The Created

Chapter 14: Panic in the Facility

KYE

"What is that?" Killoran bellows over the din of a shrieking alarm.

Brevyn shakes his head, baffled. He looks at me, and then quickly removes his finger from the trigger.

The door bursts open and the Tall Man with the bloody knuckles trips through, panting.

Killoran rushes to him. "What is it?"

He puts his hands on his knees. "The room—" he gasps, pointing off in an obscure direction.

"No," Killoran breathes. Then, louder, "NO!"

He shoves the Tall Man aside and rushes through the open doorway.

The Tall Man stares at me with glossy eyes, then shakes himself free and follows after his boss.

A surprising calm falls over the room, save for the skull-splitting alarm. Mr. Killoran's exit seems to have sucked the life from the space, and now it feels vaguely empty.

I look at Brevyn who looks back at me. He opens his mouth—

I rip the sticky pads from my skin in one swift movement. I hiss as the top layer of flesh peels away with them. But I'm on my feet.

"Wait, Kye—"

I make a mad dash for the door.

Brevyn rushes in front of me.

"Kye, please! Just—"

I swing with all my might and land my elbow into Brevyn's gut.

I take him to the floor. He hits his head and I land on top of him. His eyes are closed and he's gagging and I find the strength to stand up and I don't feel weak, I feel the adrenaline and I step over him.

But he grabs my pant leg, and I twist to wrench myself free, feeling and hearing my shoulder crunch into the doorway as I fall back.

I meet with cold floor. Brevyn is coughing, sputtering, but still coming for me.

I rise, supporting myself on the doorframe and set off in a disoriented trot down the hall, hearing Brevyn's curses fade behind me.

I don't know where the room is, but I'm not about to stop running.

My chest heaves as I run the halls, past rows and rows of closed doors, red lights flashing along the ceiling in a state of panic. A bowl of maggots squirms inside me at every peel of the alarm, at the sound of any footfalls headed my way, sure I'm about to be overtaken.

Connor. Shadow. The pages. Connor. Please be alive. The Lookout. Be alive, Connor. Shadow. Brevyn. The pages. Please, please, please. Killoran. The Lookout. Connor. Connor. Connor.

Connor might be gone. Or he might be okay, waiting for me to come get him. Maybe they haven't had time to—

I skid to a halt outside an open door. I push it open.

My room.

I dive inside and slam the door shut—

—then realize my mistake.

I lunge back to the door and furiously shake the handle.

No. No.

I shake it. And shake it. I shake the doorknob until I think it might fall off.

No, no, no, no, NO.

It's locked. It automatically locked behind me. My only means of escape vaporized.

"Stupid!" I slam my fists on the door. "So, so STUPID!"

My eyes run over the room. Shadow's not here. What if I lost him, too? What if stupid Freckle-Face caught up to him and took him away forever? Shadow and Connor are all that I have.

That's when I hear a voice from the other side of the door.

It's coming from over a walkie-talkie, a man's voice through the static. It's familiar.

"—and then he punched me in the gut and ran. I tried to stop him. He ran and I couldn't catch up to him."

The radio cuts out and the listener does not respond. Footsteps approach my door, soft but determined.

They stop right outside.

I hear the tinkle of keys clacking together, being tried in the doorknob.

I look around for something. Anything.

There's nothing.

Keys and the door rattling. Whoever is outside wants to get in badly.

I reach for a hardcover book on the shelf and hold it at the ready.

CLANK. The lock gives way.

I raise the book over my head and aim for the doorway—

The knob turns—

I breathe a deep breath—

And the door swings open.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whoops! Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger. ;)

Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen will be released: Monday; July 8, 2019.