Ryan began to clean the wound, gently wiping away the dirt with antiseptic wipes.
"Needs stitches," He said after carefully examining the wound.
"Okay," Aria nodded bringing out the needle and handed it to Ryan.
Ryan threaded the needle and began to suture the wound, his hands moving with precision, each stitch was did careful and quick.
"Is the uniform yours?" Ryan asked, he face down still dressing the wound,
Aria nodded but Ryan eyes were focused on his task.
"Yes, I am in the military," she replied with pride.
Ryan's eyes drifted upward, his gaze scans the uniform until they landed on the name tag, the letters written in bold font.
"A. Jackson," he read aloud."So, What's the A standing for," he whispered.
Aria smiled, "Captain Aria Jackson" she replied.
"Captain?"Ryan repeated, his brow arching.
Aria nodded."Special Forces," she explained, matter-of-fact.
Ryan's expression turned"A Captain and she's weak," he whispered lowly.
Ouch, Aria heard what he said but she couldn't blame him after all she was leaning on him to survive since they met.
Ryan finished dressing the wound up , he secured the bandage with medical tape he saw.
"All done," he said, stepping back to examine his handiwork.
"Thanks." Aria said.
Their moment was interrupted by a faint scratching noise that echos from the door, the sound sending shivers down Aria spines.
Ryan's head snapped to the door.
"Shh," The scratching grew louder, the sound like fingernails on a chalkboard.
"What's—"
Ryan quickly covered Aria's mouth with his palm, his long fingers spreading wide on her face.
"Shhh," he whispered with one finger pressed to his lips, signaling her to shut the fuck up and remain silent.
His eyes bore into hers pleading for her to stay quiet.
Aria nodded with hers eyes wide, her head barely moving.
Ryan slowly removed his hand from her mouth not to suffocat her , his fingers trails across her lips.
"it's outside the door," Ryan whispered.
Aria's eyes darted towards the door where the chair was locking it to place.
"Would that hold the door well" she mouthed silently
Ryan shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered back.
The scratching grew louder, the sound swelling and becoming more frantic,. The noise made their skin crawl.
Aria held her breath afraid to release it but then the scratching ceased, reducing to a stop.
The silence that followed was even more oppressive, it was heavy with anticipation.
Aria released her breath in a slow exhale, she couldn't hold it anymore.
"It's gone?" she whispered asked.
Ryan, who had been standing since the scratching started, walked slowly to a nearby chair and sat down tired.
"I hope so," he replied, "because we are staying in this room for the night."
Aria's eyes widened."What? Why?" she asked.
Ryan rubbed his tired eyes.
"We can't risk going out there in the dark," he explained. "Whatever that thing is, it's probably still out there, waiting for its next victim."
Aria nodded."You are right," she agreed.
Ryan leaned into the worn out chair, he adjusted his position to get comfortable and closed his eyes while letting out a weary sigh.
The soft creak of the chair echoed through the silent room.
But despite Ryan relaxed posture, his senses remained on high alert, his ears straining to detect any sign of danger, with his mind replaying the events of the past few hours.
The silence between them was heavy with unspoken questions.
Aria's voice broke the silence, her tone was laced with confusion, concern and a hint of desperation.
"What happened?" she asked, "The last time I remembered, Earth wasn't filled with...with those creatures."
Ryan's eyes snapped open again and he sat back up, his spine straightening as he squared his shoulders. His gaze went onto Aria's with an expression of both frustration and confusion.
"Why do you keep asking that question?" he asked with annoyance on his face.
Aria's eyes narrowed, her eyelids dropping slightly as she regarded Ryan's intense stare.
"What do you mean?" she replied cautious, could she not ask questions again, she thought
Ryan's frustration boiled over, his words tumbling out in a rush.
"About what happened,Did you hit your head or something? Because you can't tell me you don't know what happened. We were attacked, Aria. The city is in ruins. There are...things...out there."
Aria's expression turned defensive, her jaw clenched.
"I don't remember," she insisted.
Ryan's eyes rolled over to the heavens.
"Come on," he pressed, "You are a soldier. You have training. You must remember something."
Aria closed her eyes and reopened it again "I remember my mission, but I got shot and died"
"What?"Ryan said, already thinking he had saved a psycho, how can she be dead when she is sitting here.
"I remember falling to the ground," she continued. " Gunfire and then...nothing. Everything went black."
"And then I woke up in that abandoned hotel,before...you saved me." Aria finished, what she could remember.
Ryan's face was still filled with confusion "Do you remember how you got to the hotel?" he asked.
"No," Aria admitted. "I don't remember anything between when I fell to the ground and waking up in that hotel."
Ryan sighed, his shoulders sagging in resignation as he leaned back into his chair.
"I don't believe you," he said, "But since you want a little history, let me refresh your brain."
"It all started in the year 2172, Five years ago," he began,
Aria's eyes widened, YEAR 2172 "Wait wait" she whispered, her hand shooting up widely.
Ryan sighed again, frustrated. "What now?" he asked, he is already tired.
"What year is this?" she asked instead.
"Obviously, 2178,"Ryan said with a groan.
Aria's eyes went wide, her breathing getting heavy."Oh my god," she whispered. "2178? How?"
Ryan's face was in confusion, this girl is really mad, he has finally confirmed it.
"Isn't it 2024?" she asked.
Ryan's laughter was loud before he remembered where they were and he had to reduce the volume.