Chapter Twelve
Alric prepared to send off the requested samples with no plan in mind for himself. The only thing he had thought to do was contact Eron and inquire if he had ever done an extraction of a person.
The message had been sent in a moment of panic and exhaustion as his twenty-four hours was coming to an end.
He hadn’t given Eron enough information, even if it was a possibility. No mention that the extraction would be for him, a timeframe, or even where he was.
Death was stalking him. His nerves were making it difficult to appear calm. He was jumpy, more paranoid than normal, and constantly looking around with the expectation that someone was coming for him.
Needing noise to get through the last few hours, Alric clicked on the television in the corner of the lab.
He tuned out as the weather was reported, the drone just an annoying buzzing that helped to keep him focused.
Alric caught the word ‘impeachment’ and paused to look up and focus on the screen, listening to the international reporter.
“The civil celebration that occurred shortly after has resulted in massive spurts of violence. Rioting, looting, and arson has police forces calling for reinforcements to restore order.
“Ike Thaler’s submission of his resignation after the political slander has forced House Speaker Gerard Westra to take the role of presidency, amidst claims that the recent turmoil is a sign of weakness in the United States government.”
That wasn’t good. Alric wasn’t sure what he had missed but it sounded like a big deal.
He half listened as other world news was reported, wondering where Eron was located. He could be in the middle of any of it, and helping him might not be a priority. Apparently, America wasn’t the only country experiencing turmoil.
The Algerian president had been assassinated. Suicide bombers were terrorizing London. Ethiopia and Somalia were at war.
Nothing being reported was good news. Annoyed, Alric clicked it off and rose to package his samples. He would take them to Analytics.
Anxiety aggravated his fatigue. Moving money and tangible objects was one thing. Getting a person out of Xis was another.
Analytics was not close. Alric wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl into bed and sleep deeply. He didn’t know who he was supposed to deliver the vials to since Omar was dead. If the tech at the desk had no idea, he would have to make it his business to make sure those waiting knew he had delivered as requested.
Praying the process would go quickly, Alric focused on the door to Analytics, frowning when the door frame began to vibrate, rattling against the frame.
He stopped when a crack snaked its way up the wall to the right of the door. The door disengaged from the wall at the shift in the foundation, hanging and swaying as dust particles drifted to the floor like a soft rain.
Thinking it was an earthquake, Alric looked around for a place to shield himself, clutching the case of vials to his side.
The hallway floor began to split, a line that broke and reached out for the walls. Frantic, Alric pressed himself against the hard concrete, feeling the vibration rattle him.
The wall to Analytics crumbled. Lab techs screamed as they fell into the gaps as the floor continued to separate.
He heard a crack, looked up, and instinctively ducked as the ceiling fell. Pain bloomed along his temple and shoulder and he fell, the jagged edge of the broken floor not wide enough to catch him. The hole left by the earthquake swallowed him.
Chapter Thirteen
Alric had heard about The Peep Hall, but he had never been within the walls. He knew about The Hellows too, and from what little knowledge he had of each, being in The Peep Hall meant that for now, he had a chance.
No sound came from outside of the room. Inside, there was only silence. No buzzing of lights, no beeping or humming. Whatever was holding his body in its frozen state slowly wore off, and once he could move his neck, he took in as much of the room as he could. The door had no knob, and it and the observation window were seamless.
There were wires attached to his body that came from small holes in the wall, lined with thin metal that he knew would be impossible to pry away. Four larger holes with metal grates covering them were in each corner of the wall, just below the ceiling, and unreachable. Alric didn’t even want to imagine what the purpose of the grated holes was.
He had been left alone with nothing but his thoughts. He was angry that the last vision had put him in this room. Why would God allow this? He had been tormented for so long by the pictures that paraded through his head, and now he was trapped because of them. Would probably die because of them. Had that been God’s intention?
Even learning of the girl offered no hope. She was as much a captive as he. Knowing she shared the same affliction upon her back did nothing to lessen the flames licking at his soul.
If he had discovered the knowledge of her presence before, he might have found some purpose in thinking of methods to free her. He might have had a chance at it. No one left The Peep Hall alive. That he did know.
His angry thoughts consumed him until the sheet of light above his head dimmed the room into soft illumination.
A voice woke him. A lab tech stood over him, data screen in hand. A tag on his coat said ‘Raul’. A small demon clung to his back and stroked his hair. Alric didn’t recognize the face and realized if Omar hadn’t died, he would be looking at him instead of this man.
“How the state of your world has twisted,” the tech sneered, the demon leaning forward to bare its teeth at Alric. “All this time, you were probably laughing your head off at your deception. I can’t imagine what Afion has in store for you when we finish with you.”
The demon reminded him of a monkey, but far more grotesque. Its long fingers dipped into Raul’s mouth as he talked.
Pulling a thin pen from the side of the data screen, the tech pressed the top of it into a section of wall and a thick block slid out. Settling his screen on top of it, he pulled at the front and a drawer slid open. A box was removed and set next to his data screen.
From the box, Raul tore a strip from thin plastic casing and pressed it over the skin on Alric’s inner wrist. “Readings,” the tech explained. “Tells me within seconds all of your vitals. Also scans for abnormalities in your blood.”
Alric had never seen or heard of anything like it. It looked like a white bandaid without the padded center.
“Your blood isn’t normal.”
That was news to Alric. He’d managed to avoid doctors all of his life, but he had always assumed he was normal in every aspect but the bones. “Why isn’t it?” he asked, unable to keep the scientist part of him quiet.
“Good question,” Raul answered. “There’s a variation in it that we have only seen once before. You and the girl.” Tearing the strip from Alric’s wrist, the man leered. “Did you know you weren’t the only freak in these walls?”
Alric wondered how long she had been in The Peep Hall. What were they doing to her? He wanted to ask questions about her, but didn’t want the man to think he held any power. Instead, he focused on what he knew. “So what are your theories on my blood?”
“I just told you. You’re a freak.”
“Very scientific.” Alric watched the demon crawl down the man’s side, wrap a spindly leg around the tech’s neck and cling to his waist to ogle Alric from beneath the man’s arm.
“Why do you work here?” he asked, suddenly wanting to know how this man had come to the point that a demon had made its home on him.
“What are you talking about?” The tech was entering data on his screen.
“Xis. Why did you choose this job? This place? This life?”
Raul blinked at Alric, fear dilating his pupils for a few seconds. Then anger flared and he scowled. “This is a great job. Best I’ve ever had. No complaints.”
He was lying. The demon had scrambled up the tech’s back while he’d shot out his answer, digging its fingers into his ears and jumpi
ng up and down on his shoulders.
Unlike Eitan, this man probably didn’t have a scrambler. They were listening to every word. Watching. Both of them were specimens under a microscope, even if his temporary caretaker thought otherwise.
Snapping the box closed, Raul set it inside of the drawer and picked up his data screen, slamming the slab back into the wall. Still scowling at Alric, he shoved his screen into his pocket and turned to go. “Both freaks. Freaking me out,” he muttered.
Alric was pretty sure he hadn’t meant for the words to be heard.
He wondered what it was about the girl that ‘freaked’ the man out. Alric really wanted to meet her. Talk to her. Find out everything he could. Suddenly, even though he knew he would die in The Peep Hall, he didn’t feel so alone in the world.
Chapter Fourteen
The days were long and monotonous.
Raul woke him up in the morning, following the same routine. His catheter was changed and the reading done while Alric watched the demon and asked questions that made the man uncomfortable.
They were giving him some kind of paralytic so all he could do was watch and listen. He determined that Raul did nothing more than collect data. He seemed to have no direction at all with any of the findings, so Alric suspected that was being handled by someone else.
Trying not to seem too interested in the girl was difficult. He asked about her every day, trying to find out what they were doing with her. Raul refused to say anything except his continual muttering about what he thought about both of them.
Eitan again. Alric welcomed his presence.
“Are they keeping me in zombie state forever?” he asked Eitan as he entered the room.
Eitan waved the tech away. The door slid shut and Eitan slipped his hand in his pocket and then nodded slightly to indicate they could speak freely. “No, but the longer they keep you this way, the more time I have to formulate how to get you out.”
“If anyone can get me out, Eron can.”
“And he is?” Eitan regarded him with studied nonchalance. Appearances, Alric reminded himself.
“He is… well, he’s…” Alric wasn’t sure what Eron was really. Explaining him wasn’t something he’d thought he’d ever have to do. “A hacker. He gets things for me, gets things out. I’d already contacted him about a possible rescue, but I hadn’t heard anything before I ended up here.”
“I doubt he has the power to infiltrate Xis. However, tell me how I can contact him.”
Sending Eitan to his apartment to watch television would tip them off. Nor did the man wear glasses. Pondering another way was going to take time.
“Unless you can get me my glasses and my data screen, I don’t have a way to contact him again without putting you in danger.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Eitan promised, and left him.
Chapter Fifteen
Alric watched Raul peel the reading strip off his wrist and place it in the box. Several empty vials were taken out for the daily blood draw that had been added to the routine.
“Making any progress with my blood, Raul?” Alric asked, as he did every day. It was a small bit of amusement to watch the question fluster his tech, and his hope was that one day, Raul would let something slip that would be useful.
Raul only pursed his lips in response.
Eitan entered the room, his angel a spectrum of light behind him. Raul jostled the tube of blood being filled, sending a flash of pain along Alric’s arm as the IV on his arm shifted.
“Raul, we need to make some changes.”
“Sir. Yes sir. What have I done? I won’t call him a freak any more.”
Eitan scowled, nodding toward Alric’s arm. “He’s bleeding all over the place. Clean it up.”
“Yes sir. I’m sorry, sir.” Raul quickly adjusted the IV and removed the tube. Grabbing some gauze, he mopped at the blood.
“We will be needing Alric’s services, so he’s going to need to be mobile. Remove the catheter,” Eitan ordered.
Raul complied without any mocking words. Alric could tell he was nervous. Beads of sweat dripped down his temples and his jaw was tight. The demon was hiding from the angel, cowering around Raul’s waist and whimpering. The angel seemed completely unbothered. He couldn’t see the features of the angel, but its body language was as straight and proud as ever.
“Clothing,” Eitan directed and Raul used his pen to open a new drawer from the wall. He set a pair of folded pants and a shirt next to Alric and crossed his arms, waiting for his next command.
“How long will it take for the paralytic to wear off?”
“Fully, about six hours,” Raul estimated.
“Be back here in five to check his vitals. Afion is impatient to know what it is about their blood that is different, and Alric is intelligent enough to figure it out.”
Which meant so far, all of the attempts that had already been made had failed. Hope swirled. Maybe he had a chance after all.
Eitan did not stay, but followed Raul from the room.
Alric couldn’t gauge the passing of time, but it went slowly. The feeling in his limbs came back in sharp prickles, causing him plenty of discomfort.
Alric stretched each apparatus as he regained feeling, working out the pain, glad when he finally was able to move around after so long being prone.
He dressed in the clothing that had been set out and wandered around the room, examining it for a hope of escape.
It was odd to not have the torso clinging to his body as he moved. It had been a part of his daily life for so long.
His check of the room revealed nothing that offered a viable option. How they had managed to get everything to retract into the walls and seal was a mystery to him.
Turning instead to spinning theories about his blood and the girl to pass the time, he walked the small area, noticing that there was not even a toilet. He wondered if that too was hidden behind the wall.
Alric had too many questions. How many rooms were there? Who occupied them? What were they enduring? How long they had been there? If any others were children, like the girl.
He was full of anticipation for the blood. He already knew the bones had no use, but he’d never given a thought to more than his skeletal frame. It hadn’t occurred to him that other changes had happened that night.
Raul’s description of the difference as a ‘variation’ gave him little hint as to what exactly was different. He could admit that the opportunity to figure it out excited him. It gave him purpose again. Without his formulas to work on, he felt useless. Alric had never cared for being idle, and being trapped as still as stone in the bed had been a daily torment he never again cared to repeat.
Eitan had bought him some more time. Maybe he needed to change his tactic and try to befriend Raul, make him his ally. If anyone knew a way out of The Peep Hall, it would be one of those that worked in it daily.
A wave of dizziness hit Alric. He reached out to press a hand against the wall. The room suddenly felt overheated. He breathed in deeply through his nose and out through his mouth.
His stomach roiled as the slant of wall and floor in front of him bounced with the dizziness. Closing his eyes, Alric fought the urge to be sick. Probably a side effect of the paralytic wearing off Alric told himself, hoping it would pass quickly.
He began to tremble. The room temperature seemed to rise higher. Alric’s last thought before he passed out were that they had used the vents to poison him and it was over.
There were hands on him. Roused, Alric surfaced from the comforting numb state he was cocooned in, lifting heavy eyelids to acclimate himself with the voices and rough hands lifting him.
Raul and another tech he didn’t recognize put him on the bed, opening the wall section with the supply drawer. They did a vitals check, discussing the numbers quickly and quietly with each other.
“Is he stable?” It was Eitan’s voice.
“His pulse and heartbeat are steady.” The tech he didn’t recognize spoke, and Alric tur
ned his attention on the new face. The man’s movements were efficient. He slid his eyes down, found the tag on his coat. ‘Makar.’
“All of his vitals are normal,” Raul added.
Eitan moved in. “What happened, then? An adverse reaction to the paralytic?”
“I’d guess too much movement after his length of time in the paralytic state. Dehydration. We’ll get some food and water in him and I think he’ll be fine.” Makar was typing quickly on his data screen. “Ordered, sir.”
Raul looked at Eitan. “What do you want us to do with him?”
“Have everything sent to the Analytics Lab. He has work to do.” Eitan was all business, his words flat and commanding, the facade of his own secret that he carried. Alric wondered what Eitan’s purpose was for being at Xis.
The Analytics lab was between The Peep Hall and The Hellows. It was a long narrow room with steel counters lined up along both walls, and cold storage along the back wall, flanking a heavy metal door.
Raul gestured toward it. “If you need any bodies to experiment on, feel free to choose whichever you like.”
The words chilled Alric. How many bodies were stored? What had they died from? He wondered if Omar was one of them.
Makar walked over to a section of counter and pulled out a chair. “You’ll be working here.”
Nodding, Alric took the chair offered, scanning the equipment around him. “Do you have the blood samples stored in here?”
“Not yours. Those have already been used. There are six from the girl here.” The tech motioned toward a test tube rack. “She is subject eight.”
“Have you yourself tested any of the blood?” Alric asked, lifting a labeled vial from the rack. The color was the same as a normal vial of blood. Tilting the vial, he studied it for thickness. That too, looked normal.
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