Number 965

Part 1: The Base VI

It reared its head back and staggered forward with its arms stretched out clawing at us not knowing who shot. It swiped the gun out of Echo's hand scratching the back of it , sending her stumbling backward to the wall. It advanced on her raking it's claws through her skin. Rupert shot it's arm, numbing and disabling the arm causing it to turn away from Echo who had collapsed on the floor. I shot it's left shoulder which didn't much more than irritate it. The number swung forward at me its teeth bared and with fire in its eyes. It's clawed hand came towards my face, I screamed and threw my arms up for protection but it never touched me. I opened my eyes and saw Caleb with his knife up guarding his face and digging it into the numbers arm stopping it above my head. I jumped into action, the prospect of not being dead gave me strength, I shot it right in the chest once sending it reeling backward. Rupert fired a well-aimed shot that lodged its self into 965's ear. Ethan tore forwards with his knife, forgetting about his gun and moved like the wind slashing at the beast any chance he got. Sam pushed forwards and fired rapidly but she wasn't as good of a shot as Rupert. I started inching my way over to Echo who was on the floor with blood pooling around her, before I got there Rupert made the final blow landing a dart in its chest right beside mine and sending it to the floor. We all stood staring at it and breathing heavy looking at the twitching Number. Ethan stepped out from behind the door and slowly approached the Number with his knife drawn. I was breathing hard and stumbled back into the wall and sank down the wall staring at the mop of greasy black hair that fell from its head. Ethan stood over its limp body with his knife raised, Caleb stepped in front of me and blocked my view but it didn't obscure the sickening thud of the knife being driven hilt deep into that creatures back. I heard Sam gasp and quickly turn away and Echo's faint whimpering somewhere on my left.

'Rupert, Caleb come help me with this." Ethan spoke with a hard unwavering voice . Caleb and Rupert went forward and helped Ethan lift the body up and put it back into its room and I stared at the pool of blood that had formed on the floor, it was a deeper red than I ever I ever thought possible. I don't know why but for some reason I hadn't expected red living blood from something that seemed so dead. The boys put 965 down on its table and left the room closing the door behind them.

"Who has the first aid kit in their pack?" Sam asks

"I do," I mutter tearing my eyes away from the blood to look over at Echo. The skin on the hand that the Number had gotten was tattered, she had blood that dripped from her fingers to the floor, she had claw marks the cheek that was facing me and the cloth of her shirt sleeves was ripped and bloody. I dropped my pack to the floor and dug through it for the kit. Finally, I got it out and rushed over to her falling to my knees in front of her.

"Is it bad?" She questioned me her eyes squeezed closed.

"Well, it could have been worse," I said my voice was tight, "You still have all of your fingers and stuff."

"Good." She breathed.

"Now I'm going to give you this pain killer then fix you up. Try to stay awake but maybe keep your eyes closed or face the other way." I put a dissolvable pill in her good hand for her to eat then Sam and I get to work. My mother had taught Sam and me everything she had known about healing and medicine before she left us, so between the both of us we knew quite a bit; the only problem was we didn't really have all of the supplies we needed. we did the best we could, folding the mostly intact skin over and cutting the mostly tattered off, then putting solvent on all the wounds and wrapping her hand. I cut the sleeve off of her arm, the cuts there weren't bad that the shirt was gross and would cause it to be infected. Sam put a sterile cloth on Echo's cheek and taped it there so that it stayed. The whole job wasn't pretty but it worked and it was the best that we could do.

"That is as good as it's gonna get for now." Sam got up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. I put the supplies back into the kit after wiping them off and then stood as well.

"We should all sit," Ethan said, "We need a break."

"How about at the end of the hall, I don't like the idea of sitting here for much longer." Sam translates for Rupert who was motioning to the end of the hall. We all muttered in agreement, Sam and Caleb helped Echo up. We moved down to the end and sat. Echo nodded off in the corner and Ethan paced back and forth in front of us. I pulled out a snack and watched Ethan pace. It was in those minutes that we sat there that I noticed a soft white light coming from the side of the closet door on my right. I hadn't noticed the door before it blended pretty well with the wall except at this angle where you can see the cracks of light from the edge. Unlike the other doors, it didn't have a window meaning it wasn't a room for a number. As I watched it the light grew slowly brighter.