DEGREES OF DEATH

Part 7 – Searching for Food to Survive

DEGREES OF DEATH

The creature in front of him lowered its body, the muscles along its back twitching before exploding into a final leap aimed straight for Daniel’s throat. But Daniel’s survival instinct had not burned out yet. At the exact moment the shadow lunged, Daniel dropped flat to the floor, letting the creature slam into the metal door behind him with a thunderous crash.

Without wasting a second, Daniel pushed himself up using his left hand. He no longer tried to pound on the locked classroom door. He had to find another place to take cover. Breathing hard, Daniel sprinted down the dark corridor, ignoring the stabbing pain that flared every time his foot hit the floor.

At the far end of the hallway, the door to the Biology Laboratory stood slightly ajar. Daniel rammed into it with his right shoulder. Pain burst white across his vision, but he managed to force his way inside.

BRAK!

He slammed the lab door shut and yanked the metal bolt into place until it locked tight. Daniel collapsed into a sitting position, his back pressed against the door that was already being struck from the outside. The sound of stiff claws scraping and a sharp hiss echoed just behind his neck, separated from him by only a thin layer of metal.

Daniel steadied his breathing in the stifling darkness of the lab. The smell of chemicals and dust filled his lungs, but at least he had distance now. He clutched his swollen, bluish right wrist, forcing himself to breathe through the pain that came in uneven waves.

Dragging himself away from the door that continued to creak under the assault outside, Daniel scanned the dim laboratory for anything that could serve as a weapon or first aid for his rapidly swelling wrist. His steps halted in front of a long table littered with shattered glass.

“What is this?” he murmured.

He stepped closer, examining a half torn label on one of the specimen tubes that had survived intact. Inside was organic tissue reacting strangely, suspended in a murky preservative fluid. Daniel remembered Chania’s words about a catalyst. The object in front of him seemed to confirm that what had happened on campus was not a mere medical coincidence.

“Something’s wrong,” he muttered.

Using his still functional left hand, Daniel grabbed the small tube and carefully slipped it into his backpack. If they made it out alive, this thing might be the only answer to the chaos unfolding around them.

He circled the rest of the lab, stepping over overturned furniture and shattered equipment. The room was eerily silent, holding only the remnants of a struggle long since finished. There were no signs of life. The laboratory had become a cold vacuum, leaving Daniel alone with the secret he had just uncovered, surrounded by death.

“I should get out of here.” Daniel whispered. He pushed down the pain in his shoulder, trying to ignore the sharp throbbing in his wrist, now dark with bruises.

With his left hand, he slowly unlocked the laboratory door, minimizing the scrape of metal. Daniel peeked into the corridor. It was quiet, but he knew the predator that had attacked him was still lurking in the darkness. He moved cautiously, his back pressed tight to the wall, his breathing controlled and shallow.

When he reached classroom 2-B, Daniel knocked on the metal door.

He glanced toward the narrow window beside the door. Through the fogged glass, he saw Chania jolt awake from her seated position. Their eyes met briefly in the gloom. Chania immediately recognized the urgency in Daniel’s gaze. She rushed forward, sliding the desk barricade aside and twisting the door bolt.

As soon as Daniel slipped inside, Chania shut and locked the door again with swift, practiced movements.

“Daniel? Where have you been?” Chania whispered sharply. Her eyes swept over Daniel’s dust-covered body and stopped at his right arm hanging limply at his side. “What happened? You’re hurt?”

Daniel did not answer right away. He leaned against the desk barricade, his chest rising and falling with short, heavy breaths. His left hand still gripped the strap of his backpack tightly, as if afraid the secret inside would disappear if he let go.

“Your arm is badly injured,” Chania murmured, staring at the unnatural angle of his wrist. “Hold on. I think there’s a first aid kit under this desk.”

She moved quickly in the cramped space behind the barricade. The small cabinet that had been reinforcing the door was opened carefully to avoid any creaking. She pulled out a small white box marked with a faded red cross.

Daniel let his body sink down, sitting against the cold floor. Cold sweat trickled down his temples as Chania helped him remove his jacket. Daniel winced softly, his teeth clenched as sharp pain shot through him when the fabric slid past his injured shoulder.

Chania began cleaning the swollen area with antiseptic. She worked in silence but with practiced efficiency, trying to ease the bruising and abrasions along Daniel’s arm. Daniel turned his face away, his eyes fixed on the door he had just come through, realizing that from this moment on, his ability to protect the group had been severely diminished.

“This isn’t just a bruise, Niel.” Chania murmured as she wrapped the bandage tightly to immobilize his wrist. “You’re lucky the bone didn’t break through the skin.”

Daniel gave a faint nod, letting her continue while his thoughts drifted to the specimen tube inside his bag, which now felt heavier than ever.

“And who told you to go out there alone, huh?” Chania whispered bitterly, her voice thick with restrained anger. She pulled the bandage a little tighter, making Daniel flinch. “That’s it. From now on, you stay here. Let Xavier look for food tomorrow. You’re useless in this condition.”

Daniel turned his face away, his jaw tightening as pain pulsed through his arm. “It’s just a small injury,” he replied shortly, trying to reclaim his crumbling authority. “It’ll heal on its own. I can still hold a bat.”

Chania did not respond. She ignored Daniel’s unreasonable self defense. With efficient movements, she tied the final knot in the makeshift bandage around his arm, making sure it was firm enough to support the damaged joint.

When she was finished, Chania packed away the remaining medical supplies without a word, leaving Daniel sitting stiffly on the floor. Silence settled once more, broken only by the steady sound of rain beating against the windows outside, as if mocking what remained of Daniel’s pride, now wrapped in stained white cloth.