Chapter Twenty-Three: Monster Attack In The Hospital

(E Pluribus Unum)

***

The lights were flickering.

They buzzed overhead, more and more erratically with every passing second. Alistair could taste the manic static on his tongue, but more than that, he could feel the spike in the air, cutting through the overwhelming chill of death—panic from the ghosts, growing as frenzied as the lights, a low howl of fear building and building. Alistair watched the ghosts press against each other before flooding for the doors—desperate to escape the threat in the hospital.

Alistair turned back to Will, at seeing the way Will was stiff like a board as his hand was clamped against the back of his neck, the other gripping the candy packet in a white-knuckled grip, he and the others standing in a group as they eyed the lights.

"He's here," he said, voice cracking slightly.

Alistair gulped, and he looked at Cami, at her wide eyes, as Mike, Max, Lucas and El registered what was happening. As El got a look on her face.

Immediately they were rushing to the elevators, which the nurse noticed.

"Hey, hey, hey! Two at a time!" she shouted, but they ignored her as they gathered around the elevators. Mike slammed the button for the elevator, leaving them waiting anxiously for it to come down. Alistair's heart was beating a frantic tempo inside his chest, terror for Nancy and Jonathan pumping inside him with each erratic heartbeat. The almost suffocating panic of the ghosts didn't help as they screamed Run get out it's here it will get us need to get out get out before it gets us thought we were safe everyone get out RUN! over and over, pounding against Alistair's skull like frozen, electrified knives.

However, whatever the Upside Down or the Mind Flayer was doing to the lights, it was fucking up the elevator too, as it wasn't coming down.

"Stairs," Mike decided, and they rushed to the nearest stairwell, all but running up it. It was small and crowded, but the seven of them didn't care as they ran up. It was more crowded with all the ghosts stampeding down, running through them with a shock of cold that only Alistair could feel, their buzzing, panicked words now an incomprehensible scream of static in Alistair's brain, and it was all he could do to focus on his own fear for Nancy and Jonathan, to know they were in danger, to keep running, to keep following the flickering lights.

It was all he could do. He couldn't do anything else.

In response, cold flickered in his veins, reaching out, out, out, and—

Alistair reeled it back in, gritting his teeth. No. He couldn't do that. He had to keep running.

A hand gripped his. Will.

Alistair looked at Will, shock filling his face before he gripped Will's hand and they ran together, until finally, they arrived on the hospital level where the lights were flickering the most. Where Nancy and Jonathan were.

The first thing Alistair felt was the death.

Alistair gasped, hunching over as it barrelled into him, edged with terror. This wasn't like the deaths in the hospital—this was fresher, sharper.

It was the death of the murdered.

Alistair inhaled and exhaled, making himself stand, noticing now the looks of concern and alarm sent his way, as he now registered the blood dripping from his nose.

"I'm okay," he said, wiping the blood away.

That seemed to be enough—especially when a roar sounded.

They bolted after it, running through corridors with lights buzzing dizzily overhead, passing alcoves where slumped over bodies were. Alistair didn't need to look closer to know those people weren't unconscious. And as they got closer to the roars, Alistair winced as death stabbed into him over and over again, wrenching him so brutally in a way he hadn't felt before—like everything inside him was liquefying into nothing.

When they finally arrived at the source of the roars, they saw Jonathan at a door, slamming a fire extinguisher at the glass pane. Blood was running down his face, desperation in his eyes.

"Jonathan!" Will yelled.

His brother turned, eyes wide at seeing them there, before he said, "Nancy, she's in there, she—"

He didn't have to say anymore. They were running to the door, and El was already tearing the door off with her mind, revealing Nancy pressed against the wall, and...

A thing crouched over her, twisting around and snarling. It had multiple legs and no eyes, shards of bone sticking out of its red, fleshy mass. An overwhelming smell of rotting meat radiated from it, And then Alistair felt it—the death, and his power reaching out, eager to take control.

This thing, this monster... it was made from dead flesh.

"Holy fuck," Alistair breathed, in realisation and in horrified confusion of the monster the Mind Flayer had created before them—as his friends also stared in horrified confusion at it.

"Mierda," Cami hissed, looking vaguely sick.

"Jesus," Mike said.

"What the fuck?" Max whispered, but the monster's roar cut her off.

It charged, but El was already moving, hand raised and slamming the monster into the wall with a yell. She slammed it into another wall, then the ceiling and down on the floor. Alistair gritted his teeth as the impact reverberated through the room and into his bones, his power aching to take control. He tamped it down—El had this under control.

As he thought it, El raised her other hand and threw the monster through the window with a scream.

It landed somewhere outside, which El noticed and she yelled, "Go!"

And again they were running, leaving Nancy and Jonathan behind momentarily as Jonathan rushed to her, running down the stairs and out through the lobby and doors, El leading the charge, Nancy and Jonathan soon catching up.

She slammed the doors open and they sprinted outside, stopping as they came to the sewer drain, El's arms stretched protectively in front of them. Alistair moved to stand beside her, ready to use his power on the monster that he assumed had once been the Flayed.

But inside of rearing up and attacking, the monster was melting, sliding down into the drain with a horrible wet squelching noise, until nothing was left but the slimy remains of melted flesh and organs, and a femur bone cracked in half.

Alistair swallowed revulsion as they stared at it in silence, before Max said, "What the fuck just happened?"

"That thing. Do you think it was..." Lucas started, but he couldn't finish, a sick look coming over his face.

"I think it was. I... I think I felt whoever that had been being... melted," Alistair confessed, and the horrified, sick looks intensified on his friends' faces.

Cami slammed a hand on her mouth and turned, hurling up on the parking lot. Alistair and Max were at her side, Max keeping her hair away from her face while Alistair rubbed her back soothingly as Cami vomited, until she stopped, her entire body shaking.

Nancy immediately turned to Cami, worry in her face, and she asked, "Are you okay, Cami?"

"No," she croaked out, wiping away the vomit from her mouth. Alistair rubbed her back in soothing circles, as they all looked at each other.

As horrifying and nauseating as it was, that monster was new. And it brought a new level of fear about what the Mind Flayer's plans were, for the world and the people it Flayed.

They had to find that source. As soon as they could.

***

This was so fun >:)

This was really fun to write! I loved writing the panic and the description of the monster—and yeah, Alistair was going through it (and yes, the ghosts were very much valid in panicking)

And yeah, poor Cami. I'm honestly surprised none of them threw up at seeing that monster for the first time (I definitely would have)

But we're getting near the end! I can't wait to write these next couple of episodes... and what I have planned >:)

Spanish translation:

Mierda: Shit

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!