[color=darkkhaki][center][h3]E   L   I   J   A   H[/h3][/center][/color]

Elijah's ears were ringing. Whether it was the gunshots, the blood rushing to his head, the spike of adrenaline, or the overwhelming stress of the situation, he couldn't tell. Everything sounded muffled, as if the sounds were coming through several layers of heavy blankets. On his hands and knees, he stared at the floor, hair having fallen partway out of the makeshift bun he'd made only some time before. His eyes trailed over to the brass plate on his hand, chunks of rotted flesh and blood caked across its surface. The smell of congealed blood wafted into his nostrils, and his senses became more clear. He could finally feel the pain beneath the plate.

An audible sigh erupted from his throat, his lungs burning with the strain of exertion as he brought himself up to lean back on his knees, hearing words he couldn't understand from one of the French women. His other hand deftly maneuvered through the knots of the power cord, slowly pulling them loose so the plug could slip through and unwind itself from his fingers. Once the wrap was loose enough, the plate slipped away from his hand and dropped to the ground with a clang, its sound masked by the encroaching roar of the things outside the office. He could see the bruises coating his hands, the misalignment of his knuckles from using such a makeshift weapon with no regard for padding. In hindsight, it was a foolish decision. In the moment, it was one he was glad to make.

In that same moment, he took a few seconds to look around the area, taking note of the people in the room. There was the blond-haired girl he met earlier. To his right, the women they joined on the way here. In front, the security officer, and with him were three others he'd never met. Beyond them, a small first aid box, and it looked like it was unopened. Elijah thought about his wounds; the broken knuckles on his hand, the cuts from the glass. He wanted to fish through the contents, find something to maybe alleviate the pain, but he knew consuming resources would deprive them from anyone else. Chances are others were hurt more than him. It was better to wait.

[color=darkkhaki]"So,"[/color] he began, capable of a weak laugh, [color=darkkhaki]"how's your vacation going?"[/color]