No Time To Bleed

My arms rested strapped against the table in the infirmary we’d just visited 20 minutes ago.

“I think this might be the most uncomfortable and degrading thing I’ve ever had happen in my life. Why the hell would they put us through Thorough Cleansing again?!” I kicked and screamed against the gurney they had me strapped to.

Everyone else who had been involved in the fight was strapped to chairs.

I was strapped to a gurney because of the exposed wounds in my arm. They said it could have been a health risk.

If it was a fucking health risk, I’d been 110 miles past insanity right now.

I’d be a disgusting zombie.

And by this point, I’d learned the names of the three new arrivals who’d been in the fight as well.

The oldest was a boy named Ashton. He had golden blonde hair with streaks of black throughout. He was tall, athletic, and held a deadly blow when he needed to. I considered his golden copper eyes to be his most striking feature.

“They obviously want to pin us in here for some dumbass reason. I never thought I’d get this treatment from a place meant for safety.” Ashton had told us he was 19 years old.

“They’re being cautious. It would have done us some good instead of keeping that crazy chick longer than we needed to. I told you she was acting suspicious.” Ashley was Ashton’s brother.

She had tanner skin and was still just as slim. She’d come in with baggy cargo pants and a scarf around her head. Her brown hair sank past her shoulders and she shared her brother’s eyes.

“Whatever. At least we made it here. Glad there were some people who could fucking fight. All those wimps standing around in crowds like they’d never seen zombies before.”

Alex laughed and I was glad him and Ashton seemed to share the same humor.

The next survivor was a girl who looked to be about ten years old. She was sitting in between Jesse and Cece. She was of Indian descent with her hair chopped to reach just to her ears.

Tears filled her eyes as she sniffled, her little arms strapped to the chair. “Mike died.”

She started to sob heavily, shudders upon shudder forcing tears to seep down into her blood caked shirt.

Mike had been the large body builder guy they’d had to take down.

With everyone’s arms strapped, no one could really console her.

“Anna, it’ll be okay. We’re safe now.” Ashley soothed.

Anna continued to cry horribly and the room went silent, just filling with a little girl’s horrible cries.

I just stared up at the clean white ceiling, the gauze wraps they’d put around me arms forcing the nerves there to throb.

“Anna…” my voice sounded. “I had a friend who died once. His name was William. You ever known anyone named that?”

Anna’s sobs slowed down a little, although audible. I heard her do sort of a head shake and mumble a mice sized no.

“Well, he was a really nice boy. The zombies took him too and he died. Sometimes you have to let people go to move on. To live.”

“But, my parents are dead?” she croaked. “I won’t have nobody to take care of me.”

Ashton raised his head and looked to Anna. “Anna, we’ll take care of you. We’ve done it this far and we’ll keep on doing it. You’re safe with us.”

Anna nodded and her cries went away.

“I hate being in here.” Cece complained. “Reminds me of being trapped in here my whole life. Damn scientists.”

Jesse had stayed silent the entire time until now. “Jasmine…”

“Yeah?” I answered.

“You fought good out there. I’m impressed.”

I chuckled. “You weren’t impressed when I knocked you out with that bat after you dragged me into that house?”

Jesse chuckled. “I was out cold and I found that bat.”

I smiled now. It seemed totally strange, but I was able to smile.

“You did good too, Jesse. You saved us.”

Cece wouldn’t let that compliment go. “Saved us? He came in at the end and shot the last one of those things!”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. He still did good.”

“You’re just saying that because you have a crush!” Cece teased, sticking her tongue out.

Ashton and Ashley both laughed and by all means against my will, I felt my skin start to blush.

“Don’t make me kill you, Cece.” I threw back.

Just then, the doors snapped open causing everyone to jump. I stretched my head around, trying to see the footsteps that were walking in.

“Seven subjects: all exposed to potential contamination, evidence of contaminated blood, and open wounds.” A voice sounded as if he were checking things off his list.

“Will the brilliant Brett Wiggins be joining us today or is he on vacation?” I asked peachily.

“Very funny. But, the CEO has never visited this site of Lexicon.” The doctor made his way around to my gurney.

God, these people were such liars.

“Can you heal my arms now or at least take the glass? I knew some places were into messy recoveries, but this is ridiculous.”

The doctor peeled away the gauze wraps and I shivered at the rush of fresh air to the glass in my arms.

“Dear Lord, we might have to keep you a bit more than these others. This is quite scary.”

“What do you mean keep her more than us? She’s fine!” Alex snapped.

The doctor looked to him for a moment. “You haven’t seen this wound close up. She’d be lucky if we didn’t have to do skin grafts.”

I rolled my eyes. Oh God, they were all making a big deal out of nothing.

“It doesn’t even hurt that bad.”

The doctor flicked at the open glass in my arms and I shrieked a sweat inducing scream.

“Get the hell away from her!” Jesse struggled against his restraints and started screaming curses.

I felt like I was going to pass out.

“Now, did that hurt or am I just over exaggerating your injuries?”

I guess you couldn’t answer a completely insane doctor when your mind was doing weird tricks on you.

“So, what’s gonna happen? Are you guys gonna let us take showers or even get some food?”

The doctor sighed. “We might put you in Level A for a few hours, just to clear a few things up before you’re allowed back to the general population.”

I half damned and half praised our current situation. Before this we’d been completely blind to the underground workings of Lexicon, we hadn’t even known what Level C was (which the guards had mentioned when we were caught on the roof) was.

At least now we had a clearer idea.

It was some sort of holding place for risk individuals and somewhere in the levels were Aliah, Clarissa, Max, Ryant, and Antoinette.

At least now we had our mission.