IGNIS : the umbrella academy [COMPLETE]

III

     CARLA AWOKE WITH A START. She was lying in an unfamiliar bed, her head throbbing, and her ribs hurt with every breath she took in.

     A plaster was covering the back of right hand, presumably where an IV had been, and with a start, she realised she wasn't wearing her gloves. She was wearing a plain white gown, and was laying in Klaus's bed.

     "Hello, Miss Jenkins," a British voice said, and she turned to see Pogo standing by her bed, "How do you feel?"

     "Like I've been hit by a bus," she groaned, voice croaky. What had happened? Then she remembered: the two assassins breaking into the Academy and the woman shoving Carla off the first floor.

     "Not quite," he said, mildly amused, "But you did have quite the fall."

     "How long have I been out?" Carla asked, glancing around her room for her gloves. To her relief, they were positioned on Klaus's desk.

     Pogo checked his watch, "Almost twenty-four hours."

     "Shit," she groaned again, "What happened?"

     "You broke two of your ribs, and have a mild concussion," he told her, "It could have been a lot worse."

     Carla's tongue darted out to wet her lips, "Where's Klaus?"

     "I'm afraid I'm not sure," Pogo said gently, after a pause of consideration, "Out, I assume."

     "What do you mean? He hasn't come to see me?" she frowned deeply, eyebrows knotting together.

     Pogo sighed, "No... he hasn't."

     Carla's mind was reeling. Something was wrong. Klaus would definitely visit Carla, she would bet her life on it, but apparently Pogo didn't seem to understand that, and believed he had gone for his latest drug fix.

     "Okay," Carla uttered, doing her best to muster a smile, "Uh, when can I leave?"

     "I think it would be best to leave it for another day," Pogo said, smiling kindly, "I'll leave you to rest."

     "Thank you, Pogo," Carla said softly, smiling at him as he slowly walked out of the room.

     At the doorway, the chimpanzee froze, before turning back to face her, "Also, I found your Walkman on the hallway floor. I left it in your bag."

     She waited until his footsteps were out of hearing range, before sitting upright, letting out a hiss of pain. She ripped off the ECG pads on her arms and chest, before getting changed as quickly as possible, grabbing her gloves and yanking them on.

     Rummaging through her bag, Carla pulled out her Walkman and 'Walks at Night' mixtape, slotting it in and pressing play.

     Something was most definitely up. There was no way Klaus would just leave her unconscious after falling from a fucking balcony. And her Walkman! Klaus knew how important it was to her, and he would never just leave it on the floor. 

     "Best to leave it another day," Carla muttered, quoting Pogo's words and scoffing, "Fat fucking chance."

     Carla crept out into the hallway and saw no-one. The house must have been empty, aside from Pogo, of course. Where the hell was everyone?

     It was getting late as well. Then she spotted the blonde head of Grace sitting in the same armchair Carla saw her a night ago and realised that in order to get to the stairs, she'd have to pass the robot.

     She anxiously glanced at Grace's face, before stopping with a start. Her arm was exposed, the wires cut, and her eyes dark. Someone had deliberately turned her off with no intentions to turn her on again.

     Carla couldn't help but frown, wanting to do something, but she knew she couldn't dawdle. Her priority was Klaus.

     She also couldn't help but feel slightly bitter, considering it was Grace she had tried to save before she was shoved from the balcony. She supposed the universe just wanted a cheap laugh.

     Carla jogged down the stairs, trying to ignore the pain shooting through her ribs, quickly opening the door and shutting it gently behind her. Where the fuck was he?

     She had to start somewhere, so she set off down the street, heading towards the main part of town. The streetlights lit up the path she was walking on, and she looked around her at the various shops and buildings. 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' was playing, and Carla found herself gazing into the various shops that were still open.

     There was a bar called 'The Cat's Claws', and Carla thought she might check in there. However, she knew a fifteen-year-old girl wouldn't be welcome so late at night, and had to settle for trying to peer through the grimy glass.

      She pressed her face up against the glass, squinting slightly, but it was incredibly dirty, and she could only make out a few figures.

     "Well, shit," she muttered, before reaching for the door and swinging it open. As soon as she entered the bar, she was hit by the stench of alcohol, smoke and sweat, and she quickly glanced about the faces.

     Slowly, everyone within the bar turned to face her, and she internally groaned, before saying, "Hi, I'm looking for my brother and I was wondering if he had possibly come in here. He's quite tall, and really lanky, with kinda curly hair, and he has this large coat-"

     "This ain't no place for a pretty girl like you," a man said, his voice gravelly and low.

     Carla instantly felt wary, stomach lurching, and she backed up slightly, "I just want to know if you've seen him."

     "Does it matter?" another man, closer this time, growled, a sickening grin on his face, exposing his yellow teeth.

     Spinning on her heel, Carla turned and fled, the laughs of the men in the bar following her out. Her skin felt dirty, as though she needed to shed it, and her heart was hammering against her ribs so aggressively she wouldn't be surprised if it burst through her chest.

     There was a definite possibility she was being paranoid and overdramatic, but that didn't stop the bile rising in her throat.

     Carla walked down the various streets, poking her head into the different shops that were open, occasionally asking if anyone had seen a tall man wearing a crop top and large coat. They would either shake their head no or ignore her altogether. She was growing desperate.

     Where the fuck was Klaus?

     Hours ticked by, Carla straying further from the Academy, walking down streets she didn't know, but didn't care enough to check the names of. Her heart was beginning to beat hard and fast as panic's icy tendrils crawled up her spine like fingers. Something was definitely wrong.

     Where were the others?

     Where was Five? Or Allison, or Luther? She knew they were supposed to be staying at the Academy, but were clearly out. It didn't really bother her that none of them cared enough to stay around and make sure she was okay, but she knew for a fact Klaus wouldn't leave her side.

     Carla came to a stop in the middle of the street, looking up at the stars before slowly sinking to her knees, tears prickling her vision.

     Her ribs were aching, every breath pained her, and her head was pounding too.

     She felt utterly alone, knowing no-one else seemed to notice, or even care, that Klaus was gone, and she was severely dehydrated, as well as exhausted, her brain feeling like fog.

     It had been hours; all she had been doing was wandering the streets, and she was no closer to finding her missing friend that no-one else seemed to care was missing.

     "Shit, Klaus," she whispered, voice getting carried away by the wind, "Where are you?"