Broken Doll {ManxMan}

CHAPTER 48

When we reached the university, Klaus took Roy to the science building located next to the hospital. On an academic level it made sense the two wings would be built next to each other, since medicine was considered a science. The buildings were connected by a single narrow hallway, with locked metal doors on either end, but somehow Arthur had found a large key ring in the old custodian's closet at the hospital, and was able to unlock both doors so we could travel between the buildings without going outside.

The campus was huge, just like I remembered it from so long ago, when Bay, Vinet, Rupert and I came here to confront Ennis Inou; before we kidnapped Demi. The building where he taught was across campus, as was his old office, separated by a massive courtyard dotted with art sculptures built by students, and water fountains that had been there since the school's creation. None of them worked anymore of course, and the water now had either dried up or become swampy and thick, colored green and brown.

The school buildings were built around the courtyard, with campus dorms on one side, and private apartments for elite students and live-in faculty on the other. The perimeter was lined with patches of cast iron fences, overgrown shrubs and trees, and a black gate flanked by tall concrete pillars topped with sculptures of roaring lions. Just at first glance it was clearly an elite, prestigious college, and had miraculously been spared damage from the bombs.

"When the city was targeted, whoever bombed us only hit major internal functions, like bus stations and the police stations," Kailas explained once we were in the hospital, leading us down the hall with Arthur, "The college wasn't much of a target, but the hospital across town was demolished."

Arthur turned to look back at the rest of us, "We think maybe they just didn't realize this building was also a hospital. It certainly doesn't look like one from the outside."

"They took out communications and first responders," Kailas said, head down, "but the people at the college were spared."

"You were here when it happened?" Tobias asked, and Kailas nodded.

"I was in the History building, across campus. Arthur was here in the hospital."

"So you did go to college?" Demi asked from beside Kailas as Arthur paused and opened a door, holding it for us.

"For a bit," Kailas answered, standing to the side to let Tobias through, "I didn't really have much of a goal, or a major. I was kind of just going through the motions after high school."

"You can set Carter on the cot here," Arthur said, pulling a curtain back to reveal a remarkably well kept hospital bed; it even had sheets and pillows.

Tobias set me down on it but stayed standing by my side as he looked back at the door where Adalwolf was waiting, carrying his bag, "Can the majority of all our soldiers fit in the hospital?" Tobias asked, and Arthur hummed as he leaned back against the wall next to the door where Ethan was standing, arms folded.

"They probably could, but it would be best to keep the hospital for the injured. Which... I get the feeling we'll have a lot of," Arthur lifted his head, "Oh, but we still have dorm buildings here. There are plenty of rooms for soldiers."

"The faculty apartments are closer than the student dorms," Ethan decided, "They're right behind the hospital."

"We can't get into those," Arthur argued, "not unless we have a faculty key."

"We could break down the door," Demi suggested, and Arthur winced.

"That would make it easier for rogues to get in, and make a lot of noise. It's why we haven't tried yet."

Kailas looked over at Ethan, "I can't imagine we'll be this lucky, but you wouldn't happen to still have your key, would you?"

Ethan met his eye before looking down and searching his pockets, reaching into the inside of his jacket and lifting his head as he pulled out a credit card shaped piece of black plastic with the word "student" printed in bold white lettering.