***NEED WORK

Neither human moved or spoke for almost a whole minute, the tension growing heavy in the air. Both now had their weapons out, ready to open fire at whatever came out at them.

As if that was going to stop anything that was lurking around in a place like this.

I forced myself to breathe, inhaling deeply and exhaling carefully and quietly, fighting against the solid weight that had congealed in my chest. The surrounding air was thick with anxiety, making my skin tingle. I shut my eyes for a second, trying to regain composure. Then I looked back at the two Hunters and saw that they were still pretty close. Suddenly my breathing was too loud and I rushed to hide deeper into the dark.
“Hey,” the girl Arlanya said.
I froze and held my breath, my heart pounding in my head.
I’m not here, I’m not here. I thought hard.
I heard something shift.
“Cover me; I’ll go first.” I heard the boy say.
I cringed and shrank even deeper in the dark. But nothing moved. I peeked over and saw the girl nod and turn her flashlight to where the filing cabinet had crashed.

The boy took a deep breath and took a big brave step forward.
When nothing jumped out to bite his head off he started to inch closer.
“What the hell is that?” the girl hissed.
There was a slight pause before her partner answered.
“I think it was a filing cabinet or something.” he said, his tone muddled with disbelief.

I hissed out a sigh of relief and turned away from the scene at the front desk. Sudden fatigue had struck me hard, pulsing through my veins as I silently snuck my way through the dark towards the nearest corner. With my back still pressed against the wall I rounded the corner to better conceal myself from the two humans. Once out of their immediate point of view I relaxed and slid down to the ground. My knees crumbled under me and I allowed myself to give into the heavy pressure of the excess adrenaline that still hung over me. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall, taking this time to think.
To say that was a ‘close call’ was an understatement. That could have gone hideously wrong, totally unexplainable and disastrous. Especially with knowing the fact that if I hadn’t been able to escape back there, I wouldn’t have known how to perform a proper Erase without hurting the subjects of the Ward.
For once I regretted not taking any of the lectures and training seriously as a Ressurectio rank.

Keeping my eyes closed I inhaled deeply and breathed out.

My breath came out in a short, strangled huff, not giving me the releasing relief I was waiting for.
I frowned, feeling slightly uneasy. I tried again, inhaling through my nose and breathing out through my mouth. Again, my breath seemed to stop mid-exhale, as if something heavy was sitting right on my lungs. And the pressure was growing tighter and tighter.
“Oh,” I murmured, not in comprehension but in quiet bewilderment.
The first thought that registered in my mind: something was wrong with me. My hands fluttered to my chests, my frantic fingers searching for the invisible weight. My immediate physical instinct was to rip whatever the hell this thing was right off before it started to squeeze the life out of me.
But my mental state was working in separate parts, as if it was a group of different consciences. One part was alarmed and shaky, feeding to my physical reaction. Another was confused, replaying the last hour of events over and over again in my mind in search for the reason behind this foreign pressure. Then there was another part of me, amused at my many different reactions.
So human-like, that part of me thought.
Calm down, getting all worked up will do nothing. Relax…

My hands dropped back into my lap and I closed my eyes.
Now think…
My less-human mind quickly ran through the events of the last hour, picking out different fragments of my memory as a possible reason behind this…thing.

The willowy woman, the feeling of being followed, ending up at the hospital, that cryptic computer document, the two hunters…

I continued to list the significant events of the night so far. But the order didn’t make sense. No, the events put together had no coherency to it at all; it just didn’t belong together in any way.
It doesn’t matter; the fact that things of out of the ordinary are occurring must mean something’s up, my Immortal conscience thought.

Not exactly satisfied with the empty conclusion, I started to look at the problem from a different view.
What did this pressure feel like? Why did it bother me so much?
I thought hard, focusing on the pressure on my lungs and what it felt like.

Heavy, cold…tight…

I focused harder, thinking deeper.
It was achy, physically painful. Like someone was sitting on my shoulder for too long. But I still couldn’t make a connection to the problem. I continued to think, trying to put this all together. Even my oh-so-smart Immortal mind fell quiet of ideas and suggestions.
Emotional pressure? it threw out.
Automatically, I started to list everything I felt emotionally.

Confused, irritated, a bit panicked…

No, there was more than that. Maybe the pressure wasn’t anything concrete or a physical problem I could just rip off and leave behind me. Maybe it was something more…psychological
Suddenly, one strange string of words floated to the surface of my mind.

Guilt. Shame. Pain…Self-blame.

Guilt? Self-blame? For what?
I thought back to the list of events again but couldn’t make a connection to what could have triggered this array of random emotions in me. Yet I recognized that the harsh aching in my chest wasn’t exactly altogether unfamiliar. In fact, I knew it all too well. And the recognition of it came with an old memory I was not exactly fond of.
Isn’t it ironic to think about that right here, dead middle of Grisavaille.
The face of the little boy flashed into my mind and the pressure struck again, this time in stabs. My eyes snapped open in horror and I gritted my teeth to fight down a startled gasp.
Of all time and place to remember it all.

I took a deep breath and sighed before silently lifting myself back to my feet.
“Back to business,” I muttered under my breath.
I listened to the pair at the front desk for a little bit more.
“What the hell Vayden? Mind doing something useful for once!” the girl hissed in annoyance.
Then she and her partner dove into a hushed verbal fight.
I had the urge to look back around the corner, but resisted. It was not my job to baby sit these children.
“I do hope you live to grow old and I better not see you again,” I murmured, knowing they won’t hear.

I turned and walked away from the corner, down the dark hallway where I was hiding, leaving my problems still shrouded in mystery and unsatisfying left empty of answers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vayden looked up from the front desk where he was busy ignoring the petty ranting of his partner, searching in the dark for something he couldn’t see. Arlanya noticed and broke off in the middle of her rant.
“What? What did you see?” she asked anxiously.
Vayden frowned, slightly confused.
“Nothing,” he said, surprise accenting his tone.
“Okay…what did you hear?” his partner continued to press.
“I didn’t hear anything either.” He replied.
“Then what the hell’s wrong?” Arlanya demanded exasperated.

Vayden lifted his flashlight from the desk and pointed it down the main hall before the front desk. He didn’t see it, or hear it…but he did feel it. It was warm, gentle feeling, soothing and calming touch that brushed against his skin in soft breaths that sent jolts down his spine. And the strangest thing of all, he felt a blanket of security fall over him, leaving no room for doubt that he was safe. Yet at the same time, almost begging them to leave---to be safe.
Instantly, he was intrigued.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong,” Vayden murmured.
Arlanya grumbled in annoyance something about ‘waste of emotions’ as Vayden looked around him. The crumpled cabinet suddenly caught the corner of his eye with new light. He took a several steps back from the computer desk, his eyes searching for more. Arlanya skipped away from the desk in alarm at Vayden’s searching gaze.
“What?” she demanded impatiently.

Vayden lowered his flashlight to the floor below the desk.
The floor that was hidden in the shadow was covered with the same layer of dust and litter as the rest of the floor---except for a big patch of the floor on the left side of the space. It was almost completely free of dust particles, the tile polished and not faded.
Excitement suddenly pulsed in his head as he crouched down for a closer look.

There were vicious looking scratches on the tiles that stretched out from under the desk to the area behind the main desk. The markings were very sharp and recent, the tiles cracking and pulling off the floor on the edge of it. It was as if something dense and heavy was wrenched out of the space and dragged across the short distance of the floor.
So the filing cabinet was there under the desk before it was thrown and crumpled easily like foil against the wall. But what could be strong enough to push an object that was a good fifty pounds from that tiny space and throw it to cause this much damage, all within fifteen seconds? And how was it able to escape without being seen or being heard? Arlanya was covering the only way in and out from behind the desk, and Vayden was sure nothing had slipped past them that way.
Mystified, he started to lift himself off the ground when Arlanya suddenly put a firm hand on his shoulder.
“What’s that?” she asked, her tone taking on a strange edge.
Vayden shrugged and continued to straighten.
“I’m guessing it’s where that filing cabinet was---“
But Arlanya gripped his shoulder hard, pushing him down again.
“No, I mean what’s that?” she said, this time pointing to the floor with her flashlight.

Vayden looked back down to the floor where Arlanya had her flashlight trained. At first, all he saw was the bright light, his eyes not used to the reflecting glare. He squinted, letting his eyes adjust slowly. Gradually, the fierce glare faded, and the dusty surface regained its shape and shade. It was then when he saw an irregular shape, the shade slightly darker yet clearer against the rest of the filth on the ground. A warm electric current seemed to run through under Vayden’s skin as his mind automatically started to analyze the shape. It surprised him; it wasn’t a shape he had expected to see and it definitely didn’t belong where it was. But it was all too common and familiar.
“A handprint,” Arlanya murmured, her tone a mix of shock, confusion and awe.
Vayden didn’t respond as he continued to study the delicate imprint in the dust.
It was undeniably a handprint, the soft lines curving gracefully to form the palm and the fingertips. The trace in the dust was very strong and very defined, as if the hand had pressed down with immense pressure. But even with that it managed to look delicate and fragile, as if it would crumble and disappear any minute.

Gingerly, Vayden reached forward and touched his fingertips and then his palm to the dust-caked floor, right beside the original handprint. With one light press, he lifted his hand away.
The difference was astounding, almost shocking.

Vayden’s handprint dominated in size, his fingers longer and his palms wider. In comparison, the mystery handprint looked like those of a child. No, it was too mature looking…what was the right word?
“Wow, it’s… it’s pretty. Like a handprint of an angel,” Arlanya breathed.
Vayden raised a brow at her, giving her an amused look.
“An angel, Lani? I thought you were too old for fairy tales,” he teased.
Arlanya rolled her eyes.
“Whoever said angels doesn’t exist? Besides, you’re just annoyed cuz I found a right word,” she said shrugging.

Strange, she pretty much had that right.

Vayden straightened into a full stand and put away his pistol. Arlanya, too, relaxed and returned her weapon to its holster.
“Are we done here? We still haven’t found a map.” she reminded him.
Vayden thought about it for a moment but brushed it off.
“We’ll take one of the emergency exit charts off the wall when we come across one.” he said.
Arlanya nodded, not really caring to respond. She walked over forward to the desk and put her hands firmly on the top counter. With one light hop, she hoisted herself up and over the counter smoothly. She landed with ease on the other side, barely making a sound.
“Great, let’s get going. The sooner we get this over with, the better.” she said, brushing off her pants. “You coming or what?”

Vayden passed her his flashlight and pulled himself over the counter. Was it possible that whatever had left that handprint had escaped that way? And so fast that they missed it slip by?
He wasn’t sure of anything about this mystery creature---how it got away, how strong it was or if it was dangerous. Or what the creature was, for that matter.
His feet touched down to the ground with a faint thud.

The list of the unknown did little to shake Vayden; in fact, it excited him in the strangest way. If there was anything he was sure of it was just one thing.
He was going to find out what that handprint belonged to.