BLUNT. | Liam Dunbar

Lack of Oxygen - Chapter Six

I huffed, standing back up, "Yours aren't."

Annie raised an eyebrow at me, "Liam, I'm strong, but I don't think I could carry you---"

"I didn't mean carry me," I interrupted her, "I meant help me." I put my arm around her shoulders, dropping some of my weight on her.

"I still don't think it was anything." She shook her head, walking me to the door.

I shrugged, "Exactly why I want to check it out."

Annie struggled to open the door and hold my weight on her. Her cheeks with flushed pink, and I couldn't tell if she was blushing at being so close to me... hopefully... or straining to carry me.

"Here," I said, balancing on one foot and popping the door open. She looked up at me and gave me a 'thank you' smile, she shuffled outside the door.

"Hey!" I yelled as we walked into the hallway. "Anybody hear that?"

Annie shook her head, leaning me against the wall, and walking down the hallway solo for a bit. She looked back at me and shrugged, "No one's around."

BANG!

I flipped around, following the sound I had just heard echo through the hallway. "Liam, what is it?" Annie called from the end of the hallway.

I shook my head, "I thought I heard someone." I turned around and a kid with blood covering his face, running down his chin and shirt was standing behind Annie. "ANNIE!" The shriek that came from my voice echoed through the hallway.

Annie turned around, and I flailed towards her, attempting to help her as he pushed her forward. I fell to the ground, crawling towards this girl.

"Sean!" Annie called out, and I finally realized who the kid was. It was the one who's family had been murdered. I remember seeing him on the news. "Sean, stop!"

Annie scrambled to her feet, sticking her hands out in front of her, trying to calm this insane kid. "Sean... stop."

"I'm sorry," Sean shook his head. "I just got so hungry."

"Sean," Annie soothed again. I saw as she reached her hand out, finding the nearest medical table, and grabbing a scalpel off of it. She got a firm grip on it, hiding her hand behind her leg. "Sean, I know this is confusing for you, but I can help you. We can help you control this. You just have to let us go."

"Annie!" I yelled as Sean launched himself at her.

I watched as she skillfully threw the scalpel through the air, hitting Sean in the shoulder, and splattering blood onto the wall behind him.

Annie shuffled backwards, grabbing me beneath the arms, and pulling me down the hallway, half my body sliding across the ground. What was that? How did Annie know how to do that? What did she mean by she could help him? So many thoughts flooded my brain, I could barely contemplate the pain of my leg as I got dragged up a flight of stairs.

"Scott!" Annie yelled, her voice coming out raspy. "Scott!"

The door at the bottom of the stairs swung open, and the devilish boy walked in, growling at us. "You shouldn't have done that." he groaned, yanking out the scalpel in his shoulder.

Annie quickly opened another door, the door at the top of the stairs and pulled me through it, pushing it shut behind her. She sat me down on the ground and tried her hardest to lock the door by putting loose bricks at the bottom. I shook my head, "What the hell is he?"

Annie shook her head, looking around the rooftop of the hospital. The wind swept at my cheeks, and the adrenaline pumped through my body, allowing me to ignore the crazed amount of pain I was in. Annie ran over, picking up a piece of loose, rusty pipe, and hitting it against her other hand. She picked up another brick, throwing it to me, and a BANG! echoed around us as the door began to open.

"Get ready!" she screamed as the door swung completely open and a body fell through it.

Annie ran at it, about to hit the boy with huge teeth coming from his mouth, but instead Scott caught her hand. "Annie!" he yelled.

Annie panted, dropping her rod and falling into Scott's arms. "Did you see him? Where'd he go?" she questioned, still breathing heavily.

"He just disappeared." Scott panted.

I sat up on my elbows, and got one good look as Sean ran at Scott, hitting him in the head with something. Annie scrambled backwards, flailing her limbs around for something to protect herself with, but Sean kicked her in the face, making her delusional.

Sean looked over at me as Scott began to push himself to his feet. "No, stop!" I screamed as he ran towards me, pulling me to my feet by my throat.

My mouth made gurgling sounds as my feet were lifted off the ground. I felt as Sean walked over to the edge of the building, and I didn't need to look down to know he was dangling me off the side.

"Get back!" Sean yelled as Scott ran towards us.

"Don't!" Scott yelled, his eyes turning a red color. I shook my head, it must be something I'm seeing, some weird thing from the lack of oxygen. Large fangs and claws grew from Scott's mouth and hands, as he took a step closer to Sean and I. "You don't need to do this. Whatever it is. Whatever you are... we can help you!"

This reminded me of what Annie had said in the hallway, and I began to believe it wasn't just something to calm Sean down, that Annie meant what she was saying.

Sean threatened to drop me once again, almost taunting Scott and I. "No, you can't."

Scott nodded, taking another step forward. "Let me help you."

"Wendigos don't need help." Sean growled, looking up at me, "We need food!"

He turned around to me, and Scott pushed him, grabbing my wrist just before I fell to the ground. Sean ran up behind him and grabbed one of his arms. Scott pulled me up a few inches, putting my hand on the ledge as Sean pulled Scott's other hand behind his back.

"Oh, God!" Annie yelled, standing up and attempting to make her way over to us. She stumbled her way a few steps before falling to the ground, her head was bleeding.

"No!" Sean yelled, "No!"

I felt my fingers slipping off the roof. "I can't hold on!" I screamed, looking up at Scott, his eyes still bright red, fangs still merging from his mouth. I closed my eyes as my fingers slipped off the roof, and braced my body for an impact.

But suddenly, teeth sunk into my wrist. I opened my eyes, screaming at the sudden pain shooting through my body. Scott had bitten me, he bit me.

Annie ran to the roof, pulling me up as Scott kicked Sean backwards. "Liam!" Annie yelled, her hands cupping my face.

My eyes were too distracted on the man that had just appeared in the corner of the roof. I watched as an axe swung through the air, and hit Sean straight in the back. Blood dripped from his mouth as he fell face forward.

"Oh, my god." Annie gasped as she looked at the man who had hit Sean.

He had no mouth. Not one at all. Just skin overgrown as if there was no mouth... ever. And yet, he brought a single finger to where his mouth would be.... as if telling us to keep quiet, and then he disappeared.

Blackness faded over my eyes, and then the next thing I knew...
I was out.