A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dr. Greene leads me through the maze of City Hall, seeming to know every twist and turn and not getting lost at all. She is practically dragging me behind her, because I can't seem to make my feet work. This feels wrong, so wrong. My friends and mate are back there where the infected mutants had infiltrated. Who knows if they were able to get away.

"Henley, pay attention, we are almost there," Dr. Greene says, slowing down. She looks up and down the hall, seeming to be searching for something, before taking us through a door to the right.

The room is empty, if you can even consider it a room. It more like a space where people store their outside belongings during the time when they are not in use. But there is a door, only visible due to its outline.

Dr. Greene lets go of me, motioning for me to be silent as she moves towards the door. Slowly, she turns the knob, eliciting a loud clang. It must have been a while since anyone has been out this door. She opens the door, just a crack, before peeking outside.

Satisfied, she looks back over at me. "Henley, stay here. I'm going to get the car and bring it over here."

"Why can't I just come with you?" I ask, confused by everything that is going on.

She peeks back out the door again before looking back over at me. "There are some of those creatures outside, and it will be easier for me to move around without you." She opens the door, slipping through. "Just stay here and try to be as quiet as you can." With that, she gently closes the door behind her, leaving me alone in this desolate room.

Looking around the room, I try to take in where exactly I am. I have never been to this part of City Hall before, never even knew it was this big. How in the hell Dr. Greene knows her way around is a mystery itself, but I feel like I know nothing about that hybrid.

A sound comes from down the hall, making my head snap over to the door. It is becoming louder, closer. It sounds like footsteps, maybe? But it is hard to tell. They almost sound like the person they belong to is drunk, since they seem to be stumbling into a lot of things.

As quietly as I can, I look for something to use as a weapon. There, hanging on the wall next to the door that leads outside, is a shovel. Without hesitating, I lift it off the wall, holding it in front of me to use at a moment's notice.

The stumbling comes closer, and soon enough, one of those horrid creatures comes into view. Bile starts to slide up my throat, but I hold it back, instead tightening my hands around the shovel. It doesn't notice me at first, just walks into the room with its uneven gait. Taking my chance, I step up to it quickly, raising my shovel. At the last second, it turns its head, growling at me, but before it can attack, my shovel makes contact with its head.

The creature is knocked over onto its side, letting out disturbing sounding whines and shaking its head. Taking a shaking breath, I force myself to bring the shovel down, again and again, not stopping until the creature is unrecognizable.

The shovel falls from my shaking hands with a clatter, and I scoot as far away from the now dead creature as possible. My chest is becoming tight, and my breaths are becoming harder to catch. I know that I am on the verge of a panic attack, but there is nothing I can do to stop it.

It's like trying to stop a raging bull with a butter knife.

Because I just killed something, and I pledged to heal not to harm less than an hour ago. Already I had broken my vow as a doctor, broken a part of me that I had been striving towards ever since I knew what a doctor was.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I try to not give into the panic wanting to take over me. But I have to get away from the creature. Every second I stay looking at it makes me want to be sick.