Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy (50 page)

“So, I saw something interesting on the local news this morning,” Brian started, adjusting the shoulder strap of his pack.

“Yeah?”

“There’s an abandoned hospital not far from here that was shut down a while back because of some electrical issues—fire hazards with the wiring or something like that. According to the news, it will be demolished next year and a shopping mall will be erected in its place.”

We approached the front desk and slid our room keys over to the receptionist, who leisurely reached an arm out to retrieve them while focusing only on the screen of her cell phone. She was scrolling some social media site.

“Anything else we need to do?” I asked.

“Nope,” she replied, without looking up from her phone. “I’ll take care of it. Have a nice day.”

Her words sounded pre-recorded. She hadn’t made eye contact with any of us, but whatever.

I wandered across the lobby and picked through a large cascading shelf of brochures, grabbing a local bus schedule and an ad for a taxi service.

“So, do you think this hospital would be a good place to,” I lowered my voice, “lay low for a while?”

Brian nodded. “That’s kind of what I had in mind.” He stepped in front of us and propped open the exit for Alice and me.

“Great. We’re gonna be squatters,” I cheered sarcastically. I knew we didn’t have many choices anymore, but still… squatters? I could pawn my diamond nose stud for enough cash to get us a stay at a hotel in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

Well, I
could
. But…

“Kareena, you know we don’t have a lot of options,” Brian continued. “Not as long as…
they
… are still out to do
whatever with us. We could be grabbed up any second now.”
He followed us out and let the door swing closed behind us. “We need to keep moving
. We need to stay out of the public eye.”

I pushed the slipping strap of my bag back up over my shoulder and crossed my arms.

Stop telling me what I already know.

Chapter
4

A
n intense, chemical odor made me dry heave. I
cupped a hand over my mouth. A layer of soot lingered on the walls of the hallway and the heavy scent of smoke and must saturated the air.

We’d found a broken window and made our way inside the abandoned hospital without much trouble. The place was in utter disarray. People had rummaged through everything and stolen pretty much anything that might have been useful. Windows had been shattered. Cabinets ransacked. Broken glass was scattered in piles all over the floor. It wasn’t just a fire hazard, it was a health hazard.

“Be careful,” Brian cautioned, tapping me on the arm with his hand.

“I know,” I replied. “I’m trying to be.”

“I don’t like this at all,” Alice said, peering nervously down the long hallway. There were a few gurneys staggered about, blocking the path, and a broken wheelchair flipped over on its side near the wall. “This place is way too much like the place we saw in our dreams. You know, the one where we—”

“Don’t remind me,” I interrupted. This place was scary enough.

Against my will, an onslaught of flashbacks struck and a
sick feeling came over me. It was a long time ago, back before
my fluorescence had become active, but I could re
member it like it was yesterday—the nightmare. The fear. Something
or someone was chasing us, and then…
something horrible happened and I got separated from the group.
It was painful, recalling the way I had felt when I woke from a dead sleep in a panic. Sweat dripping off my forehead. My hands trembling.

That goddamn dream.

“It was only a dream,” I said, puffing my chest out and regaining my composure. “It doesn’t mean shit, you know?”

“But…” Alice tipped her head to the side. “We
all
had it.”

“It’s been, like, two years,” I said, looking back at her. “Let’s just forget about it, okay?” Not that I could. I just wanted them to drop the subject before I felt any more nau
seated.

“That’s probably a good idea,” Brian added. “Now let’s take a look around and see if we can scrounge up some things for the night. Blankets. Pillows. Anything that looks clean. Then let’s find a decent room somewhere on one of the upper floors to stay.”

I walked around the long half-circle-shaped receptionist counter and moved a few stacks of papers aside. Next to an outdated calendar was an emergency evacuation map.

“This place has a basement,” I said, tugging the map off the thumbtacks and then lifting it up over the counter to show the others. “There could be some supplies there we can use. It looks like there are two sets of stairs leading down. One on this side and one on the opposite end of the hospital.” I slid my bag off my shoulder and unzipped it, reaching inside to grab an LED flashlight. “I’ll go take a look around down there if you guys want to stay up here and search.”

“Sure,” Alice replied.

“Be careful,” Brian added. “We may not be the only ones here.”

“I know.” I reached into my bag again and took out a compact can of pepper spray. “I’m sure as hell not going to let anyone touch me.”

The sun was setting and the place was becoming darker by the minute. A few timed emergency lamps kicked on, but they were so dim, they hardly made a difference. I clicked my flashlight and followed the map toward the entrance of the basement. The smell of mold hit me and I grimaced, trying hard to stifle a violent cough before I even opened the door to the stairwell.

It was surreal—the dank walls and eerily quiet surroundings were like something out of a cheap horror movie. I held tightly to the guardrail as I made my way down the concrete steps one at a time. A sudden temperature drop
made me shudder and a growing stench turned my stomach.
I descended twenty, thirty steps or more. The odor became nearly unbearable just as I reached a massive metal storm door. I pushed down on the cold metal lever, but it wouldn’t budge.

I gagged and covered my nose and mouth against the putrid scent wafting out of the room. I took a step back and my shoe came down with a splash.

I swerved, pointing my flashlight at the ground.

Water.

Everywhere.

Damn it. It must have gotten flooded after the power had been shut off. That would explain the horrible smell. I heaved a sigh and turned to head back up the stairwell. Halfway up, the ground rumbled beneath me.

“Shit!” I froze in place, clutching the guardrail as if the floor was going to drop out from under me. I waited a few moments, bracing myself for another tremor before jogging back up to the main lobby.

“Brian! Alice!”

It was even darker now that the sun had slipped completely below the horizon.

“Brian!” I called out again, straining my voice. I pointed my flashlight down the main hall. Two dim colored lights moved among the distant shadows—green and blue fluorescence heading my way.

“Kareena!” Brian called back to me. “Are you okay?”

“We need to leave. Now!” I shouted.

“Did you feel the earthqu—”

The earth shook again, and I clamped onto a nearby countertop with my fingers. “Guys!?” I yelped, my heart jumping into my throat.

“Get out of the building!” Brian yelled. “Go out the front! We’ll meet you outside!”

The entire room quaked and a thunderous crack rippled overhead. I looked up. A line of black split open the ceiling and crumbling drywall dust rained down.

“Brian! Wait!” I called out to him, but the falling debris cloaked the room in plumes of white. I inhaled a mouthful by accident and started to choke. I tried to call out again but instead coughed hard, gagging on another breath of white.

Dust stung my eyes and I shielded my face with my
hand as I made my way blindly through the lobby. I bumped
into a waiting room chair and then a small table. I stepped carefully. Everything felt the same beneath my shoes.

The earth trembled a third time and a loud crack boomed overhead. I darted forward. Too slow. Falling ceiling tiles struck me in the back, and I lost what little breath I had left in my lungs as I was pushed onto the floor.

A whirring sound buzzed in my ears and my entire body felt the impact of the blow. The adrenaline had me kicking and pushing—struggling to get out from beneath whatever the hell was holding me down. I wriggled a hand up through the rubble and something sharp tore into my flesh.

Help!
I opened my mouth, but nothing escaped. A grunt. A strained attempt to breathe.

Don’t leave me!

“Help!” The word came out this time, muffled, but it came out. I felt something digging into my back
leg but couldn’t contort myself enough to see what it was. Something heavy kept pushing into me, keeping me down
. I used every ounce of strength to push back—to ignore the pain—but I couldn’t get out.

“Please! Help me!” I choked on the words as I
swallowed a mouthful of what felt like sand. I moved my hand and a
sharp pain stabbed through it. Then a tingling. Then I couldn’t
move my fingers anymore, or at least I couldn’t tell if I could
. They were numb, like the rest of me. Cold.

I pushed back once more against the debris, but it only weakened me.

Oh, God. Why the hell did we have to do this? Why the hell did I suggest we split up? The dream. That damn dream!

I suddenly felt very small. Alone. Helpless. I wanted my parents, my friends, my family—anyone.

Someone, please. Help.

Brian?

Alice?

I coughed again, unable to swallow as grit scratched my throat. I’d lost feeling in my legs and stopped fighting back.
All
I could do was wheeze.
High-pitched, short, aching breaths.
Straining to fill my lungs with air, I lay there, letting myself drift off. Letting the darkness, dust, and dirt consume me.

Little by little, the weight lifted off me and my body felt less heavy. Someone took my hand and dragged me out of the rubble.

“Do you think you can walk?” he asked.

I grunted in confirmation. He pulled me up to my feet and draped my arm over his shoulders, wrapping an arm around my waist to stabilize me.

I tried to say Brian’s name, but my dry lips wouldn’t separate.

“Can you see?” he asked.

I shook my head, struggling to pry my sore eyes open. They kept snapping shut against the particles of dust caught inside.

“Shit! You’re bleeding everywhere,” he said. “We have to move. This place is coming down.”

The next several moments were a blur. He guided me out of the building and we stumbled a safe distance away. The ground shook another time and the jarring sounds of glass, metal, and concrete mashing together made my head hurt.

“Too bad you can’t see this,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding much less like Brian’s. “It’s some epic shit.”

“Who—” I coughed so hard I almost threw up.

“Take it easy,” he said, helping me down so I could sit on the ground. “Just take it easy for a minute.”

My eyes watered nonstop and I had to keep wiping my cheeks with the backs of my hands. All of the dust and dirt that had gotten into them kept me flinching uncontrollably.

Eventually, I was able to take a normal breath; one where my lungs didn’t seize up because of all the crap caught in them.

“Who are you?” I muttered, trying to open my eyes.

“David,” he replied, his outline still a blur. He sat down on the ground next to me and reached for my arm.

“Damn, your arm got mangled up back there,” he said, sucking in a breath through his teeth. He carefully moved my arm to the side and glanced over it. “For a girl, you’re taking it well.”

I scowled at the sexist remark and he went straight back to looking over my other arm. David reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. He snapped it open, jabbed the knife into the lining of his hoodie and tore a piece of fabric off. “Do you think you’ll be alright here by yourself for a few?” he asked, tying the strip of fleece around my arm like a tourniquet. I winced when the knot came forcefully down onto my skin.

“Uh, yeah. Why?” I pulled my arm in close to my body and rested my hand in my lap. Leftover blood drizzled down onto my jeans. “Where are you going?”

“To get you help.”

He
probably meant Brian. Yes. Brian
could fix me.
Hopefully
.

“Just stay here,” David said as he stood. “I think you’ll be safe for a little while. It’s getting late and the way everything went down, the cops and the media shouldn’t be here for a while. The roads look trashed.” He looked around and nodded. “I won’t be long.”

He took off toward one of the other buildings.

I coughed again and the movement made everything sting. All I could do was slouch over and rest my aching, bleeding arm in my lap. All I could do was hope and pray that the last of the tremors had passed and that I’d be safe until the others returned for me.

David came back in much less time than I had expected. Brian and Alice were jogging close behind him.

“Kareena!?” Alice shrieked.

I looked up at them weakly, my eyes growing heavier as blood loss took its toll.

Brian’s eyes widened. “Crap!” He dropped to his knees in front of me. “What happened in there?”

I looked into his eyes and sighed heavily, too fatigued and frustrated to reply. I didn’t feel like explaining how angry I felt that Brian hadn’t come back to save me once the ceiling collapsed.

I shrugged and it hurt.

“It doesn’t matter,” Brian replied with a shake of his
head. “Let me help you.” He reached out his hands and gently clasped onto my arm. Blue light radiated from his fingertips,
the warmth
making the hairs on my neck perk
up and a feel
ing of comfort drift through my bones.

Within seconds, the skin of my arm regenerated over the open wound. Brian carefully untied the tourniquet.

“Good thinking,” he said, glancing at David and then looking back at me. He tossed the bloodied fabric off to the side.