The Secret Manuscript (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Fate had thrown Ben for another loop. Bumping into Vanessa was indeed a strange coincidence - one of many as of late. There was reason behind it, that much he was sure of, but with two killer henchmen on his tail, he had no time to ponder the meaning. 

"Ben, oh my gosh, I didn't even realize it was you. How are you?" 

"I'm good, well, not really..." he answered, in between deep breaths. "Look, Vanessa, it's great running into you... I mean, not like that, but whatever... the point I'm trying to make is that I don't really have time to chat with you right now," he said, looking over his shoulder again. 

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" 

"Not really. I need a place to hide." 

Vanessa read his body language and knew he was being serious. 

"Come on, I know a spot," she said. 

Together, they ran down the hall, turned a corner, and kept running. She led Ben to a storage room and attempted to input her four-digit code while Ben kept a watchful eye behind them. 

"Dammit!" she said. 

"What's wrong?" 

"My code , it's not working for some reason. It's the first time I've had to use it so maybe I memorized it wrong. Just give me a minute." 

"Vanessa, we don't have a minute," Ben said, looking down at the lock. He then cast his gaze up at the door and had a revelation. It only occurred to him at that moment that he had been there before. It was the very same storage room he and Kyle had used in the past. 

"Try 4125!" Ben said. 

"What?" 

"Just do it!" 

Vanessa entered the numbers and twisted the handle. The door opened and they both stepped inside. Once inside, Vanessa shut the door and locked it behind her.

"How did you know the code?" Vanessa asked in confusion. 

"Don't you want to know why we're hiding first?" 

"Sure, but start with the code." 

"I assure you the answer is not that intriguing," Ben huffed, still out of breath. "My buddy Kyle is... or was a science major. He had access to this room. I saw him input his code a few times." 

"Of all the places I could have taken you, it happened to be a room you had been to before and you also happened to know the code. I find that pretty intriguing." 

"You don't even know the half of it," Ben mumbled. He took another deep breath. 

"So tell me, what's going on? Who or what is after you?" 

"It's a long story, but some very bad men are after me and they are trying to kill me." 

"Kill you!?" she blurted out. 

"Shhh," Ben said, gesturing for her to keep her voice down. 

"Who's trying to kill you?" she asked in an urgent whisper. 

Ben deliberated for a moment on whether or not he should tell her everything. Ironically, it was the exact same spot where he had revealed the manuscript to Kyle. Now, fate had brought him back to the same location, and Ben took it as a good omen. 

"Vanessa, I want to tell you something and it may be hard for you to believe me, especially for a scientific mind like yours." 

"Try me." 

"You remember the moment we met, right?" 

"Vaguely." 

"I actually had a little help getting your number."