Aeress

     "God, what a mess-wait!-you catch that scent?" The familiar female voice awakened Aeress who was still huddled under the table. Blood puddled at her feet. She was just so tired. 

     "Yeah, did we miss one of them?" This time it was a male. He was curious and not threatened in the least. 

     "No," the woman walked closer to her location, she could tell by the way her steps increased in volume, "probably one of them got either shot or knocked out. The poor bastard will regret not dying." Aeress shivered at how casually she spoke. Or maybe it was because of blood loss?

     The table was lifted up rather like it had the weight of a feather. Aeress didn't have the strength to cower away. "Holy shit," the woman breathed out, "I remember her. She's human. A Scented. Harmless. Damn, she's in bad shape. We had better do something before she bleeds all the way out."

     The last thing Aeress remembered was a hand on her arm.

-----------------------------------------------------------

     Her mouth opened and released a scream. Without bothering to note her surroundings, she thrust out her arms, forcing her body to the ground. She clambered to the nearest corner and stationed her body there. 

     "Hey! Calm down! You're safe!" a voice pleaded. 

     Aeress was shaking to the point that she struggled to control her limbs. "Please don't kill me."

     "Kill you? Why would I kill you?" The woman demanded. 

     Aeress finally looked around, and it appeared that she was in a hospital room. The woman, who had a lab coat on. Her hands were reached out, covered by bloody gloves. She examined her bloody body and realized the woman was helping her. "What hospital is this? Did the cops find the men who did this?" 

     The woman inched forward. "Right now we need to worry about stitching that hand. I got finished with your ear and shoulder, but you woke up in the middle of your hand being stitched up. Please, let me finish?" 

     Aeress had so many questions. "Okay." 

     "Here, I'll numb it. I was hoping you would be asleep the entire time, but it appears my calculations were too miniscule. I am sorry about that." Her smile was genuine and soft, resembling a caring mother-like expression.

     Not sure what to do, she nodded along and did as instructed. She was distracted by the doctor. She appeared to be Asian, maybe from the Philippines? Asian or not, she was incredibly lovely with smooth, tan skin, and round, black orbs for eyes. There were a couple beauty marks scattered across her face, and Aeress thought she wore them well. 

      "Ow," she mumbled, but her hand was quickly numbing. "The last time I got stitches, my asscheeks were aching and I lost a back tooth." 

     "Do you have any family we can contact? Your name did not have any emergency contacts listed under your name." Her voice had an accent to it, adding a richness to her cadence. Perhaps from New York?

     "An aunt, but she died a couple years ago of an allergic reaction. It's just me now, for a while actually." 

     The doctor shot her a sympathetic glance. "I am sorry to hear that. Losing family is tough." It was hard to be suspicious with such a woman.

     "Yeah, we really weren't that close. She never planned on having kids, but being the saint she was, she couldn't let the feds take me after my mother overdosed. I usually don't share this much, why am I saying this?" 

     The woman chuckled. "I drugged you up, you must still feel the effects." 

     "Oh." 

     She began to clean up the wound. "So there is no one we can contact? Maybe a job. We wouldn't want to alarm anyone. We would really rather let someone know of your location."

     Aeress felt alarmed once more. "Shaya. Where is she? We have to help her!" 

     "Hey!" the doctor did her best to restrain her without hurting her. Her touch was as gentle as it was firm. Her lips were set in a disapproving line at her outburst. "Whoever Shaya is, you are not going to help her by panicking. Just take a deep breath. I'm sure we can help you."

     Aeress knew she was right. "Okay. Just please, can you find out if a Shaya Michael was admitted around the same time I was? She was with me when the attack happened." 

     She nodded. "Yes. Just take a seat. I will find out what happened to your friend, okay? Calm down, please." With that, she exited the room. 

     Aeress felt an urgency within her. She looked around the room. It had what most basic hospital rooms did. But something was off as she stood there. 

     Her eyes wandered until they found the window. The blinds were closed, but what caused her curiosity was the lack of natural light. She approached it and yanked at the string. Her eyes may have fallen out at the fact that the window was missing. What greeted her was a blank, solid wall. 

     Why would a hospital need fake windows? 

     And then she also recognized the strange quietude. Hospitals were always busy, never quiet. Silence was never a good sign.

     Trying to make sense of things, she went to the door and pulled at the knob. It wouldn't budge. Locked?

     She leaned her ear against the door, searching for anything which would validate that she wasn't being paranoid. 

     The doctor was speaking with someone in low, measured words. Respectful yet authoritative, as most doctors were. "We should leave her alone for now. She isn't ready to talk." Who talked to the cops that way, like the person was in a position to negotiate?

     "We need to know what she knows. She is a human, scented. I don't think we can afford to wait." Human. 

      "Human? Oh hell no!" Aeress whispered to herself. Having read way too many paranormal, and fantasy novels, her wandering mind was easy to put two and two together, even if wrong. 

     She slipped off her shoes and inched a couple feet from the door. "What the hell does one do when they are losing their mind in an underground, fake hospital?" She whispered to herself. 

     Aeress searched around for a window of escape. God, she was punny even when put in insane situations. 

     "Okay, brain, come back to reality now, please." She demanded. Her eyes caught sight of an air vent in the ceiling. Bingo. 

     "Maybe because this is a nightmare, I will have upper body strength." She tugged a chair under it and pulled the metal piece free. 

     Her arms burned when she attempted to lift herself up. Her shoulders strained as they were rarely used before but for a sedentary lifestyle. God, she knew she should have taken that yoga class seriously. 

     "Aeress," she cheered herself on, "you might die if you don't get out. It would probably be best if you pulled your fatass up!" And with that, she barely managed to fit herself through the vent. The metal piece fell and bounced off the chair she just came off. The loud clatter motivated her to get moving. 

     Crawling on her hands and knees, she looked at the vast expanse of metallic grey. How was she supposed to navigate in this impossible maze?

     Well if she wanted to get away, she had to move. So, she took a left, and began her escape. 

     After inhaling ten pounds of dust, she was thoroughly done with the whole vent setting. She passed room after room. She didn't bother to stop. Who knew what kind of creature she would encounter? 

    Realizing this blind kind of navigating was useless, she decided to find a safe room. 

     Aeress paused when she came upon an empty office. Her heart was pounding, but she knew she had to do something or she would be stuck forever in those vents. No thanks!

     Popping the door off, she slipped out, crashing onto the desk with the elegance of a rock. The air evacuated from her lungs. She ripped out the pen stuck in her ass and looked around. This had to have been a pretend doctor's office. 

     She grabbed the lab coat and closed it over the bloody dress she was sporting. She cleaned up the best she could, brushing through her hair and wiping down her face. 

     She saw her reflection in the mirror hanging on the door and cringed. The name tag read 'Thillina'. She prayed that Dr. Thillina looked like her as she slipped on an extra pair of tennis shoes that were a little tight. 

     She scavenged for a weapon, rummaging through the desk drawers and cabinets. She came up with a shiny pair of scissors and a scalpel. 

     Aeress was trembling when she faced the door. Now the hard part. 

     Not wanting to die, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. She was caught off guard when the lights in the hallway were going off as well as a screeching alarm. She froze when a man came running down the hall. He was dressed as a nurse. 

     She was confused when he barely granted her a glance. Her costume must have actually worked! "Hey wait!" was she crazy? "Hey, what's going on?" 

     His voice was quiet over the alarm. "A patient escaped. Code H!" 

     Aeress nodded like she knew what the hell was going on and walked the opposite way. Away from the noise. 

     The walls were an off-white, and the smooth, cold floor had flecks of green stark against the paleness. It was a bland design, but hospitals were never meant for the runway, even the fake ones.

     She nodded at those who passed her. All of them looked like professionals from hospitals, yet she reminded herself that there was not one single open window she had come across. 

     Her eyes lit up when she noticed an elevator. She reached into her pockets and found some keys. Hello reality, welcome back!

    She tried several keys until the door came open on its own, revealing three men. She almost fainted... almost. 

     Aeress knew she had to play it cool and refused to make eye contact. She stepped to the side, trying to appear like someone who was paying respect. 

     She almost looked up as they passed her without question. Something about the one closest to her had an air to him that caught her full attention, but she couldn't blow her cover. He nearly brushed against her, but he moved before he could, almost like he didn't want to make contact subconsciously. 

     They paid no mind to her, and she guessed that they were most likely there to talk to her, whoever they were. She could tell by the proud way they carried themselves.

     Aeress stepped into the elevator, and held her breath when the tallest man paused, the one whom caught her attention. He was built and slim at the same time. His body was wrapped in a long, black jacket, like some elegant assassin born from shadows. Having not seen his face, she knew he was magnificent, deadly but still so.

     She tried to appear casual as the elevator door shut, but she couldn't contain her gasp when the man turned to look at her. She was disappointed and relieved simultaneously when the doors slid close just in time. 

     She looked at the buttons and pressed the one with a star on it. 

     It had to mean the main floor...

     Right?

Black Lives Matter.