Torn Apart

Chapter 8

The dark room smelled of damp earth and mold. It was obvious that nobody had been down here for a long while; which could either be a good thing, or a very bad thing.

A dark curtain of her black hair tumbled into Vanessa's eyes. Damn it, she cursed, flicking it out of her vision once more. Hair was just so annoying. If she could have her way, the irritating stuff would be hacked off with a chainsaw. But seeing how invisibility was a main priority, shoving it all back into a scrunchi would have to suffice.

Vanessa crept along the damp, muddy ground in her knee-high, buckled hide boots. The darkness was black and would've been a major disadvantage if it weren't for the glow stick she carried. Odd silhouettes were scattered around the room, and looked like vague lumps of furniture or boxes in the dark.

Zane was on guard outside. If she couldn't find it in the ten minutes she was given, he was calling backup. There was only about eight minutes left on the clock, but where—? She scanned the room with her eyes, looking for the familiar shape. Aha! There it was, a filing cabinet; standing tall in its silent glory.

The metal was cool to the touch as her fingertips brushed the handle. Her muscles strained a little to jiggle it open. Judging by how difficult this was to accomplish, it must've been opened at least a half year since it was last opened—or at least oiled. The deafening screech of rusted metal shattered the silence, making goosebumps run like an electric current down her spine. A mini explosion of dust erupted from the cabinet as it was disturbed.

Placing the glow stick between her teeth, Vanessa started sifting through the many files with her fingers.

"L M N O... P..." Vanessa mumbled under her breath. It had to be here somewhere... Ah, there it was. Project Phoenix. Carefully, with nimble hands, she pulled it loose from its grimy confinement.

"What are you doing down here?" A light clicked on, blinding her for only about a second. A plump woman stood in the doorway. She wore white hospital scrubs and a face mask that hung limply around her neck. Her face showed an expression of pure surprise and terror. Vanessa froze, she was trained for this sort of situation, but she had never had the chance to actually do it in the field. The woman eyed the files clutched tightly in Vanessa's hand.

"Those are hospital property. You need to hand those back," she said, hand outstretched. Cute, she actually thought she was going to give back these precious documents. She didn't think so.

Vanessa darted forward, ducking under the nurse's outstretched arm. She was quick, but not quick enough—she realized—as she was thrown to the ground, a large, fleshy hand pinning her down firmly. Now this was a situation easily solved.

As swiftly as a bolt lightning would strike a tree, Vanessa reached up, grabbing the arm and jerking her to the ground. The woman landed with a "Woof!" as the breath was knocked out of her lungs. With no time to waste, she leapt to her feet; about to run out the door when a hand wrapped around her ankle, making her trip again. Okay, this was starting to get annoying.

Vanessa took the heel of her boot and slammed it into the nurse's face, rewarded with a burst of blood and a very promising screech of pain.

The door was so close. It was only a few feet away; and she had only a minute left. The nurse was writhing in pain on the floor; she was weak, unworthy to be part of the project.

As her feet propelled her forward, she grunted as she slammed into a large, muscular body. Her nose smarted where it collided. It that moment, the file was savagely torn from her grasp and she was lifted by both arms into the air by two, inhumanly giant men.