Better off Undead

Chapter 30: Stay out of the Basement

On the third day of Eli's "captivity," in the hours before the march of zombies that Eli, Marshall, and Amber watched from the guard tower, Jay really was busy. It was just as he told Eli, though it wasn't with any traditional work or "special assignment" that Marshall had him on like Eli thought. He actually spent most of the day standing around, not really doing much of anything. This was because what he spent the day doing, the thing that made him "busy," was shadowing Paul. Wherever the man went, Jay was hot on his heels. He was determined to discover what the mysterious man was up to in his spare time. This proved to be not a lot, as he would quickly discover.

Paul spent most of the day in one of the laboratories, pouring over pages and pages of what Jay discovered to be calculations far beyond his limited understanding and technical notes that might as well have been written in another language. Jay only took a break to eat when Paul did, and this was really little more than grabbing some food and bringing it up to Eli. He made sure to keep these visits as short as possible so that he would be ready to follow the scientist on the next leg of his journey.

This worked fine for lunch, but at dinner Paul had disappeared from the cafeteria before Jay got back from his delivery. Jay searched all over for him, but it was as if the scientist had simply vanished. As the evening hours drew on past midnight, he grew ready to give up. With hunched shoulders of defeat he began to make his way out of the main building and back toward the exit door that would lead back to the camp.

A loud noise like the click of a bolt lock resounded in the air.

For a second, Jay did not even notice it, and then his tired brain caught up and he realized what it meant. He hurried toward the direction of the sound, and came around a corner in time to see Paul closing a door Jay had never noticed before.

The young man ducked back around the corner and into the shadows. He waited as Paul's footsteps faded away into the distance. Eventually he heard the banging of another door opening and then closing, and only then did Jay step back around the corner and head for the mysterious door.

The door had a thick metal handle and no lock. It had no window or door jam, but instead smoothly slid into the wall with only the slightest of seams to give away that it was even there at all. Even with the metal handle, it was almost invisible.

Jay pulled on the handle, but the door did not budge. On the wall next to the door was a panel that looked like a key card reader. On the reader was a small, red light. It was dim, almost imperceptible, but it was definitely glowing. Jay rubbed his finger across its surface. The light being on meant there was power running to the door. Which meant whatever was beyond the door Paul had considered important enough to make sure he would continue to have access to it. He also considered it important enough to block access to everyone else, since he could've left the power off and the door open or at least unlocked. This, he knew instinctively, was the secret Paul was hiding. This was the mystery Jay had sensed since they first arrived.

If only he could get through the door...

Jay decided to keep following Paul, to see what else he could learn. Hoping the older man was headed out for a few hours rest, Jay exited the building and crossed the grounds to the dormitory. As he had hoped, the scientist was fast asleep. Unfortunately, he apparently slept in his clothing, which meant digging around in his pockets for the access card was going to be risky.

Jay sat down nearby and waited as patiently as he could for nearly half an hour. He needed to make sure that his target was good and asleep before attempting anything. When he finally felt safe, he rose and began his search. In one of the pockets of Paul's coat he felt something solid and pulled it out. It was a key card.