Right or Wrong

[Erika Paige]

Even if Erika wanted to become a surgeon, a lot of the regular 'doctor' tasks still fell on her shoulders. She supposed it wasn't all that surprising though, seeing as how few people wanted this kind of career. What with being so close to infected and hurt people. She figured she understood that, and honestly, she didn't really mind doing the smaller things - like talking to people and checking them for any wounds or sicknesses.

People were so paranoid though. Always afraid that every little cough or sneeze was the beginning of the end.

Wiping her forehead, Erika stood with her back leaned against the wall and sighed. She'd finally managed to take a break after a long morning running back and forth. The hospital seemed quiet, though, that was because of its size and the lack of a population to fill it. Sure, there were plenty of people around here, but not nearly enough to fill every room.

Her eyes caught sight of someone walking down the hall - she couldn't remember seeing him before, so he wasn't one of the regulars. Unless he was about to become one, of course. Following him with her eyes, she wondered briefly what on earth he was doing inside this wing. It wasn't locked per se, but there was barely anyone roaming these halls.

"Excuse me," she called out as she furrowed her walls. The brunette pushed herself off of the wall and took a few steps towards the man. "Can I help you?" She folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head curiously to the side. "This wing's pretty much empty, so whatever you're looking for isn't here," she added for good measure. Heck, they didn't even keep any of the medicine in here, if that was what he was looking for.

Tag: Lucian A. Dragomir

[Lucian A. Dragomir]

Where or where would two teenage girls find themselves after a tragic life event. Surely it was easy to get lost in a world like this, never to be seen by your family again, especially with a certain group that went around doing whatever they pleased because they could. But if the Furrina had run into the two Dragomir sisters, Lucian would have heard and he would have made it a point to beat the shit out of and potentially kill anyone who was withholding any information about them from him. His sisters were a serious matter, they belonged to him and he would find them whether they wanted to be found or not.

But why wouldn't they?

Lucian had been looking for a long while, months or years he didn't know, but it had been long enough to scour his way through most of the farmlands and half of the city. He was very thorough in his searching, and made sure to look in any small space that they could be shoved into. After all, if the Doomed attacked, their best bet would be to hide in a place that they couldn't be reached. That's clearly what they were running from, right? Lucian was weary whenever he searched the city. As he was a 'weapons coordinator' for the Furrina, he had some competition from the Axios. An enemy of sorts that he often tried to taunt, but never made it so that he could be hunted. Lucian didn't belong in this sector, but he found himself hovering around it. It was where they'd started out. Where his sisters and him had been born and raised. He may have been exiled, but he was sneaky enough to get around that.

And the people were often too drunk to take notice of him. Except it seemed on the floor of the hospital that he was sneaking around. It appeared he wasn't as sneaky as he thought however, as he had been spotted by some nurse? Luc's mouth set in a grim line and he rolled his eyes as she approached. He wasn't fast enough to slip away, making it seem like a figment of her imagination. So he'd just have to work his other magic.

His eyes glazed over and he portrayed a sense of confusion when she got close enough, "I-I'm sorry, ma'am. W-where am I?" His hand traveled to the back of his neck and he rocked on his heels, as though he may fall backwards. Clearly he was a head trauma patient who had lost his way! Or perhaps he'd been sleep walking? As a child he'd done it, he knew what it was like waking up somewhere unfamiliar and in a situation he wasn't quite comfortable with.

[Erika Paige]

Now, Erika would never consider herself a stupid young woman. Even with the sudden change of the man, she couldn't very well throw her duty aside. Stepping forward as it appeared as if the man - whoever he was - was about to fall, Erika placed her hands around his biceps, trying to steady him. "You're at the hospital," she said calmly, her brows furrowing as she looked up at him. She didn't know where the sudden change had come from. Had he spent too much time out in the scorching sun? A lot of people came here dehydrated and delusional. It was hardly the first time it had happened.

While steadying the man - or trying to; he was much taller and bigger than she was, so it wasn't exactly an easy task to handle, Erika tried reaching for a nearby chair and pulled it towards them. "Here, sit down," she nodded towards the chair. "Tell me what happened."

She looked him over quickly, asserting the situation. Once she found him steady enough, she let go of his arm and took a step away. He didn't look sick. Apart from the glazed eyes and the obvious confusion. She tried skimming through the various illnesses she'd read and its symptoms and honestly, the only thing she could really think of was either dehydration or some severe head trauma - but then again, he didn't have any noticeable head wounds. 

"I'll call for some nurses," she said as she took another step away, tucking a strong of hair behind her ear. They could bring the man some water and perhaps even a wheelchair if he couldn't walk.

[Lucian A. Dragomir]

Settling for a delusional and dehydrated young Wanderer, Lucian composed himself, ready to get into character. He already had her hooked, she didn't suspect a thing, and she wouldn't because he was quite the actor, something he'd learned from both of his lying, cheating parents. Luc's eyebrows pulled together and he winced at the action, feigning a headache. He gripped his stomach and convulsed before she dragged a chair over for him to sit on. It took all he had not to smirk at how stupid the girl was. She seemed to have a problem of thinking there were good people in this world. If he got his way, she'd find out it wasn't quite the case.

"H-how did...I get here. I...I was," He choked with each gag that bubbled up to his throat. Classic case of severe dehydration. Confusion, stomach and abdominal pains, massive headaches. He knew his way around medical journals, he'd stolen enough to become quite educated in symptoms of different diseases, illnesses and the like. Cora had always been the reader of the family, but he'd snagged a few of the books they'd managed to find for her and in doing so, became quite a reader himself.

Lucian allowed his eyes to wander up to look at the girl, letting up on his act as she stepped away and cast her eyes down the hall. It wasn't a surprise to him that she was doing her job. As a nurse or doctor, perhaps it was in the job description to believe everyone's symptoms. To believe that everyone who found themselves here were ill and at risk for becoming infected and Doomed forever. Perhaps she was just naive and ignorant to the kind of people that really lived in this world. A sheltered girl with no idea what endless opportunities she could present to him.

And he didn't even know her name.

"Th-thank you. I...I think I can..." He tried to stand up, back at the show he was putting on, but staggered back in the chair and groaned. "Okay, perhaps not," He forced out a pained laugh and continued gripping his abdomen tight, his hand resting inside his jacket where a pocket knife was hidden. What did he have planned for her? What joys would he get out of using her? And here he'd been looking for his sisters, when the perfect possibility had just fell upon him.

[Erika Paige]

The brunette's brows furrowed once more as she watched the man. She nodded at his words and give his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It's okay," she said. "Don't speak. Save your energy." She'd seen this kind of thing several times. She wasn't anywhere near being a perfect doctor - given her age - but she was getting there slowly. She'd always been uncomfortable being alone in these kinds of situations. Not because she couldn't handle it, but because she didn't know everything there was to know. It was a stupid fear, but she had a feeling it was fairly common.

When he tried standing up, but failed, Erika nodded once more. "Just take it easy," she said with an easy smile. There was little point in having him use all his energy. He needed to save it. Instead, the brunette lifted the walkie talkie from her belt loop and stepped further down the hall - not far enough for her to lose sight of the patient, but long enough for her to give him some room to collect himself.

"Gregory?" she spoke into the walkie talkie. "Dr. Frye?" a light voice replied. "Yeah, hey. So, there's a patient in the closed up wing--" she continued, but was cut off. "The closed up wing? What on earth is--" Shaking her head, the brunette rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter, Gregory. I need you to send up some nurses. He seems to be severely dehydrated, so bring some water too. Get a room ready for us too when we come back down, okay?" She barely paid attention to the rest of the words Gregory uttered. At least not after he said that he'd do what she told, anyways. Something about this wing being locked up for a reason. Whatever.

"They're coming up," she said as she turned back to look at the man with an easy smile on her lips.

[Lucian A. Dragomir]

Lucian returned her smile, attempting not to tense too much when she touched him. He didn't like being touched unless it was initiated on his part. Which he most certainly had not done, however, she was a doctor, reassuring touches were sort of something they all did. And he supposed if he was going to be touched, it was better having it done by a pretty girl than some disgusting creature that was deteriorating. His smile was quick, brief, as he didn't want it to become too feral for her to believe he was some innocent, dehydrated patient. Luc had a habit of coming off in such a way, though. Even his posture was animalistic, like a cat slinking around.

As she walked away, he tapped the handle of his pocket knife, calculative, but still oh so innocent and in pain. If she was calling for help, he imagined there would be at least two others. Perhaps men. Making his plans slip through the cracks. More people made it more difficult for him to keep up with his false pretenses. This guise would be up in seconds if he felt threatened and he didn't think he wanted to kill hospital staff. It didn't matter much to him if people died, but if they were keeping Cora or Layla here, he needed them alive to care for his sisters. If they became infected or were ill, he wouldn't be able to take them with him. And he needed to take them with him.

They were his.

The good doctor turned back and he glanced up at her with exhausted eyes. Which wasn't entirely faked. He was exhausted. Tired of coming up short with his sisters. Tired of the ploy he was putting on. He just needed to move his plan into action. If she could just come a little closer, he'd grab her. His hand was gripped on the knife in his jacket. All he needed was to wrap his arm around her and simultaneously press the knife to her throat. Only to get her alone. He didn't want a group to deal with, he wanted to keep playing with his toy. Lucian thought quick and decided, perhaps feigning passing out would help him. Maybe he'd be able to get her to come over and check his vitals again. Or maybe if he went into a fit of coughing.

"I'm sorry for being such a nuisance, but have you found the carousel at the end of the hall. All of the kittens are spinning around and around," He muttered, loud enough to be heard before his eyes rolled back in his head and his head fell back against the chair. He closed his eyes and waited.

Come close, sweet doctor. Don't be shy.

[Erika Paige]

When the man started speaking in riddles, Erika hesitated. For a moment, the only thing she could think of was the word Doomed, but she quickly had to toss that thought aside and act as the professional she often claimed to be. She put the walkie talkie back into the loop of her belt and stepped forward - somewhat slowly. She reached her hand out as she drew closer and put it on the guy's shoulder. Her brows knitted together in worry and she braced herself, prepared for anything.

In this kind of world it was hard to know whether someone was simply sick, or filled with an infection that slowly ate away at their brain and body. Sure, her first impression had been that this was nothing more than dehydration, but they knew so little about the illness and it was so different from person to person...

This was exactly the kind of thing her mother had tried shielding her for. Her next to no experience with the sickness made her even more hesitant. But she had a duty.

Kneeling down in front of the guy, she moved the back of her hand against his forehead to check his temperature.

[Lucian A. Dragomir]

Lucian heard her hesitation and he almost wondered if that hadn't been convincing. Maybe she was going to take off while his eyes were closed and he'd have to chase her, which wasn't something he did, or he'd have to find some other target to take out his fun on. He didn't chase his toys. If they got away, they got away, and so did he. Lucian wasn't stupid enough to stick around and wait for a larger group because although he was good with weapons, he wasn't at his best. This was a search mission, not a hunting mission. If a toy came along, he played with it, but if it didn't, he strictly focused on his main task of finding his darling sisters.

But then he heard her approach and she knelt down with her hand brushing against his forehead the way he recalled Layla doing once...prior to the attempt on her life. She'd loved him then, he wondered if she did now.

With his chance finally presenting itself, he reacted quickly. He'd always been faster than most people expected. In one swift move, he pulled the knife from his pocket, clasped his hand around her mouth, the knife pressed to her throat and her back to him as he stood. She wouldn't have had much time to make a noise except a squeak before the screaming. Lucian made sure of that. His pocket knife may not have been all that long or even his most handy, but it was enough to pose a threat of cutting into the lovely girl's delicious looking throat. And he knew all too well what it would look like.

Just like Layla's.

"Thank you for being so caring doctor, but you see, I'm not sick. I'm not even dehydrated. My reason for being here, is simple. I'm looking for someone and before I interrogate you for information, we're going to take a little walk. I'm going to need a place where the back up you called for won't find us. Point where that direction might be, if you lie, I'll slice your throat. If not, I'll take it easy on you. Understand?" He asked, a joking edge to his voice as he pressed the knife firmly against her throat. "Nod if you understand me, dear."

[Erika Paige]

She wasn't even offered a chance to react before she found the guy's hand over her mouth and something sharp against her neck. Staring at the man with a mix of confusion and shock, the brunette found her mind going incredibly slow as she tried processing what on earth had just happened. Only a moment before, the guy had been seemingly passed out and well, he clearly wasn't anymore, if he'd ever been.

Thankfully, the man felt charitable enough to explain his reasoning. She could feel her heart hammer loudly in her chest and it almost felt as if it was about to pop out and start dancing across the floor. Naturally, she could drag the time out, because the nurses couldn't be too far away, but something in the expression the man carried told her that would't be a good idea. At all. Instead, she simply nodded and lifted a shaking hand and pointed down the corridor he'd come from and then gestures for them to take a left turn.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this shell-shocked or scared. It had come so out of the blue too. She wondered briefly if perhaps this guy was infected, but quickly pushed the thought away. It would help her little to worry about him suddenly turning batshit insane. It was probably far better to simply play along, although her stubborn and reckless personality was screaming for her to kick him in the balls and make sure he regretted picking her out of everyone.

[Lucian A. Dragomir]

Lucian had no real intention of hurting the fine doctor here, as she had been more than pleasant enough to him while she thought him ill. There had been no reason for him to be rude or careless of how he'd treat her, so he figured he'd be on best behavior for now. With that clear though in his mind, that didn't necessarily mean things wouldn't change. One wrong move on her part would leave her with a sliced throat, left to bleed out on the floor for someone else to find her. Lucian was easily prodded to do things, mainly when he didn't get his way for whatever reason.

As she did what he asked of her, a cruel smile fell upon his lips, as if he was amused by the situation. "Good girl, now don't make a peep. We wouldn't want anyone getting suspicious, would we?" He crooned in her ear as he pushed her forward, the knife still pressed to her throat and his hand over her mouth. Luc wasn't going to risk her screaming, even if she decided to bite him, he wouldn't remove his hand. Not to mention it would be a very dumb move on her part, for all they knew, he was infected. It wasn't as though they had a way of telling. And she'd rot away rather than die quickly.

Lucian followed her instructions and took a left finding a small room that seemed to have not been touched in some time. He opened the door, pushing her through first and his eyes scanned the surrounding area once more to make sure she wasn't trying to be clever. "Good, now that we're here," He muttered more to himself as he placed the blade between his teeth, keeping a firm hold on her while he fished into his pocket for the duct tape. Yes, he carried around duct tape for situations much like this. Taking the knife from his mouth, duct tape still in hand, he spoke quietly, threateningly "Like I said, if you scream, if you even make one little tiny noise, you'll be dead before they get to you. I'll let go of your mouth, but don't think I'm remotely joking."

Removing his hand from her mouth, his eyes studied her, challenging her. He slid the knife in his pocket, still close enough for him to reach in a hurry, if he didn't snap her neck first, and grasped her wrists in one hand like a vice before tearing the duct tape with his teeth and wrapping it skillfully with one hand around her wrists just above where he was holding. "Ah yes, there we go. Now lets find you a chair to sit you in and start the questioning shall we? I really just need to get this information from you and then I'll let you go. No harm, no foul."