Of Monsters And Men | Discontinued |

Episode Two - Gunpowder

'Someone just walked in. He has a gun. I can smell it.'

She heaves in a deep breath, jolting to her feet. She's been sitting for hours, bobbing her knee and tapping her nails on her thigh impatiently. True to Rot's words, the smell of gunpowder drifts into her nostrils. She spins on her heels, gently taking the remote out of Grotto's arm.

"Time to go." She announces, veins thrumming with Rot.

"What? Why-"

"Remember what I said about second guessing?" She glances up, glaring at him before pulling her gaze back down to what she's doing. "I get that you're a part of the Irish Family, and you can't trust very many people, But I need you to trust me right now."

'Our floor.'

"Fuck." She grunts, yanking the man onto his feet, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders to cover his backside. "Hurry up. Go out the stairwell. You, then Karen. I'll go last."

"Hold it right there." A man says, gun clicking just down the hall. She stills, listening as even footsteps only approach him at the same pace as before. Within just a second the man that smells like gunpowder has the guard knocked to the ground, tossing his gun in a garbage bin. He's just down the hall. Rot is pounding inside of her, writhing beneath the surface of her skin, begging to come forward. She keeps it down, peeking carefully through the door, motioning for Karen to stay down.

"No, to hell with that." Grotto mutters, heart panicking in his chest. She doesn't have the patience for this- three nurses race down the hall. A man turns the corner, brandishing a shotgun. The man from the diner- she can smell him clearer, now. Sweat and gunpowder that makes her nose itch with the need to sneeze.

"Shit." She twists, hauling Grotto out of the bed. "Come on!"

She pushes the door open, shoving him into the hallway with her, pushing Karen so they're beside each other, both guarding Grotto. The man is right behind them, raising his gun. Karen is panicking, breathing hard and heavy. Grotto's side is bleeding and people are screaming all around them- women and patients. He fires, the boom echoing in her ears, ringing following its wake. She pushes rotto down so he's crouching. Glass sprinkles her skin.

The food cart explodes right beside her, metal chips flying against her skin, but sprinking to the ground. He's not aiming at her- no, near her. Near them. He's scaring them to where he wants them to go, and she has no choice but to follow.

"Fuck."

Nurses are screaming, shoulders bumping into hers. She keeps her grip firm on Karen, on Grotto, not letting them falter, even as Grotto slows against his own will, wound catching up to him. She pushes open the door to the stairwell, pushing Karen and Grotto in front of her. She slams the door in the mans face, Rot wrapping around her hand, bending the metal to block it. She cries out in surprise then a shot fires just shove her head, her own brown orbs connecting with crazed ones.

"The fuck." She snaps, before turning and pounding down the steps, three at a time. Shotgun pellets litter the wall beside her, loud boom echoing in her ears. Her knees shake from the feeling between her temples. She glares at the man, Rot pushing her onwards, leaping down the steps until she's right behind Karen. The man follows, reloading.

The streets are dark, now, filled with alarms that ring between her ears. She had barely even realized they broke out onto the street. Karen struggles with the keys. Evren yanks them from her, pushing her towards the back, jamming the key into the lock.

'We need to hurry, he's coming.'

She pulls open the doors, dragging in Grotto, quickly starting it and pulling out with screeching tires. She growls when a shot takes out the side view mirror. The windshield blows out next. She shoves Grotto down even further, hearing how his spine pops. He doesn't make a noise of pain. Grotto moves his head up anyways.