Kai (unfinished)

Chapter Seven - The Scream of Death

Chapter Seven - The Scream of Death

"The torch, shine the light!" I yelled, scattering back into the infirmary, Amanda lifted up the torch and shone it back at the creature; it's black skin sizzled, the monster ran back to it's sanctum. 
"Lock it!" I yelled at her, we slammed the door and started to push what we could into it, to create a blockade.
"It's so cold in here, where are the lights?" Nathan asked, his voice confused and shaky.
"I'll get the switch." I replied, reaching up and flicking the dim lights on, they flickered constantly and then we realized this room wasn't just an infirmary.
"Oh god..." Amanda gasped as Nathan vomited against the stained red tiles, hanging on a makeshift rope system were two lifeless bodies; frozen and covered in a thin veil of crystallized ice.
"Who are they?" Amanda asked dubiously.
"I..." My voice was shaking too, the wind whistled outside and the far off screeching sound of the creatures could be heard.
"Nathan, did the nurse ever explain how she kept herself alive... if it's been this long?"
"No..."
"And don't you guys think it's strange we never saw any other inmates, no people."
"What are you saying Dante?"
"Nurses are good with scalpels, good with human flesh."
"Dante, what are you talking about?"
"These corpses, they've been frozen for a reason, to keep the only two truly deranged individuals alive, my brother and this... nurse. These aren't just your average human bodies, look at these rare deformities, this is what happens when you are an inmate here, and she's only got two bodies left, what if we're next month's meal?"
"Dante you're talking crazy, I'm sure that's not the case."
"He's telling the truth..." Nathan said, holding up a bucket of human hair. 
"Okay, this is too fucking crazy, this town, cannibals and monsters... I'm going crazy, this is all a dream..." Amanda slouched down against the wall, as the door swung open. 
"Don't be melodramatic, if it doesn't work in the movies in won't work here." 

We jumped as the nurse's words echoed throughout the sickly room, she wore a mask splattered with blood; fresh blood, it dripped down, plopping against the floor. I made a grab for the knife, she didn't flinch.
"What? You gonna stab me?" She gave a cynical laugh as Amanda charged forwards...
"Amanda wait...!" My voice boomed, the knife fell from my grip as I watched Amanda tackle the nurse by the throat. Nathan ran to help her, the nurse screamed as the struggle got out of hand. Mick was unconscious, I ran to a smashed up box which bore a large red cross, inside there wasn't much in the way of medical supplies or first aid and it was hard to focus with the swinging lights and shouting as Amanda tried to claw at Jackie's face. 
"...Panadol, bandages, cough medicine..." Nothing seemed to be of any interest, but I took the bandages and Panadol, leaning close to Mick as the colour drained from his face.
"Mick? Mick!" I slapped his face a little, he jumped again, half screaming, half groaning.
"I'm gonna give you some of this, alright?" My words slurred as he opened his mouth involuntarily, I had to get him to swallow the tablets.
"I-It's so... cold." The guy spluttered, I looked at him nervously while Nathan seemed to be making progress. This was mayhem, we had to get out. 
"Hang in there buddy, everything will be fine, just trust me." Another shake of the head, I gave him a pat on the leg and he grimaced. "Huh?" I said aloud, quickly I pushed back the pant leg to better examine Mick's shin; I gasped, there was a medium sized wound that had now gone bad, it oozed a white fluid and the blood had dried in long thin streams down to his ankle. The bandages were easy to wrap around, but I was obviously causing him pain as he screwed up his face whenever I made contact with the skin.
"Dante, I need some... ugh... help!" My head turned back, Nathan was struggling with Amanda, who had a firm grip around the nurse's head.

"Take the nurse!" I quickly ran around Nathan as he took the bandages from me, the room twisting as I felt sick in the stomach. "What are these for?!" I heard Nathan yell behind me.
"His leg!" I called after him, Jackie and Amanda were entangled, I pulled the tempered nurse out of the fight; holding Amanda back protectively. 
"Stop!" I shouted, keeping both of the women apart. 
"She's going to kill us, look at her mask!" Amanda yelled into my face, pleading me. 
"Amanda, calm down." Sweat was dripping down my forehead, the room had gone from cold to hot.
"It's your fault!" Amanda yelled. "You know what those creatures are, you use them!"
"I have no idea what you are on about!" The nurse's voice was muffled by the bloody mask she wore over her thin lips.
"Dante, you trust me don't you? She is manipulating your brother, she can even talk to those creatures; we are being used as bait... as a peace offering!" Jackie shook her head, eyes wild like flames.
"What?" My lips trembled, where was all this coming from? "How do you know?"
"She's obviously delusional..." 
"I'm not crazy!" Amanda cut in, spitting at the nurse wildly. "I just know that these corpses were all the other inmates, and one by one you bargained them off, processed them like they were meat and threw them to those disgusting parasites who feed in the fog!" I was speechless. 
"So you caught me, little bitch." My eyes watched in disbelief, her squeaky gloved hands pulling at the rosary that hung around her neck. She broke it clean off. "You're all next, starting with the sick one..."
"No!" I shouted, charging forwards. 
"It's too late..." She didn't take her time, fleeting along the moldy tiles, coming to a stop right beside a valve pump; connected to the ceiling hydrants. "Breathe in deep." Within a second her hand had twisted the valve clockwise, and the hydrants above us flipped open with a long rusty bang.
"Dante?" Amanda replied confused, we turned back to look at Jackie; but she was gone, the door slammed close with a bang and the familiar sound of a lock. Above us a yellow mustard gas was jumping through the air, we began to cough and splutter as the chemicals entered our lungs; we began to lose consciousness, the gas causing our brains to meld, and slowly we fell onto the marble floor; knocked into a deep and haunting sleep.