Where Light Dies

20. Five Minute Spring

"Is Blake alright?"

"I don't know kid, I don't know"

-- Dayton, Surface -- 2015 --

An hour past noon. The sun was at its peak, yet the cold hadn't died down. "We're lucky it's winter," said Sam, huffing as she tried to move one of the bodies. She didn't seem to be making much progress. Blake was out cold, and Reyna was pretty messed up too. Anne wouldn't be of much use when it came to these things. Plus, the bodies wouldn't budge even with all the effort she put in.

Two bodies and a couple of bleeding campers, it's only a matter of time, her mind reeled. It's true that darks were deaf, but they made up for it in all their remaining senses. They were all much better than a human's, though no one's been able to say for certain by how many folds. While the sharpest of all was vision, second came smell. People in camp often said they can smell you from a mile away, some said they could even smell fear. Again, the extent of exaggeration wasn't clear to her, but they had to count for something. One thing was for sure though. They could definitely smell blood. She'd experienced that much herself.

Her gaze shifted to Reyna, who was sitting beside Blake's unconscious form. Her hand was on his forehead, her features coiling up by the minute. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"What is it?" Sam asked, letting go of the body.

"His temperature's spiking," she replied, taking her hand off his head. "The bullets are probably inside."

"Ever taken one out before?" asked Sam, crouching to take a closer look at the wound. She knew a thing or two about first aid, but this was way beyond them. The guy wasn't even human to begin with.

"No."

"Then don't touch him, unless you want to kill him yourself."

"But, why?"

"Why what Reyna? You touch a major artery and it is OVER - "

"He's supposed to HEAL you idiot!" Reyna screamed, getting back up on her feet. "You saw his wounds from Eden, this is NOTHING compared to that! Then why the fuck isn't he healing!"

The two were quiet for a moment, glaring daggers at each other for no apparent reason. It seemed that in all the stress they had been through, any remaining sense of rationality had been lost.

"Well shit," croaked a faint voice from below. Both women turned down in an instant, only to be met with Blake's half-open gaze. "Back from the dead," he grumbled, his features coiling up as he tried to laugh.

Reyna and Sam exchanged glances, confused at what had just happened.

At least he's alright, thought Reyna, not even mad at what he just said.

Soon they realized that their time was up.

The sound of walls crumbling echoed in the distance. Shallow footsteps closed in on them with every passing second. Tongues clicked and nails snapped against the ground, its voice sending ripples through the silent surroundings. An ungodly scream shook the ground.

Blake pushed himself up, sitting with his back against the closed door. The hazy red light on his face flickered as shadows moved around them. They were surrounded by darks, an entire of them.

Anne drew her gun, while both Sam and Reyna drew their knives. There wasn't a chance in hell that they'd survive against a horde this big, but for some reason, they felt they'd rather go down fighting. It was just a matter of how long they'd be able to hold on. The darks were closing in on them, as they stood with their backs against the cold hard walls. "It's been nice knowing you guys," Sam muttered, before all hell broke loose.