Chapter Fifteen: Escape

(White Noise, Part 2)

***

As they waited for Hayden and Kaitlyn to come back, Nora spoke up, "Allison, I forgot to mention, but Abi's injured."

Allison turned. "What? When?"

"When we were running back to camp," Sarah explained as she sat up with a wince. Her shoulder didn't hurt as bad as it did earlier, but slight twinges came every now and again. "Sprained it, I think."

"Shit," Allison hissed as she got to her feet. "Abi, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"You were busy with Nick and Sarah, I didn't want to bother you," Abi defended, hunching in slightly.

Allison sighed in and out, hand dragging down her face in a tired motion. "It's okay. Just... let me see how bad it is."

Bending down, Allison took Abi's left foot and lightly prodded the ankle. Abi winced and let out a hiss of pain, causing Allison to frown as she straightened.

"Okay, it's definitely a sprain. Ideally, I would have wanted you to rest and ice the ankle, but we don't have any ice and I have a feeling we won't be resting anytime soon, least of all you, Nick and Sarah. Best I can do is wrap it up and try to mitigate any further damage," Allison denounced, moving to the cabinet and getting the last of the bandages, letting out a noise of triumph at finding a compress bandage.

Returning with both it and some painkillers, Allison handed the painkillers to Abi before she wrapped up her leg. As Allison did, Nora turned to Sarah and asked, "You feeling any better, babe?"

Sarah shrugged. "A little bit. My shoulder isn't on fire anymore, so that's good."

Nora pursed her lips, brow creased in worry. Sarah wanted to kiss it away, but she resisted the urge as she looked around the room. A room she could see clearly.

Why? If the lights had went out—and Sarah didn't doubt they hadn't—then why could she still see anything? Why didn't her shoulder hurt so much if it was infected like Allison, Nora and nearly everyone else worried it was?

What was going on with her? With Nick?

And that creature... that animal...

Teeth tearing into her shoulder, ripping flesh apart, blood spurting out, pain flooding through her with a fiery vengeance, pain pain PAIN—

Sarah hissed at the memory of the attack, which Nora noticed.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Sarah muttered.

"Are you, though? Sarah, you're hurt, please tell me if you're—"

"I said I'm fine, Nora! God, would you stop worrying about me for one fucking second? I'm not about to fucking die!" Sarah snapped, glaring at Nora, before she realised with horror what she'd done.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Nora. I... I don't know why I said any of that. I'm really, really sorry for snapping at you," Sarah apologised, holding Nora as she nuzzled her head into Nora's shoulder, horrified at herself for snapping like that at Nora when she was only just worried about her.

"It's okay. You and Nick survived something horrifying and we're all feeling a little stressed. I'm sure someone was bound to snap at someone," Nora assured, stroking her hair in a way that felt even nicer to Sarah than it had in the past.

"Still, I'm really sorry," Sarah mumbled, holding her tight, now feeling confused. Stress or not, Sarah would have never snapped at Nora, at anyone. She never lost her temper like that. So why now? Why had she done it? Not to mention how she could see so clearly and not realise until Kaitlyn said the power was out, that her pain had faded and she was feeling really hungry instead, which had to be weird, right? Right?

What was wrong with her? 

Absentmindedly, Sarah scratched her arm, just beneath her bite—she was also feeling kinda itchy as well, for some reason—as Allison finished tending to Abi and gave Nora and Sarah a look. They all nodded, Sarah sending her a grin and a thumbs up as she snuggled up to Nora, wrapping her arms around her, inhaling the scent of the shampoo and soap she used, the smell calming to her anxious, rapid-fire brain as Allison kneeled beside Nick, brow knitted with concern and tender care for him, looking at him like he was the only person in the world.

At least they got out how they really felt before that thing attacked us, Sarah thought as she pressed herself further against Nora, just drinking in everything about her girlfriend right now.

"Hey, so this... may not be the best time, per se, but like..." Nick said, voice trailing off.

"What?" Allison prompted, moving closer to him.

"Yeah so, like I was just, you know thinking about like, the start of summer and, when we first met and uh... the start of camp and... well like now that summer's over, and... you know is that... like the last time we gonna see each other, you know?" Nick elaborated, a vulnerable edge to his voice that Sarah had never heard from him before.

She and Nora and Abi looked at each other, wondering if this was the best time to hear this obviously private moment between the new couple.

"I... I don't know. Hopefully. I mean, I know there's a thousand options that say we shouldn't, but... I think we might," Allison answered, moving to hold his hand and squeeze it before looking at the door.

At noticing the look on her face, the worry, Nick assured, "Hey... don't worry about Kaitlyn. She's tough. So is Hayden. God, I think she... she's even tougher than me, sometimes."

Nick chuckled, but it was strained with worry for his sister. 

"Hey, I'm sure she's okay. Both of them," Allison assured, before she sighed. "As for earlier... let's just get through the night, okay? We can worry about it tomorrow once we've all gotten through this."

Nick nodded, and as he did, Nora's hand curled protectively over Sarah's hand as she pressed a kiss to her forehead and murmured, "She's right. Let's get through the night. I love you."

"I love you too," Sarah whispered, eyes sliding closed.

Past her, she heard Nick say, "Maybe I was misreading the situation back there, but, kinda felt like a little bit more was going to happen."

"I... maybe. If we hadn't been attacked... maybe. I don't know. This is still new to me," Allison replied. A pause, before she asked, "Did you want a little bit more to happen?"

"Duh! Are you dumb?!"

Sarah's eyes snapped open as she and Nora sat upright as Abi turned to Allison and Nick, all three of them wearing varying expressions of shock as Allison gaped at Nick before asking incredulously, "What the fuck, Nick?!"

"I'm sorry," Nick apologised immediately, regret on his face as he looked down and added, "I just mean... of course I wanted it to happen. I just... didn't know if you did too."

"Of course I did. At least, I think I did. Like I said, this is still new and it just... seems so long ago withe everything else that happened," Allison answered, though she still looked tense.

"You did want it to happen though?" Nick pressed.

"Um... I..."

"You can tell me."

"Nick, Allison's looking uncomfortable and we're all tired and stressed, maybe you should—" Nora advised but Sarah clutched her arm tightly and shook her head. This was for Allison and Nick to handle, not for any of them.

"Yeah, I... I guess. If we weren't attacked, then... yeah," Allison answered.

"Huh! You're just saying that 'cause I'm hurt," Nick scoffed.

Allison gaped at Nick in shock, before her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Are you serious? The only thing I'd say with you being hurt right now is how bad the injury is and to let you know you're gonna be okay!" she exclaimed, anger thrumming through her voice. "I'd never say that about our relationship without meaning it, whether you're hurt or not! That isn't who I am! You know that, Nick!"

At that, anger faded as she frowned. "You know that. This... this isn't you."

Before anything else could be said, the muffled sound of gunshots went off, startling Sarah as she winced, the noise sounding louder than it usually did.

"What is going on out there, Kaitlyn?" Abi muttered, before she stood up and said urgently, "We have to hide! We have to hide!"

"Calm down, Abi, it's okay," Nora soothed as she got off the bed and moved to her, Sarah stretching out her hand to Nora as a whine built in her throat. She didn't want Nora to leave—she wanted her to stay. 

"It's okay. I got this," Nick said as he got off the bed while Allison grabbed her bow and an arrow and Nora picked up the axe. Sarah got off the bed as well, moving protectively in front of Abi, the weakest of them all right now, as they turned to the door and—

Kaitlyn and Hayden charged through, slamming it behind them, panting and terrified as they stumbled toward them. A smell hit Sarah's nose, making her wrinkle it as Nick breathed, "Hayden," before he crushed her into a hug that Hayden returned, shaking in her brother's arms.

"Oh my God," Abi breathed as now Sarah saw that Kaitlyn's face was smeared with blood, that blood was spattered on Hayden's face and on her shoulder.

"What happened?" Nick demanded. "Jesus, where's the gun?"

That was when Sarah noticed that the gun was gone, though Hayden still had the knife as she pulled away from her brother. Her eyes widened. What happened to the gun?

"Are you hurt? You have blood all over your faces," Allison asked in concern as now Nick saw Hayden's shoulder, brotherly concern all over his face as his hands hovered near her and he questioned, "Hayden, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Who hurt you?"

At the last question, an angry growl came into Nick's voice as Hayden shook her head and said, "It's not mine."

Hearing that, the anger faded, replaced by confusion as he turned to face Kaitlyn along with Abi, Sarah, Nora and Allison as Kaitlyn said in a terrified voice, "We gotta get out,"

"Like, right now," Hayden added, the terror creeping back in.

"No! We have to hide!" Abi argued.

"Abi's right, there's no time for us to escape," Nora agreed.

Footsteps cut off any further argument, getting closer and making the decision for them.

"Quick!" Nick whispered as he slid behind a cupboard, pulling Hayden and Allison down with him as they followed suit, Sarah pressing Nora to her tightly. They all hid there, quivering in fear as the door opened and loud footsteps of the intruder sounded close to their hiding spot—too close. Sarah's heart pounded and her bite wound twinged and her skin itched furiously, as her hands curled and a thought whispered, Lunge out, he's too close, he'll find you, find her, he's easy prey, you're stronger than him, take him down, ki—

Nora's hand gripping hers snapped Sarah out of the sudden—and disturbing thoughts—as she tugged Sarah out from behind the cupboard, following Nick, Allison, Hayden, Kaitlyn and Abi. One by one, they crawled through the window, the only one who had any difficulty was Allison and Nora with their weapons and Abi with her ankle.

That had Sarah frown as she got through. Shouldn't she and Nick had more difficulty with it? And yet, Sarah felt fine—no pain or anything. A look at Nick said the same, as Allison worried, "Nick, your leg—"

"I'm fine, let's just go," Nick interrupted, pushing forward.

Nora shot Sarah the same look, but she shook her head as they all crept toward the lodge and down the stairs, making to the only place they could—the radio hut, where Dylan and Ryan would be with the other gun.

And yet, as they walked to it, Sarah's stomach churned.

What was going on with her and Nick? Why did they act like that earlier, why did their injuries not hurt as much? Why could Sarah see so clearly and hear things better and why did Nick uncharacteristically snap like that at Allison?

What was wrong with them? What was happening to them?

And why did Sarah have a very, very bad feeling it had something to do with the bites, the creature?

***

Oh, you have no idea how right you are, Sarah...

Yeah, something is definitely Off with Nick and Sarah as the infection is changing them (also, I believe the infection made Nick more aggressive/change him into something he wasn't and would never be, so Allison and Hayden, especially Hayden, would know that is definitely not who he is and that something is VERY wrong with Nick) And yeah, it's changing Sarah as well, but slower and more physically

With Sarah's skin feeling itchy... considering that your entire body explodes into a blood cloud before you transform into a werewolf, I feel like your skin would be SUPER itchy as the werewolf is literally fighting to get out of your human skin. So... yeah

But now, they've made the escape and off to find Dylan and Ryan! And then, we'll be getting to THOSE scenes in the pool and the pool house >:)

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!