***NEED WORK

*Mivian’s POV*

What---

I stared, my hand still pressed against the feverish skin of this human boy’s chest as he drifted out of consciousness. His ribs on the left side were broken in at least three places, and bruises were already coloring most of his upper body.
Blood caked the side of his head, dripping from where he had cracked his skull against the wall, I had guessed. And his eyes were painfully bloodshot red, clearly blinded.
It really was a miracle that he wasn’t pulverized.

---Just now…

I felt stiff, frozen as I stared down at the pale, unconscious form of this human. Exposed, pained and broken, he just laid there, completely vulnerable. And all I could do was stare.
My mind felt heavy, drowning in a flood of old memories and thoughts.

What did he call me?

---bee-bop!

The heavy tense silence was suddenly broken by a low beeping, the electronic sound resonating out of place.

I turned back down the hall I had dragged the boy from, following the sound.
Not so far off, I could see a small, bright red light blinking through the dark.

“Vayden? Vayden! …Goddammit, answer me!” a fuzzy, static-shadowed voice rang out.

I quickly snapped out of my half-daze as my mind picked up on that defiant female voice.

The girl…

Had she already thrown herself into a trap? What was going on?

I eyes flickered back at the human boy. He was unconscious, but he didn’t look all that great. His breathing was short and shallow, and sweat was breaking on his brow.

I need to get these kids out of here.

I reached down and lifted the oddly light blond fringe that stood out against the rest of his dark hair out of his eyes.
I was no Healer, but at the very least I can patch him up.

I took a slow breath in, forcing myself to clear my mind.
Relax, I commanded myself. It was nothing.

There was no way he could see me; hell, he can’t even hear me!
At least he shouldn’t be...

I swore, and shook the thought out of my head.
Calm down I thought. My cover is intact; I am fine.
I pressed both palms into the boy’s bare chest, and focused my Energy flow onto his ribs.

I’m fine…I’m fine…

I kept telling myself that, keeping everything in my mind in one piece.
But beneath the forced calm, my mind kept hold of those two words that slipped from the boy’s lips just moments before he slipped away.

***

Arlanya stared down at the walkie-talkie in her hand, completely stunned as the icy shock rippled through her chest.
Low, broken static hissed back at her, not changing in its empty noise.
It was not the reply she needed to hear.

“Dammit!” she spat.

What the hell was going on? Why wasn’t he answering? Why wasn’t he talking back?

Arlanya swore for the hundredth time, scrambling through her brain to think straight.

The way Vayden had cut off mid-sentence bothered her more than just slightly. It was unlike him leaving her hanging like that. If it was an accident, he would have responded right afterwards. He wouldn’t just leave her standing there on her toes and let her worry.
He wouldn’t…

The Hunter girl took a glance around the empty hallway she was in as she thought hard to think of her next move.

Vayden wasn’t getting back to her, and it has nearly been five minutes.
Oh I knew splitting up was a bad idea! Arlanya thought, mentally kicking herself.
What if something really bad had happened to him? What if he was hurt?

No. Arlanya thought definitely. I can’t think like that. Not here.

Besides, she didn’t know where her partner was. Hurt or not, there was no way she could get to him.
For now, she will have to trust that he was alright.

Taking a slow, deep breath to collect her focus back together, Arlanya lowered herself to the ground. She shrugged off the straps of her backpack and set that bag down in front of her.

Yea, that’s right. He’s okay. she told herself. It’s probably bad signals, or crappy batteries, that’s all.

Arlanya balanced her flashlight between her shoulder and her jaw as she dug into the front pocket of the bag and pulled out a small pocket knife. The flashlight was back in her hands as she picked up her bag and slung it over one shoulder before she started on her search.
She didn’t have to go too far to find what she was looking for.
The Hunter stopped in front of an information bulletin board, one of many that were spread out within the old hospital. She swept the flashlight across the cracked cork under the pieces of plastic sheets until she found a map.
Bingo, she thought, and she returned the flashlight to balancing it between her shoulder and jaw once more to free her hands.
With a small flick of her wrist, the blade of the pocket knife snapped out with a small click.

Arlanya turned her focus onto the plastic sheet that trapped the map against the wall. Then, with one hand on the wall as support and the other holding the knife in a secure hold, she put the blade to the plastic. The tip of the steel slipped into the small space easily, and the protective sheet gave little resistance as it pulled away with a low crack.
The cold metal and the hard weight of the flashlight grinded into her collar bone, and the muscles aching slightly with the strain of the hold as she worked.
When I get back to Helmscliff, I should make something for this. she thought in the back of her mind

Arlanya caught the falling piece of paper as it slipped free from the plastic cover. She lifted it up in front of her, holding it in the beam of her flashlight to read.
The small red dot, and the words YOU ARE HERE stared up at her from the paper, just to the right bottom of the section marked as NICU.
From the looks of it, she didn’t even cover a quarter of the damned hospital---

Something from the corner of her eye moved---a shadow--- drifting with unnatural smoothness in the dim lighting.

Arlanya turned her eyes up from the map, but didn’t move or make a sound.
Something was nearby.

She lowered the map, rolling it up carefully so she wouldn’t make too much noise before she stored it into her bag. She then turned off her flashlight, but kept it in her hand.
If there was something there, she didn’t need for it to know where she was.

Arlanya reached down to her holster, taking care to keep her back close to the wall. Her eyes flickered to where she had seen the movement, prying to see more.
Her eyes fell on a plastic tarp that was hanging from the ceiling, blocking off a corridor going to the East Wing of the hospital.
The plastic tarp was those seen in any construction site; only semi-transparent, durable and moderately weather-proof. The looks of it was fairly clean, with minimal grime and wrinkles as it shifted slowly in a draft coming from the other side.
Hmm, she thought. I didn’t know they tried construction inside the hospital.

Slowly and cautiously, Arlanya pulled away from the wall, stepping forward into the middle of the hallway. Her steps were silent as she smoothly crossed the hall and her eyes were locked onto the plastic tarp.
The silence was heavy and tense.
A small wave of relief fell on the Hunter as she felt the wall on her left side. So far, so good; she hadn’t compromised her location. She focused on the plastic tarp now just five feet away from her, trying to pick out anything strange on the other side through the cloudy sheet.
The poor lighting of the building did nothing to help in her benefit, but there was something eerie about the light that was coming through. The small and gentle breeze was still whistling through the small opening of the tarp, the end of the plastic flickering and dancing in the passing air. It seemed to beckon at her, come on…come in.

It’s a scene right from a horror movie, Arlanya thought. This is the trap scene, I know it.

With the rest of the building completely dead and completely blacked out, and the way this hallway lit by the pale blue light, it was all too… perfect.

The Hunter shook her head slightly to herself, slightly irritated at her wild thoughts. Despite her nagging thought, she inched forward, drawing closer and closer to the plastic tarp. She was a just a foot away when she hesitated.

I don’t like the feeling of this. she thought.

Something was wrong with this hospital; she knew it the moment she stepped in through the door. So many odd things were happening, like something coming out and disappearing into thin air, things being thrown against the wall and crushed on impact.
And now, she was stalking a shadow, which she wasn’t even sure was there in the first place.

It was there. her mind argued definitely. I saw it glide across the tarp.

Arlanya breathed out slowly, trying to settle her mind.
You would think I was used to my job by now, she thought in the back of her mind.

Blocked out her thoughts completely, she reached out and pushed through the plastic tarp.

Arlanya stopped and took a sweeping look around. There was no sign of evident construction, in fact, the place was practically spotless. There was not one clutter on the polished tiles, and not a spot of grime could be spotted on the walls. The space was different from the halls she had been walking through for the past hour; it was the size of a wider hallway, but it only lead to one place, which was the door at the end of the hall.
She recognized the space immediately; Arlanya found herself standing at the end of a connector hall. She now saw the source of the eerie light; both sides of the connector were rows of windows that looked out into the visitor’s garden in the inner cavity of the hospital. The pale moonlight flooded the connector from the great skylight that capped the circular space of the garden.
She was in a connector that arched over the garden, and lead to the center of the whole structure. So where was she heading?
Arlanya pulled out the map from her bag again and held it to the moonlight.
The hospital structure was mainly circular, with wings and wards spanning out from the central building. Within the central cavity was a ring, labeled Healing Garden. And in the dead center of this garden, there was another ring, indicating a circular building.
This structure was the only one on the whole map that wasn’t labeled.

The Hunter frowned, half scowling at her findings, or rather, the lack of it. She looked up from the map and down the connector, which seemed to stretch a fairly good distance.
It would’ve been nice if she at least knew what she was walking into.

Well, there’s no point in moaning over something I can’t get. she thought to herself.

Arlanya restored the map back into her bag and turned her attention to the other end of the connector.
There was only one way to find out what was waiting for her.

Her left hand gripped tightly on the flashlight, but she kept it off as she started to walk down the connector. There was enough moonlight to guide her through the passage. Her right hand twitched on her holster, ready to have her trusty gun in her trigger-happy grip the moment anything jumped out at her.
Nothing came out to greet her in anyway. It wasn’t long before she came to a pair of double doors at the end of the connector. It was no different from the other doors she had seen so far in the hospital; the narrow long rectangular wired window and pedal latch that had to be pushed in to open the door.
Arlanya peeked in through the glass, but whatever was on the other side was too dark to make out.
A feeling of unease stirred in her gut as she took a deep breath, and pushed against the door.

The door gave way easily under the light pressure, the hinges crying out loudly into the dark, making the young Hunter cringe slightly.
Arlanya wrinkled her nose as an immediate breeze smelling of dust and lingering sterile chemicals blew into her face. Not wanting to make much more noise, she slipped in through the crack of the door without opening it any further.

Arlanya blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden change in lighting. The heavy feeling of tension was constant, not letting up for a minute to allow her to relax. The silence fell lifelessly around her, surrounding her with a feeling of complete isolation.
What is this place? she thought, as she gently pushed the door shut.
She heard the latch settle back in place with a solid click.

Arlanya kept her back close to the door, not daring to move a muscle. There was nowhere else to run; whatever had caught her attention had to be here somewhere. And if she couldn’t see it, she will hear it out.
Slowly and carefully as ever, Arlanya stepped forward, sliding along the wall to guide her way through the black. The only source of light in the space came through the narrow windows on the doors she came in from. Her eyes were finally starting to regain some of their ability of sight, though the lack of light still kept her almost completely blind. But she could now vaguely make out the edges and contours of the setting around her. It was enough for her to maneuver carefully.
Arlanya waited another whole minute before she pulled away from the wall. Nothing jumped out at her, and nothing broke the silence. She focused hard on her hearing, trying to pick out even the slightest sound.
When nothing sounded through the dark, she relaxed a little.
I guess there is no need to hold back, she thought, and she turned on her flashlight.

The beam of light sliced through the black with such power that it almost hurt her eyes. Now armed with better visibility, she gave a sweeping look around. From what she could make out, this part of the hospital was not as visitor-friendly as she saw in the other parts of the building. The space was a simple, square room, almost too clean and too bland. Her surroundings were crudely furnished, with just a few uncomfortable looking chairs lined up along the wall and nothing more than a single large directory sign on the walls to breach the clean white walls. There wasn’t even a front desk like the other units; instead, Arlanya found a small, sliding glass window on the opposite wall, and there was the reception room.
What was this place? she thought, as she continued to scan the wide room.
Something about this place made her cringe, stirring something more than just unease in her gut.
She turned the flashlight to the four walls and saw that there were actually two doors leading out of the room. The double-doors that were closest to her were on the left side of the room, and the other was in the far right corner.
Arlanya stopped short, the heavy feeling gnawing at her chest; she had to choose which door to pass through.
She didn’t expect to have to make any choices like this, and for some reason she felt as if this was a choice that had heavy consequences attached to it.
That’s why I don’t make choices. she thought darkly. I let Vayden do all that important stuff.
She clicked her tongue, the dark possibilities chewing at her insides. She had to make a choice.

Arlanya took a look around one more time, trying to find signs that would tell her which way was the best way to go.
Nothing significant came into view, giving her no signs.
She let out a heavy sigh and closer her eyes.
Maybe the best way to decide was to actually find out what this place was first. And she knew a perfect way of doing so…

Arlanya took a deep breath, and just let the images flow to her.
The images, like always, came in rapid and broken flashes, as if she was seeing a series of connecting photographs. Her sight wasn’t clear, but she could also hear the voices, though these, too, were choppy and broken.

The room was crowded, like any other busy day, filled with many faces…all bearing the same, sullen expression.
These were not happy people; they seemed broken and beaten not physically, but emotionally.
These were faces of parents and grandparents, wives and husbands, but all missing something…

“It’s alright, sweetheart, maybe today would be different---”
“---some times I wonder; if I would see a day where---”
“Some days, I could just scream…
“Why me? Why did this happen to me?”

Though no one in the room spoke as they kept to themselves, and there was a blanket of silence that seemed to cover the room, quiet thoughts and feelings of the same theme flooded the room in an overwhelming weight.

Arlanya didn’t move, and continued to focus.
She was out of place, she didn’t belong.

Doctor after doctor, nurses after nurses filed in and out of both doors, some stopping briefly to pass a prescription order slip to the receptionist behind the glass window or to exchange quiet words with the people sitting in the chairs.
But they never stayed.

“Doctor!”
“…Doctor, over here!”
“Calling Doctor Creves---”

There was a sudden commotion, starting at the doors on the left side of the room.
Someone in a white medical jacket swept through the room, their body blurring in fast movement. The doctor hurriedly went to the door and went to push through---

Arlanya opened her eyes, returning to reality.
That was all her gift had to offer her.

She looked around the now dark, empty and vacant room, the images still fresh in her mind. It must have been such a dark place, even for a hospital.
Then her eyes fell on the door to her left.
The last part of the images she received had something to do with what was on the other side of those doors.
Maybe that was her sign.
She turned the flashlight to the door as she approached it, trying to see past the blur-filmed glass to the other side.
There was a commotion, this was it.
Arlanya was just about to reach for the door when a shot of sudden ice ran through her body.
I…I don’t want to go there.
She froze, and the cold took over her chest.
I can’t go in there.

It was pressing at her, pushing her away.
Threatening and promising, it was pulling at her skin, breathing down the back of her neck, staring holes through her body---

Arlanya stumbled a few steps back before she twisted around and hurried to the other door in the far right corner of the room. Her hand reached forward as she shoved her whole body against the doors, and she slipped in.
She couldn’t breathe, and she couldn’t think. Her back fell against the door, most of her weight supported by it.
Whatever the thing was just then, it did not want her near those doors.
What the hell was that? she thought.
Whatever it was, she instinctively knew… she could feel it. She was not welcome. And if she dared tried to defy it, it will hurt her.
Arlanya forced herself to breathe, forcing herself to settle down.
This was very unlike her, getting freaked out like this.
“Damn,” she muttered under her breath, not knowing what else to say.

She wasn’t herself, and she knew it. It was this place, the vibe and pressure of the air surrounding her.
This hospital, this floor, this unit---

Arlanya stopped in mid thought, realization sinking in.
It was just the spur of the moment, forced in the moment of pure frantic fear, where she had turned around and ran in through the door in the far right corner of the room.
So where is she now?

The Hunter pulled away from the door, her flashlight leading the way.
Now this part of the hospital was a lot like the rest of the hospital. Two hallways went in separate directions forming a V in front of her. On that corner was the front desk, and she could see the abandoned computer monitor and the dead flowers in the vase from where she stood. On the right side of her was a big open area, where the pharmacy station was. On the left side of this space, she saw a belted stretcher parked by the wall, left there like everything else in this hospital.
Arlanya swept her flashlight a little more to the left, when she saw another set of doors before her. This door was labeled, and what she saw made her stop short.

Intensive Care: Burn Unit

An involuntary shudder escaped the girl, unable to help herself.
It was this place; of all the units she could have wound up in, she was in the Burn Unit.

It was as if the place knew of her weakness.

After another moment, Arlanya mentally gave herself a shake.
She was on a mission; she didn’t have time to deal with personal issues.
With her composure regained, she took another look around. She was yet to come across her Mark, and she was running out of places to look.
Maybe it ducked into the pharmacy station. she thought.

She turned to her right, aiming her light towards the pharmacy. It would be an easy place to hide; the counter space was left open for anything to go in and hide.
Arlanya drew her gun, just as a precaution before she started towards the pharmacy. She kept the flashlight trained onto the counter like a spotlight, her weapon pointed and ready to shoot down anything that jumped out of the shadows. She could see the shelves behind the counter, some of them still fully stocked with prescription medications.
This is every junkie’s dream, she thought to herself.
She finally reached the pharmacy’s counter, her target yet to reveal itself. Her eyes flickered to every corner of the small stockroom, searching for any movement.
The pharmacy station was no bigger than a small car garage, and most of the space was occupied by the shelves. There were very little possibilities for a hiding place in this little area.

Arlanya sighed tiredly, and dropped her guard.
She was starting to doubt that her Mark was in the hospital to begin with.
Maybe Vayden was wrong about the Mark coming here. she thought. That itself was an unpleasant thought; that would mean she had gone through her suffering for no reason.

A sharp, electronic screeching ripped through the silence, and Arlanya nearly jumped out of her skin. She swore, and her hand flew to the walkie-talkie clipped at her hip.
“What the hell!” she hissed, and ripped the device from her belt.
She looked down and saw the red light blinking angrily, obviously to catch her attention.
She was getting a call, and there was only one other person, one other device that could reach her on the channel.

Immediately, Arlanya pressed down on the talk button, bringing the walkie-talkie to her mouth.
“Vayden!” she hissed, a flood of relief shooting through her. “It’s Arlanya; where the hell are you?”
She released the button and waited for a response.
All she heard was broken static, but the little red light was still blinking furiously, signaling that it was receiving.
Maybe it’s just bad connections. she thought. At least the kid was calling me now.
“Hey, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” she spoke into the speaker. “If you can hear me, I am in the Intensive Care Burn Unit. It’s in the dead center of the hospital, in the middle of the garden. Come find me.”

***
---Cold.

Icy cold pelts of water snapped against the ground, stinging and biting at me where I laid. The wind howled hauntingly, shadows shrieking through the trees.
…the unknown lurking in the dark, waiting for that chance, that moment to snatch off its prey.

But all I felt was the cold.

I breathed, the air passing my lips in weak rasps. Sharp stabbing pain blossomed from my chest, overpowering the cold of the rain.
I couldn’t cry out, and I couldn’t move. But I did wonder.

Why…why was I here?

I let my eyes search my surroundings, searching for anything to explain, to make me understand, to help me make sense of things. From the corner of my eye, just few feet away, I saw shoes---feet…legs, sprawled out in the mud.
But I felt nothing at the sight. The movement and sounds had died out ages ago…

The water kept pelting down on me, the threadbare fabric of my clothing sticking to my skin.
I could practically feel the heat drawing out of my body with every weakening heartbeat.
Everything hurt…everything was going black---

Something heavy splashed in the mud behind me, the sound awfully close. Instantly I stiffened, my mind back in high alert. The skin on the back of my neck felt as if needles were dancing through them.

Something is close behind me…too close---

An involuntary whimper escaped me as the shadows seemed to creep in closer.
The splashing of the mud stopped abruptly.
Icy shots of panic took over, clinging painfully in my chest. Immediately I stopped breathing, trying to stay perfectly still.

Please, I begged silently. Please don’t hurt me anymore.

There were no more splashing, just the growing roar of the storm. The rain pelted down on me harder than ever, the sound screaming angrily in my ear.

Please…please…

A low, hollow breathing ripped through the silence and embedded itself in my chest.

---NO!

Before I could think or stop myself, I threw myself back on my feet and started to run.

I ran without a sense of direction, diving into the forest frantically. Sharp thorns and branches of the low bushes and undergrowth whipped and slapped at my bare arms and face as I tore blindly through the dark.
Everything hurt and stung with every step I took, but I couldn’t stop. I just kept on running…and running…

Suddenly, the view in front of me melted and fused together, becoming nothing.
Shocked, I tripped and landed face-first into the ground with a wet splash.

”Look, over there…”
“That’s the boy…”

My breathing caught in my chest, freezing my heart painfully.

"His mother was a witch and his father was taken by a demon..."
"A cursed child---"

I started to shake violently, my bones practically rattling.

"Tainted soul---"
"Yes, the cursed-born..."

The sound of twigs snapping scraped through the dark and I wheeled around---

A cold, icy hand shot out and grabbed hold of me by my hair. A fearful, childish cry escaped me, the pitch of the voice all wrong.
I saw him raise his hand, something glinting in his hand.
I saw him swing down.

Something bright flashed in the trees, passing through the shadow swiftly.
Then, a flash of pale yellow, almost white, flashed right in front of me, swallowing the black in its impossible light.

***

Vayden inhaled sharply, his eyes snapping open in the dark. He jerked up off his back and sat up in alarm.

The smell of dust and old sterile chemicals filled his senses in the dark, bringing him back to reality.

The hospital.

That’s right; he was on a Hunt, and he followed his Mark into the hospital with Arlanya, and they had split up---
A sudden fog of confusion swept over him as he tried to remember.

Wait, why am I on the ground? What happened?

Bewildered, he took a look around.
The Pediatrics…the ghost children…the mural…
His head spun with scattered and broken images, slowly coming back together.
Crying, splashing…Follow the streaks---
Elevator. Voices…
Blood.

Vayden nearly jumped, as his memory recovered with full impact.
Instinctively, his hands fell to his chest.
His hand landed on bare skin, causing him to look down.

His jacket caught his eye first, crumpled in a pile right beside him, seemingly as if it was tossed there. And for some unseen reason, his shirt---a simple, plain white cotton undershirt---was completely torn open from the neck all the way down to the hem.
His body waist up was completely exposed.
But what sent his mind racing wildly was what he found on his skin…
---or rather, what he didn’t.

Vayden thought hard, replaying the memories of events that took place down the hall before that elevator over and over again in his mind. He closed his eyes and he could remember, even feel his own ribs crack, and the pain that bloomed throughout his torso. He could feel the surreal shock that had stunned him as he felt his body effortlessly thrown around like a rag doll. He could still recall the cold, helpless feeling, the panic, and the metallic taste in his mouth---

---So why was there not a single scratch on my body?

Vayden twisted around to look behind him, and saw his backpack, flashlight and gun laid out neatly in a row, ready for him to pick up and get going.
He certainly did not put them there.

The Hunter’s mind was clouded with questions as he slowly and cautiously brought himself to a stand.
He marveled, bemused at how easy and pain-free the movement was, especially when he felt as if he should be curled up in pure agony.
It just doesn’t make sense…

Slightly dazed, Vayden picked up his jacket and shrugged it on, covering his bare torso. Without another thought, he picked up his backpack, flashlight and finally his gun.
He stared at his weapon, the weight of it comfortable and familiar in his grip. He engaged the safety, pressed the magazine release and pulled out the current load.
The clip was full, not a bullet fired.
He pulled the slide back and checked the chamber before pushing the clip back in to reload his gun.

He had to find Arlanya, and fast.

Keeping the gun in his hand, he clipped his backpack securely onto his back to get going.
The walkie-talkie. I don’t have the walkie-talkie.
That’s right; he had lost his in the violent encounter. He had no idea where it could be.

Vayden started for the hallway to go look for it, when he suddenly stopped.
For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to step forward.
What if that thing, whatever it was, was still there? Though he didn’t like to admit it, that thing was way beyond his league of power.
But that device was the only one he had; without it, he had no way of communicating with Arlanya.
But was it worth the risk?
I was lucky once, I’ll be stupid to test my luck again. he thought.
His partner wasn’t going to be happy when she finds out he lost the walkie-talkie. But at least he can explain to her why he didn’t have it, alive.

Vayden gave one last look down the pediatrics unit, a dark cloud hovering over him.
I will be back though, and I will finish this.

With that one last thought, he wheeled around and hurried down the hall in the direction he had come from.
He passed the patients rooms, and the names on the plates and the angel mural.
The Guardian Angel…
It wasn’t long before Vayden found the door he had passed through.
Here, he came across another and final finding that he wasn’t expecting: The heavy metal doors were ripped right off of its hinges. Whatever was left of the door laid half bent and crumpled just a few feet away from the entry way.
Vayden jumped over the debris and bounded down the stairs.
Something was going on, something big. And he didn’t like it one bit.

And so the Hunter set out to find his partner, with many questions left unanswered.

~~~~

The Pediatrics, Stage I Unit returned to its lifeless, heavy silence, abandoned and void once more.
But the air was now different, somehow darker than ever.
Something was stirring, finally moving from its long wait, ready to seize the opportunity that had waltzed in literally through the front door.
The fun was just starting---

Somewhere deep in this dark place, a small red light broke through the pitch black, completely out of place.
It blinked furiously and definitely, calling for attention.

“Vayden!” A broken, yet loud electronic voice cried out through the static. A young female voice. “It’s Arlanya; where the hell are you?”
There was a slight pause, as if the speaker was waiting for a response. When none came, she continued.
“Hey, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” she spoke, her tone somewhat tense. “If you can hear me, I am in the Intensive Care Burn Unit. It’s in the dead center of the hospital, in the middle of the garden. Come find me.”

Then the buzz of the static was cut off, and a small notifying beep went off.
“It’s alright, Arlanya.” Vayden’s voice replied, his tone calm. A slight, amused smile can be heard in his tone. “I know exactly where you are.”