Inhuman (OLD VERSION; UNFINISHED - SEE NEW BOOK)

Chapter 13 - Jay

The gun had gone off and I acted without thinking. Pushing through the swinging doors I leapt at Beth from behind, one hand reaching for her mouth, the other grabbing at her waist. I knew the pressure of my hand against her mouth was crushing, but it had been all I could do to prevent her from screaming. Instead a small gasp of breathless surprise had escaped her as I pulled her back through the doors and into the hall.

Her feet kicked out as she struggled against my grip, stifled protests muted against the palm of my hand which was warm and damp from her breath. She had latched her hands onto my own trying to pry it away from her mouth, her nails digging into my skin.

"Shhhhh" I whisper hoarsely in her ear "I'm not going to hurt you". Her shoulders wriggle in response to my attempts to calm her and one connects with my chin. Pain shoots through my jaw as my teeth clatter against one another, the rattling sensation vibrating through my skull. Anger surges through me. Fine, if that's how she wanted to play it, I would one up her. She was light and easy to pull away despite the degree of resistance she offered. I turned her around in the hall to face the direction I was taking her, the length of the white tiled floors and walls extending before us. Lifting her off her feet I increase my pace, her light weight letting me carry her with ease. Her legs kick out around me connecting a few times with the wall. Dull thuds echo down the hall as I nudge open the door to the room I had concealed myself just moments before. I drop her down on the floor in the middle of the room, releasing my grip over her mouth. She groans winded as I close the door gently and lock it.

Turning I see her sprawled on the floor and instantly I slide to my knees in front of her, pressing my hand against her mouth again. Her eyes reflect the light pouring through from the slim windows in the top of the walls that line the hall, widened in alarm. I bring a finger to my mouth and shape it in an 'O' for her to be quiet. She stares at me stunned, my hand barely pressing against her mouth this time as I stare into her eyes. Her breath comes rapidly against my palm and I see her visibly shaking, streaks of tears lining her cheeks. I hear the start of a word come out of her mouth, but before she can speak I push my palm firmly over her mouth. Annoyance flares across her face, but I ignore her and tilt my head to the side, gesturing with one finger at my ear and mouthing the word listen.

The room was sealed off from the hall, the windows too high up in the wall to let someone peer through, the door locked from the inside. From the outside, it would just be another inaccessible room in the bottom of the hospital. We sit there in silence, staring at each other, our chests rising and falling rapidly as we try to control our breathing.

They're ever so slight, the sound of shoes connecting with the tiled floor. Slow and steady, calculating and apprehensive. The rattling of a handle makes her jump, the door down the hall being tested by whomever it was searching. Our eyes stay locked and I will her to be quiet, to trust me. I raise my eyebrows expectantly at her, waiting for her to agree to my silent terms. I lift my hand away from her face so that it hovers apprehensively as a sign of trust, waiting for the slightest sign of betrayal. She nods at me and I lower my hand completely.

The footsteps grow louder as the person moves further down the hall towards the door to our room. Holding up my hand for Beth to stay put, I walk in a crouch to the door and lean against the wall next to it. Reaching into my pocket I pull out a switchblade, gently pressing on the mechanism and pulling out the blade rather than letting it noisily flick. Across the room Beth sits on the floor staring at me, fear evident upon her face as she eyes the weapon in my hand. We stare at one another as we listen to the footsteps grow louder, occasionally stopping as a handle is rattled.

"Miss Morgan?" a voice drones out from the hall, the last half echoing into the room. The agent has given up his attempt at stealth, clearly wanting to bring her out into the hall. I look at Beth who looks conflicted, her face looking to decide between what two really shitty situations. I shake my head at her and she nods slowly, her fear evident as she forcefully swallows whatever plan she had started to form. I guess she figured the person who hadn't shot someone dead just moments before was the better one to trust. "Miss Morgan please come out".

The footsteps sound outside the door as the handle rattles. The frame of the door shakes and creaks in protest against the forced attempt to open it. Her hands fly to her mouth to silence herself as she flinches at the sound. Looking up to the handle of the door I see it twisting back and forth, the lock preventing it from turning any further. My grip on the blade tightens, the clamminess of my palm making the hilt shift in my clenched fist. My heart accelerates as adrenaline pumps through my body. No matter how many times I entered the city, no matter how many times I was in a situation where I was cornered with almost no escape, my body responded the same. My fight reflexes awoke with the danger, my brain alert in anticipation of any and every move. It was a rush, a thrill, a test, and each time I faced it, I had to win.

The handle stops moving and I shakily breathe out a sigh of relief as the footsteps disappear. My brain snaps at me to stay focused and I press my ear closer to the door. The agent would be approaching the end of the hall which split in two opposite directions. We needed to go right, to take the stairs and head to the upper levels where I had people waiting for us.

When Beth had logged in at the lab, she'd rendered our original plan useless. We had intended to grab her on the way to work, inconspicuous among the crowds. It would have been easier, but of course easy was an option the universe rarely offered. Instead we had to adapt. We tracked the car at the lab and the channels the agents used to communicate over. We learned there was already someone of interest at the hospital, and that to tidy things up, they were going to "take care of them together". Judging by the gun shot, the other person was dead. Since Beth was still alive, their job was unfinished and her safety was now my number one priority.

They had used a back entrance to the hospital and would assume Beth would use it to be discrete in her escape as well. For all they knew she was alone and had no help whatsoever and I could use that to my advantage. They were looking for someone who they thought was idle and in hiding, and while they searched every inch of the hospital looking for her, I was going to lead her right out the front door.