Chapter 5.

Tim and Valerie continued their steady walks through the woods, with them taking a break every few minutes for Tim to recover some of his strength.

"We're nearly there," Valerie told him, swallowing the bump that grew in her throat. She didn't know where they were, that itself was unsettling. "Are you bleeding a lot, Tim?".

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." he responded. "Come on, let's keep going," he forced himself back up from the tree trunk he rested on.

They walked past more trees and bushes until they reached another opening. Looking to her left, Valerie saw the trees only grow thicker, to her right, however, there seemed to be a trail that cut through the trees.

"Tim, look..." she began. "It looks like a trail...".

"We should go there..." Tim responded. With that, he looked Valerie's way before adding, "We've got no other option left.".

And so, with a nod, Valerie led the way, often looking back and checking up on Tim. With him nodding that he was okay, Valerie looked forward as they cautiously walked further down the trail.

Tire marks patterned the mud beneath their feet, they didn't look fresh. Rustles of leaves were heard again around them as a few birds flew out of the trees.

Not wanting further confrontation, Valerie and Tim hurried their way through, however, it wasn't long before they reached a dead end. A wall of bushes and trees.

But then a sound was heard seconds later, a sound like no other. The rushing of the cars.

Valerie felt her heart in her throat. "Did you hear that??" she asked, seeing the expression on Tim's face as though he was about to comment on the same thing.

"We're close! Let's keep moving.".

And with that, Tim and Valerie ventured back into the trees. 

Within a few meters and scratches of branches, Valerie's stomach dropped ever so slightly as she saw what was ahead of her. The yellow trail. A wave of relief washed over her. 

"Let's get the fuck out of here. Come on..." Valerie spoke as she took hold of Tim.

They walked for a few more minutes before the trees ahead disappeared and their eyes were greeted by the car park. 4 cars, all parked.

And only one of them was to leave.

"Where are we going?" Tim asked as he sat in the passenger seat of one of the cars.

"The hospital, I need them to get that wound to stop bleeding," Valerie replied, managing to get the car to start up. "Buckle up, Tim," she added, clasping her seatbelt in place. And with that, she pulled out of the parking lot and made her way toward the hospital in Artull.

"Stay with me..." she spoke up when noticing his head resting back.

"I am... I'm just... I'm just laying my head back.".

"Don't fall asleep, Tim... We're nearly there," Valerie added.

As they entered the town, it took them another 5 minutes to get to the hospital. However, by then, Tim was unresponsive.

"Tim?... Tim?? Tim, wake up!". Valerie then ran inside the hospital before getting help.

With some of the nurses rushing to the car and getting Tim out and onto a stretcher, Valerie got to see the once beige, leather seat all covered in blood. On that ride alone, Tim lost a lot of blood. 

Closing the door of the police cruiser, Valerie rushed after the stretcher into the hospital. However, after a certain point inside, she was stopped by one of the nurses. "Sorry, Miss. We cannot have you advance any further. It's only authorised personnel after this point.".

"I-Is he going to be okay??" Valerie asked, her throat drying up ever so slightly.

"I am not sure, Miss. But I'd urge you to sit down, the doctor will come back soon. I'm sure he'll have more information.".

Valerie nodded her head and followed the nurse who showed her where the sit. The nurse came back with a clipboard and a page held onto the board. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions, is that okay?".

Valerie nodded her head.

"Do you know the young man who was just rushed in, Miss?" she asked Valerie.

"Yes... Yes, I do.". A pause. Looking at the way the nurse eyed her, Valerie was prompted to continue. "I am a detective, he's my partner. An officer. We're working at the police station down the road.".

"What's his name?".

"Tim. Tim Keegan," Valerie responded.

"And what is your name?" The nurse further asked.

"My name is Valerie Simmons.".

Jots of the pen against the paper were just about heard as the nurse made sure to note everything that Valerie told her.

Once finished, the nurse muttered, "Alright," as she stood up. Her eyes gazed over Valerie, taking note of the blood present on her hands. "Is there anything I can get for you, Valerie? Are you hurt?".

Initially, Valerie tried to sense out if anything seemed out of place. But with her being in such a state of panic and fear, it was a hard task. So in the end, she responded with a shrug. "I don't think so.".

The nurse nodded in response. "Alright then, I'll be by the desk if you need anything." And with that, she walked away.

Only then did Valerie give herself a second to settle down and take in a deep breath. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Out of nowhere, her eyes began to tear up as she ran through the events that had just happened in her head. It seemed like something out of a movie. Or maybe even a nightmare.

She hoped she'd shake herself awake and find herself in her living room, on the couch. However, she knew that wasn't going to happen.

She lost many people today and the more she thought about it the more annoyed she got at herself. She ran away. She chose to run away and leave the rest of her team behind.

The fact that she managed to get Tim out of such trouble soothed her, however just a little. Looking at her hands, they were still shaking.

She jumped when she heard her phone ring. 'I had my fucking phone with me...'.

Picking it out of her pocket, she saw it had a small, singular crack across it. The caller ID was her boss. Immediately, she answered it. "Boss...".

"Valerie... holy shit. You're alright... What happened? I've tried calling you five times now.". 

"I... I don't know boss... I'm in the hospital right now...". Valerie tried to hold back her tears, however, a few managed to spill down her cheeks.

"Hospital??... I am on my way, don't go anywhere. How's the rest of the team?" he asked.

Valerie's stomach dropped to the ground. She didn't know what to say. The silence went unnoticed by her, however, not the same was said about her chief. He kicked her out of her trance when he called out her name. "Valerie?".

"I don't know...". She bit her tongue at such a reply.

Then, silence. "I'll be there in a few minutes.".

And just as he said, minutes later, he reached the hospital. Rushing inside, it took him seconds to eye out Valerie who was still sitting in the waiting area.

Behind him followed two more officers. Immediately, they went to Valerie.

"Valerie," he began, getting her attention. Seeing the expression on her face, his guts told him something wasn't right. "What happened?".

"I- I don't know..." she spoke out, rubbing her bloodied fingers. "They were everywhere, Boss... We tried... I tried... I really did but-".

"Deep breaths. Tell me what happened... Who was there?".

"They... they were these creatures...". She stopped herself, still trying to gather her thoughts. "They seemed like they were dead, Boss. But yet they were alive. And I don't know how that's possible.".

"I don't know either... Nor do I think it is," he spoke out, looking at the blood that covered her hands. His suspicions began to grow. "How did you get your hands all bloodied up like that, Detective?".

"Tim Keegan, Sir. This is all Tim Keegan's blood. He's the reason we're here.".

"And what happened to Officer Keegan?" her boss asked.

"He got bitten in the thigh. He also lost a lot of blood," Valerie responded.

"Bitten?... Where is he now?".

"I think the doctors are tending him," she replied.

Her boss paused, turning and facing the nurse who shifted her eyes between her work and the cluster he and his officers made around Valerie.

Deciding to walk up to her, she greeted him with a smile. "Good day, sir. How can I help you?".

"I am here looking for my officer, Tim Keegan is his name.".

The nurse paused as she looked behind herself, the plastic basket that still had the clipboard she had filled out minutes ago. "It seems the doctor hasn't come out from tending to the patient.".

"Do you know if he will be okay?".

"You will have to wait for the doctor to come for you to get an answer to that, I'm afraid. Sorry.".

He nodded his head. "Alright... Will he be long, do you think?".

"I am unsure, Sir. Sorry. But I would urge you to sit down in the waiting area," The nurse responded before getting a phone call.

With that, he returned to Valerie. "Do you know where Una and the rest are?".

Again, Valerie's initial response was silence. "They are in the forest... The rest of the Team Alpha and Team Beta.".

Her chief looked over at the officers he brought with him. "Make your way over to the forest and see where the two teams are.".

"No!..." Valerie reacted with no second thought. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "It's a big risk, Boss. All of what I've seen, I- I don't think...".

"With all due respect, detective... But I think I know what I am doing by sending my team out on a rescue mission.".

"I'm sorry, Chief. It's just all of what I've seen... they are vicious, sir. If a group of us 9 merely stood a chance... I can't begin to imagine what would happen with 2 people..." Valerie responded. Moving her eyes to the two officers, she could hear them gulp just by watching the movement of their throats.

"And I would highly appreciate if you were to stop telling me how to do my job," he began. His eyes moved back to the two officers. Fear was present in their posture. "And not only that, but you've also evoked fear in my officers!". He paused for a second more, reaching another conclusion. "You two, you are free to go. We'll call back up as soon as I am back in the station.".

The two officers looked at each other in slight relief before walking out of the hospital, leaving their Chief alone with Valerie.

"I'm sorry, Chief..." Valerie broke the silence that lay between them.

"Do you know what it sounded like to me? Hearing you tell me what you did??... About the dead...".

Valerie tried to swallow down the lump that returned in her throat. "I sound crazy to you, don't I?".

"You're one of the most competent workers I've employed...".

"But you must believe me, Boss. Because I saw what I saw.". She paused. "Furthermore, the fact that myself and Tim were the only two to get out of that forest is one more reason why you should believe me, Sir.". Seeing others around her Chief and her, Valerie purposefully kept her voice low.

Her boss looked at her for a second more before saying, "Let's get your hands cleaned up... There's a bathroom right around the corner.".

With her boss waiting for her outside the bathrooms, Valerie made her way inside. The smell of cleaning chemicals at first attacked her nose. It wasn't long before a pleasant feeling of cleanliness engulfed her. 

She walked over to the sink before pulling up her sleeves, turning the faucet for the water on and running the water over her dirty hands. Instantly, the dark red-coloured water flowed onto the sink and made its way to the drain. 

With her applying the white, foamed soap, its colour turned that of the dirt on her hands, turning red, just like the water. A final rinse washed all the foam off her hands.

Aside from some of the blood that remained under her fingers, her skin was clean of blood. Deciding to do a further better job, she applied a few more squirts of soap into the palm of her right hand before rubbing it into her nails and once more rinsing out the lathered soap. 

Once finished, from her hands, she looked up at her face.

For the first time since she walked out of the woods, she had a look at herself. A few scratches were present as her hair was a mess.

She proceeded to wash her face, in turn managing to wash off some of the dirt that was merely noticeable to the naked eye.

Getting a paper towel and drying her face, she looked at herself once more. Her eyes were red from the water and her skin was that bit clearer. And with her hair tidied, she could only then say she looked better.

Tears once more swelled her eyes as she hitched a breath.

'Stay strong, Valerie,' she told herself. 'Stay fucking strong...'.