Shay felt someone grab her face and gently lift it towards them. She struggled to open her eyes; they felt heavier than usual. Blinking a few times she opened them and through blurry eyes saw Ravenia, her Mother, her leader. She felt ashamed at failing her, but her voice and concern comforted her as she shook from the pain coursing through her body. She closed her eyes and gave a small nod. She couldn't speak. And as pain diffused throughout her body, the sounds of her friends were becoming increasingly harder to hear or to even understand. She barely saw and heard Tobias arrive at her side, inspecting her leg. Shay tried to focus on his face as Tobias cleaned her wound. As he started though, her eyes grew heavy and her ears felt more clogged, until her hearing seamed to vanish all together. She tried to focus on something that were could keep her connected to reality, to possibly her life, but the force drawing her away was too strong and she inevitably gave in, falling unconscious.
When Shay came back to consciousness for a moment she saw she was in the hospital. She wasn't sure how they had arrived or how long it took them. She must be running out of time though. She heard her name being called, pulling her attention as she forced her laden eyes open. Her eyes looked up to see Tobias at her side, something in his hand. Was this supposed to help her? Why would he be injecting something in to her if not for a healing property? What was Tobias saying? His words were coming out slow and slurred. She wanted to tell him to speak more clearly, that she couldn't understand him. Was he playing a trick on her? Why couldn't she hear what he was saying? "...feel worse...see things....not real...." or did he say they were real? She was confused, trying to understand what he was saying as she felt the prick of his needle puncture her skin, releasing the red liquid in to her blood. Shay closed her eyes. The pain seemed to dissipate from her body. She could feel her once tensed muscles relaxing, her mind clearing as her focus returned. And as quickly as the reprieve came it halted. A new pain shot through her body. Shay grabbed the sheets on either side of the bed, her back arching. Her body shook and she spun herself in to a fetal position, holding her legs to her chest, shaking and whimpering softly. The pain riveting through her. It was no longer the white heat she felt before. It was an indescribable pain. She felt like she was dying. After a few moments of being curled up and shaking, unaware of the others attending each other, Shay felt a wave of pain strike down her back. She broke her hold on her legs and held on to the bed side with a loud cry of pain. If she was dying why wasn't she dead already? Why was it taking so long? She was broken. She was giving in. Why wouldn't they let her go? Her eyes were physically shut but she felt herself look around, seeing the Dead clinging to the outer walls and watching her. She tried to focus on those she cared about. Sun came to her focus, his sweet face smiling, a calming gesture. Shay shook her head violently from side to side as the pain ripple through her spine. When she fell still for a moment she "saw" across the room Marcus. He stood strong and secure like the gates he protected. He was a vision of safety and security. Was he here to tell her she would be ok? Tears fell down her face, washing streaks through the red waste dust caked on her skin. Across the room she "saw" Isam and Fen standing together. She tried to focus on Isam, her arm raising upwards 'towards' him. Sun screamed at her side. He screamed for her help as he was dragged out of the room by two of the Dead. Nooo! Sun!! Shay silently screamed for him. The pain rippled through her body, agony washing through her chest as she "saw" Sun being pulled away, the Dead ripping int to his soft flesh, his blood splashing across the floor. Ravenia cried out from across the room, sitting on one of the beds. Shay would not fail her again. She felt as if she was getting up to her, a slow motion movement in her mind as she reacted to what she was seeing, which was of course all not realty, as her eyes remained closed. She saw before her the Dead come upon Ravenia, over taking her and clawing at her flesh. No! Mother!! She felt the pain shaking through her body. She needed to help them. The dead were filling the room, each taking a hold of one of her loved ones. She could do nothing. She felt heavy, her body resisting her tries to move and go help. The pain of the antidote working in her body was matched by the emotional agony she endured, watching what her mind played out due to the blood she was given.