Rina's hand reached up to her shoulder, wide eyes warily following the movement. She felt the warm dampness in her palms first before the shocking redness registered in her mind. What just happened? A single step back and a slight twist, no doubt driven by reflex and nerves, was the only thing that had saved her. If she hadn't moved, she would've found herself with a knife sticking out of her chest.

She looked up and was met with the empty eyes of her friend, still posed after she'd struck. Had Lynn really just attacked her? The bloodied knife in her hand still hovering in dangerous proximity confirmed it. But why?

The doctor moved away with an ungraceful shuffling of feet, stumbling a little as she willed her shaking limbs to action. The pain in her shoulder seemed nothing but a dull pulse at the moment, beating in tune with her frantic heart. From where she stood she could still see three pairs of glowing eyes, red tainting the shadows that masked their features.

What should she do? Her head darted around, her eyes searching for something to defend herself. Or perhaps a way out, which sounded a lot better. But all she saw in the dimness was the empty corner she'd moved closer to and the eerie forms of the nurses blocking her way to the door.

Sweat trickled down her forehead, worry and panic fogging her mind. The rooftop seemed suffocating despite the sight of the clear night sky above her. She could no longer feel the winds she'd basked in just a few minutes ago, the air then seemingly too hot and oppressing.

She looked again at the figures standing before her and saw that they had moved. They faced her with the same blank expressions, the red glow like laser pinpointing their target. That target could only be her. Her heart constricted.

"Lynn please." She took a step back with each one they took towards her. "This isn't you! Why are you doing this!"

Like a switch had been clicked her attackers sneered, jumping to action. They closed the gap she'd made with a pounce, her friend leading them with the knife still in her hand.

Adrenaline flooded the doctor's senses, survival instincts kicking in. She wasn't a fighter, not a single background in self-defense. But she needed to try. If she didn't she would undoubtedly find herself bleeding on the rooftop floor.

She stepped to her left just as her friend lunged with the blade, barely missing the same wounded shoulder she was still pressing on with her hand. Arms came around her neck, choking her, and she clawed at it, scraping skin. She coughed against its hold for air, stomping in an attempt to hit one of the nurse's foot.

Her attacker's hold loosened, groaning in pain. She might still have a chance, she thought, if at least she could hurt them.

Rina pushed the other woman off of her, turning to her left towards the door. But her attempt at escape was cut short by a sudden sharp pain. She cried out as she fell face first to the ground, arms scraping the cement when she braced herself. Her nerves burned as she felt something warm pooling in her back.

Ignoring the pain she rolled over, a soft whimper escaping her lips at the rushing blade hitting the concrete where she'd just lain. She lifted herself quickly to her elbows, wincing as the hard surface hit the fresh wounds. Her eyes widened at the sight of the third nurse hovering above her, in her hands a box cutter dripping blood.

The doctor scurried away like a frightened animal, pushing against the ground with her feet to move herself across the dirty rooftop floor. She watched all three nurses move slowly, heads lolling to the sides like puppets on loose strings. She gathered her strength to get herself up on her feet, knees buckling. She couldn't even straighten her back due to the stinging rawness she felt there.

Where was Adam? He was supposed to pick her up! She would love nothing more than to be saved right then. She needed him to come bursting through the door in all his Elemental glory.

She risked a glance to the door. In all the ruckus they had changed places, nothing was blocking her escape. She could make a run for it and hope they wouldn't follow her and attack inside.

Her eyes snapped back to the slightly swaying figures. For some reason they had stopped, the red in their eyes dimming in the darkness.

She carefully took a step back. Whatever had happened to them, it gave her time to get to the door and that was all she really cared about at the moment. Though her limbs were shaking too much and the fear of somehow provoking them nagged at her, making her wary of her own movements. She didn't know what would get them moving again, couldn't understand any of the things that had been happening. But one thing she couldn't risk was them pouncing at her if she turned her back to them and started running.

With her heart still leaping out of her chest, she continued shuffling backwards, her breaths coming out quick and shallow. Her eyes darted between her attackers and her exit. She simply wished she could make it before they came alive again. She didn't think she could handle another brawl.

For sure the wound on her back had been deep with the way it throbbed with her every move. She could feel warm liquid dripping down her skin, her scrubs soaked as it clung to her body. She reckoned she would lose a good amount of blood from it if she didn't get help soon. It wouldn't surprise her if the cut would need stitching.

She felt for the knob behind her when she finally reached the door, urgency making her hand shake. A few more seconds was all she'd need, and then she'd be safe albeit bleeding. She almost cried out in joy when her fingers finally found the smooth metal surface and she quickly closed them around it, giving it a hard turn.

"Shit!" she cursed under her breath when the knob refused to budge.

The doctor swiveled to face the door, both hands reaching for the one thing that laid between her and safety. Why was the door locked? It shouldn't be. It was her only exit. How was she supposed to escape then? She couldn't exactly jump from five stories up.

Shuffling sounds made her turn back towards the nurses, panic churning her stomach. Bile rose to her throat at the sight of bright red eyes trained on her. Instinctively she pressed her back to the door, too scared to even care about the jolt of pain that flooded her senses. Her time was up. She had no more place to run. She would have to fight them. But three against one? She didn't like her odds.

She thought of Adam again right then and remembered she had her phone with her in her pocket. Still flushed she reached inside it, hoping she hadn't somehow destroyed the thing when she'd crashed to the floor. The time for silence had passed anyway, there wasn't anything left to risk if she called him.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when the screen lit up in response to her fumbling fingers, but her small hope was soon replaced by a heavy dread when she realized she had forgotten to ask for his number.

"Dammit!" She bit her lower lip hard, eyes darting between her phone and the figures slowly making their way towards her. She dared not question why her attackers were taking their sweet time for fear they would gain back their agility. She didn't want her end to come any more sooner.

"Gale. Call Gale," she mumbled to herself frantically as she searched for her friend's name. She hit call without a second thought once she found it and pressed the device to her ear.

Her hands continued to shake as she listened to the ringing on the other end. In her mind she cried out with much desperation for the woman to pick up.

"Rina?" It didn't take long before her prayers were answered.

"Gale! Thank god!" Her voice was a mixture of fear and relief. "You have to call Adam! Tell him I'm-"

Too preoccupied she failed to notice one of the nurses had leapt for her, swatting at her hand holding the phone. The device was sent flying, the sound of breaking glass and plastic soon following as it hit the floor.

She collected herself from the shock just in time to duck away from the box cutter thrust her way. Though the edge had nicked her right cheek, the shallow cut opening up to bleed. She slinked to her left without much grace, then slipped to the ground like toppled bricks, screaming as she stumbled from trying to avoid the knife that came straight for her next.

Down on the floor again, she kicked at one of her friend's legs with a grunt, sending the other woman down to the ground like a rag doll. Her eyes followed the knife as it skidded on the concrete floor, stopping near the edge.

The incessant drumming in her chest propelled her to her knees and she crawled towards the knife. She had no intention of killing anybody but she could certainly use something to defend herself with.

She extended her arms to bridge the remaining gap and had almost grasped the hilt of the knife when she felt a hand grab hold of her hair. Fingers closed into a fist forcing her to kneel up on the floor as she cried out from the pain in her scalp.

"Dammit! Let go!" She clawed at the hand in reflex.

Rina felt the hand pull slightly before it shoved her head towards the ground with a force she could do nothing against. The last thing she heard was the cracking of bones before a deafening white noise rung in her ears.

Black spots appeared in her vision as she fought against the lightheadedness and unbearable ache. She struggled to lift herself up to her elbows but a sudden blow to her back had her hitting the floor again, shrieking.

Her head lolled to the side as the nurse grabbed her from her hair again, rolling her over. She could barely feel the blood trickling down from her forehead, mixing with the dirt, sweat, and tears that had then covered her face.

The doctor fought the heaviness she felt pressing down on her eyelids. Her vision blurred as she looked up to the faces of the two other nurses hovering above her. She could only make out the outline of the box cutter as it dangled before her eyes, that and the tip catching the light of the incandescent lamps surrounding them.

What an unexpected way to die was what she would've thought if she could still muster some coherence. If anybody had told her beforehand her life would end in such a way, she would've surely laughed straight to their faces at the incredulity of it all. But at the moment all she could manage were slow painful breaths and a lazy fluttering of her lids as she tried to blink herself into focus.

Her eyes rolled every now and then to the back of her head as somehow everything else moved in slow motion. She could hear nothing but the blood pounding in her ears as darkness shrouded the edges of her vision.

She blinked once. Twice. Waiting for the feel of the blade slicing her in some part of her body that would have her bleeding out to her death in no time. Slowly it inched closer, perhaps her throat would be the place they would cut her. But unlike in the movies, even as she felt her death creeping towards her, there was no flashback, no memories flooding her mind like a bitter reminder of what little she'd accomplished and what she'd be leaving behind.

If she could've questioned how slow time seemed to run she would've. But all Rina could do was close her eyes, longer this time.

An odd peacefulness washed over her, numbing her pain. Her head stilled for a moment, the dizziness receding. Clear thoughts rushed to her mind then, her awareness coming back like she hadn't just lost it. And when she opened her eyes again, it wasn't the darkness she'd half expected welcoming her that she saw. She had no words with which to call it. She only knew it was something else entirely.

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A/N: Okay so things like these are not my forte so any suggestions on how to improve it are very much welcomed (well this applies to all chapters actually haha). Hope you enjoyed it. :)