Wattpad Original

Original Edition: 23 | Evidence

28.7K 2.1K 1.3K
                                    

PUSHING PAST MASON, I enter the surveillance room and he follows, closing the door behind us with a click

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

PUSHING PAST MASON, I enter the surveillance room and he follows, closing the door behind us with a click.

He comes to stand next to me as I appraise the multitude of computer screens before us, showcasing different areas of the hospital, and I glance at him, looking at the glow of the blue light gracing his features. The last thing on my mind should be how attractive he looks, but despite this, I can't seem to shake the thought away. He doesn't seem to notice my stare, narrowing his eyes as they dart over each monitor. He brings a hand to his chin, humming under his breath thoughtfully.

I turn my gaze and my focus back to the task at hand, observing the grainy shots of the building. Apart from several nurses and doctors roaming the halls, they're virtually empty, and I'm grateful for that. But still, I can't help but feel paranoid. Creeping back over to the door, I twist the lock, breathing deeply when I've assured myself that no one can get in.

Mason takes a step closer to the screens, before slowly raising his hand and pointing at one in particular. "That'll be the one," he says quietly.

It's a shot of the back entrance of the hospital, where little activity is happening. It gives a view of the edge of the cemented parking lot, the looming forest just behind it, looking like a dark entity. The camera's night vision makes it look creepier than it actually is, but knowing that's where I was brought that night makes chills run down my spine. Suddenly, I'm not so sure if I want to see what's on these tapes.

Mason sits down in one of the swivel chairs, in front of the keyboard, and I tentatively take the seat next to him, feeling my palms beginning to sweat. Swallowing hard, I focus on looking at the monitors, trying to be helpful, instead of a distraction.

"What do we do now?" I ask in a small face, turning to examine his side profile.

"We need to find the code," he says, pushing his cap up slightly to rub at his forehead. "Mark said there should be a copy in the filing cabinet. See if you can find anything in there."

I stand, locating the filing cabinet in the corner of the room. As quietly as I can manage, I latch onto the handle of the top drawer, pulling it open and peering inside. I pore through the file folders, not finding anything of particular interest, before moving onto the next drawer and winding up with similar results. The third drawer is locked and doesn't budge when I tug on it, so I try the fourth, crouching down and gazing at the contents inside.

Instead of meticulously organized manila folders, there are random documents tossed carelessly. They most likely didn't have anywhere else to put them, and I'm about to consider the drawer as write-off until I spot something else. I frown, plucking the small slip of paper from the floor of the cabinet drawer. It's a series of numbers and letters, and it looks like some sort of password.

"Hey," I say, turning to look over my shoulder, and he glances up from his spot across the room. "Do you think this is it?"

He takes a step closer, coming to stand close behind me, ducking his head to look at the paper in my hands, and I risk a glimpse of his face as he reads the combination of characters on the page, taking in the frown of concentration creasing his eyebrows.

BlackoutWhere stories live. Discover now