SWNOVELS Chapter 49: Injection
“Look for the door, it’s surrounded by cement so the opening should still be standing,” I tell the team. Harrison and Talon go off on their own to find the door through the large pile of rubble. I duck under a large wooden post leaning over the top of a crumbled cement ceiling. I push a few posts of a pile of cement catching the glimpse of something under the posts. I grunt as I push the posts off only to be disappointed by the sight of a charged metal door slumped on more cement piles. I feel the hope slipping away from me every second I don’t find the door and yet I also feel a strange relief hitting with every second too.
“Over here!” I hear Harrison yell out a little louder than he should have I turn around and make my way through the debris ducking under large metal bars and climbing over a pile of rubble. Harrison stands next to Talon as he pushes another post from a rectangular cement box standing menacingly tall over them. I slide down the debris and step over some large cement blocks to stand next to Harrison.
A charred metal door still stands a little metal box that would be used for a key card sits busted open the wires hanging from the box. I reach out and pull the door metal handle, I push hard on the door pressing my body against the door to push harder only to pull back when it doesn’t budge. I step back and look at the boys hoping they knew how to make the door open. Orion steps up pulling out his gun, slamming the butt of the gun against the little key card box. The nice hurts my earbuds and he hits it a few times. He hands the gun to me and grabs hold of the handle pushing his body against it in one large push. The loud grating sound of the door budging sounds as the door swings open. The door swings open to reveal a dark staircase leading down to the ground. I take in a deep breath and hand Orion his gun.
“Harrison, you should come. You’re the medic, you’ll be able to help.” I say looking at him. Harrison just nods and looks at Orion and Talon.
“Go, make sure it’s clear for her. We will watch for forsaken out here.” Orion says giving him a curt nod. I let Harrison lead our way down the dark stairs. I start down the metal stairs our footsteps echoing out with every step. My hand slides on the metal railing as the white cement walls fall away and we step down on the grey basement floor. Only a little light from the top filter’s in as Harrison steps farther into the room. I step around Harrison hoping to get a better view of the room. Suddenly the blinking pale white lights flash alive with a high unnatural hum to them.
“It must have its own generator,” Harrison speaks up. I nod and look about the room, I place my bow and bag at the bottom of the stairs as I take in the room. The stairs come down right in the middle of the room, effectively splitting the room in two. The left side of the room is a medium-sized square, while the right side of the room is shaped like a circle. The room is huge with three metal cell’s pushed up against the left-hand corner. Two of the cell doors sit wide open while the other’s bars are bent open abnormally. The room is filled with metal tables pushed up against every inch of the walls. Every table with vials, equipment, and odd machines sitting on them. A long metal table sits in the middle of the room to the left littered with more lab equipment and paper. The right side of the room has fewer tables except for a large table that reaches up to my stomach, shaped in a circle with piles of paper littering it.
The room is untouched by time, I turn and look through the left side of the room, my eyes looking at the trail of old dried blood staining the floor. The trail starts near the table in the middle where a pool of blood once sat, a few papers fanned out. The blood trail leads back to the cages, something told me this is where they were testing the virus out? I shake away any other thought except for finding the virus. I look from table to table, vial’s tagged with all kinds of names. I know I’m looking for a virus labeled, ‘X’, I was instructed it would be a dull orange kind of color. The room’s cold and feels so uncomfortable making me want to find the virus even faster.
I finally come to the table in the middle of the room, near an old computer sits a tiny small fridge-looking machine, the light inside the box is off but when I open the glass door a cool little blast of air hits me. There are three vials in a coaster on the top rack and one on the bottom rack. I pull out the coaster pulling up one of the vials. The clear vial holds an orange-like tinted liquid sitting in it. A prick of both hope and fear hit’s me as I turn to see the label, reading it says Bird flu. I relax a little as the rest on the coaster say different contagions, one reads plague, the other Ebola. I relax, knowing that isn’t the deadly virus X. I reach in to grab the vial sitting alone on a coaster on the bottom rack. I hear a tumble and look up to see Harrison has accidentally pushed papers off the counter on the other side of the room. I shake my head at his accident and pull out the vial.
Suddenly, We hear a loud shot ring out from the surface, both I and Harrison looking at each other freaking out.
“Go,” I say. If something is about to happen they will need his help.
“Stay down here.” Harrison orders and I nod as he runs up the stairs swiftly.
I turn back to my own mission I look at the orange liquid inside the vial, the right approximate color for the virus. I turn the vial around and take in my whole mission. The virus sits in my hand, the very reason for all of this. I swallow down the tight knot in my throat, ignoring the pain in my chest and even the small shake in my hands. I look over the filled tables for a clean syringe to use. I hear the echo of steps from the stairs, looking up expecting to see Harrison coming to tell me it’s time to go.
I turn around, my heart stopping and pounding altogether at the sight in front of me. I Put my hands up as my eyes take in the gun, aimed straight at me. The feeling of utter betrayal and disbelief hit me.