49Hey guys, I apologize for the long gap in posts. I have been in Forks, and Vegas, and Baker City OR for the Hells canyon bike rally. Its been a crazy busy summer, I feel like its been nothing but work and vacation and now I feel like I need a vacation from my vacations. lol Ever feel that way? Anyway Friday the 13th inspired me to finish this ch and get this story done for you. You will be excited to know that this story is almost over, I only have 3 ch left. (I think) lol. So without further ado...
Chapter 8: Pits of Hell
The clone-like Bates Motel became more vivid, coming to life with each step we took. Blown out windows at the end of the long corridors crunched and crackled under our feet. Shards of glass fell hazardously from overhead as the smashed light fixtures splintered around us and shattered my inner calm.
Eerie and faintly flickering red emergency lights, splashed across the crumbling plaster, casting shadowy nightmarish images on the destroyed antique framed photos. Skeletal branches and vines, like hands of death, seemed to slither out; reaching to grab ahold of us as we stepped, ducked, and squeezed past the broken, sharp scratching twigs in the hallway.
"Careful...watch your step." Dimitri quickly pointed out a razor sharp spear grazing the edge of my leg. Steading my unsure footing, he patiently took me through the web of destruction.
Somewhere in the annihilated hotel, I could hear a woman's weak and panicked voice, crying and calling out for help. "We have to help her." The desperate plea shook me to the core. Dimitri's comforting fingers were tightly clasped in mine like a lifeline as we weaved our way through the uninhabitable wreck.
"We can only help her if we get to her in one piece." Vigilantly stopping at each room, Dimitri's cannon fist raised, pounding heavily on the cracked plastered corridor wall and arched wooden doorway. A few were smashed in, to the point there was nothing left to knock on.
"Hello! Is anyone in there?" Dimitri shouted urgently for potentially injured guests that may have been trapped in the ruins. The valiant Russian risked his own safety offering up assistance. "Let's go to the next one."
The next room we reached, a faint voice, barely above a whisper, timidly cried out on the other side. "Help...somebody ...please help us!"
Dimitri didn't even hesitate as he plowed through the hollow door. A young couple was buried under a big support beam and sheetrock, much like we had been, but unfortunately for them the two by ten beam pinned them in place. Luckily, they had been under the covers, acting as padding, and the huge piece of wood had been caught by things on each side of the bed, preventing it from crushing them completely.
"Oh thank God!" The woman whispered as we barged into the room. It's funny how just minutes ago we were angry and very upset over some unwelcomed stranger barging into our own room, but the look of relief that crossed her face said she would not be angry at all.
We made our way to the bed, clearing the path of debris. The poor woman reminded me of a contortionist, bent up like a pretzel and smashed into the bed with the weight of the beam across her chest constricting her lungs. She could barely breathe, and it must have taken every bit of her breath to cry out to us.
"You can thank him later, let's get this off of you!" Dimitri was already scrambling to find something to use as leverage, to shift the weight of the massive structure. The man lying next to her looked unconscious, a huge branch appeared to have smacked him in the head. Dark red blood trickled down his cheek. Dimitri was like Superman, forcing the bulk of the load to shift. "Give me a hand." He ordered, not breaking his concentration. "The minute this beam is raised high enough, I want you to pull them out from under it, as fast as possible. I don't know how long I can hold it."
Doing what I was told, I yanked and pulled until I had the pair out of harm's way. As soon as I had them free, Dimitri released the load and it crashed down on the bed. The entire structure gave way, crumbling to the floor. The woman was doubled over on her knees taking gasping breaths, sucking in some much needed air, repeating, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" with every precious gulp.
Ripping off a long piece of the white sheet, I tended to the man's head wound, wrapping the makeshift bandage around his bleeding and gashed scull. His breathing was shallow and his pulse faint. Dimitri pulled a little penlight out of his pocket as he checked the man's eyes for a pupil response.
Glancing around the room, I noticed a convenient half-glass of water sitting untouched on the table a few feet away. Grabbing it, I tossed it abruptly into the lifeless man's face. The jolt of cold and wet stirred the man to an incoherent consciousness, mumbling, and groaning in pain as his eyes flickered open.
In all the commotion, I really hadn't looked at him, but a flash of pure emerald green caught my attention. He had a sharp angular face with handsome features, long sandy brown hair that stuck out from under the white bandage wrapped around his injured head, and long lashes fluttered as he tried to focus on me.
"Sydney?" He moaned almost inaudibly, but the woman's face lit up instantly.
"I'm here baby. Can you hear me, Adrian?" Sydney fawned over him with a worried expression, looking at me and Dimitri unsure of what to do next.
"If he can walk, we need to get out of here in case the building goes down." Dimitri examined the gaping hole in the roof assessing the imminent danger.
"Adrian... that's his name?" Drawing her attention to me, Sydney confirmed with a sharp nod as tears glistened in her golden amber eyes. Intense anxiety reflected in her body language, I could see fear creep in as Dimitri's daunting words sank in.
"Adrian, can you hear me, we need you to walk, do you think you can?" Shaking him slightly, trying to rouse him further, I listened to his mumbling. We had no choice but to try, glancing at Dimitri he nodded and bent down, hauling Adrian to his feet. Adrian moaned loudly, but opened his eyes, raising a hand to his pounding head.
"Fuck, that hurts!" The blatant cursing had us all laughing nervously, temporarily breaking the tension. "What the hell hit me, a fucking Mac truck? I thought when I died, it would be Sydney shooting my ass for being stupid, not being skewered by a damn tree trunk!" This dude was funny, even with a big lump on his noggin.
"We need to move, you think you can walk?" Dimitri asked seriously as he eyed Adrian.
"Yeah, I'll manage, it takes more than a big stick to take me out." Adrian grumbled as he took his first step towards the shattered door.
The tangled web continued as we half-carried Adrian through all the branches. Crumbled ceiling pieces tripped us up, forcing us to hang on to each other every step of the way.
"Be careful.. don't lean on the collapsing roof beams, they could give way any second." Dimitri's low voice had an ominous warning in the tone. As if responding to his cautionary statement the walls creaked and groaned under the pressure of the massive tree. Howling wind whipped through the tunneled hallway, driving the message home. Sharp stinging droplets pelted our bare skin from every angle.
"Oh my god, you gotta get me out of here!" Sydney screeched as her iron clad grip latched onto my arm. Pain seared through me as her nails dug deep into my tissues. She became hysterical in a matter of seconds, pushing and shoving me forward and off balance. "I...I...can't stay here... I... can't breath! Get me out! Get me out!" Screaming and crying, she thrashed, fighting against us.
"Sydney! Stop! Sydney!" Adrian shouted her name trying to get through to her as true panic and fear settle in and Sydney flipped out.
Dimitri aggressively grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, calling her name once again, but it was obvious that she had snapped. His large hand raised in one smooth swift motion and slapped her across the face. The screaming turned instantly into a terrified whimper and then a heart wrenching sob. Horror stricken, tears flooded her pale face and Sydney's knees gave out. In awe of the scene playing out before me, a lump formed in my throat, I watched as Dimitri pulled the distraught woman into his arms, holding her against his chest as she fell apart.
His eyes held a firm resolve. "Alright, it's time to get us out of here, even if it means facing that storm or whatever else." Dimitri clenched his jaw as he glared at the decimation around us. "The stairs are just a few feet away. Rose, help Adrian, I will carry Sydney out of here." Without another word, he swooped Sydney up in his arms and maneuvered his way to the steps like a linebacker dodging the remaining obstacles.
Thankfully, the staircase structure was still intact. It actually had fared better than the rest of the old building. The haunting red lights lined the steps, casting a glow like you were walking into the pits of hell. As scary as it was to be in this collapsing building, it was almost scarier to be leaving it.
Step by step, we made our way down in an excruciatingly slow pace. Sydney clung to Dimitri like a lifeline, but virtually in silence, her eyes stared off in a catatonic state as silent tears dripped down her pale face. Adrian and I stumbled every so often, but he was managing the best he could with a pounding head and trying to keep his eyes open.
The four of us stumbled unceremoniously into the main lobby, into a small crowd of terrified hotel guests. People were clinging to each other, some scared to death and trembling as they recounted what had happened to their room in a fevered pitch. Whimpering and crying filled the air of the small room as parents held their frightened children trying to reassure them.
A gravely voice called us all to attention. "The harsh storm has claimed our shelter from this tainted night. This building is no longer a refuge from the darkness. We must face the battleground with courage, may god watch over your innocent souls. Now go, before we are all buried alive!" The crazy old bat was not helping matters. A heightened sense of panic rippled through the frightened guests.
Sensing the fear, Dimitri stepped up to take over some control of the situation. "Alright people calm down, I know it looks grim, but if we stick together we can get through this." His strong and assuring words had a slight calming effect on the high strung crowd. He acted as a true leader when he started identifying the injured and barking out orders.
My military upbringing kicked in as we moved the entire group hesitantly into the raging, nasty night.
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