“Alright, let’s stay here for a minute. Wait for our chance.”
“What if we don’t get a chance?”
“Trust me; we just have to be patient. And quiet.”
Genesis both nodded and then looked out across the distance, patiently waiting like her brother instructed. It didn’t take long for a third soldier to appear out of the door they were trying to enter.
“Private Jennings.” The officer called out.
“Yes sir.”
“Colonel wants to see you in the medical bay.”
The two soldiers who were chatting shook hands before they dispersed. After a moment, the soldier that was left outside began walking off, away from the building.
“This is our chance. You ready?”
“Yeah.”
“When I say go, sprint to that door as fast as possible.”
“Okay.”
Now there were many flaws that Kuruk would easily admit to but being impatient was never one of them. He stood there waiting a few more seconds until he felt there was enough distance from them and the soldier walking around outside.
“Alright, now.” Kuruk gave the order and they were off in a mad dash towards the door. Once they made it, Kuruk instantly pulled the handle out towards him, letting his sister run inside as he peered around to make sure no one was watching. After a brief second, he ran inside to find Genesis standing there frozen.
“Why are you just standing there?”
As the door closed behind them, Capt. Romano was staring coldly at the two of them.
“What are you guys doing back here? You can’t be back here.” Rey immediately grabbed onto Genesis and Kuruk, attempting to escort them back outside the door they just came through.
“Please, no. We’re looking for our friend.” Genesis pleaded.
“Trust me, your friend wouldn’t be back here.” Capt. Romano jostled the siblings up against the door. Genesis attempted to free herself, but the opposition was holding a surprisingly firm grip.
“Please, I’m begging you. Just tell us where he is.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“His name is Creed, The Colonel –”
Just then Rey let go of her grip.
“Who did you say?”
“Creed…. I know the Colonel took him.”
Rey looked at Genesis who was beginning to tear up. She was already trying to forget all about Creed and the egregious circumstances that were transpiring at Sky Harbor by the time she packed up her locker. Rey thought by the time she left the airport; her guilt would soon dissipate as well. However, now she was starting to believe fate brought her to this door at exactly this moment. She took turns looking back and forth between Kuruk and Genesis before she finally let her instincts get the better of her.
“Come with me.” The anxious captain turned and began leading the siblings down the long corridor. Once they reached the end of the hallway, Rey swung right and continued down towards the abandoned cafeteria. About halfway down the walkway, the captain rapidly turned and made her way down another long hallway. The lights were turned off, so it was hard to see. Eventually Rey stopped at a room midway down the long hallway and opened the door. It was a quaint storage area used by the airport’s maintenance staff. There were cleaning materials littering the shelves against the walls. On the floor were two empty buckets with dry mops placed inside. As tidy and well-kept the room appeared to be, it still smelled like dried paint and sewage.
“Why did you take us here?” Genesis asked.
“Yeah, where’s our friend?”
“Alright, everyone calm down. First, we all need to talk very quietly. This area might not get a lot of visitors coming around, but these walls are very thin.”
“I don’t understand, why can’t you just take us to see our friend?”
“Okay, let’s try that again. These walls are very thin, so let’s keep it quiet. Okay?”
“Fine.”
“Thank you.”
“Can you just tell us what’s going on?”
“Wait here for a second. I’ll be right back.”
“What makes you think we should trust you?”
“Well, I guess you have no other choice right about now. Besides, if I wanted to report you, I would’ve done it by now.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“What did I say? Keep it down, okay?” Rey stood there with a firm expression, even resting her finger across her lips like a mother scolding her children.
“Listen to me, I am you’re only shot at seeing your friend again, so you might want to listen and do what I say. Trust me alright? For now, just stay here, be quiet and I’ll be right back. Is that understood?”
Kuruk and Genesis both quietly nodded. They were both understandably hesitant to trust anyone with military colors as of that very moment.
“Alright, now when this door shuts, lock it from the inside and keep it locked until I get back. I’ll knock in a two, one, two sequence when I return, that way you know it’s me. And do me a favor? Don’t speak until I get back.” Rey moved towards the door and opened it only a quarter foot wide. She peeked down the hallway before eventually leaving the room. Kuruk approached the door and locked it like the captain had suggested. Once the door was closed and locked Genesis felt like she could finally breathe for a moment. Kuruk took the opportunity to console his sister while they waited in the small closet area.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Well what do you think? You think we should trust her?”
“Do we have a choice?”
“Well I could always go Rambo meets Punisher with Living on a prayer playing in the background. Knock one of these Army pricks out, rescue Creed and shoot our way out of here.”
Genesis knew her brother was simply trying to pep up her spirits, but she wasn’t sharing his enthusiasm at the moment. She crouched on the floor while Kuruk stood watch near the door.
What would only be a few minutes, felt like hours to the two of them hiding out in that small room. Finally, they heard a knock at the door, the same sequence the captain had explained. Genesis quickly got up from the ground as Kuruk unlocked the door. Rey rushed into the room holding a couple articles of clothing in her hands.
“What’s that?” Kuruk asked.
“These are some extra BDU’s I was able to swipe.”
“For what exactly?”
“For you.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Trust me, this is the only chance you got in getting close to your friend.”
Genesis and her brother both exchanged weary glances before picking up the uniforms from the captain. Below the BDU’s was a pair of white lab coats.
“And what is that?”
“Lab coats. You’re going to be heading towards the medical bay. It will be less suspicious if you’re wearing these.”
Kuruk looked over the BDU’s he was handed. He noticed they looked crisp as if they had never been worn before. He looked over the name plate. “Hernandez.”
Genesis peered down at the name plate on her uniform. “Adams.”
“Are Hernandez and Adams going to be looking for these anytime soon?” Kuruk asked.
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
“I don’t know if this is going to work. This just seems so insane.”
The situation was becoming all too real for Genesis. She was starting to really examine the possibility of them getting caught. What would be their fate if that was to happen?
“Listen to me. Remove all that from your head.”
“No, we’re too young. Nobody is going to believe that we’re nurses, doctors or even lab technicians; especially in the Army.”
“Hey, you want to see your friend, right?”
“What? Of course.”
“You wouldn’t have gotten this far unless you were pretty damn desperate on seeing him again, am I right?”
“I guess.”
/> Rey pointed towards the door of the small storage room. “Now these soldiers out here are well known for being gutsy and heroic. But brains and good sense is another story. Do you understand?”
“Yeah.” Genesis was hesitant.
“Just put these clothes on, act accordingly, none will be the wiser. I’ll instruct you on where you’re going to go, and then the rest is up to you.”
“You’re not coming?”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Just be careful. You don’t want to run into Col. Posey, he’s not a reasonable man and won’t listen to a damn word you will have to say.”
“I know about the colonel.”
“If you guys get into a tight spot, just run if you get the chance. Run as fast as you can until you’re far away from this place.”
Genesis stood there contemplating everything up until that point. It was all too surreal of a situation to be real life. This had to be an elaborate dream. All she could stand to think of ever since being ripped away from Creed was getting back in his arms, no matter what the cost. “Are they going to kill him?” Genesis fearfully asked.
Rey paused and stood there dazed for a moment. The weight of that question alone was difficult to process, even for the highly experienced trauma nurse. She wanted to tell them what was really going on but couldn’t bring herself to say it. Instead, Rey simply avoided the question altogether. “Look, we don’t have much time.”
“Why are you even helping us?”
Once again, the captain was thrown off by the question. She couldn’t even really conjure up an inspiring explanation on why she decided to help them. It was all probably a moot point by now anyway. Rey again avoided the question.
“Alright, so when you get to the end of the hallway out here, you want to go across that large sitting area, on the left side. Past that entryway is the entire medical bay for the airport. Now down that hallway, you’ll eventually get to an open area that consists of mostly make-shift rooms made out of plywood. Once you pass those and at the end of that hallway, you’ll take a right. Down that connecting corridor is where you’ll find your friend. It’s going to be a huge room with windows all around that will be hard to miss. Now if anyone asks you anything, say you’re from the lab, and tell them that Col. Posey ordered some additional blood tests. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you guys think you could pull off a salute?”
“I think so, I’ve watched some movies.”
“Well again, brawn and grit, not acumen or scholars. Hoo-rah.”
Capt. Romano started making her way to the door as Kuruk began laying out their BDU’s. Rey paused before opening the door to let herself out.
“Remember, you guys don’t know me. You never saw me, and most importantly I didn’t help you. Understood?”
“Yes, and thank you again.”
“Good luck guys.” Rey turned the knob and once again peered down the hallway. She then scurried her way out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Genesis and Kuruk for good this time. Genesis locked the door and walked back over to where she had laid her clothes down.
“Close your eyes and turn around.”
Down the hallway from the storage room, Rey was making her way towards the back exit. As she made her way down the long corridor she glanced over and noticed Col. Mitchell walking towards the medical bay, away from the captain. The colonel peered over towards Rey and paused for a moment.
“Captain?”
“Evening Colonel.”
“Where are you headed?”
“Looking for Col. Posey.”
Col. Mitchell appeared suspicious. “Well that’s funny, cause he’s apparently looking for you too.”
“For me?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Alright, thank you sir.”
Rey began to get an eerie feeling as she continued down the hallway. She turned the corner and began walking down the connecting corridor. God, I hope they make it, Rey thought to herself. She finally turned towards the back exit doors and pushed the door outwards. To her surprise, waiting on the other side of the door was the barrel of a Beretta M9 side arm being suspended in the air by Col. Posey. Capt. Romano gasped right as the blast from the gun went off and two bullets pierced her skull. Rey immediately fell to the ground, dead even before her body hit the concrete.
CHAPTER TWENY SEVEN
Back in the small maintenance room, Kuruk and Genesis quickly got changed into the BDU’s the captain had dropped off with them. They examined each other’s outfit and eventually finalized their attire with the lab coats. The two of them paused for a moment, glaring at one another very frigidly while exchanging a more somber grin.
“You ready?” Kuruk asked.
“I think so. I’m so nervous, I can’t quit shaking.”
“It’s going to be alright, I promise. Remember what the Captain said, we have to act like we belong here, and everything will be fine.”
Kuruk approached his sister warmly and put his arms around her, almost fully engulfing her entire body with his tall, masculine frame. The sudden embrace almost immediately began to calm her nerves, even if for just that moment. Genesis peered up towards her brother.
“Just tell me he’s going to be alright. That’s all I care about.” She said.
“He will. Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”
Genesis looked up at her brother with a distressed look upon her face, like a grief-stricken widow who already assumed her fate. Her depleted tear glands were now only offering a single tear drop, which was also causing her eyes to swell along with a shade of redness around them.
“And just remember, Rambo, Punisher.” Kuruk continued. His repeated attempt at humor finally produced a faint smile upon his sister’s face while she wiped her eyes. There were obvious bags starting to form from the recent sobbing.
“Oh, what I wouldn’t do for a little make up right about now.” Genesis looked in the small sink mirror and continued wiping her eyes until they didn’t look as aqueous.
“Okay, I think I’m ready.” She said.
“Alright, well let’s go. Just follow my lead.”
Kuruk carefully opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. After a few seconds of absolute silence, he made his way into the hallway with Genesis following close behind, softly shutting the door behind her. “Okay, remember, act normal.” Kuruk reassessed.
Genesis stood straight and turned towards the hallway, the pair picking up the pace as if they were late to an already predetermined appointment. They reached the lounge and momentarily perused the layout before moving on. The lounge area and connecting hallways appeared to be empty without a soul in sight. They passed innumerable tables and chairs, some of which looked like they had been untouched by anyone the entire time. Kuruk finally noticed a soldier out of the corner of his eye, walking from the other side of the lounge area and towards where they were headed.
“Don’t make any eye contact.” He whispered while trying to slow their pace in order for the soldier to pass them up, before catching a glimpse of the siblings. The soldier successfully passed them without even paying them any mind, eventually disappearing into another doorway.
“Alright, I think this is it.” Kuruk said.
They ventured down another long corridor. It took them a few seconds to eventually make their way to the other end of the dimly lit hallway. By the time they made it to the conjoining hallway, Kuruk abruptly stopped. He swiftly knelt and began acting like he had to tie his shoe while peering around the corner.
“There it is.”
Genesis looked up around the corner to where her brother was peering. She saw the big room with big glass windows only a few yards down. As soon as the two made the distinction of where they were headed, they began to hear a muffled scream, seemingly coming from inside the room.
“What the hell is going on?” Genesis asked.
At that very moment, another random soldier appeared out of
nowhere; running furiously down the hallway towards the room.
“What the hell?” Kuruk looked at his sister peering back at him with inexplicable horror across her face. Without hesitation, Genesis passed her brother who was still kneeling and bolted towards the room.
“No, wait.” He shouted after her.
As the soldier was entering the room, Genesis approached the room. She peered inside and immediately let out a horrified shriek.
“Oh my God. No. Creed!” Genesis belted.
Inside the room, Creed’s body was almost unrecognizable by now. Almost all his skin had fallen off his body. There were fragments of muscle tissue and cartilage spilling out of him and onto the floor. His face looked as if it had massive third degree burns with boils on his ears and down his neck. Creed’s right eye was drooping and there were blood splatters all over the table he was lying on. Genesis started crying hysterically as she started banging on the glass. Her antics had already alerted everyone in the room, including Creed himself. He was attempting to move his head and possibly catch a glimpse of her. Genesis witnessed that the left side of Creed’s face was unimaginably decrepit and falling apart. The sight was completely and utterly unbearable. Genesis continued crying out like an inconsolable child and shaking involuntarily.
“What are you doing to him? Stop it!” She yelled.
“Get her out of here.” Col. Posey ordered.
The private who had previously entered the room moments earlier, rushed out of there and grabbed a hold of Genesis. Instantly the private was blindsided by Kuruk who came out of nowhere, knocking the soldier out cold with a massive right hook. Genesis grabbed onto her brother and momentarily shielded her face from the monstrosity that was going on inside the room. Kuruk gasped as he saw for himself what was going on. He saw the battered grotesque body of his friend, lying there like a slab of lifeless meat.
“What the hell is all this?” Kuruk uttered.
He moved past his sister in an attempt to breach the room, but before he could reach the door two more soldiers with military issued rifles came steamrolling towards them.
“Stop right there. We will shoot.”
“Then stop this, please, you have to.” Kuruk demanded.
Goodbye Sky Harbor Page 17