Hatchetfield Stories

I'm Staying Right Here

It's my birthday today and I woke up at 4am so I just finished writing this :)

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Needles
-Burns
-Implied minor character death?

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"Let's go! Leave him here," Emma said, pointing at the corpse of Charlotte's husband.

Ted grabbed Charlotte's shoulders, guiding her away despite her cries and struggles.

The police car wasn't far, and when Bill offered to drive, everyone agreed. Emma hurried to get everyone into the car, but before she could get in, someone grabbed her collar.

"Sam!" Charlotte shouted, fighting to free herself from Ted's arms.

A knife touched her throat, and Emma struggled against the man holding her. She felt something wet touching her neck, and she squirmed. Paul jumped out of the car and kicked Sam in his crotch, and he let her go, collapsing in pain. Paul kicked him until he didn't move anymore, and grabbed the knife he'd dropped. He then carefully dragged Emma towards the vehicle. He sat down in the backseat after sitting her down in the front seat.

Bill started driving while Emma gave instructions on where to go.

"Emma?" Paul asked. "You've got some blue..."

Emma reached for her neck, and when she pulled back, her fingertips were stained blue. "Fuck..." Her eyes went wide. "Is it safe to touch? I mean, we saw what happens when you eat it, but that doesn't mean you can't touch it, right? Right?!"

"I don't know, we-"

"I guess we get rid of the barista!" Ted interrupted, shrugging.

"Ted!" Charlotte gasped. "You can't just say that!"

"She might be our only way to survive," Bill joined in. "If she says the professor's house is safe, we have to go there. We won't make it without her."

"Bill is right," Paul said, sighing. He grabbed Emma's shoulder from behind, careful not to touch any of the blue slime. "It'll be okay."

After they arrived at the massive building and managed to convince professor Hidgens to let them in, the professor led them towards the lab as Emma explained what was going on. "I don't know if it's safe to touch, but-"

"We can't risk it," the professor said, opening the door to the lab. "Stay here."

He ran towards a closet, grabbing various supplies. Emma's eyes widened as he started putting on a hazmat suit. "It can't be that bad, right?" Her voice was shaking with fear.

The professor rushed to place a chair under the emergency shower in the corner of the lab. "Sit down." He grabbed some ropes. "I'll restrain you."

Emma nodded slowly, sitting down on the chair and wincing as the rough ropes were wrapped tightly around her wrists.

"You guys, go to the bar. We passed it on the way here," he told the group.

"Will she be alright?" Charlotte asked.

"Come on, Charlotte," Ted said. "Don't worry about that crabby barista while I'm here to distract you. Professor, is there a spare bedroom by any chance?"

"Jezus, Ted!" Paul shouted. "Don't you think that's a little inappropriate?"

Ted shrugged, walking away with Charlotte. Bill followed them.

"Paul... Will you stay?" Emma asked. "Please?"

Paul looked at the professor, who nodded. "Stay on that side of the room and don't get near her until I'm sure it's safe. If I tell you to leave, leave."

Paul nodded, sitting down on a desk chair.

Hidgens pulled at the lever and the cold shower turned on. Emma shivered as the blue slime was slowly washed away.

Her mind slowly became foggier, and it felt like something was slowly taking over. The professor cursed as he noticed her unfocused eyes, rushing to grab a flashlight and inspecting her pupils. Emma pulled away at the weird feeling of the rubber gloves on her skin.

"Emma, dear? Can you hear me?"

Emma hummed in response, giving a small nod that was barely noticeable.

"You have to fight it, okay?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists. Her chest hurt and her head hurt and she was going to die wasn't she? She was painfully aware of her heartbeat slowing down despite her panic. She focused on the cold water streaming down her face, clinging to the feeling as she felt herself fade away.

Suddenly, the cold disappeared, but Emma couldn't tell if it was because the shower turned off or because her senses were taken over by whatever that blue shit was. She tried to hold in the notes that flowed through her brain, but a few hums came out.

There was a hot pain spreading through her arm, and suddenly everything came rushing back. The lights were too bright and the ropes around her wrists burned her skin as she fought against them. Her clothes were soaked in cold water, but she was sweating.

Professor Hidgens was talking to her, or maybe Paul, but she couldn't hear his words. The pain took over her entire body as she convulsed in her seat.

"What's going on?" Paul asked, he sounded panicked, and far away.

"Her body is fighting it. What I gave her is not a cure, but she wasn't too far gone yet. It will help her body get rid of the infection."

Emma barely heard what he said, but knowing that this wasn't the infection taking over calmed her down just a bit.

The professor's gloved hands were touching her face, and Emma leaned into his touch as tears streamed down his face.

"Emma, dear, look at me. You're going to be okay. It hurts, but I'm just going to make you fall asleep and when you'll wake up it'll be alright."

The pinch of a needle being prodded into her arm made her wince, and it probably hurt more than it should have, but soon her eyes became heavier and her whimpers slowly faded away.

*** *** ***

Emma sat up with a gasp. She was in a warm bed, and a heart monitor beeped beside her, though it didn't seem like she was in a hospital. She detached the machine from her finger, and an alarm sounded immediately.

She winced as she quickly pulled the tubes out of her arm before anyone could come and stop her.

Her professor entered the room and rushed to her side. He held her down, though he was gentle and careful not to scare or hurt her.

Paul was by her side a few seconds later, while Ted, Charlotte, and Bill stood in the doorframe, watching them.

"Emma, hey..." Paul spoke softly. "It's okay."

Emma cried softly as professor Hidgens put the IV back in her arm, but she didn't fight. Paul grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Emma, we have managed to remove the infection from your body, but you'll be a bit sore for a while. The slime burned through your skin to enter your body, so I'll have to put some ointment on the burns."

Emma nodded as she slowly sat up. She noticed she was wearing a shirt with the college crest on it. It was multiple sizes too big, so she assumed he'd given her one of his shirts.

He exposed her back before rubbing the cold cream onto the irritated skin. Emma sucked in a breath through gritted teeth at both the cold and the stinging.

After he had covered her back, he moved to rub the ointment onto her wrists, which were raw from the ropes that had restrained her.

He smiled at her as he put the lid back on the container. "All done. Try to get some rest."

He stood up, leaving the room as Paul sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Don't you want to drink with your friends?" Emma asked.

Paul smiled, blushing. "I'm staying right here."