Among Us....

Chapter 8: Pen marks.

3:00 AM
Read the clock.
Deelans eyes were wide open. She had to go hide this file, so she waited until hopefully everyone was asleep. In the academy they were forced to sleep by 8:30pm. So she figured it would be safe by 3. The ship was quiet, just the humming of the electrical system and the rockets that propelled them towards Earth. Deelan stepped into her brown suit and zipped it to her stomach, then tied the arms around her t-shirt. The usual. And quietly opened her door, then closed it behind her. She looked left and right to make sure nobody was in the hallway. Then began a short and quiet journey to where she decided to hide it. There wasn't many hiding spots, but she remembered there was a vent in the far corner of the cafeteria, it was a wall vent that was a few feet above her head. So that's where she decided. The ship was dark, only a few guiding lights in the hallways, but the cafeteria was still slightly lit up. Which was odd, the lights in the ship are all on timers to save energy. But that wasn't what was on her mind right now, in truth she was very scared. Deelan entered the cafeteria cautiously and walked towards the files destination. She eyed the vent, then looked around her. Some of the lights were flickering, it planted a deep seed on uneasiness in her gut, as if she wasn't uncomfortable enough. It felt like she was walking forever, why was the cafeteria big enough for a crew of 30.
The humming of the ship muffled her foot steps as she arrived to the vent, it was dark in that corner. And the vent was tall, Deelan placed the file on a table behind her and took a stool to step on. Her hands were cold as she lifted it and placed it to the wall, aligning with the vent. She couldn't help but feel that the ship had gotten colder, or maybe it was the atmosphere of the crew causing the coldness.
Deelan glanced up at the vent...it was hard to see... but something was catching her eye. Until the florescent light flickered in her corner, and what she couldn't see was now made clear to her.
"S-scratch marks?" She whimpered. The wall surrounding the vent looked as though a clawed animal has been helping itself in and out. Over and over again. The vent was covered in claw marks.  Although she was dazed in confusion, she still had an an order to fulfill.  Deelan took a deep breath in and turned her body to grab the file she had placed down.
But all she saw was the smooth white steel of the table.  The slender beige folder wasn't in her sight. She blinked.
"Where- where is it..." she whispered between her lips.
Her eyes darted around, the folder was gone! Just like the air in her lungs.
When a sudden florescent light flicked back on above them.

Time seemed to stop as her brown eyes landed on a slim figure a few feet away. Then down to the folder in its hand.
"Daniel?" She whimpered.  Confusion and fear began to swirl in her head, it nearly made her dizzy.
"What're you doing out? It's 3am, It- it isn't safe..." her eyes blinked vigorously. As her body froze.
"You need to give me that, now!" Her voice rose slightly.
Daniel lifted the folder, "this?" He asked. And walked towards her.  Deelan took a step back, but he just took a step forward. And pointed the folder towards her.
"Take it." His voice was deeper then usual. Daniel glared down at her. With blacked out eyes.
"You need to go back to your room, it's not safe." She whispered, it seemed like the reality of the situation was to much for her to try and react to. The horror of it.
"Oh Deelan, always caring about others safety."
She stood frozen, Daniel lifted his hand and took the pen that was resting behind her ear, she always kept it there. He glanced at it between his finger tips, the pressed the eject button on the top of it. He sighed,
"Never your own."
The first thing she noticed was the sound. The sound of his arm cutting the air between them as he pulled it back, then swung it into the side of the throat. Then yanking it out.
She heard the sound of her blood squirting out and hitting the floor. Daniel swung his arm back again and plunged it in the same spot. Quickly Deelan slapped her hand over the wound, and fell, knocking over a stool before she fell hard to the floor. The stool hit the ground and caused a loud bang to echo throughout the room.
Gasping for air as blood poured from the hole in her neck and from her mouth. Her vision was the clearest it's ever been as the clean white floors began to be painted with crimson red. Bleeding but still alive, Deelan began to crawl towards the centre of the cafeteria, one hand holding a wound and the other gripping the floor. Her legs pushed her forward, the emergency button was there.
Daniel chuckled and took a few steps to catch up to her, placing his boot on her hip and pushing her to her back. Deelan coughed and held onto the wound, laying limp on her back as blood poured from between her fingers and soaked her favourite white t-shirt and brown braids. Her body squirmed as Daniel bent down, and wrapped his hands around her crimson coloured throat. Deelan gritted her teeth and slowly wrapped her hands around his wrists as he straddled her waste,
"D-Daniel—" she choked out as blood trickled from her lips.
"I'm not Daniel." Was all he said, before squeezing her throat down to the diameter of a pop-can. His arms flexed as she tried to slap his face and push him away. A few seconds of him choking every last breath of air out of her had passed, and Deelan had yet to stop.
"Damn it!" He snapped, Daniel lifted her torso up by the grip on her throat and slammed her head down on the hard, cold floor. A loud crack echoed from the impact, and her body went limp. Slowly a puddle of warm, crimson liquid pooled around her. Like a blanket, she laid to rest.
Daniel groaned and stood up. He picked up the file and one by one let each page fall and get soaked in the pool of blood. Until they fell apart. Covered in such liquid, something caught his ear! Down the hall he heard a door open. Quickly he crawled into the vent with his claws, and shut it behind him.
Leaving the young nurse dead on the floor.