What We Become | Book Two

18. Secrets

When we snuck out of the room, the facility was bathed in darkness. It was illuminated only by the emergency lighting which scattered the ceiling at random intervals, lighting the way with an unnerving red glow.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Chris whispered. His footsteps trod carefully behind, mirroring my movements.

"Nope," I replied.

"Good. I'd be concerned if you did," he said. "Remind me again why you aren't letting Mike and Julia handle this?"

I glanced over my shoulder and was met with an anxious-looking, wild-eyed Chris. "Because we don't have time to wait," I told him. "They've got their procedures to follow. I've got mine."

"I hate that you're dragging me into this..."

"Have you got somewhere better to be?" I pressed. Chris didn't hide his fear well. In fact, he didn't try to hide it at all. "Plus, you agreed to come with me."

"Like I had a choice," he replied. "Do you even know where we're going?"

I side-stepped around a chair, being careful to not make any sound. "I think I've been here enough to know."

The corridors wound and twisted a route that would have been confusing to anybody else. Once, when I was a kid, I got lost in the building. I hadn't been trying to go missing, the signs just kept leading to more unfamiliar rooms.

That was the thing about EDIN, you think you've seen it all but walk a few more steps and there's a new part of the building around the corner. I'd been told it'd been built that way on purpose, so intruders couldn't find anything important. Though, I never found out if there was any truth in it.

While I was focused on finding the way in the low light, Chris seemed to jump at every noise.

"Shit, what was that?" he whispered after a light flickered above us. He was on high alert and he wouldn't calm down until we were far from EDIN's gates.

"It's probably nothing," I dismissed. "Would you calm down, please? You're making me nervous."

"I'm making you nervous?" He whispered. "I can't imagine there'd be something else to do that right now."

His arm raised and he pointed a finger over my shoulder. I followed its direction and found what his eyes had widened at.

A light was wandering the end of the hallway ahead of us, tracing a shaky pattern as it mimicked the movements of someone's arm. The sound of footsteps came with the light. They were large, heavy boots against the cold floor, squeaking their rubber soles and landing with a thud each step.

I pushed Chris behind the reception desk in front of us, forcing his head down behind the table.

"Ow," he mouthed, removing my hand as the light got brighter.

I peered my head over the wood and saw the dark boots appear from behind the wall. Snapping my head back around, I looked to the ground but I could feel Chris' stare on me. Dealing with the Infected was starting to feel easy in comparison.

After a few moments, the thuds ceased and the hallway was dark once again. I was the first to re-appear behind the wood.

"It's clear," I whispered as my eyes still darted the hallway.

A light punch hit my stomach as Chris followed me from the hiding spot. "What the fuck are we doing?" he asked with wide eyes, hiding a deeper fear in his pupils.

"You know what we're doing," I told him. "Keep your voice down."

His head cocked and he pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "This is too much, even for us. We are not prepared for this-"