The radio on the shoulder of Foxton’s uniform made a beeping sound and he moved out into the hall and had a whispered conversation with whoever on the other end. After five minutes he came back into the office and asked me to go let the two detectives inside. I jogged through the building to see two men stood outside the main doors looking out into the car park. The two detectives were average looking and didn’t seem too pleased at being pulled out to the industrial estate at this time of night but with the weird stuff happening I was glad for the extra people being nearby.
Chapter Three
Opening the doors they came in and to tell the truth they could have been twins the only difference between the two was the colour of their hair. Detective Sgt Thomas had blonde hair and Detective Sgt Younger had short ginger hair. They both stood at a massive five feet five inches and both had slim builds and were a stark difference from the two uniformed officers. After the introductions I escorted them through the building to the security office and went through the questions and answer session again. Standing behind the two detectives as they looked at the monitor I was beginning to get the feeling that I was in for it in some way.
Clearing his throat Sgt James said “I went down to the lab to see to check the other security guard with Mr Jenks and I have never seen anything in the world like that. Whatever has happened to his partner is in no way normal.”
“I am sorry to say Sgt but I think you and your partner have been subject to an elaborate hoax by these two security guards. I agree that there is no way that thing in the lab could be real in anyway.” Detective Younger said with a cross look on his face.
“Listen this is no hoax and I believe me when I say that Tony was fucking dead when I first went down to the labs and if you don’t believe me I’ll take you down and you can see for your fucking self.” I said getting angry at the thought of someone thinking I was up for pulling a hoax like this.
“Listen Mr Jenks you have to say we have to take this with a pinch of salt.” Detective Thomas said.
“Ok so you think this is some kind of hoax then why don’t you both come down to the lab and have a look with your own eyes and not through a CCTV camera.”
“Right we will come and have a look but if it does look like a hoax of some kind you’ll be arrested for wasting police time.” Detective Thomas said.
I walked out the room and through to the central staircase and down to the labs. The two detectives were not far behind me as we walked down to the window. I walked near to the door and stood looking at the detectives go pale and then throw up on the floor whilst Tony banged his head on the thick glass. Tony had begun to leak a green type fluid from the gashes on his face and neck. His blood had stopped flowing but every now and then a large congealed lump would either splatter on to the window or down to the floor. I looked past the police officers to see a tall thin man come storming into the corridor. Oh fuck here comes Dr Jackson. Like I said he is whip thin and stands at around six feet with iron grey hair and a thin face and long hooked nose.
“I would like to know who these men are and what they are doing in my LAB!” He nearly shouted at the two police officers.
Showing Dr Jackson his credentials Det Thomas said “Sorry sir but we are here to investigate a claim of murder that had been made from this location. At the moment we are unsure as to what has actually happened here at your labs.”
Pushing past the two officers he peered into the lab at Tony who had stopped slamming against the window and was just stood in the centre of the lab watching us.
Turning to look at me Dr Jackson said “Why is this man in that lab.?”
And for what seemed the millionth time this night I told him about the noise and the cat. Then Tony going in the lab then it going quiet and then about how I came down to check on him to find that thing in the lab and how I thought that it was murder because of all the damage to his face. Dr Jackson nodded at certain points and then turned to the police and said “Gentlemen we are going to have to seal off the labs. I believe that there has been some kind of accident and we have some kind of pathogen loose. Mr Jenks I am sorry to say you are going to have to be put in quarantine here in one of the labs. The fact that you touched the infected you may have had the pathogen past to yourself in some way.”
I was just about to say something when he opened a lab and indicated that I was to go inside. I shrugged my shoulders and started to walk past him when he asked if I could put my pass key on the floor and then go inside. Stepping over the threshold I heard the door being closed and locked behind me. Feeling drawn and tired I sat on one of the chairs in the lab and looked out the window as they talked to each other. Dr Jackson cast me a look that could kill and then escorted the police officers out of the corridor and the door closed. Looking across the corridor at Tony in the animal testing lab I felt sick to my stomach and I didn’t know if it was due to any infection or just the thought that I would be stuck in here till we found out either way.
I must have sat in the lab for about twenty minutes before I saw anyone else that wasn’t Tony. The woman that came through the door to the stairs was about five feet six and had shoulder length blonde hair and brown eyes set in a round face. She was wearing a white doctor’s coat over a yellow blouse and jeans. She walked down to the window and looked in at Tony who at the sight of her got very active and was slamming into the tables and window again. She stood there watching him for a good five minutes before turning to look in at me. I sat on the chair waiting for her to break the silence.
“Mr Jenks, my name is Dr Jane Williams and I’ve been asked to come down and check on you and Mr Desmond. I don’t think I am going to get any answers from Mr Desmond so if you don’t mind if I ask you them?” She asked muffled by the glass.
“I don’t mind if it gets me out of here.” I answered.
“Ok but I don’t know when you’ll be able to leave the lab but these questions might make that happen quicker. The police officers upstairs have said that you saw a cat on the monitors before Mr Desmond went into the lab is that right?”
“Yes it was a mangy looking thing with patches of fur missing all over it. It should have been recorded on the hard drives that Dr Jackson has access too.” I replied.
“Yes well they are looking at those images at the moment. When you came down to check on Mr Desmond did you see the cat or any other animal?”
“No I didn’t see anything in there with him but I did feel something brush my leg when I opened the door to check on him. When I looked down I didn’t see anything in the corridor or in the lab. All the animals in the cages were dead and mangled but as far as I could see they were all in their cages.”
“So you checked the cages?”
“Well I did look inside them but Tony started trying grab me so I ran away.” I said looking at the floor.
“You probably did the right thing by leaving as quickly as you did.”
“Can I ask what the matter is with Tony?”
“To be honest I don’t know what could be wrong with him. Dr Jackson might know after all he is the lead researcher with the company and will have been informed by all the department heads about their projects. I would also like to ask you have you been feeling ok since you were in the lab with Mr Desmond?”
I thought about everything that had happened since I found Tony in the lab. I mean yeah I was worried and stressed but I didn’t feel ill or anything. What I really wanted to happen was for me to be let out of this lab so I could go home. I stood and walked over to the door and looked the doctor in the eyes and said “When am I going to be let out of here?”
“Well we have to make sure that you’re not ill or contagious.” She replied.
“Tony change in about twenty minutes and I have been down here for god knows how long and nothing has happened yet.” I said getting angry.
“Look Marc, can I call you Marc?” She asked.
“Yeah I suppose.”
“If you haven’t shown any signs of illness by
now I doubt that you will but Dr Jackson is in charge and the police are wanting to make sure there is no chance of you infecting anyone.”
I could understand what she was saying but I was starting to get hungry sitting in the lab with nothing to look at but Tony slamming off the window in the animal testing lab. I went back to my chair and sat down feeling tired and bored. Dr Williams walked back out of the corridor and the door to the stairwell closed behind her. Looking round the lab there was nothing that I could eat but at least there was a sink so I had water to drink. In the corner of the lab was a small cupboard that had the same sort of doctor’s jackets that Dr Williams had on when she came to visit. Gathering the six that they had I placed them on one of the tables and climbed up to lie on them and closed my eyes.
Chapter Five
I never had any dreams that night but something was tugging me from the sleep. I opened my eyes to see Dr Jackson and a man I hadn’t seen before knocking on the glass trying to get my attention. Sitting up I looked over and rubbed my eyes. I swung my legs over the side of the table and stood up.
“What?” I asked.
“Now, now Mr Jenks that’s not very nice.” Dr Jackson said with a thin smile.
“Look god knows how long you have had me in this fucking room and I am starting to get a little pissed off.” I replied.
“Mr Jenks this is Mr Tonkins he is the owner of this facility and he wanted to come down and say hello.”
It was then that I noticed that Tony wasn’t bashing against the windows of the animal testing lab in fact there was nothing in there. No tables, no cages and no animals the whole lab had been cleaned out. This had me petrified because they had managed to move or destroy everything across the corridor without disturbing me.
“Ok so you have said hello. Now let me the fuck out of here.” I said.
“Mr Jenks I would like to thank you for your cooperation with all this.” Mr Tonkins said.
“Look just let me go home please.” I asked.
“I am sorry to say but we won’t be letting you go home any time soon.” Dr Jackson said with a smile plastered to his face.
“Like fuck you will. The police know that I am here and I will sue the fuck out of your company if you don’t.” I said slamming my hands on the window.
“I am sorry to say but the police believe that you died after you caught what poor Tony had. So you see the only people that know you are here are certain people in this building.” Dr Jackson said turning to walk away.
“What?” I replied feeling like the floor had been pulled out from under me.
“Oh dear you really haven’t figured it out have you?” Tonkins said.
“Well fucking explain it to me then dickhead.” I said.
“You see we needed to keep all this under wraps. The police were easy to take care of they are a very corrupt bunch. Tony’s mother got a letter saying that Tony had left to work at another establishment we had in Wales. The only person we weren’t sure of was you and because of your outburst just now. Well you can understand.” Jackson said.
“I can’t understand jack shit. So what you going to do? Kill me?”
“Oh no Mr Jenks or should I call you Marc? No we saw what happened to Tony on the monitors and you were right the cat that did it. Tony hasn’t exactly died but is being held in one of our more secure labs. The cat now that has disappeared and we don’t know where it has gone or if it is in the building or managed to get outside. You on the other hand will be moved in the next few hours and I am sorry to say you will probably not like where you will be going to.”
They started down the corridor to the door leading to the stairwell.
I slammed my hand on the window making them flinch and I shouted “I’ll tell you one thing. If I manage to get out of here I will be coming for you and it won’t be pretty.”
Dr Jackson just waved a hand over his shoulder dismissing me and they stepped through the doorway following Mr Tonkins and closed the door behind him. Again leaving me to the silence in the labs. I sat down on a chair and bent forward to rest my head on the table I had to try and come up with a way to get out of here. Looking round the room my first thought was to stop them from being able to see me. In the corner of the room was a small black plastic dome that held the security camera I had to find a way to disable that first.
I stood up and walked round the lab looking in draws and in the small cupboards lining one of the walls. There were no actual tools just beakers and jars with different fluids in them. In one drawer I did manage to find some scalpels and syringes but nothing that I could use to pull the dome from the ceiling. The only thing that I could think of doing was to try and use a chair or stool to smash it off.
Walking back to my chair I sat and looked at the draw with the scalpels inside. I would have to use one as a weapon because I knew that as soon as I smashed the camera all hell would break loose. If I was to stand any chance of getting out of here I would have to choose the right time. The door to the stairwell opened and in came Dr Williams with a small clipboard and worried face. Turning on my chair I followed her till she was stood at window looking at me again. I was really starting to get sick of people looking at me like I was something in a zoo.
“Mr Jenks, I’ve been asked to find out if the information we have on file for you is right. Is it ok if I ask you some questions?” She asked.
“Erm… No fuck off.” I said.
“Mr Jenks I am only trying to do my job.”
“Again fuck off!”
“Look I know what they have told you and I don’t agree with what they are doing but you have to do as they ask.”
“Ok little Miss Goody Two Shoes why the fuck should I give you any help what so ever?” I asked.
“Well they might let you go!” She replied.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“What would you like to know?”
“How can someone who has been to university and become a doctor be so fucking stupid? You and I both know that there is no way in heaven or hell that they are going to let me go. So I repeat myself FUCK OFF!”
The look on her face made me want to laugh because I swear to god she was going to cry. What is it with people who think they are the most important in the world because they have money or a fancy education? With that being said I turned my back on her and stopped listening to her trying to ask me questions. I really had to try and find some way out of here because I knew sooner or later they would send someone to force the answers or do worse. After ten minutes of not getting any answers to her questions Dr Williams left.
Still trying to find a way out of the lab my eyes fell on one of the larger cupboards along the wall next to the floor. A plan started to form in my head. Granted it was a shitty plan and would rely on some serious luck but it might be the only way out. Standing up I did some stretches and moved round the lab trying to make it look on the cameras like I was trying to relive the boredom. The second time round I picked up a stool and slammed the seat into the small dome and I got the satisfied crunch and smell of ozone from fried electrics. I dove to the floor and started to move the contents from the cupboard into another so I had room. I had managed to pull the door closed when I heard a set of heavy footsteps come down the hallway.
I heard the clunk of the lab door being opened and then a deep voice “He’s gone.”
There was a crackle of a radio and voice said “What do you mean he’s gone?”
“I mean he’s not fucking here.”
“He has to be there. Where the fuck else would he be?”
“Well he’s not in the lab.”
“Ok get back up here and we’ll do a search from here.”
“The boss is not going to be happy about this.”
“To fucking right he’s not.”
The heavy footsteps walked away from the lab and down the hallway. I pushed the cupboard door slightly and looked through the crack. I couldn’t see much but I could see most of the lab and there wasn’t anyo
ne in here. Luck must have been with me today because the dumb prick had left the door to the lab open. Slowly pushing the door to the cupboard open I fell out on to the floor.
“You must think I was born fucking yesterday.” A voice said from over my shoulder as they grabbed my hair and pulled me up.
My hands automatically went to the top of my head and held the hand that had my hair.
“For trying to make me look like a tit I am going to give you a kicking.”
Now there is something you should know about me and that is I fight dirty. What I mean is whilst most men in a fist fight will use their hands and feet. I on the other hand will use anything that is at hand and that also includes biting and grabbing a man’s nuts. This bloke must have been strong because he was managing to pull me up with the one hand so I had to try and start by evening the score a little. Reaching with my free hand to the top of my boot I grabbed the syringe that I had hidden there, pulling back the plunger with my thumb. I then drove the needle into the back of his knee and pushed the plunger down. He let go of my hair and I rolled forward out of his reach.
Turning round I saw he was about my size but had maybe another forty pounds on him. He had a black crew cut and dark almost ebony skin. At the moment he had slumped to one knee and had his hands held to the back of the other. His face was contorted in pain and I could see tears leaking from the sides of his screwed up eyes. Now I have mentioned that I am a bit of nasty fighter and that came to the front as I kicked him as hard as I could in his face. I felt his nose crunch when I kicked him and I am sure I managed to knock a few teeth loose as well. As he fell back I dove down to grab the security card on his belt and then span round and ran for the door pulling it closed as I went.
Chapter Six
Pet From Hell (Infected Series Book 1) Page 2