SKIN & BONES ; C. HARTLEY

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

★彡

THE SOUND of dripping water echoed around the group, Matilda had since discarded her flashlight, and was now using Chris', who was still leaning against her.

"You sure you don't just want to go ahead? I'm slowing you down, Til." He kept his voice quiet, every noise heard in the sewers was quickly amplified.

Matilda tutted, after everything they'd been through tonight, how could he think she'd even consider leaving him behind? The girl huffed, pushing herself closer against Chris, who was still looking down at her, waiting for an answer.

"Help me!"

The two froze, the other three had gone ahead of them once more, but faintly Matilda saw the outline of Ashley go further into the sewer.

Chris blinked. "Did you hear-"

"Help me, please!"

"It-it sounds like Jess..." Matilda shakily said, her eyes shut tightly as she forced herself to walk, the anguish in 'Jess'' voice bouncing off the walls and into Matilda's skull.

"Remember what Ash said? They can mimic, it's not her." Chris whispered, trying to make her feel better, but it had the opposite effect.

"I know, but that means she-she called for help at some point... Her cries... Those screams... She screamed like that." Matilda clutched at Chris' coat, tightly enough to make her knuckles go white and fingers ache.

The two walked in a shuddered silence past the noises, past the thumping of wood, past the screams for help, they walked with uncertainty until they met up with the rest of the group again, Sam hurried over to them, her hands on each of their shoulders.

"I was gettin' worried, you guys okay?"

Matilda looked over her shoulder, the screeching had stopped but the sound of it would forever haunt her. She looked back to Sam, and found she couldn't find her voice.

"We're... Okay." Chris finally said, forcing himself to stand up straight, his thumb rubbing circles on Matilda's shoulder. "How far do you think we are from the sanatorium?"

Sam sighed, shrugging her shoulders, now reunited, the group began to walk again, this time slowly enough to accommodate Chris. "I'm not sure, feels like we're going in circles if I'm honest."

The rubble and dirt Matilda had been walking on were replaced with planks of broken, creaking wood. She looked around herself, the remnants of the mines, and shuddered. How long had this all been here? The atmosphere had become beyond unsettling hours ago for Matilda, and presumably the rest of the group too, she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Chris seemed to have noticed the change in Matilda, how, she wasn't sure — perhaps she had sighed too many times. He tilted his head down to her. "Hey, you feeling okay?"

As he spoke, Ashley turned her head to look at them both, her eyes once again drifting to Chris' limping leg.

Matilda held back a sigh, and forced a smile up at Chris. "I'm just... Very tired, I think, tonight's been a lot to process. I'm not- I'm not sure how much more I can take." She was trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible, not wanting her negativity being heard by the group. "I just want to find Mike, find Josh and wait for the police." She looked over her shoulder to where 'Jess' had been screaming once more.