The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 55

Nina and Daniel put their plates in the usual bins, but instead of heading toward the outer exits, Nina went the other way. I made a face as I realized we were heading for the hallway that led deeper into the main building. Other than the dining hall and Nicky's room, I'd never been inside the biggest building in this Stronghold.

The wide hallway reeked of humans; the smell was etched into the walls in a fashion only achievable by hundreds of people passing through several times a day. My bloodlust surged higher, catching me by surprise, although my control was sufficient to contain any reaction. Having Daniel right in front of me also put a damper on it.

I breathed through my mouth to lessen its effects, but I made a mental note to never enter this hallway at night when my instincts were elevated. Such a thing would be asking for trouble.

Nina pushed a door open, although she didn't go into the room that contained dozens of buttons and displays. "This is the main radio relay room. Someone will be waiting for you here after lunch. They'll have things set up so you can talk with your sister."

"Thanks."

The sign on the door said 'Radio Room', so it would be easy enough to find. I was glad someone was going to set everything up because I couldn't make heads or tails of the equipment that lined the walls.

Nina let the door close and gestured farther up the hallway. "There is a doorway over here to get in or out, and it's a shorter walk than going through the dining hall."

We walked in the indicated direction in silence. Nina was letting me direct any conversation right now, and Daniel seemed to just be tagging along, possibly to prevent any attempts at sabotage or destruction if I got pissed off again.

Despite my apparent confidence when talking with Nicky earlier, this trip to the lab had me on edge. I didn't know what was in there or what they were doing. On top of that, I didn't even know where it was. Every iota of my suspicious instincts were telling me this was a bad idea, while my logical mind doubted anything would happen.

I preferred to plan for the worst, which was partly why I was wearing my grain sickle under my shirt. If worse came to worst, the lethal weapon should even let me give Daniel a run for his money, or so I hoped.

After two turns, which I carefully memorized, the hallway came to a door, which – thankfully – led to the outdoor world. Once outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air, which settled my bloodlust somewhat. Humans were still the strongest smell, but it wasn't anywhere near as overpowering as it had been inside.

As we approached the secondary building, I glanced at Nina in surprise. The lab had been in here the entire time? Nina went inside and opened a door I had originally thought belonged to someone's bedroom; instead, the doorway revealed a staircase leading to a basement level I hadn't even known existed.

As if this building didn't have enough staircases already... The architect was definitely smoking something if he put three sets of stairs in a fairly small three-story building.

Nina went first, followed by Daniel. Reluctantly, I went down behind them, cautious in case this was some sort of trap, although I didn't think it was. If either of them had planned on doing anything, there had been many chances to catch me off-guard before this.

The smell of bleach and other sterilizers grew stronger as we descended the stairs. The basement level was as big as the other floors in this building. Shiny metal doors lined both sides of the long hallway. They were clearly meant to be easy to clean, and I was relieved to see they weren't the solid kind meant to hold up against an attack. Judging from how strong Nina's scent was, she spent a lot of time down here.