Previously:

The doctors went into action at her words and started gathering everything in sight and slipping them into plastic bags they'd found around the OR. Beckett watched helplessly, taking note of the silence that had befallen the group. It was as though the reality of their situation had really hit them, and their earlier bickering and arguing had fallen to the wayside as they worked together.

Her mind was conjuring up all sorts of implausible scenarios, things that Castle would have been so proud off. Teenage riot, murder, and violent killings – it seemed so surreal and yet … too real. The pain in her chest was a constant presence, and then there was the niggling feeling that things were going to get a lot worse in the near future.

Castle would call it her 'spidey sense'.

Thinking about her partner brought on a new surge of worry through her. The last time she'd heard from him, he'd sent a cryptic text implying that he was about to do something to come and get her. She wondered if he knew what was going on. If he even knew what he was getting himself into.

Considering the circumstances they were currently in, Beckett could only hope Castle was far, far away from the hospital.

Chapter 4

To his dismay, the ICU was empty.

Castle cursed, bile rising in his throat at the fact that Beckett wasn't where she was meant to be. Swallowing the fear and shaking himself free of the rising panic, he inched past the entry doors that were hanging off their hinges and took a quick look around the ICU.

The scene before him sent chills down his spine; IV bags were scattered on the floor, beds haphazardly strewn around the room and the blood – so much blood was pooled on the floor, on the sheets, dripping from the sides of the walls. Castle shivered with dread.

It was the stuff his worst nightmares were made of.

Amidst the eerie silence, he suddenly heard a metallic clatter from behind him. Startled, he swung his knife in a wide arc as he spun around. A figure in black ducked past the tip of his knife and before could react, Castle had a gun in his face. His heart was beating erratically and he started to scream but a gloved hand clamped over his mouth, the coarse material scraping the skin of his jaw as he struggled to breathe.

"Shit, Castle?"

The gun disappeared from between his eyes as he was released and Castle stumbled forward, sucking in big gulps of air. Clutching his knife a little tighter, he whirls around and relief washed over him.

It was Esposito, and he'd never been so grateful to see the man in his entire life.

"How did you even...what the hell are you doing in here, Castle?" Esposito hissed, voice barely above a whisper, displeasure written all over his face, eyes dark and stormy. A vein in his forehead was pulsing, his fists clenched tight around the gun that mere seconds ago was pointed straight at Castle.

"Came to get Beckett," Castle said. He sheathed his knife and readjusted the bag slung across his shoulder. The thing was beginning to hurt, being as heavy as it was.

"You shouldn't be in here, Castle. It's … it's not safe," Esposito told him, the lines on his forehead deepening. "I've lost men in here, good men, Castle. And the things I've seen – get back out there, Castle. You shouldn't have to deal with this."

"Hey, I saw them too," Castle interjected. "There's a … thing. A boy in the stairwell and he's not okay. And I've seen the bodies. I know something's not right but I need to get to Beckett."

Esposito sighed and fixed him with a steely glare. The younger man was sizing him up and Castle took the opportunity to do the same. Esposito looked worn down, had blood on his vest and his entire right arm was streaked with the same red substance. As horrifying as his own encounter in the stair well was, Castle realised it probably didn't come close to what Esposito would have had to deal with. He cleared his throat. "Help me look for Beckett and we'll get out of here. Together. Please."

Esposito grunted and pinched the bridge of his nose, the very image of someone who'd seen too much and done too little.

"Do you know if she's even here, Castle? She got shot - she's laid up, not in any shape to be movin' around, how do you think she managed to get away from all of this? You should leave, Castle. Think of Alexis, your mother."

Castle heard the desperation in Esposito's voice, echoing the same sentiments that had been running circles in his head the moment he saw the dead bodies. He wanted Beckett to be alive and he knew Esposito did too but the chances were abysmally slim. Still, he wasn't going to give up until he had solid proof, and he said as much to Esposito.

"I've got weapons. This place looks abandoned, so far. I'm going to go look for her. I'm not leaving her in here to die," Castle said vehemently. "You can help me, 'Sito."

"I saw my men die in front of me, taken out by rabid kids. They had their limbs torn from their bodies. I had to put bullets in teenagers barely old enough to drive. Castle, I don't think you know what you're dealing with here. This isn't like one of your books where you play hero and save the day. Lives are at stake here, yours, mine – and we don't know how long we're going to be alive. Get out of here, Castle. I'll look for Beckett. I'll - "

"I am not letting you do this without me. End of story," Castle said. He pushed past Esposito, tired of arguing with him. They were wasting precious time, time they could be using to search for Beckett. "So either you and I do this together and we'll have a better chance of getting out of here in once piece, or I go alone. I'm done talking about this."

He pulled his knife out and strode briskly out of the ICU. The hallway outside split in two directions. He could go back to where he came from or further into the hospital wing behind a set of double doors that unlike the ICU doors, still remained intact. Listening to his gut instinct, he turned right and pushed past the double doors.

"Wait," Esposito finally called out. Castle paused, one hand still on the door. He turned around and let out a grateful sigh when he realized the Detective was walking towards him.

"Can't let you be the hero by yourself," Esposito said, as he managed a grim smile. "Never gonna live that down. Lead the way, Castle. I've got your back."

Beckett's heart was burning. If she thought she'd been in pain before, the agony she was currently feeling was a hundred times worse. The doctors were busying themselves scavenging for what little supplies that remained scattered in the small room, and she'd been left to her own devices.

The area where they'd stitched her up throbbed with every beat of her heart and tears were threatening to fall as she grit her teeth through the pain. Her fingers clutched at the bed rails, knuckles turning white as she inhaled deep, even breaths, hoping that the steady rhythm would soothe the crippling pain

Damn it.

She needed help.

"Guys," she called out, only to realise that her voice seemed to have disappeared. "Hey, Keenan?" she tried again but she could barely raise her voice above a whisper.

"Help," she managed, before collapsing back against the gurney in a loud thump. She clenched her eyes as the movement set off a stabbing pain through her chest. Fortunately the noise alerted the nurse and she rushed towards Beckett from across the room.

"Hey Miss – Detective – oh, are you okay?" she was trying very hard not to sound panicked, but Beckett had turned so white, as pale as the sheet she was lying on. Not a good sign.

"Ah, hurts. Chest, really hurts," Beckett managed through to the pain

"Your medication must be wearing off, hang on honey. I'm sure there's something here for you," she muttered as she hurried off again.

Beckett willed herself to stay awake knowing she had to remain alert, even as her subconscious told her otherwise. The pain was unbearable. She drifted in and out of consciousness as she overheard bits and pieces of conversation between the doctors about what they should give her for the pain. Maybe if she slept for a little while, the torture would fade away. A little cat nap. Just to ease the pain, was all. Her world started blurring at the edges, turning dark as she kept breathing through the pain.

She hardly felt the pinprick of an IV being shoved into her vein in her arm, barely heard the concerned voices of the half a dozen people around her. All she knew was she was falling asleep – maybe it was better that way, she told herself. She'd wake up and find everything had been a really bad dream. Maybe she'd even open her eyes later and see Castle waiting for her.

The moment Castle and Esposito burst through the double doors they knew they were in trouble. There was blood all over the floor, staining the floor all the way down the rest of the hallway. They could hear moaning in the distance as the lights flickered on and off intermittently. Castle watched Esposito readying his gun and he unzipped his bag, reaching for his own piece.

"Did you raid the precinct for that, bro?"

"Uh. Yeah. Don't be mad," Castle muttered as he checked his gun for bullets. "It's not like anyone was there to stop me."

"It was a good idea, Castle. That's all. Stay close, I don't like this one bit," Esposito said as he took the lead. "Oh…shi-,"

A body came hurtling towards them, the kid's eyes red and angry as his mouth opened in a dangerous snarl. Esposito flung his right arm into Castle, sending him flying into the wall. His back connected with the concrete and Castle grunted in pain. Without further hesitation, Esposito pulled the trigger, letting two quick shots fly into the boy's chest.

To their dismay, the boy kept advancing, screaming maniacally. Castle scrambled to his feet, just in time to see two more teenagers emerging from the dark. The moans got louder and he could hear the shuffle of more feet coming their way.

"'Sito…," he cautioned.

In the distance, he swore he heard someone calling for help and hope bloomed anew in his chest..

He didn't have time to dwell on it however, as more and more teenagers seemed to come out of the rooms and into the hallway. Castle raised his gun just as Esposito raised his, both men slowly backing up against the door they'd just entered. The kids gathered behind the first teenager, the noise that emerged from the group nothing like Castle had ever heard before. The moans were turning into crazed roars as he counted at least five more joining the pack.

"Castle, you better be ready for what we're about to do," Esposito said to him as he took aim. "This ain't gonna be pretty."

Castle didn't get a chance to reply. With a loud shriek two boys at the front of the pack lunged forward and Castle barely had a chance to think before he squeezed the trigger. Straight between the eyes of the first kid and two more through the gaping mouth of the other. The shots sent the rest of the mob into a frenzy and before he realized it, Castle was shooting at them as if he were on auto pilot. He emptied his first clip and as he reloaded, Esposito let the last of his bullets fly, taking down the two closest to them.

The noise seemed to have attracted the rest of the lingering teenagers as more started spilling out of the rooms and into the hallway. Esposito kept going, advancing through the dead bodies as Castle watched in horror. They fell limply to the ground, dark blood pooling around the bodies of those they'd taken out. He stood frozen, feet refusing to move past the dead eyes that stared back at him. Eyes of a teenager who looked no older than his own daughter.

Oh, God. He was going to throw up.

"Castle, shoot!"

His head snapped back up, tearing his eyes away from the massacre at his feet. To his horror, it seemed like the situation was quickly getting out of hand. There was barely any space left between Esposito and the rest of the kids and they were getting more agitated and violent. Castle took one last look at the bodies on the ground before him and moved forward, stepping over the first body.

He took aim started shooting.

Finally it seemed like the group of teenagers was thinning, most of them falling dead at their feet. Castle reloaded once more, and as he snapped the barrel back in front of him, he heard the screams again.

Very human screams.

"I think there are survivors here," he yelled out to Esposito, waving his arms in the vague direction where the screams came from.

"If there are, they won't be survivors much longer if we don't kill these sons of bitches before they get to them, Castle!"

"Right. Right. Shoot first, rescue later."

He took down two more approaching teens, slamming the butt of his gun down another's neck. He could feel the sweat dripping down his face, his collar already drenched. The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins when the last of the teens fell. Finally able to catch a breath, he leaned against the wall, ignoring the blood dripping along the sides and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.

"We gotta go before more of them appear, Castle," Esposito said.

Nodding in agreement, Castle pushed himself off the wall. "I think I heard voices from over there."

"You lead, I'll get your back," Esposito grunted out as he readjusted his vest. The lettering was no longer visible, the stark white lettering darkened by layer upon layer of blood and muck.

Castled picked up a piece of fallen debris as he walked past the door where the teenagers had come from. He peered into what looked like another stairwell and shut the door, sliding the broken piece of to barricade it from the outside. At the very least, he hoped that it would buy them some time.

"Last one," Esposito muttered, pointing to the only set of doors left in the hallway. He pulled out a clip of bullets and rearmed himself, motioning for Castle to do the same. "Gotta be prepared for anything."

Before Castle could do the same, they heard a loud crash coming from behind the doors and Esposito surged forward. "Someone's in there!"

Esposito reached out to the metal handles and pushed. When the door didn't swing open as they expected it to, he backed away silently. "Barricaded from the other side."

Castle let his bag slide down his shoulders, tired from the weight. He kicked it into a corner and nodded. If they were going to bust the door down and had to fight through another horde, he didn't want to be encumbered by the bag. His shoulders were already aching from the exertion anyway.

"Now or never," he said.

Esposito barreled through the double doors with a loud crash, his entire torso splintering the wood into pieces before he disappeared into the room. Castle heard screams from inside and steeling himself for whatever else he might face, he followed suit.

Sorry for the delay everyone!

Tumblr: griever11
Twitter: estheryam