The Plague of the Immune

Chapter 11

Michael:

The lights overhead shined brighter than usual as my adrenaline started pumping. Pushing me towards the cafeteria to where my plan would unfold.

It had to work, it just had too.

I didn't want to let Cleo down, didn't want to tell her that I had let one of her best friends leave to her possible death. Lydia had to be okay, they had no reason to kill her anyways. I could not fail her, not someone else. Lydia's small yet vicious personality couldn't be that bad. Unless what she did in the past really was that bad.

I burst through the gray, metal doors and scanned the room to spot Cleo's mass of unrully black hair. As usual, Reid stood by her side. The complete opposite of her, figity, tall, uncertain. I went right up to her and nodded to the back of the line as inconspicuous as possible. She and Reid followed without question thankfully.

"Do you have news?" Cleo's voice lowered. Reid began figiting more and more, I noticed he was twisting a black ring on his finger.

"The Doctor was found dead. The one who took Lydia, and I think I know who killed him." I said softly. Her eye brows rose.

"How do you know?" She asked suspiciously.

"When me and Lydia had kitchen duty last night, two men dressed in a different uniform then the others, had come in searching for someone. The person's ID was like 20-07? I'm not sure, but then we bumped into them later. One of them scanned Lydia's arm and had tried pulling her away somewhere-"

"But you didn't let them." Cleo finished with a small, wicked smile. "Good." She said without even hearing my answer.

"Why would they want Lydia so bad to kill someone for her?" Reid reasoned.

"I think it has to do something with Lydia's past. Like why she has chains around her ankles." I thought long and hard, moving up in line and flashing a grin like they were talking about something fun. Not the possible death of our friend. Or was Lydia even considered my friend? If anyone knew anything about Lydia's secret past, it was Cleo. "Do you guys know?" I asked the question even though I patially knew they probably did. Reid began shaking his head, I had a feeling it wasn't because he didn't know the answer, but that it was something I didn't need to know.

"Look, boy. Somethings are best kept unknown." She snagged an apple from a basket, like she did everyday. But never ate. "Lydia isn't one to hide, but when she does, it's serious." Cleo walked on like the conversation was not that important to noticing eyes. Cleo didn't flat out say she knew about Lydia's past, it made me even more curious.

"I have a plan." I told her when I got close to get a bowl of soup,"Just follow my lead." I knew this plan sucked, but at the time I needed something quick. As Cleo went to get a spoon I pretended to trip and spill my soup all over her. My tray clattered to the floor drawing attention to some guards posted by the door. Reid disappeared.

"Why you little-" Cleo turned to face me, her face heating up. I winked at her and put my arms up.

"Sorry, Cleo couldn't see you down there." I mocked. She sucked in a breath, a quick smile flickering over her face.

"You're so gonna regret this. She put her tray down on the table and came at me. I didn't know what to expect, if someone had told me I'd end up judo-flipped by a five foot girl, I'd be laughing my butt off. But as the world spun and collided on the ground, I couldn't believe what just happend. But it worked.

The guards were there in an instant, taking Cleo and dragging me into the kitchen away from curious eyes. There was fingers pointed, but I stayed on the ground, trying to fill me lungs with air. Choking like a fish out of water. The guards left after a full minute and Cleo offered a hand. I took it and breathed, finally, a full breath of air.