ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Forty-Three

The car sat motionless in an underground parking facility in the subterranean levels of an abandoned building. There were mixed emotions as everyone was happy to be alive, but at the same time were consumed by a great sense of fear, anxiety, and sorrow.

"Everyone okay?" Train asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Dane replied.

"Cas, what about you?"

"I've been better."

"Nice driving back there. Really. I know the sentiment is lost in the moment considering everything, but you just saved our lives so, thank you."

"Yeah, thanks, Cas. And sorry about all this, you know? I'm sorry for dragging you into our mess."

"Hopefully some good can come from it," she said, handing Dane a small glass tube.

"What is this?" Dane said, analyzing the red liquid inside. "Ew gross, is this blood?"

"I'm not sure what it is, but my roommate left it behind at the apartment."

"How do you know that?"

"It was in a secret stash we have."

"Behind the fridge?" Dane asked. Both Train and Cassie looked at him oddly. "What?"

"Whatever this is, it was obviously important enough to hide," Cassie said.

"Do you think that's what those people are after?" Train asked.

"I'm not sure. If so, we need to keep it safe until we find someone who can tell us what it is and why it's so important."

"I know a guy, actually," Dane said. "Mr. Camouflage. He's a whiz with this kind of stuff. I'm sure he can analyze it and tell us more about it."

"Dammit," Cassie said, checking her pockets. "I think I dropped my phone."

"No worries, you can use mine," Dane said, handing his phone to her. "Who do you want to call?"

"The police... my roommate's family... my boss... and a few others."

"I would advise against that," Train said, placing his hand on her wrist. "Until we know who is after us, I think it's best we lay low."

"You don't think we should call the police?" Cassie asked dumbfounded. "My roommate is dead, we barely survived a harrowing car chase, we were shot at... in fact, I was shot last night. I'm sorry if I'm being unreasonable, but I think we are in over our heads and need help."

"I agree with everything you said," Train said calmly. "But we don't know who we can trust. Right now, all we have is each other. As I was saying, I suggest we lay low. We can stash this car and find an abandoned building to stay in — the city has thousands of unoccupied places for us to stay. With a little luck, we'll have running water and a comfortable place to sleep for the night. Tomorrow's a new day. We can reconvene in the morning once we're rested and thinking a little more clearly."

"Yeah, I agree with Train," Dane said. "We've been through a lot and I think in situations like these, a level head prevails. If you guys want to see if you can find a way into this building, I can stash the car."

"You good with that, Cas?" Train asked.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice."

"You always have a choice. We dragged you into this mess and I don't want to make any decisions for you."

Train and Cassie exited the vehicle and ran into the former office building while Dane moved the car. When Dane returned, he met up with them on the top floor.