They Left Us For Dead

Dark Carnival: Barns

"What? Nick-"

"Just help me, then we can keep moving." Nick was insistent, and we rushed to the only table in the room.

I nod in shock. Nick takes his jacket and button-up off, reveling the protruding open wound spread across his stomach. It was about 4 to 5 inches deep, meaning I would need a large needle and an even larger amount of patience. He clenched over in pain, only letting more blood ooz out of the area.

"Okay, just lay here on the table." Coach and Ellis moved the ammunition and the guns away, making room for my surgical tools. I didn't have nearly any, but this was a simple stitch and ditch. 

"Just get on with it!" Nick yelled, heavily breathing. I asked Ellis and Coach for my supplies and called them out one by one as needed. Nick kept squirming around, and he needed to stop.

I put my hand on his shoulder, and spoke softly but sternly, "Nick, you have to stop moving. I'm only going to make it worse if you don't. Try anything, I dare you." 

He settled down, and adjusted to the coldness of the table, bare with nothing but his torn dress pants and worn out leather shoes. In this moment, he was vulnerable. He was calm, even though his face would show you otherwise.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Nick scoffed, looking me dead in the eye. His eyes were a perfect emerald green color. It matched perfectly with his dark, brunette hair and pale skin.

"Aren't you?" I smirked, cleaning the area with antiseptic wipes. He winces in pain, and I try to make it quick. I clean the needle, and begin stitching the skin back together. Nick puts his hand on the upper part of my arm for support against the pain. He was strong, but managed not to hurt me. I honestly felt bad for causing him pain. Even if he could be a pain in my ass.

"Thank you," Nick smiled, as I bandaged the area with gauzes, "you didnt have to help me, you know."

"Of course I did. We're a team, and all we have is each other."

"That's not really why you did this, though." Nick was smiling, as he began to put his button-up back on. I threw away the bloody wipes and got my surgical supplies back together.

"I'm sorry, are you implying something?" I turned around, officially registering what had just been said. 

"Am I wrong, Doctor Kelsey?" Nick gave me a look, the kind of look a drunk guy at a bar would give the female bartender. The your-mine look. 

"Don't call me that, Nick." I brushed his comments off as small talk. A part of me had thought about if we are the last humans alive, it is our duty to mankind to procreate.

"You can't lie to yourself forever, Kel. I see the way you look at me. It's just like the way the infected look at us. Our flawless, healthy, juicy skin." I held my tongue, for what seemed like an hour. Damn, he was seductive. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." I continued to pretend like I didn't know what he was referring to. Especially after he helped me and saved my life countless times.

"Admit it, if given the chance, wouldn't you like to get a piece of me?" He smiled, taking my hand in his, leaving his upper-chest buttons undone, revealing his toned muscles. He came closer to me, breathing down my neck, leaving me wanting more.

"Nick-" He was practically inches away from my lips, before he began to lean in.

"Y'all almost ready? What's takin' so lon- oh. Oh. Sorry man." Ellis walked in, and pulled away. I smiled at Ellis and walked towards my bag, getting my guns tighter in the process.

"Your loss." Nick finished getting dressed, and grabs his AR-15. 

"Now, we got shit to do." Coach came in, ready to get out of the damn carnival. I was ready, and kept my thoughts to myself. Though, I knew I could confide in Rochelle, as she was also single.

"Get through the barns, then we'll be on our way to those lights."

"Looks like the Midnight Riders were set to perform here! That's why we've been seeing those big lights! They do have the biggest light show a concert's ever seen!"

"That's going to be the thing that gets their attention!" Nick cheered, for the first time in a while. He actually smiled, in genuine light.

We made our way through the mazes of vendors and booths, making our way through a literal barn. Then, up to the rooftops of several of the nearby barns. We were careful, knowing that one slip could be the last thing we'd ever do. 

"Shit, we gotta open the gate before we can get through! Damn, this better not be loud." Coach says, before turning the obnoxiously loud alarm box on. Within seconds, infected were filing up along the walls, just crowding around us.

We all gathered in a circle, to keep all sides protected. I seemed to work, nobody had a blind spot and we all were killing together very quickly.

"To the safe room! RUN!"

We ran, as fast as we could. Luckily, the safe room was just right around the corner. The infected were jumping from rooftops, following us from behind, and spontaneously jumping from random places around us.

I was so focused on running, that I hadn't realized where Nick was. He was right behind me, literally two seconds ago.

"Let's go! Get yo' asses in here!" I hear Coach yell, holding the door to the safe room open, whilst Ellis is shooting and preventing the incoming infected from entering. 

I stand in utter shock. Nick wasn't in the safe room, and neither was I. Nick may not have made it, but what kind of person would I be if I didn't at least make sure of it first?

"Nick? NICK? Where are you?" I screamed, shooting in between phrases. I couldn't just stay out here, in the optimal place for a...

"HUNTER'S GOT KELSEY!" His voice. There he was. He came running towards me, guns blazing. The hunter had torn through my shirt, and had managed to tear my skin up very badly. 

"Nick, thank God. I thought you were gone." He helped me up, just after he was able to shoot the hunter that had me pinned to the ground.

"Looks like I'm the one doing the saving." Nick smirked, and grabbed my shoulder. We ran to the safe room, and locked the door.

"Damn, we gotta do better."