Born To Burn

Ch.6: Well, This Is Unexpected

***Eidon***

I woke to the shocking feel of cold water pouring over me. I immediately lept to my feet and surveyed my surroundings. What the fuck was going on?

Last thing I remember was ....I was cut off by my own mind flooding with the memories of events. I immediately clutched my throat. It was tight, but intact. That fucking bastard actually killed me. Wait. How the-

The double doors that led into the cafeteria burst open and two forms poured in.

"ANYBODY IN HERE!?!" A booming voice demanded.

"HELLO! ANYBODY IN HERE?!?" It came again.

"OVER HERE!" Another voice answered as the beam of a flashlight landed on my face.

I watched as the man closest to me opened an emergency blanket, unfolded it and wrapped it around me.

"LETS GO! YOU GOTTA GET OUT RIGHT NOW. ITS NOT SAFE" He yelled in my ear.

He grabbed my arm and hoisted me out of the crouch I was in and towards the door. I blankly followed their commands.

I hung a left at the corner and headed for the front door. Wait. I paused. I can't do that.

Everybody will see me. How am I going to explain that I'm in fact alive, not dead? Even with my healing gifts I wouldn't have survived what Aiden did, let alone have healed this much this quick. They all watched me die. Those sorry fuckers...

Shit, EMBER! My mind screams. Where was Ember?!?

I immediately spun around and bolted back to the double doors and glanced into the cafeteria. It had been cleared, nobody, rescuer or otherwise occupied the space. Where was she? So help me goddess if those sons of bitches hurt her...

Tears filled my eyes. What had they done to her? I needed to find out. I needed to be careful though, I am after all, a dead man literally walking.

I turn around and scope the hallways. The sprinklers are on....fire? I sniff the air, the scents there, but not severely and not currently.

I head the opposite way, making my way through the building towards the out building in the back. I dash across and hit the door quickly.

Once in, I lock it and head for the locker rooms. The sprinklers aren't on in here, which means this building will be one of the last searched, if searched at all.

I quickly shower and then hit the lockers. I open any that are unlocked and manage to find a pair of sweats, a pair of sneakers, a tee shirt and a huge, ancient looking hoodie. It's been there for awhile as it's covered in dust. PERFECT. If anybody goes sniffing around me they'll likely sneeze, it'll help keep my scent covered.

I dress and then go to watch the spectacle unfold hidden behind the thick windows of the outbuilding.

I don't know how long it finally took for everybody to clear out, but darkness had fallen. I took the opportunity to duck out and head to the backside of the building. The woods butted up pretty close here and I could use them to navigate fairly well around the compound.

First stop I'm making is home. I need to snag some clothes and shoes that actually fit before I sneak around and find out what they did with Ember. The poor girl didn't deserve all this bullshit.

I can't help but think it's all my fault. If I had just stayed away, didn't want a friend so desperately this would've never happened. But how could I not help her? I have set back and watched her get pummeled for years and never really understood why they treated her that way. She was always alone and scared.