of the door was white, and appeared to glow. Doctors rushed about, weaving around each other like spiders spinning a web. The hall was full of clear doors aligning both sides. Behind the doors were the infected. Bruce could hear the agonized screams of those poor souls trapped behind the clear prisons. They were like caged animals. And Bruce hated that they had to live like that.

Sick people in gowns were wheeled around, or lead by a leash from room to room. It had become so crowded that the infected were having to share rooms with each other. Frightened children called for their parents as they were lead away from them, crying and screaming. Bruce hated that the most.

As he got further and further down the hall, the infected individuals only became worse. Bruce passed doors were the second stage victims were kept. They howled like wolves; snarling and hissing at anyone who went by. They threw themselves against the sturdy glass keeping them away from the doctors watching in wide-eyed horror from the outside. They clawed and hissed at the doors, foaming like rabid animals.

On the floor of some of the stage two victims' rooms were the bodies of their unfortunate cellmate they had turned on. Nobody dared to interve, allowing the monsters to tear each other apart. The screams were brutal.

Bruce paused once he reached a door much like all the other clear ones. The only difference was the two children in the beds behind it. One was sitting up, a book held tightly in his hands, contently reading. The other slept soundly beneath her blankets.

Lloyd Snowtrapper looked up briefly from his book and grinned the second he saw Bruce. The tired boy waved at the man enthusiastically, beaming at him. Bruce returned the smile and pulled open the door.

The room was warm and cozy. Posters of various animes and cats and dogs lined the walls. The floor was smooth and clean, and the same white color as the walls and ceiling. The room smelled of hand sanitizer. Someone must have been in recently.

"Hey, Lloyd." Bruce greeted, smiling for the boy as he approached his bedside. "How're you doing?"

Lloyd set his book down, his pale hands shaking. Sweat ran down his brow like raindrops. His blonde hair was practically standing on end. He looked drained and exhausted. The dark circles around his eyes said he hadn't been sleeping much.

Bruce remembered a time when the eighteen-year-old was so full of jokes and life. Now he was a shell of the bright young boy he had been.

"Oh, you know... I've been better."

Bruce hated how broken he was. The child before him looked so fragile. It was as if he were made of glass; one touch would shatter him. For Lloyd's sake, Bruce kept a smile.

"How's Destiny?"

The longing in Lloyd's voice tore at Bruce's heart. The boy before him wished for nothing more than to spend his last moments with the girl he loved. It was pointless locking the kids up in a hospital. They deserved to be free. Bruce knew deep down it didn't matter where they were. The reality was that there wasn't a cure. And people were living with a false hope that there would be one.

"Destiny is... She misses you." Bruce could't bring himself to lie. The truth was the girl missed him. And Lloyd deserved to know the truth.

Lloyd nodded, staring off, his mind wandering to the girl he loved. And then he sighed. "I had... I had an episode last night, Bruce." Lloyd admitted, not meeting the gaze of the man before him. "I tried to attack a doctor."

Bruce flinched at the news, his heart sinking. He knew it was only a matter of time before Lloyd was locked up in one of the other rooms. He knew it was a matter of time before the Lloyd he loved was gone completely.

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Jason listened intently to Destiny's humming on the other side of Lloyd's bedroom door. It was an almost haunting melody that sent shivers through his body. "Say goodbye. As we dance with the devil tonight. Don't you dare look at him in the eye..." Destiny sung, softly, her voice trembling. Jason sighed and turned away from the door.

His eyes rested upon Richard making his way toward his room. Jason scrambled forward and reached out to grab his arm. The older teen paused and turned.

"Jace?" He spoke, surprised to see Jason in the hall. "Something wrong?"

Jason whimpered and threw himself against Richard, sending the teen stumbling against his bedroom door. "I'm scared, Dick." The fourteen-year-old shook. "I don't want to go like that. I don't want ANY of us to go like that."

Lloyd's bedroom door opened a moment later. Destiny peered out at the two boys, her eyes red and puffy. Richard glanced in her direction. Guilt clawed at his insides. All the research he had done had lead him nowhere. There was no way to help Lloyd or Scarlet. But he could't bring himself to tell her.

The door downstairs opened suddenly, catching the attention of the three teens at the top of the stairs. They made their way closer and looked down to see Olivia and-much to their surprise-Theo. The girl waved timidly at the three teens.

"I'm sorry about Lloyd." She whispered, afraid of bringing up the subject. Destiny walked down the stairs and gave the girl a hug. "He'll get better."

Jason grabbed Richard's hand and pulled him away suddenly. The younger teen pushed him behind the upstaris wall, out of sight, pinning him there for a moment. Richard stared back at him in surprise, his cheeks gaining a light pink tinge. "Listen, Dick," Jason began seriously, "Can you do something for me?"

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Bruce arrived home later that evening, however, he wasn't alone. It had taken much persuasion, but in the end he was able to take Lloyd and Scarlet home; with the agreement that they go back as soon as they showed signs of aggression.

Destiny flew at Lloyd the second she saw him, tackling him to the floor. "Lloyd!" She cried, clinging to him, afraid to let go. Llyod chuckled beneath her, beaming with a blush at the girl he loved.

Scarlet walked by the two, grinning happily. Her eyes then locked on Jason and Richard standing back near the stairs. She rushed forward and hugged them tightly. "I missed you guys."

Olivia stood further back, Theo hiding behind her. The two girls didn't dare get close enough for Bruce to see. However, the man spotted the girl in blue anyway.

"Olivia, if you could please ask Theo to wipe her feet next time, I would appreciate it."

Olivia blinked, shocked at his gentle answer. Theo stepped out, sheepishly smiling. "S-sorry, sir." The girl in blue trembled, nervous.

Bruce flashed a warm smile before slipping by the kids to the kitchen. "You guys do something fun. I'll be cooking dinner if you need me."

The teens watched him go. Richard then turned to them and took a breath. "I need to talk to you guys."