Animal

Escape

The IV needle pinches as it slides from my skin and I toss it onto the floor. My body shudders, as the day had progressed on my pain had returned full force. My lungs are still fired and shredded and with every ragged, wheezed breath I take, my cheeks burn. I throw the sheets off my legs and swing my feet off the floor, setting them onto the chilled floor. I pause.

The room is pitch black, not even a slither of light escaping in from underneath the door, but I can see just fine. I can see everything in this light-less room just fine. My stomach twists sharply. What have they done to me?

I push myself off the bed. My knees quake and I feel weaker then I've ever felt before in my whole life. I take a step forward and I crumple, dropping like a rock to my hands and knees. I wince as pain throbs throughout my body, but I gather my wits about me. I have to get out of here. I push myself into a stand and gasp for air.

I quickly move to the door and slid up along the wall next to it. I wait. I can hear the nurse coming to change my IV bag as she did every night. I suck in a few more torturing breaths of air before I stop. The door beeps and the door cracks open. I grab her around the face when she half-way inside, my hand pressed into her face.

She thrashes and shrieks in surprise and maybe even pain. I shush her as I close the door softly behind her. "Shut up, I'll kill you if you don't, I swear." I hiss. I have no idea what I would do if she didn't. I'm not sure if I would hurt her, but I have to get out of here.

She freezes, as stiff as a stick in my arms. I can feel something warm seep between my fingers and the smell of blood assaults my nose. I swallow hard. "I'm going to let you go, and you're not going to make a sound." She nods. "I can kill you in seconds," I say.

I turn her towards me and let go of her. With my new found vision, I have no problem seeing the long gashes I had accidentally caused to her face before her hand flies to cover them as she whimpers and shake. I swallow the guilt pushing against my chest. I hadn't meant to do that. The woman shakes like a leaf in front of me, I can literally smell her fear – like sweat and ammonia. I can hear her heart. I wince quietly, I can hear everything. My headache grows.

"Don't... hurt me..." She whispers weakly, voice a rumbling echo inside my head. "I don't have anything to do with this."

"Shut up!" I snap. Her voice is in fact a whisper, but its like a loud shout in my head. "Get on the bed!"

She doesn't even hesitate to move to the hospital bed. I follow her over and hook my restraints around her wrists. "If you scream for help, I'll be able to hear you," I warn, " and I swear to God that if I hear you doing that I will make it to you before anyone else can and slit your throat."

She nods again. I take her key-card from her and bolt out of the room.

* * *

Oliver had lived closest to the Training Center, so I head there, and pray it hasn't been sold to anyone yet. One of my hands tugs at the bottom of the hospital gown draped over me, as I keep the hem from flopping up as I move up the stairwell of Oliver's apartment building. My bare feet are numb from the long walk on freezing concrete. I shiver and my body aches.

I make it to his floor without being seen by anyone and head towards his door. Once there, I lift up the keypad lock's lid and fumble to punch in the security code with the claws. All of those times I came to crash on Oliver's couch I had memorized the code, not that it was that hard to remember – 1234 – Oliver had obviously not been worried about someone breaking into his apartment. He said he was going for the so obvious its not obvious approach.

A wave of relief washes over me when the door beeps twice in success. I smile for what feels like the first time in a long time. I quickly push the door open and rush inside. The apartment is dark and cold. Empty. I move forward, not sparing the couch with so many memories a glance.

Once inside Oliver's bedroom I head to his dresser. I remove the hospital gown by pulling the strings tied up the back and allow it to slid off my shoulders. I pull out one of Oliver's black T-shirts and pull it over my shoulders before finding a pair of his shorts and stepping into them.

"Now what?" I whisper quietly and look around the room. I run my hands up and down my arm, over the goosebumps there. I can't run. I want to run so bad, but I can't. April had said the collars were tracking devices along with being behavior modifiers. I'm trapped. They would find me, wherever I go.

My fingers run over the thin piece of metal wrapped around my neck. I sink to my knees, the ache in my bones growing to be to much. My eyes water, but I don't cry. I won't cry. I dig my fingers between the space between the collar and my neck. The smell of my own blood seeps into the air as the claws nicks my flesh. I pull at it, it doesn't even budge. A warning spark climbs up my neck and hits me in the jaw though. I wince sharply, my hands falling to my lap. I take a shuddering breath.

I curl and uncurl my fingers, the claws are coated with my fresh blood and the dried blood of the nurse. I stare at them, feeling sick. I want to go home. I've never wanted anything more in my life. I want to see my momma again. I want to see daddy again.

Leaf...

I pull myself to my feet, suddenly realizing what I want to do. I want to go home. At home, I had been happy. I wouldn't be able to stay, I understood that. Mr. Anderson would find me there for sure. Life is shit. But I still want to go home. I want to go home even if its only for a little while.

"I have to tell everyone..." I realize. I have to tell everyone that the Fights aren't what they seem. I'm shocked that I hadn't thought of it before. I have to tell everyone before the Selection rolls around again. I curse myself. Why hadn't I thought of that before? I couldn't allow anyone else to blindly get sucked into this trap like I had.

I frown. How am I going to get there? My eyes lands on the answer to my question. Sitting out on Oliver's nightstand is a white square, the car key. I move forward, picking up the car key and the 'sun' glasses sitting next to them, I quickly exit the room and the apartment.

I don't have any shoes but I don't mind. I make it to the parking lot behind the apartment building in minutes and search the dim lot for one of Oliver's cars. He had driven one of them to my house but I had no idea which one.

Frustration build's up as I search, moving quickly between cars, the dim streetlights at the front and back of the lot my only source of light. Then I see it, Oliver's Ivory car. I rush to it.