Epidemic

*3*

"You okay?" His voice was soft so as not to alarm the others.

I gave him a soft smile and nodded my head, "Yeah, I'm alright." I wasn't alright, but I really didn't want them to worry. I wanted to show that I could handle this and prove myself.

The passenger door slammed shut and Zak turned in his seat to look at me. "Lacey are you-"

"Yes, I'm fine, can we go now please?" I cut him off, I just didn't need to hear it again. I could tell that my face had hardened and his hardened back at me; him turning around in his seat without another word.

Damnit, I need to quit reacting like that. He's the one that can send me home whenever he wants.

I rubbed my temples and hugged my laptop and knees closer to my chest. I got lost in my thoughts for a little while. and didn't notice when we pulled up to the hotel; the boys hopping out quickly. I slid out of my seat slowly, almost not noticing Jay standing next to the van waiting for me. He shut the door behind me and locked it as we walked into the hotel in silence. As we stepped into the elevator, Jay cleared his throat a little and spoke quietly.

"You know Zak doesn't want to get rid of you, right? He actually really likes what you can do for the team."

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and nodded my head slowly, "Really?" I stared at my feet as he continued to speak.

"Yeah, he was actually talking about you this morning before you got up and met up with us, talking about how he thinks you really pull us together, " He smiled over at me, "You definitely keep us on our toes."

I chuckled at that one. Maybe Zak wasn't as hard as I thought he was after all. I just needed to stop reacting to him as if he were.

We reached our floor and hopped out of the elevator; walking to our respected rooms. I walked into my room and the exhaustion from everything happening suddenly hit me. It wasn't very late and I hadn't even eaten, but what had happened earlier had taken it out of me.

I was only planning on taking a short nap until someone texted, called, or came to my room to get me for dinner, so I laid out on the bedspread and used my arms for a pillow. Finally I allowed the darkness to overcome me. 

Voices echoed through my mind like it were an empty void. Screams and growls reverberated in my ears and made my skin crawl. I couldn't make out anything anyone was saying but the voices grew louder and louder, the noise became almost deafening.

Suddenly, I could see. Not clearly, but I could tell that I was in a warehouse and it was full of old, large furniture and machinery. I couldn't see anyone else in the building but yet the voices continued to increase in volume. Suddenly, an ear-splitting screech came from one corner of the building and I turned my milky gaze toward it. The black mass standing just a few feet from me looked familiar somehow. The way it stood and its height made something in my brain click. I didn't know how I remembered what, or who this thing was, but something in my head was telling me that I did.

Somehow, I had a feeling it remembered me too by the way it was very intently staring me down. I could not see its' eyes, but I knew they were there, staring a hole straight through me. Goosebumps rose on my skin and I turned on my heel, weaving through the furniture and machines, trying to get away from the thing that seemed to have my scent.

Within all the chaos of running away from this thing, I realize that the voices and screams from earlier had completely stopped, and the only screaming I was hearing was my own and the creatures'. I was speeding up and down aisles, ducking under and through things and not really knowing where I was going to end up. I took sharp turns and wide turns, but somehow ended up right back where I started, still with that thing on my ass.