Secrets of Night

Chapter 26

He stirs for the first time since I have entered the room, struggling to open his eyes and blinks slowly several time, uncertain by what he is seeing. I guess it would be surprising seeing your classmate in a homicidal laboratory, I mean, I suppose I kinda feel the same, I can honestly say he is one of the last people I would have expected to find here. His dark brown eyes connect with my own and a faint smile tugs at his lips as he registers what it is he is seeing. What is he doing in here?

"Hey, Tori."

"Sorta, yeah. Come on, let's get you out of here. Can you stand?"

He nods and staggers beside me as we walk back to where Connor and Lazarus are, somehow not needing any assistance even though his is in rough condition. His bare feet shuffle uncertainly beside me, his movements slow and tipsy as if he were drunk instead of tortured. Turning to Connor, I raise my head, careful that we are avoiding the corpses that litter the floor, not wanting Josh to trip. Josh wasn't part of the plan, but we can't leave him behind even if it doesn't line up with what our original plan was; this place is hell.

"Hey, so wh-"

A deafening crack cuts me off and a bright flash flood the room as the lights turn on, blinding us from the overpowering brightness from pitch black. I close my eyes and wait for a moment before reopening them to the stinging brightness, my eyes watering from the starch contrast, but thankfully, they adjust much quicker to the light than the darkness. Around me, Tyler and Connor groan and peel their goggles off, blinking frantically, Tyler rubbing his eyes while Connor shields his eyes from the stunning light. Connor frowns, dropping his hand back to his side, his lips curling downward in agitation. His fingers dance back up, drifting through his hair before balling into a fist which he knocks back against his head, clearly uncertain what is the best course of action is since apparently he hadn't thought of a backup plan.

"Shit, that was our way out. Any ideas?"

"I've got one."

His voice reaches us before Light appears from the hallway to the left, grinning from ear to ear and leading three identical unfamiliar men, all which appear to be in semi decent condition. All have identical faces with slight variations of blonde hair and different degrees of Father's bright blue eyes. Their clothes are neat and there are minimal signs of dehydration or malnutrition. Union must not have gotten to experimenting with them yet and even though I am not certain they are my bothers, my blood boils just the same. Light speaks up once more, forcing me to focus on the immediate situation as he gestures to the wall beside him.

"The air vent. It'll take us right outside."

Both Connor's and my own eyes snap to the wall, instantly locating the air duct; pursing my lips together with uncertainty and tap my sneaker on the path of clean laminate. I mean, it's a large vent, maybe 3 feet by 3.5 feet, that might be the safest option provided it is a metal air duct. Connor sighs, running his hand through his air once again, mentally weighing our options. I so wish this wasn't our only option, but we're low on fire power and these guys have proven many times that they have an outstanding arsenal. Connor shifts his gaze towards me; I shrug and tilt my head toward the vent. What other choice do we have besides to die?

"If you insist. Alright, let's do this. Since we don't know what to expect when we reach the end of the duct, I'll go first and make sure it's safe; follow my lead."

Connor strides over to the wall and rattles the metal guard of the vent until it pops off, the screws giving up from the gaps in the wall from the forceful movements. Testing it, he presses his palm against the steel duct, nodding in approval at its durability. He heaves a sigh, glances over at me, and crawls in first. Tyler follows closely behind him, nodding once to us before disappearing into the darkness of the rectangular opening. I turn towards Lazarus, knowing he is the most vulnerable of all of us and making sure he'll be able to get out.