Zero Cell ✓

Chapter 16

Alex aimed his firearm in either direction as he entered the abandoned lobby. The widened double-door entrance had been barricaded with wood and metal sheets. It was welded tightly, though Alex surmised it was to no avail. There were three resting corpses on the floor with blood trails leading in multiple directions. Alex narrowed his brow, taking the far right corner down another hall. He passed by more examination rooms, not bothering to peek inside. Passing by a pair of legs that stuck out of the door frame told him all he needed to know. He'd rather stick to his imagination than walk in on reality. Besides, Alex didn't have the luxury to linger; he needed to find Dr. Kline's key card.

A grueling moan halted Alex's momentum. He flicked his head back, gritting his teeth in anger. A zombie had stumbled into the hall, with a few more by the entrance. His first instinct was to shoot, but he held back. He wasn't trapped yet, and every bullet counted. Alex ignored them for now and continued down the west wing hall. He crossed through another automatic door, grinning as it closed behind him.

"You're nearly there, Alex; take the next left," Lyra said through the radio.

Alex peeked around the corner. It was a smaller hallway with a couple of doors on either side. But even as he lurked, he kept his gun raised. A gold nameplate by the right door said Dr. Kline.

"Finally," Alex whispered. He loosened his shoulders as he twisted on the silver knob. It was a small, quiet room with a couple of chairs on the side of the door and a large desk that stretched from the wall to the middle. Another door was at the far end of the left wall. Unfortunately, Alex didn't find the doctor. "Lyra, that guy's not here."

Alex lowered his handgun, walking around the desk for one more check. On top were several half-full medicine bottles, and sticky notes with messy handwriting were scattered throughout. There were also a few wrinkled papers with math equations he couldn't decipher. Aside from that, it looked like no one had been there for a while.

Alex sighed, shaking his head. "I'm heading back; this was a waste of time. Maybe Keaton and I can use some bolt cutters to force our way—"

"Wait, wait!" Lyra's voice burst through the radio in a heap of static. "Since you're there, check his computer."

Alex did as he was told; he turned on the archaic monitor and pressed the power button on the desktop. After several minutes of waiting for the thing to boot, he rolled his neck—stretching it out—and spoke into the radio back to Lyra. "What am I looking for again?"

"A small program called Rec Monitor—just open that up and click the connect button; I can see through his computers remotely."

"That's cool," Alex whispered. Once everything was on, Alex quickly found a small gray icon with a bright green RM as the logo; he opened it up, clicked the connect button, and finally radioed back that it was finished.

"Perfect, thank you, Alex."

"You think you'll find anything of use?"

"He's one of the best doctors we have, arrogant as fuck, but I'll gladly take advantage of whatever he did... Hopefully, it was on this infection."

Alex stood silently, watching the computer mouse move independently; Lyra went to work. With crazy speeds, she swiftly started checking several blank folders. Eventually, she stumbled upon one in particular; she only went through it partially, scrolling about halfway before minimizing the file and checking something else. Alex scratched the nape of his neck; his eyes felt heavy as he watched.

How long was this gonna take? He wondered. For all he knew, it could take hours before Lyra was satisfied; he needed to move on, find Dr. Kline, take his key card, and—a text document flashed before his eyes. He blinked, recognizing one of the names listed. Then, in an instant, it vanished.