Three Hearts Left Intact

Chapter 87: Mystery Contact

Sweat dripped down the side of Mallix's face as he continued running through the tightly packed halls avoiding anyone around him. Up ahead their guide had opened a side door motioning for both Alex and Mallix to enter. Slipping in and shutting the door behind them, everyone had a chance to finally catch their breathe.

This room was small and filled with cleaning materials, but lacked the loud noises from outside and the flashing lights. Alex took his helmet off panting to Mallix's surprise. He wasn't aware Alex was comfortable enough to remove the only thing hiding his identity.

"Where now?" He asked breathing heavily to the unknown being.

"Now we've got to cross over into a different department. Right now we're in level three, we've got to get all the way to the center of the facility. They'll be waiting for us there, but we've got to hurry. I don't know how much longer this distraction is going to last for. Once the Hounds have rounded up all the patients were going to be in some trouble." The voice echoed out of their helmet. Still Mallix couldn't quite place where he had heard that voice before. The distortion was throwing him off big time.

The figure finished before breathing hard. The way their breathing came out with the distortion placed over it made it sound raspy and crackly.

"How much farther do we have to go before we get there?" Mallix asked putting his hands on his knees trying to balance his heart rate. Having a mask on that partially obstructed his nose made him gasp for air helplessly.

"It's just further up this hallway."

"Why'd we stop here then? Wouldn't have just been smarter for us to get there before we stopped?" Alex pointed out as his blood settled.

"It would have been, but while we were out running through the halls I saw something, or well I guess more like someone. Mr. Fendly's was up the hall we need to go down. If he notices us running away and not helping with the lockdown that's some really bad news for us. If we hide for just a second it'll give him time to move so we can sneak out." The voice said.

After another minute to calm themselves Alex put his mask back on and gripped the handle of the door tightly. Slowly opening it and peaking out he was happy to see the hallway they needed to go down had only people in yellow jumpsuits all running around wildly. Their behavior gave him a hint they weren't the one they feared.

"It's clear." He announced. Quickly taking the lead again, Alex's contact bolted out of the maintenance closet with both of the men following closely behind. As they were running Mallix noted that all the people in yellow jumpsuits were quick to run away from them. 'Thank you Nina.' He smiled thankful to have a suit that most of the people in this building were intimidated by.

As they picked up their pace to make up for the time wasted in hiding, it wasn't much longer before they reached a set of double doors. Alex and Mallix stood guard making sure nobody was aware of their doing while the mystery helper reached into a pocket on their chest plate pulling out a keycard.

Scanning them through, everyone ran out of that department faster than they had arrived. "That...was...s-surprisingly...easy." Alex chuckled putting his hands to his waist feeling even more lightheaded than before while he desperately took large breathes of air in.

Both men were in good shape, but with their nerves and helmets they were quick to find themselves tired and breathless.

They took this moment to get a grip of themselves while their guide looked around frantically. "Hurry I hear people coming!" They took off again much to Mallix's discomfort.

Throwing his legs forwards both him and Alex we're back to running. Until suddenly they came to an abrupt stop as the figure held their arms out wide hitting the two men in the chests. Pushing them up against the wall, the figure held them firmly in place as a loud thunder of Hounds marched through the halls. Only missing them shyly as a thin piece of the wall stuck out that they were able to hide behind.

As the rumbling beneath their feet ceased the figure's grip let lose on them. "That was close." Mallix said.

Alex nodded in agreement as he stepped out from against the wall. "Yeah too close, let's hurry and get to the meeting point before something like that can happen again."

"It's this way, their waiting for us in the staff kitchen. It's closed during this time of night so we'll be able to think clearly about how we're going to sneak you guys out in there." Their guide pointed out. "You guys ready?"

"Ready as ever, now let's go already. I need my girls back in my arms." Mallix got a head start running ahead of them down the empty hallway. A sudden rush of adrenaline washed over him as he felt more alive than ever.

As the other two ran to catch up, the horrid rumbling under his feet came back. Looking up ahead in the distance Mallix could make out a door with the label KITCHEN right above it. 'No I'm so close!' He picked up his pace ignoring Alex's and the figures pleads and calls for him to stop.

Trying to make a break for the door Mallix was running faster than he had ever moved before. He wasn't aware his legs could even take him as fast as they were.

It wasn't until he felt another and harsher rumble of thunder under his feet did he noticed that coming up from an adjacent hallway was a massive shadow. It was hard to decipher what the shadow was, but from what he had witnessed earlier, he knew exactly who was getting closer to him.

'Come on Mallix go faster!' He pushed himself harder than ever before as the shaking in the ground got more violent by the second. By this point he was oblivious to the other two calling out to him desperately to stop and hide.

Feeling light on his feet as his speed increase even more, Mallix even shocked himself with how quick his legs were moving. As soon as the door handle was in reach he took ahold of it and gave it a twist. Looking to his side, Mallix could just about see the front of one of the Hounds helmets when he pushed the door open and stepped in before shutting it quickly behind him.

He didn't care if he had left the other two. He knew they would be able to get here after the Hounds passed them by. As soon as he shut the door, Mallix pressed his back against it throwing his helmet off and onto the floor desperately, and slammed his hands on his knees gasping for air.

He felt like his lungs were failing him and his head was getting blurry from the lack of oxygen he was getting during the moment of intensity. After taking a quick breathe he ran his hand through his glistening hair as he looked up.

Just as he thought he was safe to catch his breathe he only found it leaving him again. His entire body had a wavy of shivers wash over it as his legs continued getting weaker. He felt as if he was going to collapse at any moment as his heart dropped at the sight bestowed in front of him.
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Let me know what you think of Mallix's decision. Thanks Lexx signing off