Humanity's Hope: Book 1 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 10

Caleb pressed his ear against the bathroom door. Holding his breath, he hoped to hear anything else—voices or footsteps. Well, he didn't actually hope to hear them—that could possibly mean the people who were after him were in his apartment—but he didn't want to be surprised by them either. Sadly, if they were there, he had nowhere to go. The bathroom only had one way in and out. However, if he had enough forewarning, he might be able to make it to the fire escape. There was only silence. With deliberate movements, he reached for the door knob and turned it slowly. He cracked the door just enough so one eye could peer out.

He tried to keep himself calm. The sweat on his palm was causing the knob to slip under his grip. The door opening and closing didn't mean anything. It could have just been Dr. Bentley heading to work or checking the mail or whatever. He highly doubted after the way the doctor acted at his presence he would do anything to hurt Caleb. But then again, it could have been so much more. It could have been the people after him. They could have sent RBZs after him, and the good doctor could be dead on the floor.

Caleb's stomach clenched, a tingly feeling traveled down his arms into his fingers. Despite the steam from the shower that surrounded him, a chill settled over his body. He thought about calling out to his guardian, but his throat had gone dry. Again, he strained his ears, hoping to pick up any sounds. Nothing. He couldn't stay in the bathroom all day. That was beyond ridiculous. But what may or may not be in his apartment was fear inducing. It was obvious he hadn't thought this plan through, and it was possible he was in grave danger.

Run. Just take off. You can make it to the fire escape in just a few quick steps ...

Caleb's grip tightened on the doorknob. It wouldn't take him long to get out the door and to the fire escape. There were only a few problems with that plan. The first being he didn't really want to run through the streets in a towel with no shoes. Secondly, if the people were here, he didn't doubt they'd blocked off every possible escape route—especially if they were smart. Thirdly, his leaving totally defeated the purpose of him coming back. He had to face this. He pulled the door open slowly, quietly. Even though he had to face it, that didn't mean he couldn't use caution. He didn't need to run into danger. He kept his head cocked to the side, listening for anything. Everything was still silent. Was that normal? Well, honestly, yeah. Caleb spent the vast majority of his time in the quiet apartment. Normally, he enjoyed the silence. It made him happy not to have to interact with others. Now, though, it was oppressive.

Tiptoeing, he headed into the living room. Empty. He turned toward the kitchen. Empty also. He chuckled to himself. He was completely losing it. Paranoia was getting the better of him. He turned to walk into his room to get dressed, shaking his head at how ridiculous he was being.

After pulling on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, he opened his laptop and turned it on. He plopped onto his bed and waited for it to boot up. He didn't have direct access to the Zomtech computers from here, but he had access to the code. If he already knew how to get in and out through the cyber security system, that would mean he would spend less time in the lion's den. In theory, it was a great idea. In practice, the thousands upon thousands of lines of code could cause him problems. But he had an advantage: he had a general idea of where he needed to look and the opportunity to practice before doing it for real.

His computer finished booting up, and he logged on. He was just about to open the file that held what he hoped was the right code when the door opened and closed again. This time, he knew for sure he'd heard it and it was the front door, but he didn't give it a second thought. No doubt it was Dr. Bentley returning from wherever he had gone. He focused back on his screen and moved the cursor to the folder.

"Caleb! Can you come out here for a second?"

Caleb rolled his eyes and set the computer on his bed. He crossed his room and pulled open his bedroom door. "Yeah?" he called into the apartment.