274 (Complex Series, #4)

Chapter Forty-Six

Another creature? My mind automatically flits back to Tooth’s theory of how people disappeared. Simply enveloped into nothingness.

I don’t think something that horrible could exist, but what else has Ellen been able to create? Something worse than the Ecru?

We walk in silence. Sweat stains Theo’s shirt. Maybe he’s more shaken than he leads on to be.

“Do you think we are murderers?” His question startles me.

“I don’t…I don’t know.”

“Me neither. Apparently I’m no better than the Heads, killing people when I ‘need’ to.”

“But they aren’t people, not really. And we did need to, otherwise we would have died.”

Silence forms around us. I don’t know how to reassure him when I’m not confident myself. I killed three Ecru, just because I thought my life was more important.

We turn a corner and a relived smile breaks my face. Two foggy doors lie directly ahead, labeled with a backwards ‘Kitchens’.  The exit of the Kitchens Wing.

We slip through the doors, to the inner circle of the Unknown.

We pass by some Toilets. Although the hallways look vaguely familiar, I’m not sure where we are exactly in the twisted halls. The longer we walk, the more urgent my steps become. How much longer will the lights be on? Why are they on? Where’s the next pack of Ecru? Will Theo and I be able to defend ourselves again? We barely survived the last attack.

The doors to the Eating Hall appear. Relief seeps into me. I know where we are. I should be able to guide us to the Nurses’ Wing. I peek my head inside to see if anyone is inside.

“Oh no.” It slips from my mouth.

Bodies litter the floor. My eyes fly from corpse to corpse, fifty, seventy, maybe even close to a hundred. They lie against each other or thrown beneath a table. A small child, barely a six year, lies across a table.

Something across the room moves. I raise my knife and see Theo do the same. How many Ecru are in here? It has to be a lot to kill this many people. But, we can’t leave, knowing that they’ll just continue to murder more.

I glance at Theo and he nods. We step inside the doors.

The movement is in the far back, behind a table. Theo and I creep along the wall, ducking behind table and table, moving closer to where the Ecru is. We’ll have a better chance if we surprise them.

My leg brushes against the skin of a boy, about my age. I bite the inside of my cheek, wishing I’d never looked. The pricks of Ecru fingernails line his skin. Half circles of blood. Everywhere, up and down his arms, around his neck, scattered along his face.

Besides that though, his skin shows no other signs of harm. There are no huge streams of blood or massive bruises. Only the scratched skin.

I force myself to look away, following after Theo. As we get closer, I hear a soft whimpering noise. Crying.

I catch Theo’s eye and raise an eyebrow. He shrugs as we dart behind the final table between us. We stalk around the side, my heart pumping with adrenaline. I have no idea what to expect. It could be any trick of Ellen’s.

I peek around the stool and stare.

It’s a small girl, only a seven or eight year. Tears stain her small face. She screams when she sees us. I hesitantly step towards her. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

The girl blinks her large green eyes at us, seemingly comforted by my lie. I doubt she can really be safe. Not with Ecru hunting the halls.

I scan the corner, looking for any signs of a trap. Everything else is sickeningly motionless. The girl huddles in the corner, surrounded by other children her age. The marks print every other child, except for the small girl.

Why?

I crouch near to her, keeping my grip on my knife tight just in case. “What’s your name?”

“Kylee.” Her small voice wavers in fear.

“What happened?”

Fresh tears fill up Kylee’s eyes. “I don’t know. I was with my class and we were just walking through the halls. It got really dark and my Teacher took us to the Eating Hall. She said we would be safe there. Other classes came too. It’s the rule that we should come here if anything dangerous happens.”

“It was really quiet and then all these…weird screams filled the air. I was so scared, I crawled under the table. Something was in here, making everyone else scream and cry.  I just lied super still and quiet beneath the table, barely breathing. It eventually got quiet and I heard footsteps leaving the room. I still stayed there for a long time. Then the lights came on and…everyone was like this. I…” A sob rips through her throat, “I don’t know what happened but I’m so scared.”

The Ecru missed her in the darkness. She has no idea how lucky she is to still be breathing.

Theo says, “Do you want to come with us? We’re going to go try to find someone to help?”

Kylee stares at us. “Who? Who can help us when they’re all dead?”

Her blunt words shock me. How do I know that Piper is still alive? She might still be unconscious, easy prey for the Ecru. She might never wake up, defenseless against their attacks. We don’t know who’s alive. For all I know, we could be the only three people left in the Unknown.

I force my voice to be strong, overly cheerful for Kylee’s sake, “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Come on.”

Kylee stumbles to her feet. She stares mournfully at the bodies around her. She points to another girl, “That’s Bella. She’s my best friend.”

She moves gravelly on, walking behind us. She hums under her breath. I freeze when I realize what tune it is. The Anthem that we used to say every day in the Complex during Inspection. Glory to the great and wonderful Windsors. Ellen, who brought bloodthirsty Ecru into the Unknown, killing everyone in the Eating Hall.

We stride back down the hall, listening closely for any footsteps. Kylee’s humming is the only sound in the eerie silence. I lead them through the halls, back the Nurses’ Wing. We pass a body, lying face down. The same nail prints cover the skin.

Is that how they kill you? Something in their fingernails is lethal. It breaks through your skin, enters your bloodstream, and you’re dead.

I stare at my own arms. They’re spotted with the marks. Am I immune, then? Did I just get lucky, the poison not entering my blood?

We reach the fogged doors of the Nurses.

We open the doors and slip inside. Kylee skips down the hall, “This is where I first came when I got sent here. After those monsters attacked me. I’m glad I never have to see them again.”

I swallow hard, but don’t say anything. There’s nothing I can say.

A door slides open down the hall.