Zombie Soap 2: Conspiracy

Thirty-Five

I'm gonna toss in a content warning for gore.

Monica: Part II

Viraj led Monica deep into the lower levels of the compound, further than she recalled when Benson initially gave a tour of the science labs. By the time they reached the third basement, Monica paused to catch her breath.

"Where are we?" she wheezed, holding onto the wall for support. "I feel like we've been walking for thirty minutes."

A set of sterile double doors made of steel faced them several feet ahead. With endless white walls and rows of overhead solar powered lights before and behind them, the doors might as well have been a mile away.

Calm with plenty of breath to spare, Viraj waited, once again maintaining a respectable distance between them. "This level isn't on any set of blue prints. Before the outbreak, only those with top secret clearance had access, and even then, you needed biometric data in the system to enter. Unauthorized visitors would have been shot on sight."

Holy moly, what manner of death was Viraj planning for her?

Peeking beneath her flattened furrowed brows, she scowled. "Do you plan to have me shot?" Or worse?

"Don't be so dramatic," he replied with an eye roll. "I told you, I want to put an end to this. Your boyfriend did too, but he couldn't control his emotions."

Pressure in her chest easing, Monica straightened and slowly approached the doors ahead. As Viraj fell in step beside her, she asked, "How do you know all this? Jayson didn't trust anyone here."

Viraj pressed his palm to the scanner, speaking as the panel flashed from red to green. "Major Orson is a good man. He and I have been working to bring the Council down, though I'm not sure he fully trusts me either. We share a common goal, and we can't do this alone."

The door opened with a hiss, allowing them entry. Taking one step forward, Viraj paused and waved for Monica to enter. "After you."

"Won't surveillance catch me?" There had to be cameras and eyes everywhere if a place like this was so classified. Benson would flag her immediately.

Viraj chuckled softly. "Whoever hacked the system also knocked out the cameras in several key areas. We haven't been able to get them back online."

Monica could kiss Taylor. Whether on purpose or accident, he'd given her the ultimate pass to the proverbial forbidden fruit of knowledge.

She took a tentative step toward No-Man's Land and bit her lip. "What's inside?"

Pressed lips and silence greeted her as Viraj once again urged her forward. Monica's guess was she'd only find answers if she followed him inside.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Monica strode through the doors, jumping when they snapped shut behind her. Then she turned to take in her new surroundings, holding her breath.

Bright LED lights shine overhead, making her squint in the cavernous space. A row of identical cells, similar to the quarantine block, all lined the far wall. Plexiglas revealed each room, giving the occupants no privacy, and each cell held a patient, strapped to a bed and attached to wires leading into machines.

A skeleton crew of personnel roamed the labs, not giving either newcomer a spare glance. Nor did they react to the freak show beside them.