Obscurity

Chapter 71: Special

Alma

After the man shouts, I keep my eyes sealed shut. I don't know what to make of the new situation, and I don't want to know who he is. I hear him shuffle out of the room and then I hear a set of quick footsteps coming toward the table I'm restrained to.

I open my eyes and look in the direction of the footfalls and when I see Spencer coming toward me I let out a pitiful sob.

"Alma, oh my god. Are you okay?" He asks as he quickly sets about releasing my restraints. His hands work fast and efficiently. Within seconds I'm free and I bolt upright and he grabs me and pulls me into a hug.

We stay like that for a long time. I cry into his shoulder, and he rubs my back while he holds me. My body shakes and shudders with each wave of emotion that rolls off me. He simply stands there holding onto me.

"Are you okay?" He asks again.

I shake my head. No, I'm not alright. I still can't believe he's here, and I'm not tied to that table anymore. I can't stop the flood of tears and emotions that are overtaking me. I hold onto Spencer tighter than I ever have. I don't want him to let me go and I continue to sob into his shoulder.

"Did they..." Spencer begins to ask if I was shocked on the table.

"No." I say as I bury my face back into his shoulder. I feel him let out a sigh of what I imagine is relief.

A few moments go by, and I hear someone else enter the room. Spencer turns his head slightly at the sound of the approach and a man's voice breaks the silence.

"Sir, this unit is clear. We found two females and one male patient."

"Thanks for letting me know." Spencer says over his shoulder.

"No problem, Special Agent Weaver." The man says as he exits the room.

I pull back away from Spencer to look him in the eyes. Questions overflow my mind, and I can't think of what to ask him first. I just stare at him.

"Special Agent?" I finally say.

He grins and pulls me closer. I rest my head on his chest. I hold on to him and enjoy his warmth.

"I told you I changed jobs." He says as he kisses my head.

Another person enters the room, and he glances toward the door. I don't bother looking up. I just hold on to him and resolve to never let him go.

"Sir?" a man asks.

"Can this wait?" Spencer asks irritably.

"Um, no sir." The man says.

"Well what is it?"

"Can we speak in private, Special Agent?" the man asks warily.

"No, whatever you need to say, you can say right here." Spencer says.

"Well, um, sir..."

"Spit it out, Smith."

"We've been unable to locate Chris Summers."

Spencer is still standing there holding me. I feel his shoulders droop a little bit in response to the information Smith just gave him.

"We'll find him." Spencer says, never breaking our embrace.

Smith leaves the room, and Spencer pulls away from me to look at me. His hands resting on my shoulders, he smiles.

"Ready to get the hell out of here?" He asks.

"I was ready to leave the first day I got here." I say as I wipe my eyes.

"Let's go get debriefed and then we're out of here." He says as we turn to exit room twelve.

"Wait. Spencer, Chris was just in here before you and your people came busting in. How did you guys not find him?" I ask as worry laces my words together.

Spencer shrugs. "I don't know. He'll turn up, though."

"I'm talking moments before you got in here, he was literally just here. He's got to be in the building somewhere." I insist.

"Alma, our agents and the police are combing this building. Like I said, he'll turn up." He reassures me.

We walk out of the room into the hallway, and I'm taken aback by the overwhelming presence of law enforcement and soldier-looking men occupying it. I spy a yellow patch on one of the men's jackets that reads F.B.I. and I look over at Spencer. He looks like he was crying but he's wiped his eyes well enough it's hard to tell for sure.

"How did you organize all of this?" I ask as we shuffle down the corridor towards the regular unit.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Alma." He says. "All that matters now is that you're safe and the rest of the patients on this floor are safe as well."

I nod, and we continue through the main door of the West Hall into the unit we were housed in before all this craziness took place today.