The Aspen Experiments

Chapter 14

To my right, at the other end of the hallway, sat the lobby and the front doors.

I stepped out tentatively, feeling exposed and obvious. No one was in the hallway. No one burst out of the office or the testing room. Everything looked bright and normal. I could hear the buzz of the fluorescent lights. The normalcy felt like a trap.

I wanted to sprint down the hall to the front doors, but my tennis shoes would be squeaky on the linoleum floor. I opted for quiet, walking carefully but quickly.  My legs were taut with stress. I had to force myself not to walk on tiptoe. It didn't help much.

I was nearly to the end of the corridor when I heard the cry. It was short and sharp, like a dog yelping in pain. It came from the other end of the hallway. Probably the testing room.

My heart froze for the second time today. They weren't prepping the test room for me, they already had somebody in it. Ava. It must be Ava. Mr. Ringer had said Ava or I could solve his problem. I'd been so crazed by his threats and John's seizure that I hadn't thought of her again. But of course she would have been easy to pick up, living so close to the school. Had they threatened her too, or did she still trust Dr. Shammas?

I had to see. I couldn't leave her in there. The sound of her pain still lingered in my ears. Whatever she thought she signed up for, it wasn't that. Were they forcing her to live through something awful?

I was halfway back down the hall by the time I'd decided to check on her. I knew I was risking capture again, but I had good reason to hope she was alone in the room. Shammas and Ringer always stayed in the office during my tests. The camera in the corner would be focused on the chair, but I could look in from the doorway and see what was happening, without standing in front of the camera.

I stopped outside the testing room door and looked through the window. I could see the end of the chair and I recognized Ava's black boots dangling just beyond the footrest. She was there.

I didn't think anyone else was in there, but what if they were? I wished for the first time in my life that I had some sort of weapon. I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and put them between my fingers, points outward. I learned it in a self-defense class. I doubted I could do any real damage, but it made me feel a little better. 

I swung the door open, staying in the hall. I hoped I could wake her up and get her to come out before the men next door realized I was here. I would get Ava away and then find the nearest phone and call 911.

But the sight I saw when I opened the door destroyed my plans. Both Mr. Ringer and Dr. Shammas were in the room. They had their backs to me. They were digging in one of the many cabinets against the wall. It was filled with beeping electronics, lots of red lights.

Ava was in the chair, her straight blue hair tangled and rough, her eyes and mouth open. Blood glistened on her chin, neck, and on her shirt. It was still wet and red. She wasn't moving.  Her body was slumped in an odd way, as if she had arched up in the chair and then slid half out of it before her body relaxed. Neon yellow straps held her in place. Only 48 stitches. She didn't look like she was breathing. She looked dead.

I needed to throw up. I needed to scream. But instead I let the door swing back shut. I felt my heart start pounding.

Then I ran.

I pelted down the hallway to the front of the building. I slammed the door open at the end and jumped down the three steps that led to the lobby. I nearly turned an ankle. No one was at the receptionist's desk, of course, as it was spring break. I grabbed the phone and dialed 911. Dee DEE DEE - I heard the three disconnect tones in frustration. I'd forgotten to dial 9 to get out of the school phone system. I slammed the receiver down and picked it up dialing 9 911.  Dee DEE DEEE. 

"Nooo!"

I ran down a different hallway glancing in doors to see if I could find anyone. Didn't anyone work over spring break? Surely some teacher came in to do grading or something....

As I rounded a corner I ran smack into Mrs. Webster. She dropped the legal files she was holding and they scattered across the hallway.

"Mrs. Webster! Oh my gosh. Ava is hurt! They might have killed her! Call the police." I was panting from hysteria and from running.

"Look what you made me do." She knelt to the floor. "You should know better than running inside. What are you, five years old?"

"Mrs. Webster, I need your help. A student has been injured." I tried again more calmly. "She's in the infirmary. She might be dead."

"If she's in the infirmary then I'm sure Dr. Shammas is aware of her condition. You should return to your classes -" She stopped, realizing it was spring break. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"They've killed Ava!" Now I was angry. Talk about bureaucracy. "Mr. Ringer forcibly dragged me away from the airport, he's got John strapped down in a coma, and I saw Ava with blood coming all out of her mouth strapped in a chair! Tell me how to call 911."

"Well, come on. I'll give them a call and see if everything is all right." She brushed past me.

"ARE YOU STUPID!" I yelled at her. "Don't call THEM! Fine whatever - call them. But I'm calling the police!"  She finally stopped. She turned back to look at me with fear in her eyes.

"You don't mean... You don't think they - they did it on purpose? Is that what you're saying?" Ms. Webster stuttered. "Mr. Ringer is a little creepy, but... Come to my office, we'll lock ourselves in."

There was a window to her office, which made me feel vulnerable. Mrs. Webster dialed out and in a breathless voice said: "Hello? I need to report a possible murder! I'm the guidance counselor at Rosemary Choate, and a young woman has just seen some things...yes we'll be right here, the administration building. Please hurry, and be careful, they may be dangerous...Dr. Shammas, and Mr. Ringer...thank you!"

She turned back to me. "Dara? I need to go outside to point them in the right direction. Can you stay here?" I agreed to stay if she would lock the door. I went and sat in the corner least visible from the door - I wasn't very confident in the deterrence of a lock. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Almost immediately I saw my tunnel. The pull was so strong... I couldn't resist.

This time I smelled. It was dark and it smelled of a gas fire, people were screaming. I felt a strange rumbling and then something like an earthquake. Everything shook.

 "Oh no," I thought. "Could this be...?"

 I heard someone say,"Get out to Trinity... keep going to Broadway."

I knew about this. The world trade center, on 9-11. I tried to run with the others; something hit me in the arm, burning it's way into me.