In My Blood

Epilogue

   "We're almost there, I promise you," Doctor Owens assured me as I rested my head against the car window irritably, my duffle bag crammed between the two of us in the backseat of the tanned Ford Escort. The two men in the front of the vehicle hadn't said a word the entire drive, staring out the front window with stoic faces. "I know it's not the most scenic drive, but you won't have to deal with drives this long once we have you settled."

"Was the blindfolding until the past three hours completely necessary?" I groaned, staring out into the abyss of dirt and bushes that resembled more of a bundle of sticks. I was losing sense of time; the trip had been done continuously with occasional stops at gas stations to get food and use the bathroom. "I'll figure out what state we're in eventually."

"It's Nevada," Owens answered simply, and I looked over at the older man with a glare. "My wife and I have a residence over in Ruth that you'll stay at on the nights you aren't at the lab. You'll find it to be very peaceful. The blindfolding was an order from a higher-up, so I apologize. There's been a lot of compromising lately to get this ready for you."

"I thought you were the higher-up," I said suspiciously. Owens's eyes widened for a brief moment before he stared forward again, keeping quiet rather than addressing his slip-up. "You are the one in charge, correct?"

"We're arriving, Doctor," the driver finally spoke up, and I narrowed my eyes in confusion as I looked out the front of the car. The vehicle slowly came to a stop in front of a concrete structure, and I could make out the steel door being covered by it. That was all that laid in front of us, not even a building. "We'll bring your belongings in, Miss Hopper."

I sat still in the car as Owens opened the side door and exited, motioning for me to do the same. The Nevada air was much warmer than Indiana's, and I couldn't help but squint as the wind blew dirt into my eyes. Only the man in the passenger seat followed us with my bags in his hands; the driver reversed before spinning the car around and driving back the way we came. The action made me stop for a few seconds, my heart racing as we were left abandoned.

The sound of the door's keypad beeping brought me back to my senses, turning around to face it once more. Owens had positioned himself so that I couldn't see him entering the code, waiting a moment after a successful chime before pulling the door open. Hidden behind it was a gritty staircase, a massive enclosed vent to the left before going down further into the darkness.

"Now, Rachel, this entire operation relies on your ability to open yourself up to us," Owens began as he followed down the path, me closely behind. The door gave a loud clang as the man shut it behind us, plunging the descending hallway into almost pure darkness until we reached a chain gate with a wall light behind it. "We have a full team prepared to assist you in any way throughout this journey, but trust goes both ways as I'm well aware."

"Clearly," I muttered sarcastically as I watched the gate lift, the three of us stepping inside what was an elevator. Owens didn't acknowledge my comment, pulling the thin grated doors to close us in before the elevator began to move downward.