Unmasking

6.Race

"Why did you ever think, that would be a good idea?!"

"Do NOT blame this on me!"

"Either way now we have to think about our next step... carefully."

"I'm going for some fresh air"

You know the best part about being unconscious? Being unconscious. The worst part? Having to wake up. It's like walking through numerous large silk shits. Only that with each one you pass by things get more painful. The first thing Nina felt was the feeling of heaviness. Like someone put stones in her while she was out. She couldn't move but for now she didn't have any intention to. She could feel the soft linen of a gown on her body, the soft yet somehow stiff fabric of the sheets she lay on, the feeling of what she believed was a butterfly needle in her right arm and an oxygen mask. Then she started hearing things. Someone arguing but she could not understand much of it, the sound of her heart beat that picked up lightly through the monitor and the scent of sterility. Like the air was lighter to breath. it was comforting as much as the warm covers.

And then came the painful part. Memories flooding her mind, memories of pain that made her nauseous even now. Talking about now she was in less pain but she could feel the discomfort even with the painkillers. The last thing she remembered was Michael or James carrying her. Did they take her to a hospital? No, this place was far too calm. Her heart picked up pace and she could hear someone shuffling in a chair.

"Nina?" Called a soft voice she immediately recognized.

With quite some effort the woman managed to open her eyes. First the light made her squint to try to adjust, then in her blurry vision she made out Michael face. She studied it for a moment, he looked anxious.

"Michael... we're not in a hospital" Nina didn't recognize her voice. It was so weak sounding so small... But with each word it regained a bit of strength. She looked around seeing nothing but white walls with obvious to her drawers hidden in them, another that looked like an imitation of a window the other side of it had quite a large door. "I don't want to know" She quickly added her gaze turning to Michael as he was about to speak.

"Nina..."

"I don't want to know anything." She repeated trying to sit up, only to be gently pushed back down. "This is obviously not a hospital and you are not an IT worker. I don't want to know what you're doing or where I am. I just have to go back home."

Michael stayed quiet for a moment and Nina pushed herself up, this time successfully. "You can't go back. It wouldn't be safe for you" He replied looking deep into her eyes. Nina froze for a second.

"Yes I can. Just give me a ride back and I'll show you" She frowned lightly.

"Nina this isn't a joke! I got you mixed in all of this. Well we did" He mumbled. "And I will try to help as best I can to make your return home safe. But you can't go back now, or it will put everyone in danger. It's not about you not knowing about anything. It's about you getting closer to us" While Michael was speaking Nina remained silent looking around for something. Anything. She wasn't about to stay put like this for god knows how long.

"I know I overdid it back then. But that doesn't give you the right to make choices for me" She spoke slowly, ripping the patches that were attached to her. "Don't" She warned him as he tried to stop her turning of the heart monitor before sitting on the edge of the best. "I am going back whether you like it or not Michael-"

"It's Mathew" The blond interrupted her. For a moment Nina just looked at him and smiled softly even though there was sadness behind it.

"Well the... I'm sorry Mathew" She whispered against his cheek before pushing him backwards, tipping the chair.

The moment she realized the chair would fall along with the man she just ran. There was no point to try to do this in a stealthy way. Either way she was too infatuated by painkillers to feel more than discomfort and too high on adrenaline to feel any weakness. For a moment she stopped looking around and thinking each way she should go. The walls and floor were covered in the same white material and it gave her a sense of floating in the air. She was ready to just pick randomly which corridor would let her to an exit when she felt a gust of air coming from on of them. Immediately she ran that way.

She saw a couple of people in mask getting out of what seemed to be an elevator. She put her best to race even quicker. The one person who tried to obviously block her way into it did earn himself a loud fall as she pulled him through her back and rolled into the elevator.

"I'm sorry and thank you" She whimpered taking the mask from the poor stranger on the ground. She sat up in the elevator but she strangely wasn't feeling out of breath. She was covering the elevator camera with the ask she took when Nina finally realized she was bleeding... Quite a lot. "Shit!" They would trail her like this... She kept silent for a moment as the went elevator up. Finally she looked at the butterfly needle and the air vent. Sometimes she just loved the fact that she was the size of a bean with the ability to jump up high like those little rubber balls. It took her some time to unscrew the vent and get inside but that didn't matted. To hold the crate though she had to get imaginative. Her hair ended up holding them instead of her fingers as she felt the elevator stop and go back down.

Nina guessed they were back at where she started as a very angry James looked into the elevator.

"HOW DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN! WE NEED TO FIND HER NOW" He was screaming his eyes widening at the blood.

"Alec I'm worried too but you can't scream like that! No one saw her at the ground floor... Maybe she's headed for the garage" Spoke Mathew as he pressed the elevator button. Exactly what Nina needed to know. Level -2.5

"I shouldn't be worried?! Mathew she left a big red lake on the elevator floor?! Which is probably 60% of her blood for all I know!" The man looked slightly panicked and for a moment Nina wished she could just climb down and comfort him... Speaking of which it was the first time she saw him without his mask. He was... stunning? Well maybe a bit more than anyone she has ever seen before. He had this beautiful olive toned skin, that looked extremely smooth, his eyes she would always be able to get lost in, with a well defined jaw and soft looking plump-ish lips... He could've been a model? Anyway that wasn't what mattered now.

"Alec we will find her. Alive I believe." Spoke Mathew and took down the mask. Nina swore slightly deep inside. Now she'd have to do running again. Or... She did wait until the elevator started moving again, and until someone went in to clean the bloody mess.

She was starting getting dizzy when she realized that now was the time. She pulled the crate up and with small disgust covered her hand with her own blood and put it all over the camera. She obviously wasn't a fan with painting with her own blood. Jumping to the floor made her go into a coughing fit as she pressed the button. She wasn't even sure if she was coughing blood or was it from the wound...Anyway since when did she had a cut on her side? She believed it was to help her, but at the same time... her kidneys were in quite a good shape. She tried to swallow up the last coughs and remain silent as the door opened. She silently went inside looking at the raw of cars parked there.

She looked around ready to hide again if she needed but before she could look behind her large hand closed around her arm so tight she yelled and looked up. Her face turned completely white in sudden fear.

"Hello there..."