“Oh, Cammie.”

Camellia’s heart scatters around her ribcage. Sanctuary impossible to find. Her breaths are slow and paced. Doing her best to not reveal where she’s hidden.

“Camellia~”

She rolls her eyes , grip on the rusty knife she found tightening. Her skin burns where the metal vines have torn it open and squeezed. The jacket she had been wearing long discarded. Blood paints her left side. Soaking every inch of of clothing. Her ears pick up on the proximity of how close the other girl is. Metal scraping against old concrete. Camellia does her best to stay pressed against the wall. Contemplating removing her shoes, knowing that it’s too risky. The closer the sound the more she backs away.

“Camellia~ I know you’re still nearby. Hiding won’t help you.”

She rolls her eyes, glancing around for something better than the rusty knife she has to defend herself. Anything that’s sturdy and has less of a chance of being her downfall. In her distractedness she’s spotted, but not by her chaser, rather someone she considers her friend and family. He simply stares, not moving to assist her. His demeanor keeping her in place. He does look as though he’s been busy, but doing what she’s not sure.

“Ah, there you are. Oh and look Curtis is back.”

Curtis shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Merely watching as Camellia’s lifted off her feet and slammed against the ground.

“Rose, we haven’t all day. Hurry up.”

“Don’t. Rush. Me. I waited years for this. Years!”

“I’m well aware, but if you don’t want to be found I suggest you pick up the pace.”

Rose groans, watching as Camellia struggles to get up. Pushing herself into a sitting position. Lungs forcing air up her esophagus along with blood. Cackling resounds around her. Spinning through her ears and shaking around in her skull. She can only describe the sound as being brittle and painful to hear. However, she still forces her head to lift and look at the man she once thought was her friend. Someone she had grown up with and felt was her brother. A brother she had never gotten.

“Wh-why? I trus-trusted you.”

“Does it really matter? You’ll be dead before even he can find you.”

His fingers slip gently around the knife that she’d been holding. Plunging it into her shoulder and then repetitively in her side. No explanation for his sudden desire to murder her. All she can do is scream and writhe in pain. And he watches unflinchingly, a blank expression on his face. She rolls onto her back as he stops.

“Let’s get going. I’ve no intention of going back.”

“Whatever.”

Rose huffs, pulling the appendages protruding from her back up and away from the ground. That is, after she’s drilled one through the entirety of Camellia’s right thigh. One last agonizing cry out leaving her lungs. Immediately after the girl destroys the roof, slinking off into the darkness with a sadistic giggle.

The shaking is what brings him back, mere inches from punching his best friend in the mouth. Instead he steadies himself, watching as the floor beneath them chips just slightly. Panic fills the empty space around them. Their breathing is labored almost wispy. Both know the feeling. When everything comes crumbling down around them, trapped and unable to get out. Only one place had given them such fear. One place had nearly cost them everything in its destruction. And they were standing over it in what at one point had been a seemingly normal home. Raven’s straightens instinctively, rushing out to find the room Voyle had forced him out of. No surprise to find that at least six others were already gathering supplies. Among them is Seige.

“We’ll follow you and Fink down. Go ahead. We’ll catch up with you.”

Raven and Fink nod. Sprinting down series of corridors. The orange-haired boy nearly tumbling into the cavern the stretches before them. Thankfully, Raven grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him back just in time. It’s too dark to see clearly into it, but they’re fully aware that there’s rubble dumped into the opening. Neon eyes stare into nothingness. Fingers twitching, nerves bundling and huddling in the pit of his stomach. He has to remind himself, that saying something and the act of actually doing it are two different things. Legs won’t move either way, even after his best friend jumps in without a word of caution. A blank mind screeches to flee and hide. All he can do is close his eyes to the very place haunting him in this moment. It’s this little action that allows him to hear screaming. Pained and faint. Something he hadn’t heard for more than 10 years. His heart follows his nerves, sitting on top of them indignantly. Shaking his head he follows Raven’s path. Listening intently for the snow haired male. The only indicator being swearing and the sound of something being destroyed. What he comes upon isn’t something he’d expected to see.

A set of luminous green vines appear to be holding large pieces of ceiling just mere centimeters off of Camellia’s body. She’s no longer screaming, but the pool of blood beneath her tells him it had been her he’d heard. Pain seeps across her features, smeared in with blood, and cuts. He can’t understand how she got so badly injured.

“Cammie, stay awake.”

“She’s losing too much blood, Raven.”

“I’m not stupid Fink!”

“Lower your voice. Whoever did this could still be here.”

Fink’s cautious checking her wrist for a pulse. Thankful that it’s not too weak. He’s positive moving her will kill her but staying here isn’t going to do much in terms of getting her aid. The holes in her side churn his stomach and if not for the fact of wanting her to be okay and wanting to help he’d turn and walk away. Like all the comrades you walked away from before? The people you let Hyle put down? Again he shoves the thoughts aside. Listening to Raven talk and swear. Before noticing Camellia’s lips are moving.

“Raven, shut up a minute. She’s talking.”

“She shouldn’t be! Where the fuck is Von Teile?!”

A single tear is enough to tell Fink what happened. Enough to expose a small bit of the events that occurred. He lowers his head, squeezing her hand, and then prys through her memories. Digging for answers where she’ll let him. Although, he’s sure that she’s not even fully aware of what’s going on. As the memories flood through his heart hammers in his chest. Just as quickly as he delved he pulls back. Just in time for Seige and the others to show up with medical supplies. One of the men turns aside, spewing whatever he’d eaten for the day. The sight of CAmellia’s condition enough to make anyone sick.

“What the hell did this to her?”

“More like who…”

Raven swivels fast enough to nearly throw himself off his feet. Crimson eyes. Blood spilled over.

“Who?”

“Project Gardenia, had one test subject. She’s the only one they couldn’t control. She was to remain contained until they could. Most of this is her work.”

“And the rest?”

“Fink, you know a lot about a place you’ve never been into before until now.”

“Curtis…”

Not a single muscle in Raven’s body moves. Blood turns to lead in otherwise healthy veins. There’s a chuckle that coats the skin in a thick layer of ice. Goosebumps and raised hairs. And as if no one else is there he turns and slams his fist against some of the fallen debris, shattering it into several pieces. Once the piece is finally destroyed the vines holding it up recede back to where they came from. The others including Seige move quickly to try and bandage Camellia up the best they can. One of them attempts to lift her, only to be shoved aside as their angry friend scoops her up. Ignoring the blood seeping through the bandages.

“We need to move fast.”

Not a single word. Brisk steps march him back through the path he’d taken to find her. The more she’s jostled around the more blood that seeps out. Lapping at his clothing and shoes. Staining his fingers. She’s still struggling to speak, incoherent words and thoughts. He could try to shush her and tell her everything will be okay. Yet hearing her struggle is the only thing telling him she’s fighting to stay alive. He grunts when he finds he can’t exactly carry her up the way they came.

“Shit.”

“We’ll have to take the desert exit. The whole place started coming apart after you two left us.”

“How the hell is anyone going to find us?”

“Voyle said something about sending a truck to come get us. Gave us flares to use in case they get lost.”

“Well, then let’s hurry. We didn’t think it would be this bad.”

Nodding the group sets off, careful of any fallen rubble. Hoping for the best that she can hold out until they get help. Meanwhile Raven’s thoughts travel elsewhere. If he hadn’t intended to act on killing Curtis before, this was enough to get him to do so.