What We Become | Book Two

33. Permanently Damaged

There was a part of the wall that had started to crumble. I wanted to pick at it and ruin it further but it felt wrong. It almost spoke sense that it was still holding itself together after everything that was happening.

I pressed my fingertip against the brick, touching it lightly. White dust fell from the new hole in the wall and it sprinkled to the floor at my feet.

"Em?" Donut's voice pulled me from the new pattern of dust on my shoes.

"What?" I said with my index finger still raised.

"Time for your appointment."

"Okay."

He turned, expecting me to follow. I always did, I had no choice. There was a lack of control that I couldn't argue against. I wasn't in a position to try and reason with any of them, no matter how charming they seemed. They could let me turn back to an Infected if they wanted which meant they had the upper hand.

It was gloomy outside. There were no windows in my room so the only time I ever had a glimpse at the outside was the little time between appointments.

Donut's hands grasped his weapon in front of his body. Even inside the building, the guards were on high alert. I'd never seen any of them look relaxed.

For the most part, I kept my eyes fixed on the ground, watching one foot move in front of the other. That way, I didn't have to meet the curious eyes of scientists who hadn't seen me yet, the ones who had only been told about the Infected they'd cured. That way, I could pretend that I might have been one of them. A junior or an intern, learning the ropes like I should've been if everything hadn't happened.

Donut came to a stop further down the hall, nodding his head to the door beside him.

"In here," he said, holding it open.

I wondered what would happen if I refused. If one day, I decided to turn and run. The idea was tempting and stayed with me for longer than I would've liked.

I stepped inside.

It was an office I didn't remember seeing before. This one was more like a doctor's office; more formal and with purpose. A man sat in the corner of the room, staring at a computer screen and clicking away at various tabs he had open. He didn't seem to look up or notice when I entered, not even when Donut closed the door behind me, shutting himself out. The room was brightly lit and gave a clinical feel to everything. It was paired with the smell of bleach and cleaning products and it stung my nose.

Julia gave a fake cough from the corner of the room, announcing me. "Dr. Hunt?"

The man almost jumped, looking over with a pair of wide, deep-set eyes. "Hm?" He raised a set of dark brows that had begun to grey. "Oh, yes! Em, you're here!" he exclaimed. "Love the new look, they really do suit you," he gestured to his eyes as he took me in.

"Thanks?" 

I glanced over to Julia who was leaning against a bookcase, giving me a reassuring nod.

Yes, this is what he's like most of the time.

"Take a seat," Dr Hunt gestured to the bed which took up more than half the back wall. I did as he said, hopping up onto the stiff fabric and dangling my legs over the side.

"My name's Dr Michael Hunt," he said, repeating the name Julia had already spoken. "You may have seen me around the compound before. I'm the lead researcher and senior scientist on this project."

He wheeled his office chair over to me along with a tray of equipment that rattled as it moved.

"So, you're the one who cured me?" I pried.